My Yard is the Garden of Eden

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Lawrence Wade

All photos and text by Celeste Rouse

  Why am I so obsessed with Nature? Because it breathes life into me, it encourages me, it embraces me and gives me permission to take time to listen. To listen to the intense silence, to listen to the calamity and noise of the creatures and to listen to that little voice inside of me that lets me know I am loved by God, Family and Friends.
Celeste Rouse

Celeste Kissing a Junco

I lived in Minneapolis for 45 years where I had to venture away from my house to find the animals and birds that I craved to see. Then my husband and I fell into good fortune a year and a half ago and we bought a lake home in Wisconsin. Well, I now have a yard that I call “The Garden of Eden.” Over 75 species of birds have come to visit, 16 mammals, 11 reptiles/amphibians and more insects that I can count. I would now love to share some of these beautiful gifts with all of you. I hope you enjoy….

 

Red headed Woodpecker


Hubby and I were having breakfast when I looked outside at the feeders and saw a bird with a red head. I almost choked! I ran to the window to grab a shot through the window and lucked out. I thought I would never see him again. I was wrong
as three more times he visited my yard through the summer. Hope he remembers where I am!

Barred Owl

I love owls, in fact, I wear my lucky owl earrings anytime I go out searching for them. I have traveled many a mile to find and photograph them. Well, the first time I heard a Barred Owl in my yard was late afternoon. I came around the corner from the lake and there he was, sitting up in a close tree watching my feeders. He flew to a nearby tree which gave me plenty of time to get his portrait and say hi and thank you before he flew off. He has visited me three more times.  

Bald Eagle in my Front Yard

I was looking out my kitchen window doing dishes when I saw a large Bald Eagle swiftly fly into the bushes and trees down at the lake. He then came out and landed on the shore of the lake. I grabbed my camera and got one shot off. If you look closely, you will see blood on his beak. I walked down after he had left and he had gone for a turtle. It was still alive but passed three days later. Good Old Nature…

 

Eastern Towhee

Each day I wake up and think, there is nothing new that could possibly come through this yard. I am usually wrong, thank goodness. Again, I was at my window just looking out at the feeders when an Eastern Towhee flew by and started enjoying the seed. A Towhee in my yard? I was at the right place in the right time as he stayed for just a few moments and then flew off, not to be seen again.

Scarlet Tanager

I decided to take a walk to the end of the driveway to see what was up in the trees. As I was scanning, a bright red flash went from one branch to the next. I knew it was not a Cardinal as I have not seen them since I moved here. But I looked closer and it was a Scarlet Tanager! I had never seen one in my life but heard they come in with the orioles and Rose Breasted Grosbeaks which I already had in my yard. Is he not gorgeous???

Male Indigo Bunting


This summer my yard became streaks of color darting about. I had the bright blue of the Indigo Bunting, the red of the Scarlet Tanager, the orange and black of the orioles, the red, white and black of the Rose Breasted Grosbeak. In late spring, I would sit out on my deck in awe that they all showed up about the same time.

Male Northern Oriole

The orioles and grosbeaks stayed all summer and even nested here. The tanager and buntings only a few weeks but again, I had these glorious creatures in my yard.

Female Northern Oriole Eating Grape Jelly


Male Rose Breasted Grosbeaks.

In the past, I used to drive hours to find search for birds and mammals, but now all I have to do is to look out my window. It is a thrill to wake up each morning.

Brown Creeper

I was sitting out in the yard when I saw a little bird going UP the tree. I zoomed in with my camera and realized it was a Brown Creeper. Well, this was a “lifer” for
me. Even though I had never seen one, I knew what he was. I was thrilled…plus I learned the difference between a Creeper and a Nuthatch. A Creeper goes
UP the tree, the Nuthatches go down. How exciting for me!

