Sandhill Cranes near Thunder Bay

 

What a special treat it was to be driving to the movie theater in Thunder Bay yesterday and randomly see about 100 sandhill cranes hanging out in a farm field just minutes away from the city! 

A Lazy August Afternoon

 

That little turtle is definitely living his or her best life!  Check out the outstretched rear legs... looks like a great way to spend a hot summer afternoon!

R/V Kiyi - Grand Marais Harbor

 

While in Grand Marais this evening, I was excited to see the research vessel Kiyi tied to the breakwall near the lighthouse. There was some fog floating in and out of the harbor which really made for some interesting photos. 

Showy Lady's Slippers

 

The other day I had the pleasure of seeing and photographing some beautiful Showy Lady's Slipper orchids. I was kind of surprised that they were still in such good shape, as typically they would already be done blooming by now. I'm guessing they're a little late this year because of the long, cold spring and early summer that we experienced. In stark contrast to that, the day I photographed these flowers it was unusually hot, in the low 90's, which is rare for as close to the Lake Superior shoreline as these flowers were. I felt very fortunate to have some really nice light on the flowers at the time that I was there. 

Painted Turtle

 

Last week it was a snapping turtle. This week it was painted turtles. I've seen several of them but this one stood out from the rest. When I came across it, I was driving down a forest road and it was on the edge of the road. As I slowly drove by, it turned and hightailed it into the ditch. I stopped to watch as it crawled down the bank, thinking I would see it crawl up the opposite side. Instead, it had turned around and a few seconds later it crawled back up and was peering at me from the edge of the ditch, presumably waiting for me to move along so it could go back to its business. 

Snapping Turtle

 

Last weekend my brother was up for a visit and we spent one afternoon exploring the forest roads. The coolest thing we saw was this huge snapping turtle laying eggs in the gravel. While they are definitely around, you don't come across them all too often. Painted turtles are much more common to see. My favorite thing about them is how prehistoric looking they are. 

Canada Geese on Lake Superior

I watched and photographed several families of Canada Geese on Lake Superior this past weekend. These are my favorite photos from the outing.