Snowshoeing in the Porkies 2012

The last trip I took in 2012 was to the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  Just after Thanksgiving, there was already about a foot of snow.  Here's a scenic view of Lake in the Clouds. 

We hiked about 1.5 miles with all of our gear to the cabin at Lake in the Clouds.  No electricity, no running water, no plumbing.  We had to cut our own wood to keep warm. 

 

It snowed every day.  Fortunately, we brought snowshoes.     

 

 

 

The scenery was awesome.  Here's a video of some frozen falls along the Presque Isle River, which empties into Lake Superior.  At the end of the video, there's some of the snowfall at the Lake in the Clouds cabin.

 

  

 

How's this for contrasts?  Here's a picture of volcanic rock that was scoured by the glaciers over 10,000 years ago during the Ice Age. 

 



My one regret from the trip was having my camera in the car when we saw a big beautiful Gray Wolf on the road.  It was a magnificent creature.  Wolves are an important part of a healthy ecosystem.  Here's a short video from PBS Nature that describes what reasearchers have learned about wolves at Yellowstone.

 

          

 People in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota, have leanred to live in harmony with reintroduced wolves.  Unfortunately, there is open season on wolves in Wyoming, just a decade after their reintroduction.  Call on the Administration to End the Slaughter of Wyoming Wolves with this link to the Sierra Club.

Tundra Swans 2012

 A few years ago, I heard about the annual migration of thousands of Tundra Swans along the Upper Mississippi River in early November.  This year I got to see over 10,000 swans.

 

 

The River is a gorgeous place.  Here's a view of it from Trempaleau National Wildlife Refuge.  and yes, this is the Midwest...it's not flat everywhere.  The power of water has done more than carve the Grand Canyon.  The bluffs in the background were formed by this ancient flow.

 

This group consists of three adults (the whilte ones) and three juveniles (the grey ones).   They were stopping near La Crosse, WI, from the breeding grounds in the high Arctic to their wintering grounds along the mid-Atlantic.    

 

They feed on the tubers in the riverbed like arrowhead, wild celery, and sago pondweed.  Those long necks make it easier for them to access the starchy bulbs.

 

Here's a video my sister and I took (most of it is from her).

 

 



Chicago Air & Water Show 2012

This year rain did not ruin the 54th annual Chicago Air & Water Show.  Last year when Alan came up from Indiana to watch it, we rode our bikes along the lakefront trail to a spot near Fullerton Ave., but we ended up spending 2 hours crowded under a bridge breathing boat motor fumes trying to dodge the spray from a windy downpour before we ave up and went home.  This year Alan brought Joan and the four of us took the bus to North Ave.  We arrived early in order to get a good spot.  The weather was ideal -- sunny with a light breeze off the lake.  We were front and center, and the show was incredible. 

Some 2 million people attended the Air and Water Show, the largest free public event of its kind in the U.S.  It started with the Chicago Fire Department's spray display on the lake.  The CFD Air/Sea Rescue unit serves 37 miles of lakeshore, extensive riverways, and Chicago's harbor system, which is the largest in the U.S.

There were various stunt planes.  The Lima Lima Flight Crew is a group of local pilots based in Naperville, IL.  They performed a variety of formations from the six ship wedge and double arrowhead to the basic finger four and diamond formations.

Here they are performing.

The U.S. Coast Guard performed a water rescue with a helicopter.  I have been grateful for the advice and watchful eye of the Coast Guard when paddling on Lake Michigan during 25 mph winds and choppy waters.  Fortunately, I have not personally tested their rescue skills.

A variety of stunt pilots also performed, including Jack Knutson and Rob Holland, the Firebirds from Ohio. 

For many people, the stars of the show were the Blue Angels of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.  The Blue Angels team is famous for the diamond formation and breathtaking daredevil stunts.

Their precision flying is also graceful.  In this video, you can even see the sun sparkling on the jets.

We had a great time.  As much as I love Lake Michigan, I usually avoid crowds, and I have never spent all day at the beach, but this show was worth it!  This year's show has special meaning because it marks the 200 anniversary of the War of 1812.  Here's a video postcard of the 2012 Chicago Air & Water Show. 

Lake Michigan Dunes 2012

During the drought and heatwave of July 2012, Jill and Joe and I visited the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (IN) and Warren Dunes State Park (MI). 

A sturdy breeze brought welcome relief from the heat.

The high sand dunes are some of the most rugged and beautiful natural features along the shoreline of Lake Michigan.  Sand dunes in the Great Lakes region comprise the most extensive freshwater dunes in the world, so enormous that they can bee seen from space.  

