Tag Archives: Minnesota

Native Orchids of 2019

March 8, 2020 Troy

Last year was an amazing year as far as finding native orchids to Minnesota. When people think of orchids, Minnesota is not a place they believe can grow orchids but there are over 40 different orchids that grow in this harsh environment. I was fortunate to find 6 of those, mostly by accident. One of my ‘someday’ goals has been to find as many of those orchids living in Minnesota as possible. This must be a good time to start that adventure which I hope to continue further in this next year. I have one expedition in the process of being planned currently and may put together another one or two as time permits. Some of these orchids are quite different than I imagine them as I’m searching for them. In fact I miss them at first and if it weren’t for help, I wouldn’t know they’re there right in front of me which makes finding one that much more of an accomplishment and enjoyable.

This first one, pictured right above, is an early coral root orchid. On my June adventure to Northern Minnesota I re-visited Sax-Zim Bog primarily in search of interesting wildlife since it was such a treasure trove of winter migrating birds. It must be amazing in the summer also. In addition to birding, Sax-Zim boasts some great wildflower habitats. Being a horticulturalist, that captured my attention even further. Having just one day there I made sure to stop at the Welcome Center after spending the morning in search of birds. There one of the volunteers, Clinton directed me to a trail near the welcome center to look for an orchid in bloom right next to the trail. If I didn’t spot this one he promised to highlight it for me. Venturing out on the trail I began to re-think the decision to not use bug spray. The mosquitoes were unrelenting in their pursuit of my blood but I continued on determined to find this orchid. Eventually I was walking along the trail and noticed a small flowering plant near the ground. It happened to be the Early Coral-Root orchid. Once you know what you’re looking for it becomes easier to spot. I realized how many of them were around me. Success! I took a few photos but the mosquitoes eventually chased me from the trail and back into the building to share the success with Clinton.

After enjoying a successful hunt with Clinton he pointed me to a couple of other directions to look for more orchids. One such candidate was the Yellow Lady’s Slipper orchid recently spotted on a piece of property recently added to the bog. Driving back and forth looking for this location I finally decided a grass covered driveway looking thing must be what he was referring to. I walked along this old roadway for a distance and there it was. A native Lady’s Slipper in bloom! I’m a little more familiar with this species so I knew what I was looking for and the approximate size of this plant. It’s one of the larger orchids to Minnesota thus easier to spot. Clinton pointed out a few other locations where this orchid was spotted in the past but I had no luck in finding any on this expedition. Still a fun time exploring.

After driving around the bog on the first day just taking in the different views seen earlier in the year covered in snow, I stopped at the Welcome Center to see if there were reports on orchid locations. It happened to be closed but Sparky was there grabbing some materials to continue working on their bog boardwalk and took a few minutes to talk with me giving some direction on where to find Pink Lady’s Slippers. I immediately headed to the Bog Walk to find these hardy orchids. Walking on the boardwalk so as to protect the bog I kept me eyes scanning the plant life with no luck. There was another couple walking towards the exit of the boardwalk. We stopped and conversed for a few minutes. I asked what birds they spotted and heard and then mentioned I was searching for the Pink Lady’s slipper which was supposed to be here. One of them looked at me a little surprised with a slight smirk on his face. “They’re all over here” he said. Puzzled I returned with a surprised expression of my own. Armed with this new information I looked back over the bog flora and soon spotted one. Excited that I successfully found what I had come here to see I saw another one. And another and another. Now that I knew what I was looking for I saw them in numerous locations along the boardwalk. It makes me laugh now every time I think about my search for this beautiful native orchid. I had the opportunity to enjoy these orchids for a second time on Isle Royale National Park a few weeks later.

