Whitetail deer. On the road trip to Cornucopia WI.

These three deer cross in front of me on Hwy C then nicely waited long enough for this photo.

WI Highway C to Cornucopia WI

A familiar view to those traveling Highway C north to Cornucopia WI. The open waters of Lake Superior and the distant shores of the north shore of Minnesota.

Glaucous Gull

The Glaucous Gull is the nearly white bird in the center. Look at the wings. Note the difference between the Glaucous and the other gulls in this photo.


In the photo above the wing tops can clearly be seen as white.
In the photo below compare the wings of the Glaucous to the gull just to it's right.


Took a road trip to Cornucopia WI today to hopefully find some wildlife to photograph. Fortunately for me Ryan Brady had the same idea and was already there watching a Glaucous Gull sitting in a large flock of other gulls. The somewhat rare Glaucous Gull is nearly white and slightly larger than the other gulls in the flock. While on wing the Glaucous wing tops are clearly white and they do standout. The three photos above do represent the Glaucous and clearly illustrate the differences in appearance. Thanks again to Ryan Brady for his guidance.

A beautiful AND terrifying place.

Almost any day in any season there are opportunities to enjoy the beautiful local water front. It's a place where caution must always be practiced. The lapse of caution can bring on absolute moments of terror. See below.


Notice just to the left of the orange flags. That's a roof rack. This car broke through ice over the weekend. Both of the occupants escaped. The talk around town is that one (the driver) owes his life to his buddy who released the drivers seat belt and pull him from the submerged car. Nothing will ruin a good day of ice fishing like a swim. This is a lousy photo but it's as close as I chose to get.

"Blue Morpho"

Thanks Jen. Mom and I love it.

Whittlesey Creek bald eagle.

Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge

Goldeneye.

These ducks would not let me get close enough for a good photo. You notice I didn't say shot.

Contest.

Your turn. I like this shot but I'm sure having a hard time naming it. So it's a contest. Someone please give it a title. Kara I'm counting on you to come up with a good name.

Duluth harbor entrance and lift bridge.

January 27, 2006. Fifty two degrees at 16:15 CST. This would be great weather for mid July but January! It just occured to me that I'm using all my potentially great summer photo ops in mid winter. What will I do this summer? Recycle the winter shots.

For Kathleen Callon. My favorite southwest blogger.

Here's a sunset Northern Wisconsin style. These shots are taken at the west end of Chequamegon (pronounced she-warm-again) bay. The light foreground in the shots is snow and ice. Visit Kathleen's blog Rhodian Attic. I love her politics.

Chequamegon Bay. 48 degrees at 13:52 CST

Skijoring on the bay. This skier and her two dogs (Bart and Robyn) are a common sight on the west end of the bay.


Notice the heat shimmer from the right side (South) on this warm sunny day.


Sightseer or DNR? This plane was flying along the shoreline 100-200 feet off the ice.

Varied Thrush

Thank you to Marious and Sharon Wilber of Sanborn WI for their hospitality. An additional thanks to Ryan Brady for the tip. The Varied Thrush "A casual winter straggler from the Northwest" as described by Peterson Field Guide 5th. Edition.

All that remains.

I drive by this on my way to work. I've always wondered what might have been at this site where only this pump remains.

For Kara L. Great Horned Owl.

For my favorite animal watcher Kara L. From the archives.

Cold day.

ColdH2o headed out ice fishing.

Route 118 Rough-Legged Hawk

'Bird' on a pole.

A view from the top of Mt. Ashwabay.

Looking toward Bayfield WI.

Something different overhead.

Taken on a recent trip to Duluth. These jets were doing touch and goes at the airport.

Great Horned Owl.

This Great Horned Owl was first spotted perched on the ground. Thanks to Joel G. for the original tip. There was some question as to whether it was injured or not. The owl was capable of flying and was photographed in several different locations as it moved short distances from perch to perch. Ryan Brady (a local raptor biologist) and I tried several times to approach it to try and determine if it was in fact injured. After several failed attempts we decided it was best left alone. More details and photos to follow.

01/20/06 UPDATE: Ryan Brady emailed to say that after several additional calls the bird was eventually captured and taken to the Minocqua Rehab Center.

Merlin.

This Merlin was watching and attacking the Great Horned Owl shown in the photos above and below. This feisty Merlin was joined by a very agitated flock of crows. Neither the Merlin or the crows were happy with the Great Horned.

Great Horned Owl with a Merlin in flight.

Look close there are two birds in this shot. A Great Horned Owl and a much smaller Merlin that had just swooped in at the owl in flight.

Great Horned Owl with a Merlin in flight.

Look close there are two birds in this shot. A Great Horned Owl and a Merlin.

No ice road this year.

Photo of the Madeline Island ferry making a crossing from Bayfiled WI to Madeline Island. Normally at this time of year all of the open water visible in this photo would be frozen and an ice road would run from Bayfield to the island. This photo was taken from the top of Mt Ashwabay ski hill. For more pictures from the top see the Mt Ashwabay link on this page.

Downy Woodpecker

This photo was taken in a friends backyard in Highbridge WI. This photo and the two photos below of the finches were all taken within minutes of each other. Feeding birds in the country surrounded by forest definitely has it's advantages.

Hey buddy you can't ice fish here!

Move along or I'll have to ticket you.

Non-raptor day.

Purple Finch (top) and American Goldfinch (bottom) taken in a friends backyard in Highbridge WI.

A new falconer in the making.

Ella with Mom, Dad and brother 'handling' GAIA an American Kestrel with the expert help of Steve Hoecker at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center.

American Kestrel. Falco sparverius

GAIA an American Kestrel. Thanks to Steve Hoecker for showing GAIA at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center.