Category Archives: Year 10

Northern Lights / Lady Aurora Danced & Danced

Year 10,

Oh my, did Lady Aurora dance last night. The Northern Lights display in northern Minnesota was fantastic. I drove north from my home in Duluth to just south of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). This region was recently designated a Dark Sky Sanctuary by Dark Skies International. While the Aurora Borealis display was seen hundreds and hundreds of miles to my south, being able to view the dance in a truly dark location was awe inspiring. I hope you enjoy my images and videos, all taken last night … what a great birthday present for me!

All photographs taken within the Greenwood Forest Fire Burn Area in the Superior National Forest. You may wish to visit my Northern Lights Viewing and Photography Page. It reviews forecasting tools and camera settings among other things.

Sand River Northern Lights

Looking Southwest! (one should NOT be able to watch the Northern Lights in the southerly direction)

Steve! (a rare Northern Lights Velocity Enhancement)

Safety in Important (may need to maximize this image)

Movies??! (I was able to take Northern Lights videos in real time, not time lapse photography. This is unheard of, and I was not using a super fancy camera … a Sony A6300 set at ISO 3200 with a 16mm lens)(Video link for blog subscribers)

A Selfie! (My attempt to take a selfie was quite comical. I was on location with a buddy of mine. While the temperature at sunset was 37F, by 10:30 pm the mercury was falling and would reach 14F. A strong crust of snow was forming, but each time I would scamper out to get in my planned image … often I would suddenly break through the snow that was 4+ feet deep and fall. Steve and I got some good belly laughs out of my ineptness, but I only had 10 seconds before the timed shutter delay would fire).

Assuming you are still with me, make certain you visit my Northern Lights page on this web site. You will find lots of useful information on how to know when to find and view Northern Lights.

Great Gray Owl Take-Off!

Year 10

We had another round of snow overnight, and received about 5 inches of white stuff at my house.  However, by 9 am the snow had stopped, and the winds had died. Given the low light this morning and the fact that it was nigh unto impossible for any owl to hunt last night (huge winds and heavy snow squalls), I wondered if some owls might be out long after sunrise. My prediction was correct and I found this Great Gray Owl hunting at 10:00 am, and it disappeared into the deep forest at 10:30, but I still think it was hunting.

Great Gray Owl Forest Take-Off

Remember, if you like Great Gray Owls, my new children’s picture book titled “Smokey Finds a Rainbow” was just released yesterday! Anyone may download for free a full version PDF of my book about the young owl.

Actually today was not the only day I found Great Gray Owls in Sax-Zim Bog. On two other days during the past seven days I found the Gray Ghost of the Forest, but on those days I has sunny mornings and the owls disappeared shortly after sunrise.

These two images were taken shortly before sunrise.

And just once did I did have an owl land with the risen sun at my back, but only for a few moments.

Ice Berry Birds!

Year 10

Two mornings ago while checking fruit trees I found a flock of pine grosbeaks enjoying fruit from one of the few pygmy crabapple trees that still has not been picked clean. The entire flock were female birds. I think all the male pine grosbeaks are already north of the border staking out prime breeding locations. Unlike us humans who do NOT like to eat the apple seeds, the grosbeaks consider that the tastiest part of the apple.

Female Pine Grosbeaks