Another one of my treasures on Isle Royale was the Western Spotted Coral-Root orchid. Hiking along the trail towards Feldtmann Lake enjoying the beautiful plant life I first came across the Pink Lady’s Slipper. Soon after, the Early Coral-Root caught my attention. Continuing on the trail further there was another Coral-Root orchid. Studying this more extensively I was able to identify it as the Western Spotted. A happy, unexpected surprise of backpacking on this large island located in the Monstrous Lake Superior. These really added to the Isle Royale experience. It was a beautiful, small orchid only rising about 6 inches above the ground with small, intricate flowers pointing in all directions around the stem. I would have liked to be able to get closer images of the flowers but my macro lenses were safely stored on the mainland as I didn’t want to carry the additional weight. A fun find non the less!

This next orchid, a Lady’s Tresses orchid, was one I was intentionally seeking out. I had heard someone at work talking about listening to a radio program where these orchids had been spotted at a refuge not very far away from where I work. I decided to take a day and explore this refuge in hopes of spotting another hardy orchid. I got there before sunrise and began to drive around trying to figure out where a good place to start hiking would be. Eventually, with not much of a clue, I got parked and started walking a trail. Walking for awhile I was just enjoying the nice fall day stopping once in awhile to take in a butterfly or a mushroom. On one of these occasions I stopped to photograph a beautiful dragonfly. After snapping a couple of shots I happened to look down at what I was about to step on and there it was. Right in front of me. The white Lady’s Tresses hidden among the grasses wavy in the mid-day’s breeze. Once the first one was found, others began to appear along the trail and then on other trails. I was in disbelief at successfully finding this orchid after an earlier adventure a few weeks before resulted in not finding the orchid I was looking for.

My final orchid in this post is the Showy Lady’s Slipper below. I knew approximately where it grew and just happened to find it as it was beginning to bloom. It was definitely a beautiful Lady’s Slipper with it’s white flower and pink pouch. It was the first time I’ve been able to catch this orchid in bloom. I had found this plant a few times before but was never successful in catching it while it was blooming so this was a nice treat. Unfortunately I didn’t have a lot of time as there was a meeting requiring my attendance a few moments later. I still enjoyed the opportunity to take in this fascinating flower.

With some luck, and a lot of help, I will continue to find different native orchids to Minnesota in 2020.

Photos, State Parks, Troy's Blog

Roaming the Prairie

November 24, 2019 Troy

As summer began to wind down I ventured off to Southwestern Minnesota in search of the Prairie Fringed orchid while hoping to view the Perseid meteor shower from a prairie landscape. Unfortunately I was unsuccessful at seeing much of either of these. On my last morning there a local herd of bison started to move closer to my location. What an unexpected surprise! While they were closer, they still were pretty far away for some nice photographs. Still I had envisioned photographing bison as they worked their way around the mounds of stone scattered across this part of the prairie before beginning this camping adventure. Now it seemed as though there was a possibility of capturing those shots. It was about time to tear down the campsite so I focused on that as the bison were still quite far away. With each trip of gear to the car I would check on the herd. Eventually I lost them and figured they had moved on to a further portion of their grazing area. With my equipment safely stored in my car I glanced up to see people looking at something. The bison had worked their way much closer. Observing their direction for a few minutes I grabbed the camera and found a safe place to set up for some potential photographs highlighting the huge animals against the beautiful pink quartz exposed above the prairie.

Sitting for what seemed like a long time a head poked up above the grass. And then another, and another until the entire herd was becoming visible. I chose a particular stone outcropping and just waited for these bison to work their way near it. As they meandered closer I began to get a little nervous. These are very large, powerful animals. While there was a fence between us, it would be quickly trampled through if these bison had motivation to run through it. There was one bison that seemed more nervous than the others and kept an eye on me. I kept an eye on that one too. At this point several of the bison were grazing near the rocks I had pointed the camera at. I began to shoot away trying different compositions and distances taking advantage of the situation. They continued to move and were out of my range pretty quickly and I figured I was done. Just waiting for them to be completely out of sight before I move back to my car.

