Day 018: Chickadee in Flight!

Year 1

I raced 42 kilometers in a Nordic ski race today (Mora Vasaloppet), and came home tired. Thus I was looking for a bird assignment for my 365 day project which would not required me to move around much! I decided trying to catch birds in flight from our window seat while looking out at our feeders was just the ticket. I had been learning about a different way to set and lock the focus. Using this method I would anticipate where I thought a bird would land, and then move the camera a bit to the left or right to catch them in flight. I’m please with my first efforts, but still need more work.

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Day 017: A Gaggle of Goldeneyes!

Year 1

Both my other photographs of Goldeneyes have been landscape photos from a distance. Thus, I decided it was time to get up close and personal. Hope I did not disturb their morning slumber!

It’s a good thing this decision was made today, because the amount of open water is rapidly decreasing on Lake Superior. This group found a small section of liquid H2O. You can also see why these ducks are named “goldeneye”!

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Day 016: Goldeneyes at Dawn

Year 1

Yesterday while down at Duluth’s Canal Park, I noticed that a flock of Goldeneyes would fly into the canal 20 to 25 minutes before dawn to start their morning feed in one of the few spots with open water (Lake Superior is 90% ice covered as of yesterday). The open water is due to the combination of current present in the canal as water flows out into Lake Superior, and our prevailing winds out of the west and northwest tend to push water away from the Duluth harbor which causes an upwelling of “warmer” water.

Regardless, it was a beautiful icy cold morning (0F with a 15 mph wind).

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