Barn Swallow Mud Collecting!
This is the one time of year a person might see Barn Swallows on the ground. While out watching warblers yesterday, I saw some Barn Swallows on the wing. Given it has been very dry in northeastern Minnesota, I told a friend who was birding with me to watch this puddle. I knew both given there are very few puddles around (dry conditions) and the time of near (mating), the swallows would land and get mud as building materials for their nests. We were not disappointed!
Birding is Dangerous!
Yup … that’s me after yesterday’s trip to the owling grounds. In addition, there is a long gash underneath the left sock from a day earlier. While, I am obviously okay this particular fall was quite painful. If you are like me and tend to go birding, bicycling and Nordic skiing in remote places, quite often off trail … a bit of caution is useful.
In my case, Molly always is able to track me via Google Location Sharing. I posted on this subject one year ago. I have privately shared my location with real time updates with Molly via Google. I even tested whether Molly could truly determine my correct location. I hiked into remote areas in northern Minnesota which I could identify via landmarks in Google Satellite View. We then determined by my making a quick phone call to Molly and she taking a screenshot whether my location was reported correctly. Our family also owns a Garmin InReach GPS real time tracking via satellite with messaging capability for even more remote areas. Learn more via my previous posts:
- Remote Birding Safety (Google Location Sharing)
- BWCA Boundary Waters Winter Camping Trek
Google Location Sharing is free assuming one has a mobile phone. The Garmin Inreach required purchasing their device and paying a small monthly fee. Here are both a Garmin and Google screenshot showing Hoeg family use. I strongly recommend both of these services. Most people will not need the Garmin satellite service … just us folks who live and recreate in the middle of nowhere!
