With the year coming to a close, I thought I’d put my favorite wildlife moments of the year together in no particular order. It was a good year. A handful of Canada lynx, lots of spring and fall moose with a few from summer mixed in. I saw a lot of red fox, including a few “cross fox” color morphs. It was also a fun year of birding with a few unique encounters. Here’s a collection of wildlife pictures from the past year.
Red fox in summer cover in Superior National Forest A beautiful bull moose with velvet covered antlers enjoys some summer swamp vegetation. Minnesota 🌲A pair of Canada lynx prowling the back roads of the forest in Northeastern Minnesota 🌲A common loon in the Temperance River dead waters. Spring 2022.A porcupine feasting in the tree tops of Superior National Forest. I rarely see these critters, so getting a few photos was a treat this year. A black throated blue warbler in Tofte, Minnesota. This one was a happy surprise right in my own yard last spring.Scarlett tanager on the edge of the BWCA in Superior National Forest.Red headed woodpecker – Tofte, Minnesota One of my absolute favorites from this year. This beautiful bull on a frosty fall morning gave me many fine silhouettes. The largest bull moose I encountered this fall was a truly magnificent animal. Superior National Forest – Minnesota 🌲Frosty the bull moose. Our first frost of the season and a big bull in a logged area of the forest. A young little “cross fox” kit checks me out from a roadside. This is a color variation of the red fox. Around 25 percent of red fox get this cross color variation. I ran into a little family of red fox numerous times over the summer. It was fun to catch these two in a moment 😍Spruce grouse with tail flash. The spruce grouse has a strut and dance that often ends with this brief, spectacular tail flash. It only lasts a fraction of a second, so you’ve got to be quick on the shutter.
A little video of the dance and tail flash Spring morning fog and smoke on the water. I think this scene speaks for itself.
Breakfast with a group of bull moose It’s always a treat to catch a bull moose in summer velvet antlers. The velvet contains vessels that “feed” the antlers. Their antlers can grow up to 3/4 of an inch per day! Golden morning light and a beauty bull moose. This one is the cover of my 2023 Minnesota North Shore calendar. You can click the photo for calendar ordering link. Thanks for all the orders this year 😊I just loved this encounter. This big bull almost disappeared into the swamp. He’s actually standing up in this photo in a wallow in the swamp grass. Definitely in my top 5 favorites from 2022. Mama moose overlooking the landscape as her young feeds in the river. Superior National Forest – Minnesota 🌲A recent Canada lynx encounter led to many fun photos. This one will probably make the 2024 calendars! Until next time…
Thank you all for taking a look and following along this year. I appreciate all of the support. The wildlife opportunities in Superior National Forest and the surrounding areas are second to none. It was a wonderful year of wild encounters. I’ll do a post in the coming weeks with my favorite landscape/Lake Superior/northern lights pictures. Be sure to subscribe here to be notified when I post. 🎁🎅🎄❤️
A Bull Moose and Some Fall Color in the Background – Superior National Forest – Minnesota
I hope everyone is having a fantastic fall season. We have finally been hit with rain off and on for a few weeks. It’s been a much needed reprieve from the dry summer. Fire bans are off, the BWCA and surrounding areas are open, and foggy and rainy has been the norm for a bit lately. The rains seemed to save the fall color season to some extent. September was gorgeous and the yellows of October are here, including the glowing tamarack trees deeper in the forest. It’s also been a moosey fall season! Ill share a few encounters as well as some fall photos in this post. I’ll also share a couple video links and a link to buy my 2022 Wildlife Calendar. I always appreciate the support!
A Black Bear Crossing a Forest Road on a Fall Color Tour Quiet October Morning at the Sawbill Lake Entry Point to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
So, here’s a fun phenomenon I encountered this fall. Have you ever seen a FOGBOW on Lake Superior?? It’s formed much like a rainbow, but in the fog, usually quite low to the water and when the fog is burning off or fading in the mid day sun(here on the North Shore, anyway). The tiny droplets that make up fog are the cause of the lack of color in the fogbow. You can faintly see color at the top and bottom of the bow, sometimes. Here’s a YouTube video minute of one.
A Minnesota Bull Moose Peering Through the TreesAn Autumn Cruise on the Hjordis in the Grand Marais Harbor – Lake Superior – Minnesota
I have had some fun moose encounters over the past couple months. In one instance, I came across a scene in a road where there was an obvious bull moose fight. In addition to the dirt road being torn up with hoof prints, digging and sliding, there was also a brand new, busted off antler! It must have been one hell of a fight and I JUST missed it. I also have bumped into one MASSIVE bull moose this fall. I will include photos and video below. Thanks for taking a look, and thank you for your calendar orders! Links are above.
A Freshly Broken Moose Antler and Signs of a Struggle in the Road – Moose Rut
A few scenes with a massive Minnesota mooseBull Moose with a shrub stuck in his antlers from rubbing the ground and raking the brushAnother view of “Octo” the bullAnother Side ViewMr OctoberMorning Smoke on the Water – Sea Smoke – A Moose in the Foggy Mist A long view down a long stretchCarlton Peak – Tofte, MN Happy Fall!Cross Fox reminds you to order your 2022 calendar!
Thomas J. Spence Images 