Cedar Waxwing

I was using the pontoon on the lake and came across some Cedar Waxwings out on the island. Well I was thrilled!  I took some pics but I had to go a long way to get them. The next day, I was on my dock and I looked to my left and there were five of them right in the trees near my dock and lake. I spent two hours photographing these beauties and when I finished, I thanked them.

Common Nighthawk

My friends and I were out driving around near my house. We noticed these birds and realized they were Nighthawks! Could not get a picture, for the world, because
they are so, so fast. I came home and took my friends out on the pontoon and looked up and there was more than a 100 Nighthawks zooming over our lake. The pic above is
not the best, but they are not easy to shoot. Tons of flying ants had hatched that day in my yard and others and they were having a feast! Lucky for us!

 

Yellow Warbler

I have had some smaller birds come through this yard. I believe I get so much variety because my land is attached to a deciduous forest and a wetland. I am fortunate to get warblers that travel through here during migration. I was stunned when I saw the following birds: A Common Yellowthroat (“lifer”), Yellow Warbler, I have had many sparrows, such as Fox and a White Throated plus a Tennessee Warbler (another “lifer”) came through to visit. Such variety…..

Tennessee Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

White Throated Sparrow

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker

I was in South Dakota when I saw my first Yellow Bellied Sapsucker. Who knew they would grace my yard all summer long. They kept company with my Downy, Red Bellied, Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers whom we call “Phil the Pill”.

Pileated Woodpeckers

Pileated woodpeckers are fascinating birds but can cause havoc when it comes to searching for carpenter ants, their favorite food. They can take down a tree which our “Phil” is in the process of doing. My picture shows two males whom I think are brothers.

Great Crested Flycatcher

When sitting outside I noticed a new visitor darting in and out of an old birdhouse carrying nesting material. To my delight and being another “lifer” for me, it was a Great Crested Flycatcher. Even though I watched closely, I never saw them fledge, but saw the young being taught how to fend for themselves by both parents. I also had Bluebirds, Phoebes and Eastern Kingbirds nesting in my yard.

Red fox kit

I was out on my deck when something on the left caught my eye. Darting and playing around a cabin we have on our property were three Red Fox Kits. I never realized I had a  Fox den 30 feet from the house. They were great entertainment and made for a nice photo opportunity.

Polyphemus (large) and Io (yellow) Moths

Like most mornings, we eat breakfast out on the deck. As I opened the screen door, I noticed some really unusual moths on the door. I could not believe my eyes! For the next two weeks, the first thing I did in the morning was check the screen door and there were different moths every day. This picture is just a small assortment of what I was treated to daily.

Common Loon

And then there is my lake. A small 49 acre lake that holds life in abundance. Loons, Green Herons, Beavers, turtles, frogs, bass and the list goes on. It also gives me back incredible reflections in all its’ stillness.

Young Green Heron

 

Fall Reflection

August Sunrise

I was asked what is my passion for Nature about? Such an easy answer. It is what it gives me. My belief is God made this world for our enjoyment. When I fish or sit on my dock or go out in the pontoon, I can breath and take it all in.

Nighttime in the front yard

I hope you have enjoyed seeing my yard through my eyes as much as I have enjoyed sharing with you. I want to thank “The Old Naturalist” for encouraging me through this process as it is a first for me. These are just a few of the delights I have witnessed but so thankful for each and every one of these new experiences. I am sure I will have more in the coming months. Thanking you and letting you know I am so “Thankful For Nature” and you.

Super Blue Moon
January 31, 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted on February 16, 2018 by Lawrence Wade

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Secrets of the Sax Zim Bog

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Lawrence Wade

The Sax Zim Bog is “actually about 300 square miles of not only bog, but aspen uplands, rivers, lakes, meadows, farms and even a couple towns! It is not just a giant bog, but rather a “magic mix” of habitats that boreal birds love” (saxzim.org).

The bog is located about an 1 hour north of Duluth, MN on Highway 53.

