Lake Superior Sunrise!

Year 7

40 minutes before sunrise while enjoying a morning read in front of the fireplace, I realized the light starting to appear through the pine trees heralded a beautiful sunrise. I quickly threw on some warm clothes and drove down to the Lake Superior shoreline near my house. The big lake did not disappoint!

Lester River Lake Superior Sunday Serenity Sunrise

The Lester River Bridge Twenty Minutes Before Dawn

For my birding friends, I then explored for over an hour the inland area between Duluth and Two Harbors. Nothing. It appears we will not have any owls setting up hunting territories this year on the North Shore. Sax-Zim Bog is ground zero for in that respect.

Sax-Zim Bog Success!

Year 7

Birding was tough yesterday. Although the weather was calm with lots of nice sun, the birds were not overly cooperative which begs the question … why was this excursion a success??? The answer is contained in this text my wife while birding: “I can see what I am not seeing!”. Vision is precious. My thanks my buddy, Jeff M., who met me in the Bog and then we birded together in his car letting me focus upon birding and not driving.

Although the birds were not willing to pose for this intrepid outdoorsman / photographer, it’s hard to spend an entire day in Sax-Zim Bog and not get a few photo opps.

Gray Jays (now known as a Canada Jay)

Snowy Owl on a Stick (waaaay out in the Byrns Greenhouse Fields)

Ruffed Grouse

Railroad Yard Snowy Owls

Year 7

The gift of sight is precious. Late yesterday afternoon I drove myself over to Superior, Wisconsin in search of Snowy Owls … let me repeat that fact … I drove MYSELF over to the owling grounds.  While my doctor had told me not to expect the BOTOX injections for Blepharospasm to be effective till after seven days, I apparently am one of the lucky individuals where the drug works quickly. Snake venom is now blocking the miscommunication between my brain and eyes.

I can see!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday was the first time I have driven a car in two months. I also took a hike while it was still sunny and bright (impossible just five days ago). I traipsed through the deep snow in  the forest near my home on deer trails … easily seeing deadfall and stepping over same. I was searching for my local Great Horned Owls. This morning as I create this post at 7:15 am, my local owls are hooting away at me!  Nature is welcoming me back to its world of wonder. While the battle with Blepharospasm will now be a life long war, it appears as if I will have a life worth living which includes the gift of sight.

Here is one of the two Snowy Owls I found at the Superior Railroad yards. While the photo opportunity was not grand (blah skies and location), for me the image capture was one of the happiest of my life. Perhaps this female Snowy is yelling to the other nearby owl: “The gigs up … I think he sees us!” (Location … power poles south of the intersection of Hill Ave. and 24th Ave. E.)