Northern Hawk Owl and the National Wildlife Foundation!

Year 11

Two days ago I was informed my Northern Hawk Owl has been selected by National Wildlife Federation to be featured for one of their Holidays / Christmas 2024 cards! I am already a financial donor and supporter of this fine organization. Full credit will be given to me on the back of the card. As a fyi, I almost never enter photography contests as they normally are just a grab by the sponsoring organization to get free images. However, with the NWF, not only was I already a donor, but I am thrilled to help them with their important work. Thus, last year I broke my own rule and entered their contest. in the fall later this year, I expect they will become available via the NWF’s online store.

Amy the Great Horned Owl Has Nested!

Year 11

Well, my Great Horned Owls have finally nested in the nearby forest for the sixth year straight! These images were taken over the past 24 hours …

Les stands guard yesterday afternoon in a nearby white pine tree

Les hoots his love 50 minutes before sunrise this morning

Les … the Movie! (The deep crack heard in the movie is ice breaking on Amity Creek. It startled both the owl and me! Otherwise you are hearing water gurgling in Amity Creek. Video link for email subscribers)

Amy on the nest this morning!

Arctic Bound, Wrong Turn at Duluth: Greater White-Fronted Goose

Year 11

In ten years I have never seen a Greater White-Fronted Goose in the Duluth area … only much further west during their Spring migration. Whether it was strong westerly winds, or a bad sense of direction, Greater-White Fronted Geese have shown up along the North Shore of Lake Superior. Our cold lake should make them feel at home … almost the Arctic Ocean which is where they breed each summer!

I became informed about these birds because I have a free eBird account and subscribe to county wide rare bird alerts for St. Louis, Lake and Douglas Counties. These three counties cover the head of the lakes, a bit of the way up the shore, and north through the Boreal Forest to the Canadian Border.

Subscribing to any county in the United States is easy. Create a free eBird account and  then perform a Google search on the desired county names. I normally include the words “eBird” “Alert” and the abbreviation for the desired state such as “Mn” for Minnesota. Across the USA there are many counties with identical names. I have no desire to subscribe to alerts for other “Lake Counties” across America. There are many.

Here are two annotated screenshots for Lake County

And of course, the Greater-White Fronted Geese which I saw this morning on the Two Harbors Golf Course. Amazingly the ponds are ice free on this March 9th, and have been for days. Waterfowl are quick to find ice free ponds.