Bobcat
Photo by Pam Starr

“We were driving and saw two animals in the road. We weren’t sure what they were, maybe wolves, but they looked too small. Perhaps pine martens, but these animals were larger than a marten. The two animals ran across the road and into the trees. Then all of a sudden, from the left side of the road, out popped this bobcat. It was still pretty far away, but stayed long enough for a few snapshots.”  Pam Starr

Great Gray Owl
Vivian Mueller

Great Grey Owls are residents of the Sax Zim bog (In fact, there is a nest that is visible from Admiral Rd). Bogs and swampy boreal forests are ideal habitat for Great Greys. They hunt mice at night and in the dusk and at dawn and will eat up to 7 mice a day.

Great Gray Owl
Vivian Mueller

Great Grays are very hard to spot if they’re sitting among the trees. As you can see, they are very well camouflaged.

Great Gray Owl
Vivian Mueller

The Great Grey is the largest owl in North America, with a wing span of 60 inches. However, they only weigh about 2 lbs. The facial disk of the great gray acts as a sound receptor.The feathers in the facial disk direct the sound to its ears. It can hear even the slightest movement of a mouse under the snow or in the leaves.

The red light behind the moose is an approaching train.
Photo by Floyd Luomanen

It was 7:20 in the morning and still dark. In the distance, I saw what appeared to be cars silhouetted from the headlight of an oncoming train. As I got closer, these 3 huge moose were blocking the entire road. I pulled over probably 200 feet short of them and tried to take some pictures. One knelt to the ground and my first thought was it might be injured. Then all 3 started licking the road, probably because of the salt. The craziest thing is they all bolted across the railroad tracks not 3 seconds in front of that train. I thought for sure I was going to see at least one of them get hit. Thankfully they all made it across.
Floyd Luomanen

Northern Hawk Owl
Vivian Mueller

The Northern Hawk Owl is a resident of Sax Zim. They are non migratory owls who hunts during the day and usually sits high on top of the trees. This smaller owl does not have typical owl traits.  They do not have silent flight like most owls. They do not have a keen sense of hearing that would allow them to locate prey at night.

Northern Hawk Owl
Vivian Mueller

Hawk Owls have excellent eye sight. Researchers could routinely attract hawk owls perched a mile away using a fake mouse attached to fishing line. Even if a hawk owl is not hungry, it will continue to hunt and then stash its prey for later when food is scarce.

Northern Hawk Owl
Vivian Mueller

Researchers have observed that the Northern Hawk Owl diet varies as prey populations fluctuate. Their primary food is voles (meadow mice). However, if the vole population was down, hawk owls would kill squirrels and young snowshoe hares. Researchers even observed them killing adult snowshoe hares (possibly 4 times heavier than a Hawk Owl).

Coyote
Photograph by Celeste Rouse

“I drove around a corner and this beautiful Coyote was standing nearly in the middle of the road. I first shot through my window thinking he was going to flee but he did not. So I got out and shot in the crack of the door. He stayed for about 30 seconds, went to the right and then came back to the same spot in the road and stared in my direction. It was like he wanted something on the other side of the road and maybe I interrupted his plan. He finally dashed off the road but gave me a few more seconds of shooting while on the side. I was exhilarated to see him as I never expected to run across anything at the Bog except birds. I made sure to put my camera down for a moment to just admire him. I have seen coyotes from a distance but never up this close or for this long. That moment lasted me all day long. So exciting!”
Celeste Rouse

Pine Grosbeak (male)
photograph by Celeste Rouse

Many neighbors of the Sax Zim Bog have winter feeding stations set up for visiting birdwatchers. One of the favorite stops is at Loretta’s.

Pine Grosbeak (female) Vivian Mueller

Pine Grosbeaks migrate south from northern Canada to spend the winter at Sax Zim.

Evening Grosbeak
Vivian Mueller

They are named “grosbeak” for their thick beak which it used to break seeds. One of the oldest observation records of Evening Grosbeak is from 1825, when an Ojibwa boy shot one and called it “Paushkundamo”, an Ojibwa word meaning “berry-breaker.” One observer watching an Evening Grosbeak eating wild cherries could hear the “pop” of a breaking pit 100 feet away!