While sitting there watching, the herd came back and once again surrounded the rock outcropping I was focused on. What luck and this time they approached from a different direction providing me with a few different compositions. Once again there was one of these bison which seemed to be watching me more closely than the others. Although this time is appeared to be more out of curiosity than concern as it would reach down to eat more frequently. This time they lingered in this area longer allowing me to not only get more photographs but to just watch from time to time. I was fascinated by all of the burs stuck to their noses. Do they feel them? Are they annoyed by them? How do they get removed from their noses?

Feeling more comfortable near these large animals this time it almost felt like I was among the herd. That’s when a photo session changes from great to an amazing experience. When they just continue on their mission like you’re not even there at close range. You get to see some of the details of an animal or its behavior not easily noticed from a distance. When you can hear their light grunts and catch a bit of their scent as they grab a mouthful of grass. It all tells more about an animal than looking at them from a distance. I may have missed the Perseids and failed to find a Prairie Fringed orchid but this encounter with a herd of bison made the weekend all worth any efforts needed for a weekend trip to the prairie.

Exploring, Troy's Blog

In Search of More Native Orchids

October 13, 2019 Troy

For the most part this has been a fabulous year for finding native orchids. I’ve managed to find six different species over the summer, a few of them in multiple places. One of the orchids, the Prairie Fringed orchid eluded me on my adventure to Blue Mounds State Park and Touch the Sky Prairie in Southwestern Minnesota during the late summer. I was likely a few weeks too late to see them in bloom and wasn’t able to recognize the plant without its flowers. That was a little disappointing but seeing six different native orchids was still a good find. Besides, it gives me a reason to return to Blue Mounds again. As fall approached I heard of a late blooming orchid just a 45 minute drive from my house. So of course I had to make a trip there.

Once in the area I saw multiple roads with multiple trails. Which one should I take? Where would this orchid be? I did know it liked more prairie like places with sandy soil so that is what I focused on as much of the landscape was wetlands or water. While this eliminated some places I still was unsure of which places to look in. My expectations declined as far as actually finding this orchid, especially after my last experience searching for orchids in Southwest Minnesota, but it’s still fun to explore new places and it was a beautiful day to be outdoors. I just picked a trail that had less wetlands and began walking the trail. There were so many interesting mushrooms which captured much of my attention. After awhile of walking I came upon a pair of dragonflies landed in a shrub next to the trail and stopped to photograph them. While doing this I wanted to get closer so I looked down to see where I was stepping and something small and white caught my attention. It was the Nodding Ladies Tresses orchid. I found it! I almost couldn’t believe it as I almost stepped on it. It was so small compared to all of the other plants around it. In the photo above there is one of these orchids near the bottom of the photo in the middle. It’s really tough to see but it’s the only white flower among the grasses and ferns. I was pretty excited and enjoyed capturing pictures of the tiny, white flowers. Later in the day I almost stepped on another one of these orchids on another trail so my chances of finding it were better than I thought. A seventh orchid to add to my list for 2019.

Night Sky, Photos, Troy's Blog

In Search of the Perseids

August 25, 2019 Troy

Every August I like to go somewhere with dark skies to view the Perseid Meteor shower. For the last couple of years I’ve either ventured to the North Shore of Minnesota or Voyageurs National Park. This year I wanted to try something different so I began looking for a place in Western Minnesota. Blue Mounds State Park came up as a potential spot as the skies should be dark enough and I’ve been wanting to return and explore this park again. I visited this interesting park in 2014 and enjoyed my time there. Having a little familiarity with it would help in picking out a spot to photograph meteors flying through the sky so that would be my destination for this years Perseid’s.

Returning from Isle Royale National Park in July left me pretty unmotivated because that was such a great experience for me but my vacation time was now used up for the year leaving me with little desire to grab the camera and go out photographing. All that was left were my homeowner projects which I really needed to get taken care of. I just didn’t have any desire to. Now a trip to see a meteor shower at in a beautiful place was on the calendar and my energy began to return even though it was only for a weekend. And not a long weekend at that. While planning this little trip and preparing my camping gear once again, a thought arose. What would the moon phase be during this meteor seeking weekend? Looking at a astrological calendar showed that a nearly full moon was expected with moon rise shortly after sun set. That won’t work! Should I still go? Somewhat deflated I settled on keeping my plans and decided to go anyway. Maybe there would be a nice storm which is something else I wanted to photograph over the vast prairie in this area.

