Summer Birds (Year 2, Month 7)

Year 2,

The days are now hot, and the bugs are out. Birding opportunities often slow down as folks wait for the early Fall migrants to start appearing in northern Minnesota. One fights heat, humidity and monster flies out on the Northland trails. Yesterday afternoon was just such a day … arriving at the Western Waterfront Trail in Duluth on a muggy hot summer afternoon I hiked for five miles w/o ever meeting another person … in the middle of a city with a population of 86,000. Folks, get out there! When the cold of January reappears everyone will miss the lazy, hazy, crazy days of Summer!

Brown Thrasher Immediately After a Dust Bath
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Catching Flies … An Admirable Job (Least Flycatcher)
Y2-M07-Least-Flycatcher-2

 

New Life … A Precious Gift!

Year 2,

Monday my third grandchild was born, Isabel!

It appears the animal kingdom also celebrated Isabel’s birth. Today while stretched out on the couch, a fawn looked in the living room window at me. Slowly getting out of the chair, I discovered triplets!

Amazingly enough just one hour before the deer family visit, I had photographers the common merganser family while on a bike along the North Shore of Lake Superior. Life is good … and in three’s (three grandchildren, three fawns, and nine merganser chicks or 3×3!)

Thankfully Isabel was born at the hospital, unlike her sister Mya (born at home). Must be something about Hoeg women. When our second child was born, my wife, Molly, went to the doctor’s office for a regularly scheduled appointment. The nursing staff asked my wife: “Don’t you realize you are in labor?” My wife’s answer: “No”. Carl Hoeg was born shortly thereafter. This exact scenario was repeated on Monday with my daughter Karen, and now her new daughter, Isabel. New life is precious!

Isabel!
Isabel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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The Deer Triplets and Merganser Chicks x9!
Y2-M07-Deer-Triplets-1 Y2-M07-Common-Merganser-Brood

Dance at Dawn on NorthStar Lake: Common Loon

Year 2

The July 4th long weekend was fun, and included the normal “Up North” cabin activities including sunrise kayak paddles. Most of the week saw cloudy skies due to all the forest fire smoke blowing south via the jetstream from all the fires in northern Saskatchewan. Fortunately one morning saw clear skies, and I immediately took the kayak out at sunrise. I have found that birding and kayaking is a good combination. One may quiety approach “birdy” areas, using lots of slow gliding. This method allowed me to get c!ose to both a common loon which was making its desires known to another loon (i.e. move away from my turf), and a great blue heron fishing for breakfast.

Dawn Dance

Dancing-Loon-3_wmDancing-Loon-2b_wmDancing-Loon-1_wm

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Morning Fish: Take-Off of the Dawn PatrolGreat-Blue-Heron-3_wmGreat-Blue-Heron-1_wm