Porcupine
photo by Pam Starr

The porcupine was in a tree on McDavitt road. It’s little buddy was walking around at the base of the tree. I really wanted a picture of the porcupine on the ground but it was camera shy. Pam Starr

Gray Jay
Vivian Mueller

Gray jays are year round residents of the Sax Zim Bog. They are very curious and may take a peanut from your hand. Gray Jays are also called “whiskey jacks”. The name was taken from “Wiskedijak” an Algonquian word referring to a “mischievous spirit who likes to play tricks on people.”

Redpoll
Vivian Mueller

Redpolls breed in Northern Alaska and Canada, migrate down for the winter months when food is scarce.

Credits

  • Thanks to Vivian Mueller for generously sharing her photos.  To see more of her work go to:  www.facebook.com/VivM.Mueller/?ref=bookmarksText
  • Floyd Luomanen – Moose photo and text
  • Celeste Rouse – Coyote and Pine Grosbeak photo/text and editing support
    Pam Starr – Bobcat and porcupine photo and text
  • References
    1. Sax Zim Bog Blog (http://saxzim.org)
    2. Northern Hawk Owl    www.naturalhistorymag.com/htmlsite/master.html?http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/htmlsite/0603/0603_feature2.html
    3. Cornell Lab of Ornithology  www.allaboutbirds.org
    4. Gray Jay –  http://www.hww.ca/en/wildlife/birds/gray-jay.html
Posted in Birds, Connecting to Nature | 8 Comments

Raw Beauty Unleashed

Posted on December 6, 2017 by Lawrence Wade

All photos and text by Alex Munoz
Editor’s note: I am proud to say that Alex Munoz was raised in my home town of Fillmore California. He grew up at the base of Mt San Cayetano and spent a lot of time around that mountain as a boy. I went to school with his younger brother, Raul. Alex currently lives in Prescott Valley, Arizona.

The Granite Dells, is a geological feature north of Prescott, AZ. The Dells, consist of exposed bedrock and large boulders of granite. I am not from Arizona and these granite boulders still blow me away. I’ll spend hours taking close-ups of the veins in the rocks.

The next four photos were taken in each season of the year. I’ll revisit places several times to try to photograph something different.

The peaks in the background of the photo below are the San Francisco Peaks, the tallest mountains in Arizona. At the base of the peaks is the city of Flagstaff, Arizona.

I’ve spent a lot of hours out there in the early in the morning and evening because the light is better  for photography.

Ten years ago, I joined the local photography club and developed a passion for what has become a gift at my age and a wonderful hobby as well.

In Sedona, this fall, it was a steep hike up to Devils Bridge. However, it was well worth the hike, as you can see from the next two photos .

 

I feel a very strong connection to the land. That is why I am always getting outside.

In the next two photos, you can see the light changing in the afternoon, as we made our way back to the trail head from the Devil’s Bridge.

Whatever light I had at any given moment was the light I needed to work with.

The next three photos show our approach to Cathedral Rock in Sedona, 2016.

The cloud patterns in Northern Arizona are very unusual.

Cathedral Rock, Sedona, AZ

Cathedral Rock Spires

Sedona Sunset

I’m not a professional photographer, but I am a person practicing a profession that I enjoy very much.

Alex Munoz

Posted in Photography/Art | 1 Comment

Close encounters with White-tailed Deer

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Lawrence Wade

photograph by Dale Antonson

If you live in a suburban area, white tail deer can be pests eating the hostas and the vegetables in your garden; destroying a young tree by making it a rubbing post during the rutting (mating) season.

But white tails are the largest wild mammal in our neighborhoods, and are incredibly beautiful and sleek. There is something special about taking a morning hike and watching doe and yearling bound away with their tails “flagging” in the air.

