Tag Archives: MN North: Two Harbors Highlands

North American Frito Bandido Bird

February 8, 2018Year 5MN North: North Shore of Lake Superior, MN North: Two Harbors Highlandsrichardhoeg@gmail.com

Everyone likes to photograph mature Bald Eagles, but I think the birds under three years old look cool! Till that age Bald Eagles do not acquire their white heads and tails. A few of us locally know these juveniles as the “Frido Bandido Bird”. If I have to explain why, you obviously are not a child of the sixties!

Birding continues excellent here along the North Shore of Lake Superior. The skies are clear; the air is cold, and the owls are everywhere. After 4 to 5 years of not seeing a single Boreal Owl (not just me, everyone), I have found a Boreal every day for the past 3 days. As much as it is fun to watch the Boreals, a few Northern Saw-Whets have reappeared. I personally think they are much more handsome than the Boreals.

A Boreal Owl with somewhat open eyes!

My normal snoozin view!

A Northern Saw-Whet Owl

I also went looking for Pine Grosbeaks today. I found a small flock on a rural road with lots of small crab apples, but as I started to take photographs the local snow plow came by for the first time in weeks … scared all the birds away. Sigh!

Oh yeah … the sunrises continue to be glorious over the Lake Superior Ice Fields!

By Dawn’s Early Light! Arctic Riviera!

February 6, 2018Year 5MN North: Brighton Beach, MN North: Two Harbors Highlandsrichardhoeg@gmail.com

There is a good reason photographers love the early morning light. Today’s images explain why it is absolutely necessary to be out before dawn.

Even though it was -20F well before sunrise as I was walking along the Arctic Riviera, and I did not find the Snowy Owl for which I am looking, the sunrise made the cold hike worthwhile! After my visit to Lake Superior I drove up to my owling grounds and found four Great Gray Owls including this individual flying across the frozen tundra.

Super B-Owl Sunday! Northern Saw-Whet!

February 4, 2018Year 5MN North: Duluth Harbor, MN North: Two Harbors Highlandsrichardhoeg@gmail.com

At 7:15 am the air temperature was -19F. In short it was a great day to go birding. The skies were crystal clear and the winds were calm. In my book, that means owls should be out hunting. I was not disappointed, but first I had to take a trip down to Brighton Beach on Lake Superior and enjoy the pre-dawn light over the ice fields!

After some time down at the lake, I went birding. Within a few minutes I found my first Great Gray Owl of the day hunting only two miles from my house! While I am still waiting for a yard owl, this was pretty cool. Over the course of the morning I saw three Great Grays, and one Northern Saw-Whet. Early on in my morning travels I stopped to take a photograph of this horse. Kind of cool how frost forms and freezes on the back of a horse at -19F.