While driving to Blue Mounds State Park I explored some different options for taking advantage of the bright moon light. Where could I set up and get some unique photographs? The moon can provide some interesting effects to the landscape which I’ve been experimenting a little with. As the sun was setting I hiked out to a spot near cliffs of pink stone which hopefully will illuminate well from a bright moon. Getting into place and setting up my camera as the sky was becoming dark, I was hopeful for a few beautiful pictures. Soon after the moon rose above the horizon and my night of photographing began. I tried a couple of compositions from panoramas of the horizon as the moon broke above to placing some of the pink rocks in the foreground. As the moon rose higher in the sky I turned the camera towards the now brightened cliffs to see how the moon would shine off of those jagged rocks. The big dipper did cooperate and was shining just above the horizon above some of these interesting cliffs. Unfortunately I didn’t really capture pictures that I was hoping for but it was a fun night to be out there with the occasional pack of coyotes howling off in the distance. That is until the wind pick up!

Adventures, Troy's Blog

Canoeing in the BWCA

August 3, 2019 Troy

In order to camp in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, a permit is needed and these can be challenging to get as they’re often reserved well in advance for the popular summer months. One alternative is to camp or stay in a lodge just outside of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area or BWCA. This was my choice for visiting this vast wilderness in the middle of June. While on a Northern Minnesota adventure with a friend from college, we spent a couple of days in one of the US Fish and Wildlife cabins in a Superior National Forest campground near one of the many entry points of the BWCA. There initially were no plans to rent a canoe and spend a day paddling in the Boundary Waters, but there really were no plans other than to relax in this beautiful place.

Early one morning I got up to watch the sunrise, hoping to see a moose in the water under the brightening sky. There were no moose but it was still an amazing sunrise in this beautiful wilderness. An occasional call from a distant loon interrupted the near silence on this peaceful and calm morning. As the sun climbed higher in the skies I realized it would be such a mistake to come all the way to the edge of the Boundary Waters and not spend some time exploring this pristine place. I’ve thought about an adventure in this area several times but have never actually pursued one. What is it like canoeing among these clear lakes and camping under the bright stars of this north country? Returning to the cabin I suggested we rent a canoe from a nearby outfitter and answer these questions. After making breakfast we packed up some supplies along with our fishing gear and headed out to Clearwater Lake for the day. After filling out the necessary permit and renting a canoe, we were off towards the solitude of the BWCA.

From the outfitter, you have to paddle about a quarter of the lake before entering the designated wilderness which really didn’t take long. The day before we had explored this area a little by vehicle and found a boat landing just outside of the BWCA. After passing that landing on this morning we knew it was a short distance to the protected area and we were now inside this often heard about place. A short time later we encounter the first campsite. It struck me by surprise there was a campsite that close to the edge of the Boundary Waters. This one was occupied so I would have to wait for another campsite to check out what they are like. Continuing on down Clearwater Lake, I spotted an area on the opposite side of the lake that appeared to be another camping area. Some of these are well hidden but once you have an idea of what you’re looking for you can start to spot some of the signs such as a worn area where others have taken their canoes out of the water. We pulled up to this place and confirmed it was a campsite. Getting out of the canoe and pulling it ashore, it was time to see a Boundary Waters Canoe Area campsite. From stories I had heard they generally have a clearing for the tent, a metal fire ring, and a pit toilet. The spot for tents and fire ring were obvious. Others had placed logs for a place to sit but where was the toilet? Searching some worn foot paths I soon found it. Just a toilet sitting on top of a dug out pit with no shelter or privacy other than trees and shrubs around it. Grabbing a snack and exploring for a few minutes and it was time to return to the water.

