Category Archives: Year 5

Snow Storm Raptors

Year 5,

It was not worth checking out most of my owling grounds today. Any smart owl was in the deep woods due to the presence of this Bald Eagle.

Yesterday was a good day north of Duluth. After many days of high winds, the air calmed which I knew would make for easier birding. Remember, Great Gray Owls hunt by listening for voles and mice running underneath the snow. High winds make it very hard to hear anything. I found this owl hunting very near my house!

Finally I found this Boreal Owl sleeping before sunset along the North Shore of Lake Superior!

Ice Ducks … The Movie!

Year 5

Lake Superior is fickle. Yesterday my end of Lake Superior was iced in as far as the eye could see … thus my ice sunrise photographs. Today, a very strong wind out of the west blew most of the ice away from Duluth. Thus, we have open water once more 1/2 mile downhill from my house. There is a small stream that is underground for a while just where these mallards are congregating. I think they like the relatively warmer water, and the fact that the HUGE ice build-up on shore is protecting them from the wind.

These first two images show how a photographer is able to dramatically change an image. The point of view is the same, but in the first photo I chose to focus on the ice leaving the ducks out of focus, and in the second image I kept the foreground ducks in focus.

An overview of the Brighton Beach ice and mallards

A flock of ice ducks

Ice duck love!

and finally … Ice Ducks … The Movie!

Ice-Rise over Lake Superior!

Year 5,

Per my norm I was out before sunrise this morning. While I did find owls, the beauty of the sunrise over the newly formed Lake Superior ice was awe inspiring. Perhaps the Ice Caves near the Apostle Islands will open after all this year. We can only hope. Here are a few pics from my 2015 visit to the Ice Caves.

Sunrise at French River on the North Shore of Lake Superior

20 Minutes earlier at Brighton Beach