Ships that go bump in the night! (actually the pre-dawn Sea Smoke). The vantage point is Silver Cliffs near Castle Danger on Lake Superior’s North Shore. Thus, the advantages of going out before dawn in search of Great Gray Owls!
One Ship
Two Ships
One Owl (vole being triangulated with hearing)
This post starts my fifth year of blogging on 365 Days of Birds. While this blog was not my first online effort, my passion is showing through here via myattemps to introduce the reader to the region I call home, the Northland. In my prior life and blog, I was the NorthStarNerd, and while the techie side of me often shows through, the star these days is the wilderness.
Kick back, throw your feet up on the foot stool, and get ready for 2018. Who knows where this journey will lead us, but hopefully it will be both fun and beautiful. To start 2018 for the birds, I focused upon one of my favorite birding subjects, the Hairy Woodpecker. I am not certain the implications of all three photos being moth wide open … even with some tongue … a Bronx cheer?!
One interesting item … this must be a good spot for finding grubs on this tree. The male Hairy Woodpecker chased away the female shortly after it was successful in finding some food.
Since Christmas a warm morning has been -5F, with many days ranging down to -20F. In short, these mornings have demanded I get outside! I will admit my hikes away from the car are short, rarely exceeding 20 minutes, and I pay strict attention to the wind velocity and direction.
Yesterday morning was relatively warm, -8F plus wind for a chill factor of -22F. In short, it was perfect weather to stand on a wind swept Lake Superior beach for 20 minutes in search of the “perfect photo” . My goal was to catch the local USCG Cutter Alder as it entered the harbor through the Sea Smoke at the Superior Entry!
Later in the day I drove over to Two Harbors, Minnesota and took a hike out Lighthouse Point. Upon returning this scene presented itself to me … “ice fishing”!
Two mornings ago I had a blast taking a mom and her eleven year old son over to Sax-Zim Bog. The young man loves birding, owls, and my blog. Great kid, huh?!
When I picked them up at 6:30 I asked the young lad what he wanted to see. Owls is the response! I think … no guarantee, but I am reasonably confident … then the boy continues … a Boreal Owl! Uff dah! No way, politely says I! We succeeded by most accounts … five Great Gray Owls and a Northern Hawk Owl, but no Boreal! Here are two images from that outing. (I had driven over the afternoon before to scout and insure the birding expedition would be a success)