Eventually we made our way to the other end of the lake, fishing along the way, where another campsite existed just before needing to portage to another nearby lake. We spent some time at this campsite in order to eat and do a little fishing from shore. I did manage to catch one but it released itself from my hook and rolled all the way back into the water before I could catch it. While enjoying this spot I heard what sounded like thunder. Quickly making my way back to the canoe I could see storm clouds blowing in from behind us. I guess we’ll be waiting that out here before paddling back up the lake to the outfitter. Fortunately it wasn’t a strong storm and moved quickly overhead with a few flashes of lightning. Once we were sure it was safe to enter the water we began paddling back to end our time in this beautiful wilderness. There was one issue though. The storm had brought high winds which stayed once the weather had passed. Now we had to fight these in order to get back. It took most of our strength with no chance to rest to fight these winds for nearly the entire length of Clearwater Lake. We would pull into a tree near shore once in awhile to rest our arms for a few minutes but then it was back at it paddling at full strength. Before nightfall arrived we managed to get back to the outfitter, tired but satisfied with our Boundary Waters adventure. I hope to return someday and spend a little more time on these waters. Maybe even do a portage once to complete the experience.

Adventure, Photos, Troy's Blog

Finding Spring Again

July 14, 2019 Troy

About a month ago I had the opportunity to head into Northern Minnesota for some camping and exploring with a friend of mine from college. Just getting there was a lot of fun as the further north we drove from the Twin Cities, the more like spring it felt. There are so many things I enjoy as spring begins to transform the winter wonderland into a landscape so full of life. One of those is the scent of crabapples in full bloom. They’re beautiful to look at but so captivating to smell. Unfortunately their blooming season seems so short so to be able to enjoy this sweet fragrance once again at the Leif Erikson Gardens in Duluth was such a great unexpected treat. Winter held on a little longer this spring delaying these spring flowers a little which worked out extremely well for this trip. In addition to the crabapples, tulips were showing off their vibrant colors while being complimented with the large Lake Superior as a backdrop. I could have spent more time here just enjoying an absolutely gorgeous spring day but there still was a significant distance to go before getting to the days destination in Northern Minnesota.

As the vehicle continued towards the Canadian border along Lake Superior, spring seemed to rewind as the leaves on trees were smaller, earlier flowers were blooming once again, and the air grew cooler. By the time we reached our destination just outside of the Boundary Waters we were greeted with early blooming wildflowers such as Trillium – my favorite spring wildflower I think. It may be a toss up between Trillium and Lady Slipper Orchids. Since I didn’t come across any hardy orchids in bloom in the area I just enjoyed the pure white flowers reaching out above the interesting leaves of these intriguing Trillium grandiflorum. There were also nodding Trilliums in bloom along with a number of other wildflowers. What a great way to start out a weeks trip camping in the North Woods!

Photos, Troy's Blog, Wildflowers

The Trillium Are In Bloom

June 15, 2019 Troy

I love spring! There’s so much life filling the landscape. One of my favorite wildflowers though are Trillium. Driving by a hillside before the leaves have fully covered the trees and seeing a hillside full of white blooms is a very calming sight. Those large, white flowers sitting a top of three leaves are often Trillium grandiflorum in the upper Midwest. The most common of the Trilliums in this area. Unfortunately that spring display doesn’t last very long so the timing has to be just right. But if you come across an area filled with Trillium at just the right time, you’ll know what I’m saying. A beautiful display worth taking some time to enjoy.

At the end of May I joined another photographer to see what was in bloom at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden in Minneapolis. Having been there a few times before I knew they had Trillium and I was hoping I wasn’t too late to see their beautiful flowers. First walking in I saw a couple of these plants displaying flowers that had already turned mostly brown and was a little disappointed fearing I was already too late. Fortunately as we walked further into the gardens there were others in peak bloom allowing me to get a few nice photographs to begin the summer. Exploring further revealed other types of Trillium also in bloom such as the red flowered Trillium in the photo above.