White-tail “flagging”
Photograph by Larry Wade

Below are some stories about white-tail encounters:

  •  On an October morning, I walked out to get my mail, it was during the rutting season, and a buck was trying to mount a doe in the street, not 50 feet from me (Hormones can be overwhelming for all mammals sometimes).   Larry Wade
  •  My wife and I were hiking and our dog, Hug, was barking wildly ahead of us. She had recently weaned her pups. We rushed up to see a wobbly newborn fawn nursing from Hug’s teats. The dog was standing with a bewildered look on her face, not sure if she  should try to take bite out of the fawn or lick it. Time slowed down to one frame per second. My wife, picked the fawn up and cradled it. Then we both realized what she has done and she laid the fawn down in the weeds. We continued down the trail, wondering if the whole event had even happened.
    Larry Wade

Photograph by Dale Antonson

  • I had the good fortune to have a free hour to spend before our worship service last Sunday, so I ventured over to Lake Ann in Chanhassen for a hike in the beautiful forest there. I was alone, so I prefer to move through the woods carefully and quietly. I was pleased to come upon a pair of deer. I paused and took some of the photos for this posting. Look carefully in the photo above and you can see the doe who blends so well into the background. As I began to walk away from them, the buck began to follow after me, which made me a little nervous. Thankfully, I was able to move up a hillside and lose his sight line.
    story by Dale Antonson
  • Many years ago, I was working with a group of 6 graders at a nature center. We were doing a deer study near a deer feeding station. I was showing the students how you could tell the age of the deer by looking at the scat (poop). I was getting less than 10 % interest from the group. So, having a few milk duds in my pocket, I reached down pretending to pick up some deer scat. I said to the group, “You don’t need to be so freaked out, because deer scat tastes pretty good”. Then I popped the milk dud into my mouth. I’ll never forget the look on those kid’s faces. Their jaws dropped and eyes bugged out, as they tried to fathom what had just happened.
    Larry Wade

 If you have a favorite white tail story post in the comments section.

Deer Population Study

Do you have a deer herd in your neighborhood? What is the population make-up the herd? By recording some simple field observations, you can get a good idea what age groups of deer live there. Below are three tools for studying deer populations including: scat analysis; measuring the size of deer beds; and analyzing hoof size.

Deer bed

What to do: Go out into woods looking for deer signs: including scat, tracks, and beds. You will need a tape measure to determine the deer bed size. When it comes to analyzing scat, count individual clumps. Make a tally for each of the signs that you find. The number of tallies that you make for each age class, will give a good idea what the population structure is in your neighborhood.


Photograph by Dale Antonson

Posted in Connecting to Nature, Mammals, Winter | Leave a comment

Nature School

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Lawrence Wade

Gatewood Elementary is becoming known as an environmental school in the west suburbs of Minneapolis. 4th grade teachers, Jeremy Hahn and Amanda Van Wye have incorporated environmental studies into their regular science curriculum. For many years, they have brought their students to Lone Lake Park for a fall environmental camp. This is an all day outdoor learning event.

photo by Amy Weber

On the nature hike, Mr. Hahn gave the students some “solo” time in the woods. They took notes, and or wrote poetry.

In the cold, Fall space I share
Beautiful long trees surround me with air
Fear not, I hear the bear stands here
Singing songs of joy that he hears.
Up in the trees with the beautiful colors
such as rose red stand right there.
Look down from every branch,
Getting darker by the time is near
After that, “Bye” I say to the calm and cold Fall air.
Queen Okunola

Jenny and Mia
photo by Amy Weber

Mrs Van Wye taught the macro and micro invertebrate class, using pond water from the lake. For the micro invertebrates, students used 30x microscopes. Students had to identify, draw and describe the behavior of the aquatic creatures.

Tree identification was the 3rd class that was taught. Students had to make leaf rubbings from leaves collected from trees in the park, identify them and write a note about them.

