All posts by richardhoeg@gmail.com

Reach Out and Grab Some Color!

Year 4, ,

Man has it been dreary recently in northern Minnesota. The skies are forever cloudy, and most of the birds that I’ve seen have been black and white (or brown). Arrgh! I needed a color fix which thankfully a local cardinal provided when I got home this morning!

Seriously, I should probably work the North Shore of Lake Superior harder, but I’m not interested in making the drive up to Grand Marais and back. Jim Lind and John Richardson are reporting some cool ducks at various river mouths and harbors between Two Harbors and Grand Marais. I suggest watching for their names via eBird (Lake and Cook Counties)

Color! Red: Cardinal in my yard next to Amity Creek

Black & White Bird #1: Goldeneye at McQuade Harbor

Black & White Bird #2: Bald Eagle “grabbing some color” inland from Two Harbors

Canon SX60 and the Bald Eagle

Background, Year 4

For the past 7+ days it has been dark and dreary in northern Minnesota. In short, not a photography paradise. The low light and and clouds can depress a photographer. This morning while up on Old Vermilion Trail, I spied a bald eagle in a picturesque location. The resulting image given below shows the limitation of super zoom / bridge cameras like my SX60 in low light. For a flight shot, I set my exposure to 1/800 th of a second which given my small sensor forced a high, noisy ISO setting upon me (1,600). I am happy with the image as I know given my equipment, it was the best possible result. I also know that if I owned a DSLR with a long lens, my result would have been better.

I’ve reviewed my Canon SX-60 on this web site, and I like the camera, but like any piece of equipment it is good to understand its limitations. This camera allows me to easily hike into remote areas which would be impossible with a DSLR and a big, expensive lens. The price trade-off is nice  ($450 vs BIG MONEY)!

I have also included my recent Snowy Owl in flight photo. It demonstrates the difference in the quality of the output between good and poor light for a super zoom / bridge camera.

Bald Eagle: ISO = 1,600; Exposure = 1/800 of a second; Aperture = 6.5

Snowy Owl: ISO = 320; Exposure = 1/800 of a second; Aperture = 5.6

The Robins of Frostbite Falls

Year 4

Yesterday was January 19th, a day in northern Minnesota when the normal average high is 20F. Instead, we topped out at 45F. Just one week ago the morning temperature was -20F. In short, this region is NOT an area where robins should be found in the winter. However, over the past week hundreds of robins have been seen in Duluth and along the north shore of Lake Superior. The photograph shown below was one bird out of a flock of 20 robins which I found foraging on some open grounds next to Lake Superior. I guarantee there are no worms to be found as the frost line is two feet deep in the soil. Thus, I have no idea what these birds were eating. It is worth noting that ten miles inland from the big lake there are two feet of snow on the ground, but not next to Lake Superior.

The other unusual aspect of this photograph is that I was birding by bicycle. My bike is a touring bike, not a winter fat tire bike. My cycling clothes will not keep me warm in the middle of winter; thus, I do not remember taking a bike ride in January. Strange.

Finally, here is one more photograph from my visit with a Snowy Owl earlier this week.