A few other kinds of these beautiful flowered plants were also in bloom. The nodding Trillium seen above has the flowers bent towards the ground instead of displayed above its leaves and there’s a yellow blooming type also in flower. These yellow and red flowered Trillium have smaller blooms than the white ones but also have unique, mottled leaves for added interest. Often when first showing people Trillium plants they first step back. They think of the rule of three leaved plants – leaves of three, leave it be. That’s because Poison Ivy has three leaves and they don’t want to get near it for fear of an allergic reaction. When I explain the difference between Poison Ivy and Trillium (and if I’m lucky I can show the difference), they relax and begin to enjoy these beautiful mid-spring flowers. Maybe this would be a good plant to add into my own landscape at home?

Camping, Photos, Troy's Blog

A Spring Camping Preview

June 9, 2019 Troy

With Memorial Day weekend quickly approaching, the camping itch began to get worse. In addition I had some new camping gear I wanted to try as there was a string of camping trips coming soon. I thought it would be a good idea to try this gear and make sure it was going to work as I wanted it to before these trips just in case there were some adjustments to make. Also, I was looking into deep space photography and wanted to give it a try. Try and find a campground on Memorial Day weekend just a few days beforehand. And find one with dark enough skies to photograph the night sky. All of the State Parks close to me were of course booked up but fortunately Minnesota’s State Forests are first come, first serve. I located Birch Lake State Forest. Far enough away from the Twin Cities to be dark enough but close enough to drive to for one night of camping.

Arriving late afternoon I strolled through the camp ground hoping for at least one spot to set my tent on and as luck had it, there was one. And only one! I got the last open campsite for the night. What luck! The excitement and anticipation of beginning the camping season set in. I quickly filled out the required permit, paid my fees, and set up my tent and sleeping gear. There was several hours before nightfall so what else to do? I had heard of a retention pond about 20 minutes away housing several different types of birds on their migration north. So off I went to see if I could find this pond. Fortunately it was relatively easy to locate and get to. Finding a spot along the dirt road next to this pond I pulled over and got out my camera equipment as there was movement on the water in different areas. One of the species that I’ve never seen before were these Phalaropes. They had some interesting colors and patterns along with an entertaining method for finding food. They swim in small circles while plucking food coming to the surface inside of this circle. A lot of fun to watch multiple birds doing this all at the same time. Another bird I’ve not photographed before was the Black Tern in the top picture.

As the sun set, I packed up and headed back towards camp to prepare for some nighttime photography and see if it is indeed possible to actually photograph a nebula or galaxy without a telescope. Taking some time to eat while the sky continued to grow darker I was beginning to feel the effects of the day and becoming comfortable in my chair with a small fire going. Eventually shaking that off it was time to grab the camera and head to nice clearing to check out the night sky. As my eyes continued to adjust to the dark sky above, I set the camera on a tripod with my long lens usually reserved for close ups of wildlife. Will this work? I zoomed in on a star and adjusted the focus and camera settings to begin testing deep space photography. No matter what I tried I could not get a sharp image of the stars. There was always movement which is likely from the rotation of the Earth. I didn’t have a skytracker which was a debate before heading north. That will have to be an addition to my equipment if I want to continue trying to capture deep space objects like the Orion Nebula.

Since the deep space thing was a bust, I focused more on spring flowers, plants, and migratory birds. I decided to call it a night, albeit a little disappointed about the deep space attempt and lack of success, as the sun would be rising in a little over 3 hours. Waking up with light already beginning to illuminate the sky, it was time to get up if I wanted to capture the sunrise coming up over Birch Lake. It almost appeared cloudy at first but as I studied the sky a bit more I could see that it was clear. There was no sunlight on the trees above so I figured there was a few minutes more as I was moving a bit slow on this morning after a cold night of trying to get some sleep. I just never warmed up allowing me to drift off into a deep sleep making me quite a bit less energetic this morning. Finally beginning to move towards the lake, it was obvious I was too late as the sun was already above the horizon. It would have been a great sunrise to capture too as there was some nice fog covering the horizon.

