Boy, birdwatching couldn’t get much better than this—from the comfort of my own home! First the Pileated Woodpecker; now the Northern Flicker. This is a male Flicker, identified by his handsome black mustache. The other day a squirrel was poking his head out of this tree cavity. I wonder who will stop by next?
This juvenile Common Loon splashes clumsily around an adult loon. My guess is that it is learning to fly. What do you think?
08/23/2010, Gull Lake, Gunflint Trail, Minnesota
As I was eating my breakfast this morning I looked out the window and was surprised and delighted to see a Pileated Woodpecker. At 19 inches, this is Minnesota’s largest woodpecker. They are supposedly quite shy around people. This one was a male, as noted by his red mustache. He stayed for 30 minutes excavating a hole in the neighbor’s silver maple tree, probably looking for carpenter ants. In the afternoon he returned for ten minutes. Additional photos on Flickr.
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area is a treasure chest full of lakes and rivers, islands and forests. We Minnesotans are fortunate to have a true wilderness getaway in our own backyard. A five-hour drive from the Twin Cities will bring you to a place where there are no motors. A place where you might catch glimpse of a bear, moose or wolf. A place where you depend on yourself and your companions. If you haven’t experienced the Boundary Waters yet, I urge you to go.
Video clip showing the tranquility of canoeing on Lake One near Ely, Minnesota
Dock at Ancón, near Lima, Peru
The sky plays an integral part in wide open spaces.
I’m sure there are a million videos of the Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone, but here’s mine.
Manchas enjoys a swim in the Chetco River of Alfred Loeb State Park in Oregon. This river is designated a national “Wild & Scenic” river with the intent of keeping it free-flowing. Portions of the St. Croix River in Minnesota/Wisconsin share the same protection.
It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States that certain selected rivers of the Nation which, with their immediate environments, possess outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural or other similar values, shall be preserved in free-flowing condition, and that they and their immediate environments shall be protected for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Congress declares that the established national policy of dams and other construction at appropriate sections of the rivers of the United States needs to be complemented by a policy that would preserve other selected rivers or sections thereof in their free-flowing condition to protect the water quality of such rivers and to fulfill other vital national conservation purposes. (Wild & Scenic Rivers Act, October 2, 1968)
Take a peek at each of our campsites during our roadtrip from Minnesota to the West Coast in June 2009.
