Tag Archives: MN North: Hartley Nature Center

Day 194: Birds … The Large and Small of It!

Year 1,

Today I managed to photograph one of the largest, and the smallest birds in North America. My first adventure was this morning when I drove over to a nature center / park which now has some great wild flowers blooming. Although I had to wait two hours before the clouds finally cleared enough to allow for the fast shutter speeds required for hummingbird photography, the end result was worth the wait!

This afternoon I took a 30 mile bike ride in the countryside surrounding Duluth. Towards the end of my ride, this turkey vulture posed for my camera. Ugly? No way!

Turkey Vulture
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Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
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Day 193: Hummingbirds, Hummingbirds, Hummingbirds

Year 1

All winter long in northern Minnesota we dream of summer and wild flowers. For most of you in North America, wild flowers bloom much earlier than August, but here in Minnesota we are finally experiencing the burst of colors! The end result is nectar becomes easily available for ruby-throated hummingbirds, and those same birds become much easier for we photographers to find! For the third day in a row … hummingbirds (different location every day)

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Day 140: Poised for Takeoff!

Year 1

Molly and I are poised for takeoff. We will spend the next week near the entrance to Whitefish Bay on Lake Superior as volunteer lighthouse keeps at Crisp Point. Given all the work required to get ready, I did not have much time for birding and photography. Thankfully this tree swallow obliged me!

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