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 collection of winter photos from Superior National Forest and Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota – 2022
It’s the last official day of winter. Spring begins tomorrow, and a lot of us are probably ready for it! Here’s a collection of photos from the past few winter months. There are some dog sledding photos, a lot of grouse, some lynx, a moose and some other random, scenic winter wonders. I hope you enjoy.
This winter, we got some ice. It never really stayed long enough up here in our neck of the lake, but we did have some great ice piles and ice sheets breaking up and moving.
Ice Break Up at Sunrise on Lake Superior – Schroeder, MN 2022Piles of ice along the shoreline of Lake Superior – Tofte, MN 2022Morning light on the rocks – Schroeder, MN 2022Icescape – Tofte, MN 2022Sunrise Sunburst – Schroeder, MN 2022Icy Overhangs on Lake Superior – 2022Sunrise Glass – 2022A pastel sunset on the shores of Lake Superior – Temperance River State Park, MN 2022Lakescape in Ice – 2022
Grouse are probably the most abundant wildlife species I find in the winter months. The moose tend to move a lot less, and therefore, I rarely spot one. The grouse seem to be plentiful, especially the spruce grouse. Here’s a fun collection from this winter.
A spruce grouse gives me a quick, beautiful warning with his stunning tail display. The spruce grouse will do this display for females, or for territorial reasons as well. Superior National Forest, MN 2022
Here is a little video clip of the strut that leads up to the tail flash. It’s in slow motion, so you can imagine how quick the full flash actually is. If you study the strut, and have seen it enough times, it can be easier to time for a photo! Enjoy the slow-mo video.And a flash for good measure! from up in the tree – Superior National Forest, MN 2022Morning sun for the spruce grouse in Superior National Forest, MN 2022Roosting on a below zero Morning Superior National Forest, MN 2022This was possibly the largest group of spruce grouse I have ever seen. 15 in the photo, 2 more out of frame on the ground, and more in the trees. At least 20 out pecking gravel in the road on a below zero morning in Superior National Forest 2022The grouse needs small gravel in their gizzard to help grind up undigested foods. You’ll often encounter ruffed and spruce grouse in the mornings, pecking gravel for their digestive systems. Female spruce grouse Superior National Forest, MN 2022A group of grouse pecking gravel. Superior National Forest, MN 2022Winter grouse Tracks 2022Fresh tracks from a Canada Lynx deep in the forest of northeastern Minnesota 2022hunting the roads together on a cold winter morning. Canada Lynx Superior National Forest, MN 2022Canada Lynx Minnesota 2022Tracks from the Canada Lynx. Moose sightings are a bit more rare for me in the winter months. I saw a lot of tracks this winter, but probably only a handful of brief sightings, including this one. Minnesota Moose 2022
The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon is always a winter highlight along the North Shore. The race takes dog teams from Duluth, MN through the forests along the Lake Superior Shoreline inland, almost to the Canadian Border and to the finish in Grand Portage, MN. Here is a small collection from the race at the end of January.
2022 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon2022 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon2022 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon2022 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon2022 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon2022 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon2022 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon2022 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon2022 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon2022 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon2022 John Beargrease Sled Dog MarathonThe 2022 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon
The backroads are always a treat in the winter months. We really had a LOT of snow piled up by the end of February. It was a TRUE Minnesota winter.
Winter beauty on the backroads – Minnesota 2022Sun breaks through on a morning drive in Superior National ForestWinter trees – Minnesota 2022A 22 degree halo around the winter morning sun 2022A boreal chickadee in Superior National Forest, MN 2022
Happy Spring, everyone! As much as i like the beauty and variety our winters bring, this has been a long one and I’m ready for the greens of spring and summer. Thank you for taking a look at this winter collection. Tom
Thomas J. Spence Images 