Ducklings on Elbow Lake

We saw a lot of neat and interesting things on yesterday's kayak adventure on Elbow Lake on the Gunflint Trail.  Probably the most entertaining (and definitely the cutest!) sighting was this group of ducklings that we saw on the opposite end of the lake from the boat landing.  They must have been hiding in the brush along the edge of the lake when we first went by because we didn't see them until we were heading back to the landing.  They sure were cute as they swam along the bank close to shore.  This sighting along with the Loon earlier in the trip really made the day special.  We also saw a bald eagle perched atop a giant pine tree and a goofy gull that was flying around in the distance the whole time we were paddling.  There are always fascinating things to see when you spend time on the water and today was no exception!

Beautiful day on Devilfish Lake

We are heading out kayaking again today!  Right now the conditions are foggy on the Lake Superior shoreline but we are headed to an inland lake so maybe it won't be foggy up there.  Of course, if it is foggy I won't complain because that could make for some interesting pictures!  In the meantime, here is another shot from last week's paddle on Devilfish Lake.  I loved this tree hanging over the water and couldn't resist paddling under it to photograph Jessica out in the lake with the tree in the foreground. 

Broad-winged Hawk

As we drove home from kayaking the other day we had the distinct pleasure of an encounter with this beautiful little Broad-winged Hawk.  We were driving slowly down an old logging road when we came around a corner and this hawk, who had been sitting in the road, flew up into a tree.  It's not that uncommon to run across these guys while driving the back roads of northern Minnesota, but usually they fly further into the trees and you can't see them.  This one landed on a branch in a tree right next to the road and sat there for a minute or two before flying away.  I was able to get several nice shots of it.  It was definitely a nice little bonus to our day!

Sky Glow over Speckled Trout Lake

After the moose sighting  last night I continued up the road to Speckled Trout Lake where I was hoping to see some aurora activity.  When I arrived at the lake the sky was mostly clear and indeed there were some northern lights visible in the sky!  They weren't spectacular dancing and shimmering lights like the other ones I've seen recently, but still it's always nice to see the aurora.  Basically there was this large band of soft light sort of hovering in the sky.  It actually looked like a cloud, except that it wasn't moving.  The color just sort of hung there for a long time.  This photo was made at about 3:30 in the morning, which means that there was a little bit of daylight starting to creep into the sky.  Unfortunately the bugs were TERRIBLE, but still it was fun to be out in the woods seeing the moose and the aurora and the fireflies, which were EVERYWHERE!   

Bull Moose at 3:00 A.M.

Last night at 2:00 A.M. I woke to check the aurora index and next thing you know I'm spending the remainder of the night and early morning out in the woods!  During the evening the aurora forecast was looking more and more favorable but not strong enough to head out before going to bed.  So, I set my alarm for 2:00 hoping that maybe by then it would be worth going out.  When I checked the forecast after my alarm woke me it indicated that the aurora was at "STORM" level!  Once I saw that, I was on my way outside with my camera in tow.  Unfortunately, it started to rain just moments after I arrived at my first location along the Lake Superior shoreline.  The aurora was active, I could see it plainly in the sky between the rain clouds.  The rain prevented me from getting any shots so I altered my plan and decided to head inland and see if the sky was clear away from the big lake.  

On my way up Old Highway 61 in Grand Portage I drove right by a swamp and there, standing not more than 20 feet off the road, was a big bull moose!  He didn't even move when I drove by, so I slowly backed up to get a better look at him.  He still wasn't moving, so I turned the truck a bit until the headlights were shining right at him.  He just stood there, staring at me as I stared back at him.  This photo was taken through the windshield of my truck.  I think it turned out pretty good considering it was a hand-held shot from behind the wheel of the truck and at ISO 6400!  I took a few more pictures of him before he started to walk away.  As he walked away I shot a couple of video clips of him as well.  It was a great start to my late night photo outing!

Swallowtail and Hawkweed

Wildflowers are blooming like crazy everywhere right now and local insects are loving it!  I captured this Swallowtail butterfly enjoying a patch of hawkweed along Esther Lake Road in Grand Portage State Forest recently.  Both sides of the road were lined with millions of flowers and it was difficult to pick out a particular patch to photograph.  That is, until Jessica noticed a field of hawkweed combined with a large patch of bunchberry!  We stopped to photograph the flowers and that's when this swallowtail flew in and began working the hawkweed.  I got down on my stomach to get at eye level with the butterfly.  There was a constant breeze, so getting a sharp exposure was a challenge as the flowers kept waving back and forth.  Eventually I got a good one :-)

Kayaking Devilfish Lake

Today was our Saturday and it was forecast to be a beautiful day, so we loaded the kayaks on to the car and headed up the Arrowhead Trail to do some paddling.  Our destination was Devilfish Lake.  I have photographed the northern lights several times from the public landing on Devilfish and been intrigued for a while to see what the rest of the lake looked like.  The shoreline of the lake is spectacular, with giant white pine trees lining the banks.  Several of the trees are leaning quite a ways out over the water, like this one that I photographed Jessica paddling under.  As she glided under the tree she raised her arms to feel the pine needles brush against her fingertips. We were hoping to see Loons during our paddle, but sadly we did not.  Still, it was a beautiful day to be out in the kayaks!