Tag Archives: MN North: NorthStar Lake Region

Testing Cameras While Birding … Sony A6300 vs Nikon Coolpix 950

Year 13

In many respects this is NOT a fair test, but it is an interesting comparison. The back story is my faithful Canon SX70 “super zoom bridge camera” is no longer reliable … not because the camera is sub-par, but because I have taken tens of thousands of images with the device and it is just plain worn out. The SX70 is no longer in production, and when found “new” costs $1,300+ which I am not willing to pay for an old model camera. However I still like super zoom bridge cameras assuming one uses them in photographic conditions that make their chances of delivering great images a high probability.

With that thought in mind I bought a Nikon Coolpix 950. I purchased a used, mint condition still in the box 950 for $700. Like the SX70, this camera is out of production but one may find brand new 950’s for about $850. Today was my first day using the Nikon.

Early in the morning only an hour after sunrise while on a bike ride during the “golden hour” of photography … thus while in excellent light … I photographer Minnesota’s state flower, the Showy Lady Slipper. I think the camera did a good job.

Later in the morning around 11:00 am in horrible, glaring light I had the chance to go birding. A Ruffed Grouse Mom was very cooperative. She posed in the road and allowed me to take images with both my new Nikon Coolpix 950 and my Sony A6300. Keep in mind the Sony is a much better camera with a significantly better and bigger sensor. I think both cameras delivered! However, bright light is exactly what is needed for Bridge Super Zoom cameras to have success.

Nikon Coolpix 950

Sony A6300

A bit further down the road I came across this Broad-Winged Hawk which had just made a kill. I reached for my Sony A6300 camera first because I know it is much better in challenging light (heavy shade in bright light conditions). The hawk did not wait around to given me a chance to try my new Nikon.

The Birding Photography Snob!

Year 13, ,

Quoting myself from back in 2018: (read prior post)

In 1964 when I was eight years old my parents gave me my first birding books, National Geographic’s “Song and Garden Birds of North America” and “Water, Prey and Game Birds of North America”. Over the years with moves to college, a wedding and our first home, and now our return to Duluth, these two books have remained with me through every move (most books have not survived). I know that based upon what I saw in those books, my love of certain birds (and not others) were shaped … While others try to pad birding lists, I swoon over certain birds and ignore others!

The American Redstart was one of those swoonable birds. I had a deep desire to see this pretty little reddish orange and black warbler. Back in 1990 Molly and I purchased a small Minnesota cabin which is close to the Canadian border. It took a few years after that purchase till I realized our land was swarming with Redstarts starting each year with the last week of May. Here are just two images I took yesterday afternoon of one of my “snob birds”? Do you have a snob bird?

And the cover image of “the” book!

Actually the last few days have been most excellent, and not just for my “snob birds”. Over the past few days I have seen eight moose! These poor Moose family wanted nothing to do with me. I definitely pulled my car over and let the moose family run away from me. The calves look very young.

My local loons of Northstar Lake are getting ready to nest near my cabin, and yesterday morning I spent quality time by kayak with the lovely couple. Contrast my local loons nesting on or about June 1st, but down in the Twin Cities loon chicks are already hatching. Northstar Lake is 200 miles north of the northern Twin Cities and a dramatic difference in habitat.

Finally, Toomey-Williams Forest Road near Big Falls finally opened after a long winter and very wet spring. The raptors are busy setting up housekeeping and hunting (Broad-Winged Hawk)

Barred Owl Fight Under the Full Moon!

Year 13

Apparently my cabin is the territorial dividing line between two pairs of Barred Owls. Via my Birdnet-Pi I had learned the owls were present. However nothing prepared me for what happened at 4 am. Via the light of the full moon in the Boreal forest of northern Minnesota, two pairs of Barred Owls at first just hooted like crazy directly over where I was standing (two locations 100 yards apart). I then noticed the shadow of one owl flying and it went straight to the location of the other pair. This started 15 minutes of the most crazy hooting with short flights directly at each other. I was outside for 30 minutes, but my BirdNET-Pi  shows this hoot fest fight went on for almost two hours.

After coming back inside the cabin I did research via Cornell’s Birds of the World. I wanted to confirm that Barred Owl couples actual  fight, and the answer is definitely yes … and much more during mating / nesting season. As a f.y.i. my cabin is way north in Minnesota, and ice out on the lake was only 7 days ago. It is unlikely that the Barred Owls have nested yet, or if they have … only within the past few days.

It was an amazing experience!!!

Here is a screenshot I took from of my BirdNET-Pi shortly before 5 am. You will note the box ID’d the owls 429 times during the hoot fight fest. I do have a 15 minute audio file from the experience. I was dumbfounded when I first went outside around  4 am. I was hoping to track a single owl, but as the calls kept coming from different locations, I started to realize something special was happening.

Pre-Dawn Over Northstar Lake … Hudson Bay Watershed in Northern Minnesota. Image taken around 5:30 am this morning … 40 minutes before sunrise and about 50 minutes after the Barred Owl “hootfest” ended at 4:40 am. The Owls were still occasionally calling but the fight was over.