At Warren Dunes we ascended 200 feet to the top of one of the sand dunes (above).  The shifting sand and blasting sun made the hike more difficult.  On our way up, we found a few rare Pitcher's Thistle plants, a federally threatend species endemic to the Great Lakes region (now extinct in Illinois except for a few reintroductions).  It was awesome to see these rare plants!

In Indiana and Michigan we hiked through oak-hickory woods.   At Indiana Dunes we walked through a virtual shrub forest of ripe wild blueberries. Small but flavor-packed fruit!   Eventually we made our way to the shore.

 

It was so much cooler by the lake.  What a beautiful, peaceful day!

Lead Plant & Mosquito-Eaters

A couple of years ago I planted a lead plant, a native prairie shrub.  This afternoon I noticed that one of the branches was in bloom for the first time ever!  The leaves of this shrub from the bean family are silvery.  The flowers are dark purple with bright orange stamens.

I also noticed a female Eastern Forktail damselfly perched on an Obedient Plant leaf (left below) and a male Blue Dasher dragonfly on a withered rose bloom (right below).  Both dragonflies and damselflies feast on mosquitoes.  Eat 'em up! 

Cape Hatteras National Seashore 2012

Wind and waves are constantly shaping the outer banks of North Carolina.  We stayed in a beach house on the ocean (literally on the ocean, depending on the tide).  The first few days a nor'easter was blowing hard and churning the ocean mightily.  Later in the week, the sea was a little calmer.   

We enjoyed a couple of afternoons of paddling at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge where we collected some fresh shellfish for dinner (mussels, clams, and oysters).  The refuge was also a great place to see pelicans, terns, sandpipers, and other wading birds.  It's much easier to paddle at mid- to high tide, than at low tide!!

As we attempted to paddle (against a strong current) from the sound out to the ocean at New Inlet, we saw about a dozen large Horseshoe Crabs coming ashore to spawn.  More closely related to spiders than crabs, Horseshoe Crabs have been around for some 300 million years and lived 100 million years before the dinosaurs.  The males were hitching a ride with the larger females, who would burrow a nest into the sand to lay 90,000 eggs.  Apparently, less than 10 of those eggs per nest are expected to survive into adulthood.  During a 3-week window in the spring, about 11 species of migratory shorebirds en route from South America to the Arctic are dependent on the Horseshoe Crab for survival, consuming eggs from nests disturbed by storms and waves.   

The Gulf Stream mixing with the Labrador current creates strong storms and sea swells, which is why this area is called the "Graveyard of the Atlantic."  We visited 2 of the 4 lighthouses of coastal North Carolina.  The Bodie Island lighthouse (right below) was closed for renovation, but we climbed to the top of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse (left below), the tallest lighthouse in America.  We had planned to take the ferry to Ocracoke, but the effects of Hurricane Irene have made this an unreliable trip, so we opted out of venturing further south. 

We also visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial, site of the world's first airplane flight in 1903, and the remnants of Fort Raleigh, which is the site of the 1584 "Lost Colony of Roanoke" and the first English child born in the New World, Virginia Dare.

Although local politics was in full crazy mode (open hostility toward reasonable new rules by the National Park Service for Off Road Vehicles and adoption of an anti-gay amendment to the state constitution), this visit was both exhilarating and relaxing.  Since it was still off-season, the road and beaches were not at all crowded (the spit is so narrow, so there's only one road).   Enjoy this video postcard from the outer banks of coastal North Carolina.

Shenandoah National Park 2012

Shenandoah National Park is on the the Blue Ridge of the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, not far from Washington, D.C.  Four of us stopped there for a couple of nights on our way to North Carolina's Outer Banks.  Almost as soon as we got on the scenic Skyline Drive, Joe and only Joe saw 2 black bears.  I think the assumption was that if Joe saw these bears so quickly and so easily, then more would surely follow.  Although many hundreds of bears reside in Shenandoah, none of us but Joe saw any bears on all three days. 

We camped at the Big Meadows campground.  The white-tailed deer were fearless.  We were serenaded in the evenings by a chorus of frogs from the nearby wetlands and in the mornings by towhees, bluebirds, catbirds, and warblers.  Even Randy was awake early enough to hear them!  On our way to a wildflower walk on the Appalachian Trail with a park botanist, we found a Chestnut-sided Warbler singing his heart out at an overlook.  During the walk there were loads of spring wildflowers, due to the superabundant biodiversity of the Appalachains, which is one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world.  I really enjoyed seeing several ladybugs, which I hardly ever see in northeastern Illinois.  Two orchid species were a special treat: Showy Orchid and Small Yellow Ladies Slipper.  The botanist said that the orchids were blooming a couple of weeks early because of the unusually warm spring temperatures.     

