Lake Superior Storm Waves (video)

Year 5,

While Lake Superior may not generate hurricanes, today’s 20 foot waves are still most impressive. From Duluth I traveled up the North Shore to Two Harbors and then Silver Cliffs … and yes … the photographer (me!) definitely got wet taking these photographs. However, I never ventured anywhere near where the actual waves were break. That would have been both stupid and life threatening. According to the Duluth newspaper, I freighter out on Lake Superior measured a wind gust at 86 mph not to far from the location of my Silver Cliff photos. The videos are after the still images.

The Case of the Disappearing Gazebo … Silver Cliffs on Lake Superior

Two Harbor’s Agate Bay Lighthouse

Video #1: Silver Cliffs

Video #2: Two Harbors

45F, Windy & Drizzle … Let’s Go Birding!

Year 5

Sounds like a horrible idea, right? However if one always waited for the best weather instead of enjoying ugly conditions I would never have found a Pectoral Sandpiper. The Cornell School of Ornithology describes this “fairly rare bird” in this manner:

A medium-sized, chunky shorebird, the Pectoral Sandpiper is found most commonly on mudflats with short grass or weedy vegetation and seems more at home in the grass than in the water.

If you inspect the image, please note the water. I got wet watching this bird, and the two Snow Geese for which I had actually driven over to the Riley Road Playing Fields.  I will admit this afternoon was some of the worst photographic conditions I’ve experienced in some time!

Pectoral Sandpiper

Snow Geese

Rocky Mountain Reprise

Year 5

Molly and I are home in Duluth, which for me means lots of rest in a final attempt to kick this pneumonia bug. I did take a slow 12 mile bicycle ride yesterday afternoon along the North Shore of Lake Superior. After all how could I resist the call of peck fall foliage, clear blue skies and a gorgeous Lake Superior? In addition, the NW winds made for a huge songbird migration. I had hundreds of juncos and yellow-rumped warblers which were my company for the bike ride!

Here are few final photographs from my trip our to the Rocky Mountains.

A few more White-Tailed Ptarmigan images

A Bugling Elk

A Steller’s Jay

Grand Teton stars under almost full moonlight