OwlsEyes wrote:
Brian,
You made a good decision to stay North of us. Other than a moose that made its way to the bog, the wildlife sightings were many fewer than previous years. With the low snowfall, most of the owls remained in the woods and the photos from 2016/17 are mostly "I saw it here" shots than anything else.
To be frank, the winter photography in this former icebox of the US has been less than great for the past two years. Lots of hours in the field with cold & wet hands have yielded many fewer striking photos than I have seen or made in the past. To me, it seems that climate instability has really rocked the once predictable patterns in this region of the continent.
looking forward to a green spring with lots of fog,
bruce...Show more →
Geez
i thought it was just me thinking the same thing, i have noticed the change between here and Duluth along the Lake Superior shoreline the last couple years when lots of my trips i wouldn't see anything, not even eagles which are usually a sure bet
been probably at least 15 years since i last seen a moose, even a Grand Portage area photog i have talked with has said the something the same, that there are just not that many moose sightings anymore, same for bears, while not as long as the moose, still its been years since i last seen a bear that wasn't just a dump bear.
Around Brainerd area, I had osprey nests that i use to follow on my many trips to BIR, last couple years the nests have been abandoned
Spring time for years i was following some Merlins that were always nesting at Split Rock lighthouse, last 2 years not a sign of them
Usually winter Superior fills up with Snowy Owls, this past winter, not many
so thanks for reassuring me that its not just me thinking that way, at least along the same route it is still great for warblers along the shoreline so i am looking forward to another 1 1/2 month from now,
brian_sp wrote:
Geez
i thought it was just me thinking the same thing, i have noticed the change between here and Duluth along the Lake Superior shoreline the last couple years when lots of my trips i wouldn't see anything, not even eagles which are usually a sure bet
been probably at least 15 years since i last seen a moose, even a Grand Portage area photog i have talked with has said the something the same, that there are just not that many moose sightings anymore, same for bears, while not as long as the moose, still its been years since i last seen a bear that wasn't just a dump bear.
Around Brainerd area, I had osprey nests that i use to follow on my many trips to BIR, last couple years the nests have been abandoned
Spring time for years i was following some Merlins that were always nesting at Split Rock lighthouse, last 2 years not a sign of them
Usually winter Superior fills up with Snowy Owls, this past winter, not many
so thanks for reassuring me that its not just me thinking that way, at least along the same route it is still great for warblers along the shoreline so i am looking forward to another 1 1/2 month from now, ...Show more →
Brian,
The boreal forests are dying here and the oak and maple hardwoods are pushing north. Unless we start to get more precipitation, I think that areas that have been productive boreal landscapes will look more like Saskatchewan, than what you remember from the past. The Superior coast will likely remain green because of lake effect precipitation and the the presence of the Sawtooth range that reinforces a wetter weather pattern, but the areas west of Ely an south into the bogs are struggling. I shot snowy's and hawk owls in 2013, but that was the last time that their populations were larger than 5 or 6 birds. As for the moose, their population has stabilized in the 500-1000 animal range in the arrowhead, but hardly any moose are seen in the west any longer. The bear numbers are big and the wolf population is stable, but the thick woods in the Arrowhead make these some fairly elusive targets.
Dylan said it all... "the times, they are a changing "
bruce
OwlsEyes wrote:
Brian,
The boreal forests are dying here and the oak and maple hardwoods are pushing north. Unless we start to get more precipitation, I think that areas that have been productive boreal landscapes will look more like Saskatchewan, than what you remember from the past. The Superior coast will likely remain green because of lake effect precipitation and the the presence of the Sawtooth range that reinforces a wetter weather pattern, but the areas west of Ely an south into the bogs are struggling. I shot snowy's and hawk owls in 2013, but that was the last time that their populations were larger than 5 or 6 birds. As for the moose, their population has stabilized in the 500-1000 animal range in the arrowhead, but hardly any moose are seen in the west any longer. The bear numbers are big and the wolf population is stable, but the thick woods in the Arrowhead make these some fairly elusive targets.
Dylan said it all... "the times, they are a changing "
bruce...Show more →
"the times, they are a changing "
That they are, this winter, wow, what a strange one, i never seen so many above freezing temps and rain through winter with a lack of snow, southern Ontario is getting more snow than what we've had but Lake Superior had a big effect on that, we've had some major snowfalls this winter that just skirted around us
its funny that you mention the wolves, i was going to in my last post that the last few years i am more likely to see a wolf than a moose or bear which was never the norm, i had the opportunity at Split Rock River to see one in daylight, have seen them as i have driven down the highway, have seen their tracks while winter hiking Cascade River and, i headed to Split Rock lighthouse once to catch a northern light show which never panned out last winter, but while sitting in my car waiting in the middle of the night i could hear the wolves howling not far away
Same around Grand Portage, there is a pack of wolves set up around there but with the deer population i guess it should be expected
Eastern Coyote, less fluffy than their Western cousins somehow. This 45 lbs male looks like he may have had a bout with mange, which doesn't help in the looks department. But he's being a good dad, keeping an eye on the den and the deer on their toes.
I thought my purchase for the year would be a D5 (I have 300 2.8 VRII and TCs) and then maybe around Christmas I'd look for a new-to-me used or refurbished 500 F4 VRII (or even the VRII version of the 400 f2.8)
Now as I prepare to pull the trigger on the D5, I see an affordable refurbished 500 F4 VRII.
I could drive it with my D500 (or D810 in a pinch), and I see lots of stellar shots out of the D500 here.
Wow. Sheesh. Maybe I'll flip a coin. This is for pleasure, not work, and I'm still learning how to keep up with birds.
