Last night around 11:45 p.m. I woke up. In the distance I could hear the Amity Great Horned Owls begging for food. While wondering if the owlets would visit my yard, as they often do, I heard a bang/crash. Checking the downed feeders this morning, and the trail cam, Bert the Bear decided that I needed a visit from him last night, not just the owlets!

Trail Cam Photo Taken from Last Night (the feeder above the bear’s head only had moments to live!)

Sound Recording Taken from my Bedroom Window at 12:30 a.m. (Yes, the owls came to my yard. Video / Sound link for email subscribers (30 seconds in duration). All three owlets made their presence known. The loudest owlet I could see silhouetted on a white pine against the night sky)

Two more Trail Cam photographs. A close-up of a buck’s antlers still in velvet struck me as funny. The deer also came back during the day.

Just in case you thought I had forgotten how to use my own camera to photograph birds, here are two pics from the past two days … one of a Common Loon and chick at my cabin, and the proud Red-Headed Woodpecker parents. Even more exciting, Duluth now has two confirmed Red-Headed Woodpecker nest after never having nary a one!

Hummingbird season is officially here in the Northland! Unlike other parts of America, we only have one kind of hummingbird, the Ruby-Throat. If you want these gorgeous nectar sippers in your yard, there is one … and only one flower you should plant … Red Bee Balm. While we have other flowers in our perennial garden, as far as the hummers are concerned only the bee balm exists.

One preferred activity of mine during this brief season is to light the BBQ … retreat to the garden with Chardonnay in hand … and photograph Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds. When the coals are ready, I leave my garden and cook.

All these images were taken yesterday afternoon. Due to the Canadian forest fire smoke which filters direct sunlight, it was not bright enough to push the shutter speed up fast enough to stop action the hummer wings. Thus, I took a different approach. Slow the shutter down and blur the wings allowing for a lower ISO (higher quality). The end result is still nice!

A few comments … if you want to see mature males with their ruby throats, get out there now. These guys migrate south first, then the females followed by the young. In addition, if you don’t have perennials in your yard and you live in the Duluth area, visit the Hartley Nature Center. They have a great garden right outside the center. Arrive by 7:30 am such that the sun’s angle is above the trees around the garden and walk through the gate. The bees will avoid you; just move slowly.

The Star of the Show … Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. Both males checked me out from a distance of only two feet away from my head … decided I was harmless … and then proceeded to feed. If I had been standing out in the open next to the garden, they would have never fed. (note … at the Hartley Nature Center garden, many of the flowers are six feet tall … thus you do not need to sit)

Nearby purple cone flowers

Bees also love these flowers

Yours truly with Chardonnay … sitting in my yard (tall grasses and wildflowers) next to some Black-Eyed Susans

Last week I saw a new bird for me, a lifer. Yup, I had never before seen a Mourning Warbler. When I saw the little bird flitting around the thicket through which I was hiking, I had no idea what it was. Out pops my phone, and I pulled up the app, Merlin, and specifically Sound ID (see my full review of Sound ID). Merlin correctly identified the Mourning Warbler by its chipping song. I was impressed, and if you don’t have this tool on your phone, get it (Android or Apple)! Just point your phone at the bird song and press record.

A Screenshot from my “Mourning Experience”

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