Well now I’m really irritated and about to call this first camping trip of the summer a failure as I failed at deep space photography and now missing the sunrise. At least there are some spring blooms and plenty of birds to add to my collection of photos. Before leaving the lake, a beautiful Baltimore Oriole flew into a nearby tree and began singing for me which helped to lighten my mood. Also a Loon swam close by and began calling out across the lake while a white Pelican was spotted swimming off in the distance. Those were enjoyable sights to watch and sounds to hear welcoming the suns warmth to begin a new day.

Walking along one of the trails, the bright and colorful seeds hanging from a nearby tree caught my attention and could make for a beautiful photograph. I spent a few minutes trying to capture this subject before moving on. You can see one of those shots above with the red, young seeds dangling from a branch. With the sun continuing to move higher in the sky, I returned to the retention pond from the evening before to see if I could capture a few more types of birds. While watching for a little while a Yellow Headed Blackbird came walking up along the shoreline. They are supposedly plentiful but I had never seen one before so this was a nice treat. Photographing as it moved in and out of rocks near the water searching for food was quite enjoyable. Occasionally seeing it reach down to grab something and moving on.

Eventually another bird I definitely have not photographed before came walking up on the shoreline also. This was a Sandpiper and was equally as interesting to watch as it searched to shoreline, stopping occasionally to pluck a morsel out of the water to eat, and then continuing on along the water. It continued to move closer towards me allowing me to watch it through my lens and see its every move. I enjoyed this opportunity to learn more about this shore bird. The Phalaropes were still in the area along with some Red Headed ducks and what I believe were Ruddy ducks but they were all pretty far away to get any decent shots of them. Along one of the trails in the area, several spring wildflowers where in bloom including the beautiful Bellwort in the photo above. This all made for a nice mid spring day before needed to get back to the campsite and pack up to go home. I look forward to my upcoming trips in the great outdoors of Northern Minnesota even more now.

Photos, Troy's Blog

The National Eagle Center

May 4, 2019 Troy

In late March I spent a day Eagle watching in Wabasha, Minnesota during their spring migration. The National Eagle Center has special events during this time of year making the trip there even more enjoyable. They always have Eagles for people to view up close. These have been injured at some point and are unable to survive in the wild, however they allow people to see these large, majestic birds of prey up close. They are impressive!

These ambassadors include both bald eagles and a golden eagle showing how these two species vary. I could have spent more time just observing these now captive birds as they scanned the area for food and preened releasing some of their winter feathers. Eagles are so enjoyable to watch floating in the air or even just perched in a tree. To be able to do that up close was such a treat.

As part of the migration festivities, the Wild Bird Sanctuary brought some other birds of prey to show which was really interesting. One of those birds was a falcon with beautiful colors and fun to watch as it flew across the auditorium from one handler to the next. In addition to the Wild Bird Sancutary, the National Eagle Center had displays which included beautiful photos in their art gallery, US Fish and Wildlife displays of some of the bugs found in that area, and even a little Saw-whet owl on display. What an amazing and friendly little owl.

There are a number of displays showing birds of prey and other features of the area landscape these animals live in. Definitely worth a visit if you’re ever in the area!

New Experiences, Photos, Troy's Blog, wildlife

Spring Eagle Migration

April 7, 2019 Troy

A couple of weeks ago I spent a Saturday in Wabasha, Minnesota photographing Bald Eagles as they return north after the cold winter. The National Eagle Center in Wabasha tracks Eagle numbers throughout March and the count for this weekend looked really good provided many opportunities to watch these magnificent birds of prey. After finishing my commitments on Friday night I quickly ran around the house gathering equipment and gear I might need for a day along the Mighty Mississippi tracking and photographing Eagles.

