Been to the Louvre? Now Visit the Loo-vre!

Year 9

I am sure many of you have visited the Louvre Museum in Paris, and its famous art museum. However, have you visited the Loo-vre? The Loo-vre is another famous art museum located in the Sax-Zim Bog wilderness of northern Minnesota. Better yet, this museum allows you to leave a trophy as it is one of the only outhouses for miles and miles around! Words to not do justice to the Loo-vre. Here are photographs from yesterday morning (located at the Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center). Remember, while you may be able to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, you will be able to see Mona Moosey at the Loo-vre!

The Loo-vre Art Museum / Outhouse

Oh yes … many of the summer birds are back (Sandhill Crane, Black-Billed Magpie, Eastern Kingbird)

Your daily Great Horned Owlet photo (all is fine at the nest)

Western Grebes Dancing!

Year 9

Have you ever seen Western Grebes Dancing? If not, or you would just like to see this great spectacle once again, I have personally arranged a tour conducted by the locals on Lake Osakis (west central Minnesota … Osakis, Minnesota). For years the Grebes have danced as they courted on Lake Osakis. While there is no charge to take the boat tour (an 11 passenger pontoon boat), a donation to the Alexandria Area Let’s Go Fishing organization is HIGHLY encouraged! There is NO guarantee the Grebes will dance for us, but we will be visiting during the window when mating normally occurs.

You MUST contact me by email ASAP, and the spots are on a first come, first serve basis. My email address is RichardHoeg{at sign}GMail.com. You should be able to figure the email address out, but automated webbots cannot!

Basic details (specific details provided upon confirmation):

  • Wednesday, May 25th at 9:30 am on Lake Osakis (meet at 9:15 am)
  • Depending upon demand, another tour might run in the early afternoon.
  • No bad weather dates!

Photo Credit: Audubon.Org

A Good Birding Day!

Year 9

I should have known that yesterday would be a good birding day when one of the Great Horned Owl parents visited my yard at 3 am and hooted away for over 15 minutes. With my windows open I often awake to hooting, and then quickly fall back asleep. It is truly relaxing.

I decided if the parents were willing to visit me, I should be sociable in turn. Shortly before sunset I hiked over to the nest and the owlets were showing they were siblings who would friends forever!

Once I walked home, I thought my birding was done, but with the last light of day a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker visited one of the three prime drumming trees in my yard. In total, yesterday all of these woodpecker species took a turn at drumming on the tree. I’m getting pretty good at knowing which species is visiting based upon the syncopation  of the beat. My drumming tree visits were from:

  • Downy Woodpeckers
  • Hairy Woodpeckers
  • Northern Flicker (seems to be a favorite catch for my owls)
  • Pileated Woodpeckers
  • Red-Bellied Woodpeckers
  • Yellow-Bellied Woodpeckers (pictured below)