Sunrise is early around the summer equinox. If one wishes “golden hour” photographs, it is necessary to head out to one’s desired location well before 5 am in order to be ready when the sun pops up over the horizon a bit later. Losing sleep is worthwhile. Here are efforts from yesterday and today. The Bobolink was photographed in the Sax-Zim Bog, while the Killdeer were intent on mating along the Duluth waterfront. I was actually surprised that the killdeer were still mating; I was actually out looking for their chicks. I actually missed the mating shot because it happened so quickly, and into the sun.
While people travel from all over the country to Sax-Zim Bog in the winter in hopes of seeing great grey owls, and other feathered friends from the frozen north, summer is also a great time to visit the bog. This blog post documents one of my favorite June birding excursion in the bog (map included).
Shortly after sunrise this morning I had a fantastic time watching some Tom Turkeys court and strut their stuff for a lone hen. She did not seem as impressed as I was with the gobbler’s courting displays! Eventually the group decided I was harmless, and I was able to slowly approach the lovefest!
After watching the turkeys try to improve their love life, the moment the sun popped out from behind the clouds, male bobolinks started singing in their attempts to attract a mate. The farm meadows and pastures at the corner of Overton and Arkola Road are a great place to watch birds. Park your car and sit for an hour. In addition to bobolinks, I saw a sandhill crane and multiple magpies while stopped.
You will find in this post:
Photos and two short videos of the courting turkeys
One photo and video of a bobolink singing to attract a mate
Summer Sax-Zim Bog birding map with annotations
I hope you enjoy these photos, videos, and find the map useful. It was a super fun outing.
Yesterday I saw the first bobolinks of my life. These are cool looking birds. I found the two meadows where the male bobolinks were singing to find a mate while on my bike. Cycling often helps me ID locations where I will return later by car for some serious birding. Such was the case with my bobolinks. This morning at sunrise I drove to the two meadows in search of the bird, and was successful! Here are the results. I also was serenaded by a sandhill crane, but I do not believe anyone alive today could call its song melodious!