Tree lab
Photo by Amy Weber

The art work below was created by using plant pigments, dirt and Buckthorn berries.

 

Every Friday, Mr. Hahn and Mrs Van Wye take their students out for environmental studies. Below is some of their work that was completed during the peak of fall color.

Art work by Kayla

Posted in Connecting to Nature, Fall, Nature Poetry | 3 Comments

Spirit Walk

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Lawrence Wade

The untouched areas of the Porcupine Mountains in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan provided inspiration and learning for our group of nature seekers.

Sun on Escarpment Overlook
photo by Ken Brown

The songs of the forest felt alive in my cells. Never have I felt the natural life and death within a forest with such intensity. In this wilderness, death feeds life and life feeds death in a constant celebration.
Ken Brown

Photo by Jane Ball
www.janeballphotography.com

When I walked or swam in the natural world, I used to try to have no impact. I wanted the life I experienced to go on living as it would if I were not there. I wanted to blend in, to be invisible. I realize now that I am not a visitor to Nature. I am part of it. Now, I hike down the trail and fin over the coral with no particular ego. I am myself, part of everything, no better or worse than anything else, just another life form incorporated into the big picture of Nature.
 Jane Ball

Overlook Trail – fern forest
Photo by Ken Brown

Everywhere we walked the life of the forest filled the air with its own breath. My challenge was to experience something so alive without expectation. How do I learn to breathe with the forest as a leaf, individual yet all?
Ken Brown

Photo by Jane Ball
www.janeballphotography.com

It was easy to give yourself up to this untouched wilderness.  At times, I felt like there was no separation between what was around me and how I felt inside of myself. In this trance-like state, the land shimmered like a constantly moving mirage.
Larry Wade

Sky Tree
Photo by Ken Brown

Going into the Porcupines, the first thing I noticed were the Hemlocks. The last time I saw a Hemlock forest was in New York where the large trees were about thirty feet high. Here there are seventy feet plus trees that have been around for up to 550 years( yes those were babies in 1470). Hemlocks are very selective about where they grow and I could feel that this was home for them.
Eric Wickiser

Sunbeam forest
Photo by Ken Brown

Walking under these old growth giants was a spiritual experience of wonder and awe at their size and beauty and sensing there was a lot of communication going on between them. Being there felt like enjoying old friends who I had not seen in a very long time and I wanted to lie down on the forest floor and look up at the canopy.
The trees each had a different configuration of limbs and trunks. Interspersed here and there were the seedling hemlocks with their feathery needles. I knew that it would be many, many years before these seedlings reached the forest canopy as hemlocks are very slow growing. My hope is that we take care of our home so that in another 550 years, all can enjoy seeing this magnificent forest.
Eric Wickiser

photo by Larry Wade

Rain Walk
photo by Larry Wade



 

Posted in Connecting to Nature, Fall, Seasons | 1 Comment

Addicted to Whale Watching

Posted on September 20, 2017 by Lawrence Wade

www.brisbanewhalewatching.com

Would you pay $50 to go out on a ship, possibly get seasick, stand in the cold and get soaked for 3 hours, just to get a glimpse of a whale? It turns out there are millions of people a year who did precisely that (13 million in 119 countries around the world – (data from 2008)). Not only that, whale watching brought over 2 billion dollars into local economies (world wide).

Fin Whale
Justin Thomson

“Whales watches are exciting because you never know what you are going to see. Seeing a blue or a fin whale you realize the immense size of these creatures. With humpbacks they have so many different types of behavior like bubble feeding and breaching, so every time you go it’s a chance to see something different. Living in New York we are never immersed in nature but when you are out in the ocean it is so vast and the whales are so big, it really helps you let go of all your stress and just experience something totally different.
 Sarah Sable, Brooklyn, New York.

