All posts by richardhoeg@gmail.com

Snowmageddon 2019 … Someday my Snowplow will come!

Title of blog post sung to the tune … Someday my prince will come!
Getting low on bird food. The locals are getting concerned! Given the 19 inches of snow in my driveway and the fact that snowplows are apparently a figment of my imagination, the birds will have to be patient! It’s 2:30 pm on Monday, and when this fictitious plow makes an appearance, I will then have a few hours of shoveling to clear out the end of the driveway. I DO love Minnesota, but just perhaps a little less winter wonderland would be nice right now!
 
Pileated Woodpecker seen in my yard this morning (female … no scarlet mustache). I’ve also had a Northern Shrike hunting the feeders.
My house as seen from the unplowed road. We abut the forest and the creek. See yesterday’s post for views in the other direction.

Snowmageddon 2019 (Blizzard Dumps 21.7 inches of Snow!)

I shoveled today. In fact I shoveled for six hours. Fifteen minutes into my snow clearing task this morning the drive belt on my snowblower snapped. Now the repair will be easy, but first I would need a new belt and that requires cleared walks, plowed streets, and open stores. The City of Duluth informs us our road will hopefully get plowed tomorrow, in the mean time Occidental Blvd (my road) is a great cross-country ski / snowmobile trail. The official snow totals from the Duluth airport are 21.7 inches of snow, but then one would not want to forget the additional 8 inches that fell on Thanksgiving. My back is sore!

I hope you enjoy these images … all taken within 400 yards of my house.

All is peaceful at Hoeg’s … 6:15 am (snowblower will break by 7:10 am)

Post blizzard images taken this afternoon … my house, my street, and Amity Creek.

And of course some birds … Mourning Dove and Downy Woodpecker

Post Thanksgiving Turkeys!

As I was getting ready to leave my daughter’s house after eating huge quantities of food, including turkey, these guys made an appearance! I guess they thought it was now safe to come out of the woods. Anyone tell these birds we also eat turkey for Christmas?!

This may be the last birding photographs for a few days. I just shoveled all the snow from our first true winter storm, and now the weather service has issued a blizzard warning … 12 to 16 inches of snow and high winds expected over the next two days. See you in December.

Post Thanksgiving Turkeys

Turkey Video (video link for email subscribers)