Showy Orchid

Small Yellow Ladies Slipper

Besides the gorgeous scenic overlooks, another delight of the park was the waterfalls.  While we were at Dark Hollow Falls, it started pouring down rain, and it didn't matter that I had stepped in the water trying to get my waterfall pictures  -- we were all soaked from the uphill climb back to the parking lot.  

I hope you enjoy this video postcard from Shenandoah. 

Osprey Love 2012

Not only did I find two Ospreys (endandered in Illinois) at Tri-County State Park today, but I happened to see them mate. 

Last year I observed a pair in the same location, but the male had to be euthanized after a serious injury during a storm.  Perhaps this is the same female as last year, but with new mate.

Ospreys are also known by common names such as sea hawks, fish eagles, or fish hawks.  They are unique raptors on account of their diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them.  As they hunt, they dive with their talons stretched forward.           

This pair of Ospreys built their nest on a powerline pole.  Manmade structures, such as telephone poles, channel markers, duck blinds, and nest platforms have helped to reestablish Ospreys in areas where they had disappeared.  It is encouraging to see another nesting attempt at this site after last year's tragedy.

Prairie Smoke 2012

Prairie Smoke is a native forb of Illinois, named for the wispy plumes of the seeds.  It's one of the earliest plants to appear on the spring prairie.

Early Migrants 2012

Here's a collection of a few early spring migrants I saw at Tri-County State Park.  Starting from top left: Savanna Sparrow, Great Blue Heron, Red-winged Blackbird, Tree Swallow, Osprey, Barn Swallow, Swamp Sparrow, Orange-crowned Warbler.

Spring Kettling

Spring is in the air!! 

Over the past two weeks, large flocks of Sandhill Cranes have been making their way through northern Illinois for their spring migration.  Most are passing through, but a few will stay to nest. 

Sunday and today they were soaring directly over my house!  They were "kettling," which means they were riding on warm air currents.   

Here's another group from today (3/13/12).  Each of these groups, I saw because I heard them from inside the house first!  Sandhill Cranes are the oldest avian species with fossile records going back 2.5 million years. 

For anyone interested, here's a link to a fascinating audio-essay about hunting cranes by Julie Zickefoose (#17, Episode 19 "Love & Death Among the Cranes").  Here's my closing shot from the patio at dusk on Feb., 28, 2012.

Sax Zim Bog 2012

A few years ago I got "frost-bitten."  By which I mean, I fell in love with winter birding in the far north.  Winter can be a very harsh, desolate time.  But a winter landscape can be beautiful.

My interest in winter birding has been fed by exposure to the Sax Zim Bog, after attending a winter birding festival there in 2009.  The bog is northwest of Duluth, Minnesota, and it is a very cold place in winter. You can feel the warmth being sapped from your feet, even through heavy wool sock and sturdy hiking boots. 

But it is a magical place to see northern specialties like Pine Grosbeak, Boreal Chickadee, Gray Jay, Hoary Redpoll, Evening Grosbeak, Northern Hawk Owl, and Great Gray Owl.  I've seen all these species at Sax Zim Bog on different trips. 

Below are a handsome a couple of arctic breeders who came "south for the winter": a Rough-legged Hawk and a Norther Shrike.  Also, I found this sleepy resident Porcupine curled in a tight ball high in a tree. 

No owls on the trip this year, but some fine encounters nonetheless, including a Black-billed Magpie (at the eastern edge of their range) and a magnificent Northern Goshawk.  I'm looking forward to the next trip.

Chippewa Moraine 2012

One of my regular haunts in winter is the Chippewa Moraine of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail and Scientific Reserve.  It's near a cabin where I spend a week in prayer.  Typically, I frame the day (morning, noon, and night) with prayer, including extended reading in the morning and hiking in the afternoon. 

The Chippewa Morraine is usually a great place to go snowshoeing, but this time I had to settle for my hiking boots.  It's also a great place to see winter birds.  I found a very handsome Common Redpoll on a sunny day, as well as Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, and Pine Siskin.  Other birds, like the Ruffed Grouse, Bald Eagle,  and Pileated Woodpecker, were either camera shy or too fast for me.

Winter Flower & Train Show 2011

I took my parents through the Winter Flower and Train Show at the Lincoln Park Conservatory this year.  My dad really liked the trains.

The tracks for three trains ran through a poinsettia "forest" and beside models of vintage Chicago buildings, such as the Shedd Aquarium and the Chicago Art Institute. 

Each building model was made of all-natural materials.  There were water features and bridges, as well. 

It was fun to walk through this very creative Christmas-themed setting in the historic Lincoln Park Conservatory.

Of course, there were stunning blooms throughout the rest of the Conservatory, especially in the orchid room.