Category Archives: Year 13

La Carolina Lodge Toucan Time (Costa Rica)

Year 13

A blizzard rages at home in Duluth, but thankfully Molly and me got out of Dodge a day before the storm hit. Instead after 13 hours of travel we arrived at La Carolina Lodge in the rain forest near Costa Rica’s Volcano National Park. This is our third visit to this fantastic eco lodge, which raises most of the food eaten by guests, and has super birding. If you want air conditioned luxury La Carolina Lodge is the wrong place for you, but if you want to truly experience Costa Rica Pura Vida, visit! A few years back, I even wrote and photographed a birding guide for the NW region of C.R. While the printed version is out of print, anyone may download for free a PDF version of my book.

Back to the birds … sunrise was about 6 am, and although the golden orb was hiding behind clouds, by 6:15 am I was “birding the bananas”! I have only processed a few of my photographs, but I decided to focus upon the Yellow Throated Toucan. While I really wanted flight shots, I also ended up with “hopping images” which I think are very funny. The toucan looks like it is photoshopped into the hopping photos, but the pics are real. This large bird has strong legs and often hopped rather than flew between perches.

At the end of the post I have just a couple more photos of three other species … one a lifer which I was amazed to capture with the camera given the dark light and the lightning quick subject.

Hopping Yellow-Throated Toucan

Flying Toucan

Stationary Toucan

And the lifer … Long-Billed Hermit Hummingbird

Blue-Gray Tanager

Chestnut-Headed Oropendola

One final note, I brought my OwlSense birdsong listening device south with me. It is listening outside my cabin.

In closing, the Toucan told me it wanted to be in the movie! (video link for blog email subscribers)

Canada Lynx Scent Branch!

Year 13

Remember this guy (or gal)? This Canada Lynx lives near my Greenwood Creek Bird Feeders in the Superior National Forest / Sand Lake – 7 Beavers Nature Conservancy Preserve. I took these two photographs last April when the Lynx and I had a stare down on a remote trail.

Well, the big kitty likes my birdfeeders! I suspect it likes the fact that Snowshoe Hare and Grouse like my birdfeeders! The Lynx has been visiting my feeders throughout the winter, but NEVER actually walks through the parking area. Via the use of my trailcams I have now discovered the cat’s scent branch. Recently the Canada Lynx is visiting the branch at least once per day. Yesterday I moved five trailcams. They all now point at the scent branch from various angles. Learn more about “scent branches / scent marking.

Enjoy these five videos. If you would like to see some of the Canada Lynx’s friends which visit the “scent branch” including snowshoe hare, moose, timber wolves and more visit this YouTube Playlist I created which specifically focuses upon the scent branch (all videos taken within 20 yards). Interestingly enough, during the “Blue Jays” video I was actually standing about 125 yards distant from the Lynx. I knew the Jays were upset, but the 2.5+ feet of snow discouraged me from bushwhacking!

Video Links for Blog eMail Subscribers:

Winter 2025 / 2026 Lynx and Friends YouTube Playlist

Northern Hawk Owl Hunting

Year 13

With the help of some other folks, I finally found a second Northern Hawk Owl in Sax-Zim Bog on Saturday morning. After the atrocious weather the past few  days … dare I say dreich?! … the day was finally worth heading outside. Putting our weather in perspective, I went through 40 pounds of salt trying to keep rid our walks free of ice buildup from the snow and sleet screaming in off Lake Superior.

While the weather forecast claimed the sun would arrive by mid-morning, Mother Nature said if you really want to photograph the Hawk Owl, you MUST show patience. I arrived in the Bog at 7:30 am, and the sun did not come out till 1:00 pm. However, the long wait was worth cooling my jets. The Northern Hawk Owl performed!

Sax-Zim Bog Northern Hawk Owl Hunting

The owl moved all afternoon between three perches near a small creek

Perch #1

Perch #2

Perch #3

One of the dives for a vole

Vole Capture #1

Vole Capture #2

Back to Hunting on Perch #3

In the final image of the “back to hunting” photos, the full sun had come out. It was taken about 15 minutes later than the other images in the sequence and something had obviously caught the owl’s attention.