Category Archives: Year 8

Lady Aurora Danced Last Night!

March 14, 2021Year 8Northern Lightsrichardhoeg@gmail.com

The heavens were beautiful last night … the stars and Northern Lights were amazing on a clear moonless night. The Aurora was not forecast, but was enjoyed very much. I was standing on a frozen lake in northern Minnesota miles and miles away from any light pollution when I took this photographs. It is a shame most folks now live in areas where they truly can not see the true glory of the night sky. The reflections in the first image are caused by refrozen snow melt on an ice road used by local fishermen.

In this second image I just wanted folks to see how the sky looked when I knew to jump out of the car and get ready for a solar sub-storm. Over the course a few minutes the Aurora glow visibly intensified and told me it was time to take my viewing spot (i.e. get out of the car and walk out onto the lake … Molly and I were parked at the beginning of the ice road at the end of the boat launch). The “dance” lasted ten minutes at 11:30 pm. We had driven 40 minutes from our home, and spent an hour and forty minutes at the lake. At midnight we drove home.

My Sony A6300 camera settings were: Rokinon 16 mm wide angle lens, ISO = 3200, Aperture = 2.8, Exposure = 8 seconds.

Black-Backed Woodpecker!

March 12, 2021Year 8MN North: Amity, MN North: Sax-Zim Bogrichardhoeg@gmail.com

There are certain Boreal birds one will never attract to a feeder, and the Black-Backed Woodpecker is one of those species. Winter is the best time of year to find a Black-Backed because it is easier to hike through the frozen forest, and there are no mosquitoes. I had been skunked in all my prior attempts to see this kind of woodpecker this year, but today I was successful. Hiking through the forest with frequent stops to listed pointed me in the proper direction. Black-Backed Woodpeckers tend to have a syncopated sound. These birds flake bark off old and diseased Tamarack Pines … with frequent stops to investigate and eat.

Upon arriving home, I found two birds which insisted on getting their picture taken. The Pileated Woodpecker was drilling on one of my yards hollow limbs. As I have already seen the happy couple together, at this point he is warning off other Pileateds and defining his territory. The female Cardinal seemed to be upset with having her photograph taken!

Great Gray Owl Hunting Before Winter Storm

March 10, 2021Year 8MN North: Two Harbors Highlandsrichardhoeg@gmail.com

We are forecast to be hit by a winter storm in a few hours here in the Northland. This morning I decided to head out and see if any owls might be hunting before the storm arrived. It is amazing how at times birds seem to understand impending bad weather, and make ready. This morning was one of the those occasions. I watched a Great Gray Owl hunt for over 60 minutes. It gave up the effort when the wind blew so strongly that hearing voles running beneath the snow became impossible. I drove away from the owls hunting grounds after it flew to a wind protected perch and obviously decided rest was now in order.

Normally Great Gray Owls are hard to find, but this bird was sitting on the edge of a remote road … right out in the only patch of melted snow. It actually waited for me to drive 80 yards past the bird, park and walk back for a photograph. Cooperative bird!