Mr. Moose Smells Me! Busted! (video)

Year 13

I placed a new trailcam at this location deep in the wilderness 24 hours before this video was taken. Via my first camera I had noticed a Canada Lynx using the log in the photos and video as scent post. Thus, I decided to place a second camera much closer to the downed tree.

When the Bull Moose walked by the following morning it immediately stopped for three minutes. While moose have horrible eyesight, their sense of smell and hearing is fantastic. Mr. Moose could tell a human had been present (i.e. me … 24 hours previously), and he was being very careful. This is one of the reasons I like a “headwind” when I hike. I tend to see more wildlife because animals can not smell or hear me. As a fyi, I had often noticed that moose walk up to within inches of my cameras.

Bull Moose Smells me in Sand Lake / 7 Beavers (Greenwood Creek Boreal Bog)

The second image and video were taken 3 minutes after the first image. My trailcam settings are set to take a photograph immediately upon sensing movement, and then start a 30 second video right after taking the image. The process continues assuming the motion sensor continues to get triggered.

The Movie! (video link for blog email subscribers)

A Day in the Life of a Northland Photographer …

Year 13

Today’s plan … in progress:

  1. Get up at 4:45 am
  2. Have breakfast at 5:00 am
  3. Read news at 5:15 am
  4. Fill birdfeeders at 5:40 am
  5. Worked on solar array power system test station at 6:00 am
    • Creating Birdsong Listening Station for Hawk Ridge
    • Will run off the grid 24x7x52
    • Optimized with parts to run down to -40F
  6. Arrive at Lake Superior cabin at 8:00 am
    • Take images of lupines and historic cabin
    • Paid gig for Lake Superior magazine
  7. Arrive at Greenwood Creek Birdfeeders at 9:30 am
    • Fill birdfeeders
    • Take long hike … swap out SD cards on
      • 3 Birdsong Listening Devices
      • 6 Trailcams
    • Change batteries on selected devices
  8. Arrive home about 1 pm … lunch and rest
  9. Work on images from Greenwood Creek birding hike at 2 pm
  10. Work on low power options for Hawk Ridge birdsong station at 3 pm
  11. Dinner at 6 pm
  12. Configure new test parameters for Hawk Ridge birdsong station at 8 pm
  13. Go to sleep at 9 pm

Time to leave for my cabin / lupine photo session on Lake Superior, after first grabbing a Diet Coke! It is now 6:45 am.

Washington Post, the Davidson Windmill & the Northern Lights

Year 13,

I almost never enter photography contests, but I just made an exception to that rule for  the Washington Post. One of the contest rules was the image had to be taken within the past 12 months. While submission of a birding image might seem obvious, I decided to provide a photograph taken last November of the Davidson Windmill and the Northern Lights. Here is the image I submitted. In my comments to the Washington Post I noted that I practice realism in my photography. Thus, this photo closely represents what I saw that night last November with my naked eye. I did NOT run up the ISO thereby allowing my camera to record something different than what was showing in the heavens above!