Mirror Pond

Karla and I spent additional time with our friendly loon family last week. At sunrise as I was driving to the loon nest the sky was colored with beautiful pink and blue clouds. I had only a very short time to set up the tripod and capture the scene mirrored in the pond below. It was one of those times that you just stand in awe and say, “Thank You”.

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Loon Nest 001

The beautiful clouds were overhead throughout the day as we sat in front of the loon nest waiting to see if the eggs had hatched.

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Loon Nest 002

Both parents took turns sitting on the eggs while we were there.

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Loon Nest 003

They only left them exposed for a few minutes while exchanging nesting duties.

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Loon Nest 004

During the switch they typically caught a few minnows to eat.

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Loon Nest 005

I was fortunate to catch this one stretching its wings.

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Loon Nest 006

I never realized how aerodynamically designed a loon’s head is until I saw this one up close. No wonder they can move so fast underwater.

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Loon Nest 007

It was amazing to watch them use their powerful long beaks to gently rotate the eggs so they did not crack knowing that those beaks are also used to catch and kill fish.

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Loon Nest 008

Careful now.

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Loon Nest 009

We may have been able to see the chicks hatch but a large thunderstorm chased us off the lake. People living on the lake told us that the babies hatched out the next day.

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Loon Nest 010

Even without getting photos of the babies it was a pretty awesome and educational experience that I will long remember.

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Susie Islands Rainbow

The week ended with Saturday’s super moon over the Grand Marais Harbor and a rainbow over the Susie Islands as we returned home from Thunder Bay today.

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Super Moon Over Grand Marais 001

Due to cloud cover we didn't see the moon break the horizon but it did start to show as it arose above the clouds.

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Super Moon Over Grand Marais 002

The higher the moon arose. The more it lit up the harbor.

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