We were greeted by this welcome sign. Made me feel right at home immediately.
Sax Zim Bog attracts a community of birders and photographers, who I found enjoy sharing their findings and knowledge with others. While waiting on a particular species to show up at a feeder or a favored tree you can overhear the conversations of others telling their stories about finding the coveted GGO or some rare or interesting find. You find yourself being pulled into the conversations as you contribute your own stories with like-minded people who appreciate wildlife and beauty.
Our first day was short since we didn’t arrive until mid-afternoon but we felt really lucky to spot the Northern Hawk Owl fairly quickly. We had just enough time to gather our gear and get set up and take a few snaps before he flew off out of sight, probably seeking solitude from us. Even though those shots weren’t keepers, we were encouraged and hopeful that this trip was going to be a rewarding one! As it turns out, we had another chance to photograph the NHO and get some sharp pictures while observing him for quite some time. I will say we had to work a lot harder for those shots! We had learned where his favored perch was which was across the street from the parking lot on McDavitt, about a thousand feet from the road. We hiked through the snow and the tall thick grass, dead and toppled over from the weight of the snow. It was challenging walking through this area while carrying our 500mm lenses and tripods because our feet would get tangled in the tall, thick blades of grass and the ground was uneven, a bit tricky. At first we were discouraged because at about the spot where we estimated a thousand feet to be, there was no NHO to be seen. So we hiked out farther. Finally, we decided to call it a fail and turned around to head back to the car. We ran into a group of 3 others who were hoping to find a Black Backed Woodpecker. As we were chatting and comparing and sharing finds, we saw the Northern Hawk Owl rush in our range of sight and perch atop a tree. We got some good shots and enjoyed watching him and talking with our new friends until he flew far away. Another group of people came through and we hiked with them farther down the path, about a quarter of a mile. There he was. Perched high atop a tree, giving us a great view of him in all his beauty. We probably spent another 20 minutes photographing him. The challenging hike in and back to the car didn't seem to be a bad trade off for the time we got to spend with the NHO.
Seeing our first GGO was as exciting for me as the first time I saw a bear in the wild. At the time of this sighting, it was just after sunrise and the sun had not come up enough to hit light on the line of trees from which he was hunting. We were able to spot him initially because he flew across the road. We watched where he landed, stopped the car, set everything up and began photographing. After doing this for a few minutes, we then moved 15-20 paces closer to him and resumed photographing. If he tolerated this well we repeated this process until he either went after a rodent he had spotted or had enough of us and flew to another spot. This went on for about an hour.
The next day we went to the same location at the same time. While I was photographing the beautiful morning sky I turned around and saw a GGO fly from one tree to another. We quickly set up our equipment and began shooting. This GGO was quite tolerant of us and hung around for quite a while. At times he would fly into the woods for a few minutes then come back out. We were beyond thrilled the times he landed in the few available well lit trees providing a soft light on his face that every photographer wants. At one point I switched to my 70-200 lens and was still able to get close enough for a few decent shots while still preserving a respectable distance.
Seeing the snowy owl was a bonus for me. The Great Gray Owl is what drew me to the bog and I was so focused on finding one that learning about the presence of snowy owl excited me! With the exception of one short instance, the snowy was generally to far away to get a sharp shot even with my 500mm lens. But it was so much fun to watch her hunt and nap! I learned from others that this snowy was probably a first year female. All of my time spent with a snowy was at one particular location that didn't really provide a great backdrop or interesting perches for photos. What I really wanted was a snowy perched on a hay bale. There were reports of a snowy in a field of hay bales and photographs being posted of her perched on a hay bale. This is the shot I really wanted! But the Nature Gods just weren’t going to provide that for me at least not during this trip!
Taking a break from hunting
Too much lens or too much owl
Could never catch her flying within close proximity
The days are short and the late afternoon light disappears too quickly.
Although the black capped chickadee is one of the species that frequents my own backyard, I couldn’t resist spending a good deal of time photographing them at the Admiral Road feeders. The set up provided some nice perches with soft backgrounds, interesting textures and colors. Shooting these smaller birds that flit about so fast is a challenge but I do enjoy it. In fact it’s kind of addicting! It’s always a surprise when I review my images and see some of the things I captured that I didn’t realize I got!
Aren't I a cutie?
Every morning sky greeted us with a spectacular display of color and every evening came to a close with an equally stunning sunset. Even someone who is not especially a wildlife fan can appreciate the beauty found in the Minnesota skies!
Cell phone image
The boreal chickadee
The boreal chickadee lives in spruce forests of the North, mostly north of the Canadian border, appearing in the northernmost United States, and surviving the winters even as far north as the Arctic Circle.
Other Sightings
Can't ever get tired of photographing these beauties!
Juvenile or female pine grosbeak
Juvenile evening grosbeak
Hairy Woodpecker
Some kind of grouse. I was so excited to finally see one. Had to hand hold my 500 prime