Humpback surfacing   –      Robert Sable

Whale watchers live to see a whale surface right off the bow. You hear the sound of the “blow” as the whale surfaces. You hear screams of joy and the permanent smiles on people’s faces. The “people watching” is almost as much fun as watching the whales.
L Wade

Humpback Fluke-up
L.Wade

What unique creatures whales are:
They are up to 3 school buses in length.
They have baleen which helps them filter small creatures (zooplankton)
Their flukes (tail)  propel them in the water.
Whales are like something you read about, but never get to see.
L. Wade

Blue Whale
John Calambokidis
Cascadia Research

I have been hooked on whales for over 40 years. The first blue whale I ever saw was in 1973. I was working with a group of whale researcher in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The whale surfaced right in front of us. It was dead quiet until someone whispered, “It’s a blue”. Then we started jumping up and down, like little kids, and screaming with pure joy.
L. Wade

Fin Whale Surfacing
Justin Thomson

“It’s exciting, it’s fun. You get to go out to the open seas like people of yore and you get to see these amazing large creatures that you couldn’t see otherwise.” Justin Thomson, Brooklyn, New York

Shearwaters
lifeinaskillet.com:

The shearwaters and terns feed on the same prey as the whales. Many of these birds circumnavigate the Atlantic Ocean each year. The Great Shearwater nests on Tristan da Cunha Islands deep in the South Atlantic. While the Sooty Shearwater nests at the southern tip of South America (Tierra Del Fuego).

Humpback Whale just starting to “blow”
Robert Sable


“I like to see the whales spouting in our face”  Emeline Thomson-Sable ( 3 ½ years old)

This whale is named “Echo”. The pattern on the lower edge of the left fluke was made by a killer whale. To learn more about how individual humpback whales are identified go to: http://coastalstudies.org/humpback-whale-research/gulf-of-maine/a-humpback-whale-named-salt/
photo by Robert Sable

There has been a world wide ban on whaling for over 40 years. Sadly, Norway, Iceland and Japan still murder whales. Once you have seen a whale in the ocean, it is unimaginable to think of killing one.

Fin whale struck by ship
Cascadia Research

For the most part, whale populations world-wide are increasing. However, ship strikes are the leading cause of whale deaths. Other threats include, water pollution, and entanglement in fishing gear. This summer (2017)there have been 13 endangered North Atlantic Right Whales killed by ship strikes and entanglements in fishing gear.

Posted in Nature Notes, Whales & Oceanography | Leave a comment

Smart Phone Naturalist

Posted on September 5, 2017 by Lawrence Wade

Steven Barnier is a senior at Hopkins High School in the Minneapolis Area. He has already completed AP Biology and Chemistry and is possibly interested in a career in forestry. Steven shared his photos with me during the Hopkins Field Biology class at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center in July 2017. All of Steven’s photos were taken with a Samsung S8.

All text and photos by Steven Barnier

These mushrooms were so perfect that they almost looked fake growing out of a dead tree branch.

This was our camp-out at Eagle Bluff. I put the lens exposure as low as it could go. I really liked the glow of the coals below and the way the fire jumped.


That was very early in the morning at Eagle Bluff. The background was blurred out and created a mysterious image.

I found this green tree frog resting on a propane tank at Eagle Bluff. I bet it was eating the bugs on the tank. I thought it would jump away when I used the flash, but it stayed right there.
Nighttime sunset at the Grand Tetons, Jackson, Wyoming.

I love the way the pine trees form a frame around the bear which was less than 40 yards away (Jackson Hole, Wyoming).

Photography allows me to get a close-up view of the workings of nature. It helps me see how creatures live in the natural world.

 

This shows the artistic design of a spider web. The photo was taken at night. When you put the flash on them it reflects the web back. It was hard to shoot because the strands of the web would shake, making the other photos I took blurry.

This was a very unusual type of fungus. It was super puffy and looked like a plastic bag growing out of a down tree.

There was a hailstorm two years ago in Northern Minnesota and trees were damaged, like this aspen leaf that was torn from the tree.

Coneflowers at midnight, Eagle Bluff.
The flash created the unusual light on the flowers.

