Sax-Zim Bog in the Spring and Summer

Year 8

Yesterday I spent six hours in the Bog, leaving well before 6 am. Visiting Sax-Zim in the winter is very popular, but the Spring and Summer should be on birder’s “to do list. The Bog generates bugs which means lots of warblers, including the rare Connecticut Warbler. With some bug repellant, or restricting your visits to walking back roads, the mosquitoes are not too bad.

Great Grays Owls are busy feeding before sunset and after sunrise given they have hungry young mouths to feed. If you can find a cloudy (even foggy) day without rain, one may even see the owls out in the middle of the day (personal experience).

Regardless, it was a great time at the Bog yesterday. I found a Belted Kingfisher nest hole where I may stay concealed, but close. It will be fun in a little over a month when the babies hatch. The parents were courting yesterday morning.

Approaching at the Nest Hole

Leaving the Nest Hole

Great Grey Owl hunting after sunrise

Northern Lights Forecasting: Aurora-Alerts App

Background, Year 8

After consideration and research I have changed my recommended Northern Lights / Forecasting App to Aurora-Alerts. This review is for their paid app (i.e. worth a few dollars). My annotated screenshots given later in this blog post show the interface and explain functionality. I like the clean, easy to follow user interface. The alerts work fine and are updated twice per hour.

Aurora-Alerts is available for Apple or Android devices. See their web site to learn more, or download / install a local copy. I also have SpaceWeatherLive’s app installed on my devices and receive their alerts. While I love their alerts and news, I suspect their app would be very confusing to a person who is not real knowledgeable about the Northern Lights. As always, I do NOT receive any money for my reviews & recommendations.

The Northern Lights Lake Superior Region Facebook Group which I founded and where I am one of the two admins has over 6,000 members. This Facebook Groups helps one know when lights are expected to be active near Lake Superior, and enjoy photographs of the Aurora taken from the local region (i.e. not Alaska or Norway, etc.). A Facebook account is required to join / read posts in the group.

Finally, don’t forget to read the Northern Lights page of this blog. It has many helpful explanations and links concerning the Northern Lights.

Aurora-Alerts Splash Screen (current conditions)

Aurora-Alerts Forecasts

Ovation Aurora & Trend Data (from NASA and NOAA)

Alerts (sent out twice per hour)