Awaking well before dawn, on a short nights rest, I got my remaining gear and some food together and headed out the door. It was just after 4:45am which would give me enough time to make the nearly 2 hour drive to Wabasha and arrive there to see the sun rise above the horizon as Eagles begin to take to the sky for the day. It was a nice day for an adventure with temperatures reaching above freezing making for a comfortable day outside without excessive layers of clothes. The drive went by quickly with the horizon beginning to cast light into drifting clouds as I got closer bringing out some beautiful pinks in the sky. Reaching the first stop for the day at Reeds Landing, the sun was only moments from breaking above the trees across the river. Getting set up to take some pictures of the sunrise, Eagles were already flying above distracting me from the first mornings’ light.

While the sun continued to rise I attempted to capture an Eagle in the photo as they flew overhead but was unsuccessful as it was still too dark and the Eagles turned out blurry so I returned to focus only on the sunrise for the time being. One of the nice things about Eagle watching at that time of year is if you see a large bird, it’s likely an Eagle. During much of the summer I’m often fooled by larger birds that turn out to be Turkey Vultures and then disappointed. In a short time the light from the rising sun increased enough to begin capturing birds in flight. Just at that time a young one flew into view heading right in my direction. Focusing the camera on it I began to snap away getting some beautiful photos as it got closer. The result is the picture at the top of this post.

The biggest challenge of photographing these Eagles is to find a spot to get close enough for some great photos. Often times they will fly away from you or land on the other side of the river where they are too far away to get great shots. Even with that, opportunities did become available from time to time. The trick was to be ready and have the camera settings right for the situation. Sometimes it works out and other times I was frustrated with a blurry shot wanting to slam the camera and lens to the ground. All in all it was a lot of fun to photograph these beautiful birds and watch as they interacted with each other and flew overhead. Listening to their calls, which sounds very little like the sounds you hear on TV shows, wondering what they’re saying to each other. Sometimes they called one another to the tree they’re in and other times it was letting anther Eagle know they are not welcome to land in that tree. But many of the calls I couldn’t figure out the purpose of.

After awhile the Eagles seem to move away from an area requiring getting back into the vehicle to search for more elsewhere along the river. There are several nests in this area also. These are quite impressive to see as they’re so large. Almost like a tree fort. All of this just for an little Eagle or two. These nests are constructed over several years, increasing in size each time. There was one nest being guarded by an Eagle giving some perspective on how large the nest is.

Throughout the day there were many Eagles soaring in the warming sun. Every once in awhile there would be a couple of birds arguing over a particular fishing spot or certain territory in a tree or on the remaining ice along the river making for some interesting and entertaining behavior. Several times I attempted to capture this with the camera but often it was over before I could capture the event. There were a few that I managed to photograph but they were often far away allowing the Eagles to avoid a close-up shot. The picture below is one of the best shots I managed to capture. These two were arguing over this location on the ice. It lasted for less than a minute.

As the day got later I continued to work on capturing an Eagle swooping down to catch a fish. Unfortunately I had little success. The bird, captured below, has a fish in it’s talons while heading to a tree away from all the other birds to feast without being disturbed by another Eagle trying to steal the fresh meal. I watched this one gliding over the water and then circle around before plucking a fish out of the river all the while snapping away. Unfortunately those pictures are all a little blurry and the actual moment of catching the fish was missed. I have a photo of the Eagle touching the water and another one just after it caught the fish. While it’s nice to see those shots, it’s also disappointing as they are not great compositionally or completely in focus. Something to continue to work on. Even after this bird caught the fish I didn’t stop tracking it and luckily I didn’t. It ended up flying almost overhead as it headed towards the hills behind me giving me more opportunities to grab a picture with a fish in the talons.

Near the end of the day the light was getting too low for good picture taking of the Eagles so I headed to a spot to enjoy the last rays of the sun for the day before making the trek back home. Thankfully it was a beautiful sunset over the vast Mississippi River as you can see in the small Panorama below.

Gaining Life Experience