Ahem … I can not even claim that Spring is on hold. It has never arrived here in northern Minnesota. It was -4F at sunrise this morning in Sax-Zim Bog. Most of our winter birds from up north have pushed out of our region. Given the 2+ feet of snow remaining on the ground, and the fact that lakes will not ice out for a loooong time … there is almost zero migration action. These Goldeneye females availed themselves of the only open water, the Cloquet River a bit south of Sax-Zim Bog. There was one male Goldeneye about 50 yards distant. Perhaps these females were courting him??
On the local owl front, my Great Horned Owls are doing fine. Mom continues to incubate and Dad protects against all the migrating crows. These photos are from yesterday.
Five days ago I found a flock of migrating female Pine Grosbeaks enjoying Pygmy Crabapples, while yesterday afternoon a Pileated Woodpecker was enjoying red berries. Normally by March 26th (today) the winter woods are largely free of snow … not this year. There are still many feet of the white stuff on the ground. Thus, food still found on trees is a great prize. (actually the woodpecker was not very good at getting the crabapples … most fell on the ground)
Oh my, did Lady Aurora dance last night. The Northern Lights display in northern Minnesota was fantastic. I drove north from my home in Duluth to just south of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). This region was recently designated a Dark Sky Sanctuary by Dark Skies International. While the Aurora Borealis display was seen hundreds and hundreds of miles to my south, being able to view the dance in a truly dark location was awe inspiring. I hope you enjoy my images and videos, all taken last night … what a great birthday present for me!
Safety in Important (may need to maximize this image)
Movies??! (I was able to take Northern Lights videos in real time, not time lapse photography. This is unheard of, and I was not using a super fancy camera … a Sony A6300 set at ISO 3200 with a 16mm lens)(Video link for blog subscribers)
A Selfie! (My attempt to take a selfie was quite comical. I was on location with a buddy of mine. While the temperature at sunset was 37F, by 10:30 pm the mercury was falling and would reach 14F. A strong crust of snow was forming, but each time I would scamper out to get in my planned image … often I would suddenly break through the snow that was 4+ feet deep and fall. Steve and I got some good belly laughs out of my ineptness, but I only had 10 seconds before the timed shutter delay would fire).
Assuming you are still with me, make certain you visit my Northern Lights page on this web site. You will find lots of useful information on how to know when to find and view Northern Lights.
