I have learned the morning forest schedule. My local crows after first eating breakfast tend to attack my owls as their next morning task. For that reason, my male Great Horned Owl is almost guaranteed to be sitting in the nesting tree early each morning. In the afternoon he moves to another perch. I’m sure his mate appreciates his presence and protection.

On the hike back from the nest, I took this video of the frozen waterfall (The Deeps) which is 400 yards from my house. The actual waterfall is about three times taller than what I was able to show in the video, but I could not safely descend into the ravine to get a different perspective … too much ice. I hope it provides some peace and calm in these troubling times. (video link for email subscribers)

Finally, here is a video of the Northern Saw-whet owl I saw exactly one month ago today at the Hartley Nature Center. In the background of the video you are able to hear the nursery school kids who first found the owl! It’s a happy sound. This bird did not mind humans … easy hunting by the feeders trumped all! (video link for email subscribers)

Quite frankly, I am lucky to live on the edge of the northern Boreal Forest. During these trying times, I will redouble my efforts to bring you the wilderness world via blog posts in the hope it might provide a calming respite from all our worries. In the forest, I am able to easily maintain a six foot distance from other humans. I did not see another person during my morning hike …

Although a winter storm is in the works for tomorrow, some Purple Finches have arrived back in the Northland. It’s fantastic to hear the finches singing from the treetops outside my home. This individual has started visiting my feeders.

I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe. I said my first wilderness prayers yesterday, and am continuing them daily (request a prayer). In addition I am trying to come up with other ideas for this extended period when most of us will be homebound. Obviously, get out into the woods and enjoy nature. It is very easy to maintain a six foot distance when outdoors. We are already scheduling hikes with other couples. We meet up with another duo and walk.

One idea I am toying with is some more online seminars … I am thinking about a basic photograph editing session demonstrating my techniques using Photoshop Elements.

Stay sane! Your ideas for how to keep this community engaged are welcome and encouraged.

I believe in the power of prayer. When I lost my vision, many, many of you reached out to me during my time of need … often telling me I would be remembered in your prayers. I want to help all of you. Starting today I promise to take a daily hike out into the forest near my home and pray for any and all of you. Use the “Contact Rich” form found via “Contact / About Rich” page linked in the menubar at the top of this page to send me your prayer request. Your request is private via my form. The prayer will be repeated daily until we suceessfully weather the Coronavirus … no need to resubmit.

This Northern Saw-Whet Owl which I saw about one month ago seemed to be praying.