Tag Archives: MN North: Amity

Caution! Photographer Playing in the Snow!

Year 6
  1.  We are in the midst of a snow storm.
  2. Schools are cancelled.
  3. Shoveling round #1 is complete.
  4. This photographer has a new toy (Go Pro Hero 7 Black).
  5. What does this all mean?

Playtime on my local Nordic ski trails!!!

You are seeing my very first efforts with my new GoPro. Years and years ago I was a GoPro pioneer. When I wore the camera everyone thought it was a weird headlamp. No more! Last week GoPro had a great discount on the Hero 7 which was further enhanced by another $100 off if one traded in an old GoPro camera. Jackpot! I have entered the new action camera era. Aside from enhanced image quality, the improvement I love is the ability to issue commands all by voice (really nice in a cold winter climate).

Thus … two videos and a time lapse (one bird also!). The two videos are 100% unedited, and I did learn how to tweak the time lapse a bit in post processing. The videos are all very short.

The Skier (wearing a GoPro chest mount … all my old mounts work!)

Walk to the Lester Amity Ski Trail (300 yards from my house)

Skiing in Fresh Snow (enjoy the mittens perspective … you will see some snow flake smudges in the upper right corner of the video … sorry about the up and down … Nordic striding forces me to move my body a lot, and thus the camera)

Time Lapse: Skiing Home on 7 Bridges Road (176 images)

Snow Junco!

Rabbits Beware! Snowy and Fluffy are Looking for You!

Year 6,

It was a great day in Sax-Zim Bog. While I had not been planning on making the 60 minute drive over to the Bog, when I reviewed the weather forecast and saw the mercury would be dipping down towards the -25F mark for the next week, and yesterday was a balmy 12F with no wind, I was Bog bound. Like all mornings I refilled my own bird feeders first … scaring aware the rabbit featured at the end of the post. Two weeks ago, I was scaring off three rabbits every morning, now only one. I suspect some of my bunnies may have fallen prey to my two yard birds (Mr. and Mrs. Great Horned Owl).

The rabbits in the bog have an equally difficult task, and I found two hunters yesterday afternoon … Fluffy the Bobcat and a Snowy Owl. First I had a private experience watching this Snowy Owl hunt. Most folks when they visit Sax-Zim Bog want to find Great Gray Owls, but for me having a private hunt with a Snowy Owl in a natural location was truly special.

After watching Snowy hunt, I met Fluffy! Do not mess with this Bobcat! 

Finally, while both hunters will take other prey, rabbits are a perfectly good meal!
(photograph taken through the window at 6 am … in the dark under flood lights)

In Between Winter Storms

Year 5

Our official snowfall total in Duluth from the Christmas winter storm was 12.2 inches of white stuff. We now are due to get slammed with another blast starting at midnight with predicted snowfall totals in the 4 to 8 inches. Post storm the temperatures will drop to -20F (-29C) which does NOT include the windchill readings!

Believe it or not, I love this region and climate. Once the new storm abates I will head out into the wilderness. I have often mentioned in this blog that I live at the edge of the Boreal Forest. Here are a few images I took with my Sony A6000 over the past two days … post Christmas storm.

I wish my readers Happy New Year! Some beauty from the Northwoods …

A little before sunset … post storm … farmland scene near my house

My home at 5:15 am before my wife, children, and grandkids awoke for the day. Peaceful, for a moment!