Biking the Flat Lands!

Year 6

There is a classic New Yorker Magazine cover cartoon which gives a New Yorker’s view of America. I live in “Fly Over Land” and as you can plainly see, Minnesota is not even on the map! I think we are up next to Canada.

This afternoon I took a bike ride in Fly Over Flat Lands. My 12.89 mile ride has 580 feet of climbing, and a fantastic 3.33 mile long descent. I love my flat lands! The two road photos are from either side of my ride’s pinnacle … looking back towards the Boreal Forest and then down towards Lake Superior … same road … same ride.

Earlier this morning a very cooperative Red-Bellied Woodpecker posed for a photo shoot. The bird moved around, but never away from me. Life is good, and I LOVE Autumn.

Great Gray in Flight!

Year 6

I arrived before dawn … the ground fog was not too intense … and shortly after sunrise I photographed this “Great Gray’ in flight! 

Oh … you thought I meant the other Great Gray?! I still like the old name for this bird, or Whiskey Jack. Some folks may now insist on calling it a Canada Jay. If was fun watching a family of Gray Jays forage for breakfast till this Sharp-Shinned Hawk arrived on the scene. The birds near the South Logging Road then made themselves scarce (by the way … I did not see the triplets).

By this point the sun had been up for about an hour and I decided to shift my approach … exited the Bog to the farmland just south of the Welcome Center. I struck paydirt with Black-Billed Magpies. While this bird is common in the west, it is somewhat rare in northeastern Minnesota. I had a grand time watching well over 12+ magpies feed.

Amity Raccoon

Year 6

My buddy is back … only 30 yards from my living room window, and I think we both have the same opinion of the ongoing foggy, gloomy weather. Mr. Raccoon is looking out the cavity in the white pine and seems to be wondering if the sun will ever shine again. I sit on my window seat with the same thoughts.

Rumor has it the sun will shine later tomorrow morning after some ground fog to lead off the day. I plan on going up to Sax-Zim Bog. The Great Gray Owls seem to have had a successful year raising young. I am hoping to track down some young triplets at sunup, but these three owls are ranging over a wide area.