It was after a rain storm and I liked the water droplets that were suspended above the Jewelweed flower. It was so beautiful in the morning with the light on it.

Blue Dasher, Northern Minnesota, mid summer

I was attracted to the contrast of colors between the red mushroom and the patch of green moss. It really made the mushroom stand out.

This is the underside of some type of shelf mushroom. I slid my phone underneath the mushroom and it was backlit with the light shining through the gills.

A shelf mushroom growing upside down out of a tree. I thought it was phenomenal.

Skiing at sunrise in Salt Lake City Utah. I thought the beauty of the sun rising over the mountain was very special. The wind blowing the snow at the summit, was illuminated by sun.

Steven Barnier is in the foreground with Alex Patridge and Ben Johnson.


Posted in Photography/Art | 2 Comments

Changing the World – One birdwatcher at a Time

Posted on August 23, 2017 by Lawrence Wade

Posting and photos by Amy Simso Dean

I want to change the world. But how can one introverted, bird nerd from Minnesota inspire world environmentalism? I am no John Muir or Rachel Carson. My answer (or at least I hope it is): Kids.

My story starts in Minneapolis… ventures toward Azerbaijan… and ends who knows where.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
In 2015, I had the crazy idea of starting a youth birding club for 4th and 5th graders at my daughters’ school in South Minneapolis.

Luckily the school principal (“You want to start a what?”) gave me the go ahead. Julie Brophy and Amber Burnette, local birders, heard about my idea and stepped up to help.

We make poster and build our own birds.

Now each fall, winter, spring we spend 4–6 weeks introducing kids to birds. This fall, we’ll have grown to 5 sessions at 4 locations. MYBirdClub (MN Youth BirdClub) is a club, not a class, so learning happens organically as we wander or play indoor games and activities.

The kids play a game called “field guide race”, where they learn how to use a field guide to ID birds.

If you ever run across us in the field, be ready for high-energy, explosive enthusiasm. They point. They shout. They run. They battle with dandelions gone to seed. (And yes, they amble, quietly oblivious, engrossed in conversation.)
But when one birder spots a downy woodpecker, all the binoculars snap up. These birders run to see a Blue Jay teed up on a treetop, shouting, “Where is it? Where is it?” and “I see it! I see it!”

And the interest is contagious. They soon start pointing out birds to their parents and siblings. Suddenly an entire family is scanning the skies, lakes and trees; I have the email and texts to prove it.

I believe that once you notice something, you start to care about it. And once you care about something, you want to protect it. So, while I might not be able to change the world, maybe, just maybe, one of these kids will.

Youth in Azerbaijan
This summer’s rather harebrained scheme is gathering used binoculars to send to Nature Friends, a program in Azerbaijan that also hopes to inspire the next generation of birders and conservationists.

Bird Camp Besh Barmag,Azerbaijan. April 2017    © Emin Mammedov/Nature Friends

 

Minnesota birders, a truly generous flock, have rallied to the cause and donated more than 24 new and used binoculars. My next challenge is getting them there—a task that is proving to be much harder.

Transportation costs, customs, distance… I now have to figure out how to bridge these gaps. But if a Ruby-throated hummingbird that weighs as little as a penny can cross the Gulf of Mexico, I know I can get these binoculars into the hands of the next generation of Azerbaijani conservationists.

Who knows, maybe some day, one of them will team up with one of my Minnesota birders and set the birding world… or the entire environmental community… on fire.

 

Amy Simso Dean is a freelance writer in Minneapolis. She volunteers at The Raptor Center, runs MYBirdClub afterschool youth birding clubs and does a little stained glass on the side.
If you’d like to learn more about MYBirdClub, you can contact her at MYBirdClubInfo@gmail.com
Youtube video about bird camp in Azerbaijan: Bird Camp Besh Barmag documentary, Azerbaijan 

 

 

 

Posted in Birds, Nature Guardians | 2 Comments