MINNESOTA NORTHWOODS - #7

Ruffed Grouse, Bear Head Lake State Park, Minnesota

The first morning after we moved from Savanna Portage State Park to Bear Head Lake I went out early to the lake in search for a critter I have seen there before in 2019 (more about this one in a later blog post). The camp sites are nicely separated from each other by thickets consisting of spruce, pine, birch, and other trees. I heard a quiet, hen-like cluck in the bushes and decided just to wait and see what happens, Sure enough, a Ruffed Grouse came out of the thicket and balanced slowly on top of a fallen log towards me. There were about half a dozen more birds but this one posed nicely for about three minutes. Later we found out that they were hanging out in the campground most of the time. Like White-tailed Deer, they figured out that the presence of people is not really a threat to them and a campground is a place that potential predators more likely would avoid.

Since it wasn’t mating time we did not hear the rapid-fire drumming sound of a male, but watching these birds, who blend in with there plumage to their environment so well, was worth to get out of the sleeping bag early.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head. @ 600mm, 1/320 s, f/6.3, ISO 2500

AUTUMN IN MINNESOTA #10

River Otter, Bear Head Lake, Minnesota

We didn’t come across with the big animals that have their home in northern Minnesota this time, like moose, black bear, or wolf, but we had a good number of wildlife encounters during our trip last month. The best and most memorable was a brief meeting with a River Otter at Bear Head Lake in Bear Head Lake State Park. I went for an early morning walk with the Nikon D750 and 70-200 attached. There were some deer in and around the campground and I was hoping to get a glimpse at them. As I approached the lake an otter just entered one of the logs in front of me. What a surprise! I have seen otters here in eastern Iowa before, but never had a wild otter in front of my camera. I made a number of clicks but should have dialed in an ISO beyond 1600. A shutter speed of 1/100 s was just not enough to freeze the action for a tack sharp photo of this fast moving beautiful otter.

Ruffed Grouse, Lake Vermilion State Park, Minnesota

Movement didn’t play a role with this Ruffed Grouse a couple days earlier, but it was the same kind of low light from a heavy overcast. The grouse just sat at the edge of a parking lot and let me get very close. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to keep the blacktop out of the frame.

White-tailed Deer, Bear Head Lake State Park, Minnesota

The deer are usually not very shy in and around many campsites. For them it is a relative safe place because predators, like wolfs or coyotes, stay away mostly from busy human places. None of the campsites were really busy in October anymore, some of them we had for ourselves, and the deer can graze pretty undisturbed before the snow covers everything up. This photo was made near our campsite from the kayak during a paddle tour on Bear Head Lake. I liked the environmental aspect of this setting, with the white bark of the birches, some fall colors, and the big pines on the right.

All photos: Nikon D750, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4G ED VR