Okay … note to self. It is not smart to try out a new lens for the first time just before midnight. I still need to find true “infinity” on my new lens. Anyhow … here is a photograph of Comet Neowise at 11:45 pm a bit north of Duluth. This was my first ever attempt to use a telephoto lens at night. Normally I use a wide angle lens. Hopefully I will get another clear night to apply my lessons learned. My wife pointed out that my focus looks correct, but by being “zoomed in on the comet”, I picked up some star trails (25 second exposure). It just shows how fast the earth is spinning. Anyhow, using a telephoto lens at night is a challenge.

When I arrived home a bit after midnight, I discovered Hoot at the end of my driveway. She was begging to be fed by her parents. I said goodnight to my owl friend, and went to bed. At 5:00 am right outside my bedroom window, a bunch of Blue Jays decided Hoot really should not be hunting in my yard 25 minutes before sunrise. Soon about 40 crows joined in the chase. While I desperately needed sleep, I was also curious where Hoot would go perch for the day. I have not been able to find my friendly Great Horned Owl for over a week (at least during the day … she hunts my yard every night starting about 10 pm).

While my hiking attire was a bit unusual … pajamas and sandals, I headed out onto the Lester Amity Trails. About 3/4 mile later, I found Hoot who was being attacked my some Robins. I noted the spot, and returned home getting back before sunrise. It was back into bed, and I tried to sleep for another hour (after a failed bicycle ride attempt … my body was also screaming reset … late night photography + pre-sunrise hikes + early morning bicycle rides does not computer for my 64 year old body).

When I hiked back over to see Hoot, I decided it was time to force myself to use my new lens and monopod. While I was not taking photographs at night, Hoot was at a side angle to the sun, and I had an excellent, successful morning with Hoot. She was still putting up with pesky robins, but at least the crows had disappeared.

Hoot … the Great Horned Owl!

Hoot … the Movie! (link for email subscribers)

The Pandemic has not caused this school to be moved online! The young woodpeckers of the Amity Creek Forest have been busy learning what tastes good. Yesterday I had parents with at least one youngster show up in my yard for each of the following species:

• Downy Woodpeckers
• Hairy Woodpeckers
• Pileated Woodpeckers
• Yellow-Shafted Woodpeckers (Northern Flicker)

My morning actually started 25 minutes before sunrise. Shortly before 5 am I started my early morning hike in search of Hoot. I have not been able to find her the past few days. I believe the Great Horned Owls are focusing upon different prey and are hunting in another area of the forest. I will keep looking.

Amity Creek Forest at 4:55 am (light fog pre-dawn glow)

Finally, here are some Woodpecker School images. Downys, Pileateds and Yellow-Shafted Woodpeckers.

Today was one of those days. After church I bicycled up the shore of Lake Superior. Given the forecast said 0% chance of rain, I did not check weather radar before heading out. Wrong move. Lake Superior generates its own weather, and the huge temperature difference between the cold waters of Gitche Gumee and humid air working its way northward from the Gulf of Mexico and Uff Dah.

The forecast may have been for zero rain, but liquid sunshine appeared in the form of an intense thunderstorm with small hail. I waited out the hail under a tree, but not the rain. The cold H20 felt good during my ride. Given the topography of the land, a thunderstorm can come up over the hill without much visual warning. Ancient Lake Superior had a shore which is about 1,200 feet above the current shoreline. When I want hill work for a bike ride I just turn left out of my driveway and am climbing for over four miles. Anyhow, the big lake is largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area.

From Wikipedia: “There is enough water in Lake Superior to cover the entire land mass of North and South America to a depth of 30 centimetres (12 in). The shoreline of the lake stretches 2,726 miles.”

It is interesting to note that the straight line distance from New York City to Los Angeles is about less mileage:  2,452 miles. My point is I don’t think most people realize just how big is my lake!

Oh yes … Hoot was out hunting this morning. My Great Horned Owls tend to snooze right at sunrise (5:20 am), but them come awake for a quick hunt starting around 7:30 am. By this point the bugs have started to appear deep in the forest … birds gather to eat the bugs … my owns gather to eat the birds. Grackles and Robins seem to be the target of opportunity for the juvenile owls.