I had planned on taking today off from birding and photography, but what is a person to do when a rare northern visitor alights on the ground just a few feet from one’s living room window! Thus … a Hoary Redpoll … the visitor from the northern Tundra, and a snowbird in northern Minnesota!
It begins … Year #2! However I do NOT intend to take a bird photo every day! 🙂
Today’s photographs are dedicated to my wife, Molly Hoeg, on her birthday. I had promised not to take any bird photos today, and when I first got up this morning, that seemed like an easy promise. The weather was ugly with freezing drizzle. Unexpectedly the skies turned deep blue. Our weather forecast was for gloom, drizzle and light snow all day. I texted Molly and asked for special dispensation! The photo conditions combined with my friend, Kelly J the Owl, were perfect! I had been trying for almost four weeks since I first found this Northern Hawk Owl to photograph it hunting during bright sunny conditions.
This series of photos also demonstrates why you must use fast burst mode on your camera. Northern Hawk Owls are very fast. In the dive sequences the photographs are micro-seconds apart. I also have plenty photos of clear blue sky, without any owl! My exposure was 1/1600th of a second. Anything slower and this bird would be a blur.
Finished! The journey which started on my wife’s birthday last year is complete. For 365 days I have taken a photo of a bird every day. I never imagined the commitment and difficulties this project would entail. However, in addition to seeing some beautiful birds and capturing the image with my camera, I made lots of new friends and learned about photography. In the days I ahead I will blog about my learnings, but for the moment I want to just relax and enjoy the moment. My bird photography and posts will definitely continue on this site.
Although the weather has been quite gloomy as of late in northern Minnesota, I caught a break with bright clouds in the morning, and blue skies in the afternoon. I actually was out from before dawn to past dusk. Here are the days efforts.
Day #365 … A Northern Woodsman’s Photographic Journey
Early Morning: Roadkill Cafe: Bald Eagles
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Mid-Morning Snacks: Evening Grosbeak, Blue Jay, Grey Jay, Goldfinch
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Owly Afternoon: Northern Hawk Owl and Snowy Owl
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Lake Superior Sunset: Wisconsin Point Lighthouse
