Tag Archives: MN North: Lakewood

The Beginning Bird

November 4, 2015Year 2MN North: Lakewoodrichardhoeg@gmail.com

A few years back I decided to learn more about my camera by taking a community education class. I wanted to “get off auto”, and learn my “apertures” from my “f stops”. Eventually I figured out they were one in the same!

Like many things in life, there is often a #1 … in my case a bird photograph. Surprisingly it was not from northern Minnesota, but two feathered friends I found atop a mountain in the Canadian Rockies, Clarks Nutcrackers. The location was a summit near Lake Louise when there two birds decided to pay me a visit. Thankfully, I had my camera with me and shall we say the “rest is history”!

If you’re a birder and/or photographer what started you down this path? I had always loved birds when a child, but my nutcrackers took me to a new level. I’ve also included my latest photograph of some snow buntings taken while on yesterday morning’s bike ride. Thus, the first and the latest photos in my hobby / obsession.

Clarks Nutcrackers

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Snow Buntings

Songbirds in Peril!

September 23, 2015Year 2MN North: Amity, MN North: Lakewoodrichardhoeg@gmail.com

Thousands of warblers, sparrows and other song birds were migrating through the Duluth area yesterday afternoon. The Merlins and Peregrine Falcons were very aware of that fact. The songbirds flew out into the open at their peril. The Peregrine Falcon was having sparrow for dinner near the Lakewood Pumping Station, while the Merlin preferred a yellow rumped warbler. Perhaps it all tastes like chicken!

Yellow Rumped Warbler (it survived)

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Peregrine Falcon (immature)

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Merlin

Aurora Borealis Bird Song!

August 26, 2015Year 2MN North: Lakewood, Northern Lightsrichardhoeg@gmail.com

Great night in northern Minnesota. My Aurora app went off last night and awakened me shortly before 2 am. (set for Kp of 5). Knowing that the moon would set shortly, and Ovation looked decent, I threw on some clothes and drove north to Boulder Lake (30 miles north of Duluth) arriving around 2:45 am.

I was rewarded! The Aurora danced and was easily viewable with the naked eye. Given the moon was down, it was very, very dark. This allowed me to even see faint red with my own eye.

While I was taking this photo the loons were going wild. Every loon for miles around was calling out through the night. In addition, an owl was hooting behind me! Very cool. Both man and bird were impressed with the celestial show!

Most of these photos had these settings … ISO:1600, Aperture:3.5 (wide open for my camera, a Sony NEX-5T mirrorless), and an Exposure of 15 seconds. This photo also uses the “kit lens” which came with my Sony.

It was 40F and damp when I finished up a bit after 4 am. Ground fog was starting to form; shorts and a wool sweater were not sufficient warmth. However, there was no way while the Northern Lights were dancing that I was going to give up and hike back to the car.

Oh yes … I’m still photographing birds! The hawk migration has started, and I found this Merlin while bicycling along Lake Superior yesterday afternoon (last image of this post)

View my Northern Lights photographs via Flickr

Northern Lights & Big Dipper Over Boulder Lake