Yesterday while driving back home from Grand Marais we had the good fortune of seeing these fox kits right outside their den. We must have come by right after play time as they were just lounging around in the sun in front of the den rather than running around like crazy like they normally are. One of them decided he was particularly cute as he kept stretching out on his belly with his legs completely sticking out in a "Superman" pose.
A couple inches of rain fell over the weekend and all of the rivers along Minnesota's north shore of Lake Superior are swollen with run-off! High Falls of the Pigeon River in Grand Portage State Park is especially dramatic when the water is so high. The river rose almost 4 feet as a result of the rain! If you visit on a sunny day you'll be sure to get an awesome view of a rainbow in the mist of the waterfall!
Here is another photo from last night's aurora surprise. After watching the lights dancing over the pond, we headed back down towards the village with the intent of going home for the night. As we drove back, however, the lights looked like they might be picking back up in intensity so we decided to head to one more location before calling it a night.
The lake shown in this photo is called Teal Lake and is easily visible from Highway 61 in Grand Portage, MN. It makes for a great spot to watch the northern lights as it is an elevated viewpoint with nothing to block the view of the northern sky. We only had a short time to enjoy the aurora from here, though. As you can see beneath the arc of light, there is a cloud bank that was fast approaching from the northeast. It didn't take long for these advancing clouds to obscure the view of the lights. It was probably a good thing, however, as we both had to be up early in the morning. Once the clouds blocked the view we called it a night and headed home.
Maybe it wasn't really a surprise (meaning the lights last night could have actually been in the space weather forecast) but they were a surprise to us. Since our forecast had been calling for a strong chance of rain over the weekend, I hadn't paid attention to what was going on with the space weather forecast. So, imagine our surprise when we stepped outside last night and immediately saw the northern lights dancing in the sky! It was a welcome surprise for sure.
The night was mostly clear with just a few clouds here and there. I was thankful for the 2 inches of rain we received over the weekend, as this pond was absolutely full of water. Usually when standing in this spot you are looking out over a grassy meadow but last night it looked more like a lake, which made for some sweet reflections of the lights. The frogs were calling and we heard a beaver slap its tail several times. At one point when I was standing on the edge of this pond I heard the patter of little footsteps approaching. I looked to my right and saw a small shadowy figure approaching. A quick look with the flashlight revealed a fox that was just 20 feet away. Apparently he didn't realize we had been standing there as he had been walking directly toward us! Once my flashlight beam hit him, he turned and ran the other way.
It seems like every night when I'm out photographing the aurora it's an unforgettable night in a variety of ways. Last night it was that way not only because of the lights but also because of the wildlife encounters. Spending time outdoors at night is my absolute favorite thing to do. I always come home with good memories to think back on :-)
During our recent visit to Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area in Crosby/Ironton, MN we came across a unique bird that neither of us had seen before: Purple Martin. I had never even heard of these birds before. Apparently they are rather rare in Minnesota. We drove in to the Portsmouth Campground just to check it out and were surprised to see two large bird condos on one end of the campground. The condos were absolutely loaded with birds. An interpretive sign said they were Purple Martins, which migrate to Minnesota from Brazil. There was a large hill behind the condos that was mowed and the birds were constantly flying back and forth from their condos to the mowed hill. It appeared as though they were hunting dragonflies. I captured the flight shot as one of the Martins was returning to its condo. The vocalizations of these birds were super interesting. They sure were a lot of fun to watch and listen to!
If you missed our conversation on the radio the other night, here is the archived online version for you to listen at your convenience.
On Thursday, June 2nd I was live on the air in Grand Marais, MN with 3 friends and fellow photographers as part of WTIP's First Thursday Community Conversations program. Paul Sundberg, Tom Spence, Dave Brislance and myself got together to talk about cameras and our experiences photographing wildlife.
Click on the link below to listen to our conversation:
http://www.wtip.org/“wildlife-your-viewfinder”-june-first-thursday
In the photo above that I took during the program, you can see Paul Sundberg demonstrating the use of his moose call (which can be heard about 41 minutes into the program).
Above: Jessica riding through the beautiful forest along the "Boot Camp" Trail.
We just returned from a super-fun trip to Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area! What a cool place! If you like mountain biking and haven't been here yet, you need to go. The trails are awesome and loads of fun! We also recommend staying in one of the yurts that the park has. What a fun way to camp and some of the trails run through the woods right behind the yurts so you can ride right from your door! It was an unforgettable weekend of fun with my amazing wife Jessica :-)
Above: Jessica cruising the curves of the Little Sidewinder Trail.
I know some of you are probably missing my normal nature photo posts. I do apologize for that. I've loved riding bikes my entire life but this year I've been bitten by the biking bug harder than usual and lately it's all I've been doing. I still take pictures, they just aren't always the posts you may be used to seeing. I do hope that you've enjoyed seeing some photos from our biking adventures and I promise that more nature photos are coming soon!
Above: Beautiful spring green on the Little Sidewinder Trail!
Above: Bobsled Trail. I could have ridden up and down this trail all day long... it was my favorite :-)
Above: Bobsled Trail
Above: Manuel Drive Trail
Above: Sidewinder Trail
Above: Not all of the trails at Cuyuna are technical singletrack. The trails in the Sagamore Unit are more flat and open, rolling through a nice mixture of fields and forest. The paved Cuyuna Country State Trail is an option as well.
Above: The Manganese Yurt, our home during our stay at Cuyuna.
Above: The yurt interiors are quite nice!
