Sax-Zim Bog American Kestrel Morning

Year 10

Tuesday morning there were an amazing number of American Kestrels migrating through Sax-Zim Bog (in addition to lingering residents). The Kestrel, America’s smallest falcon, has seen their numbers crash over the years (see Audubon’s American Kestrel Project). Sax-Zim Bog has put up a huge number of kestrel boxes in the farmland which borders the bog. The numbers of kestrels I now see are truly great, and I consider myself lucky.

Normally getting close to a kestrel is very, very difficult. These birds are shy and spook quickly. However, with the sun extremely low in the sky and right behind me just after sunrise I managed to get fantastic close-up views of a Kestrel. It could not see me given the sun. “Life” is good!

Sax-Zim Bog American Kestrel

FuzzBall and Facebook (my new account)

Year 10

Dual authentication appears to have protected my Facebook account, but it also appears my account while not taken over is lost in the virtual never, never world. Thus, I have created a new Facebook account. The image posted below is very similar to my new Facebook profile image AND tells how to contact me if you have questions or concerns. A Facebook search on Rich Hoeg (not Richard) should show me … home town of Duluth.

Northern Lights, Coyotes and Face Plants

Year 10
  1. It has been a hard 24 hours. First and foremost, it you are a “Facebook Friend” of mine, ignore any and all requests until I indicate otherwise in this blog. Although I have two factor authentication, it would appear my account has been compromised.
  2. I did a face plant and hurt myself while trail running yesterday afternoon. Long story short, I had a major heart event which landed me in the Emergency Room. I am okay but scared.
  3. Given I was having trouble sleeping last night, at 3 am I discovered that the skies had finally cleared after constant rain since last Thursday and the Northern Lights numbers were good. I drove to Boulder Lake at 3:30 am and watched the Aurora Borealis. In some of the pics you can see the Big Dipper, and others have some of the Milky Way.
  4. When I was finished watching the Northern Lights at 5:00 am I headed to Sax-Zim Bog … long before sunrise which was essentially 7:00 am this morning. I had some good birding which I will blog about tomorrow, but the star of the night were the Northern Lights and a Coyote which walked to within a few feet of my car loooong before sunrise, obviously blinded by my car’s headlights. I have never watched a Coyote from only a few feet away.

Northern Lights at Boulder Lake (last night)

Wile E. Coyote

I am amazed I even managed to get this photograph to work. It was 45 minutes before sunrise and I had to use every trick in the book to take a picture in the dark, and pray the coyote would pause for a few moments.