Category: Everyday Life

Driving down the road in search of wildlife, I glance over and see a deer standing in the river. Fifteen years of photographing wildlife have me turn around in a heartbeat. I know for a fact that a deer is not just going to stand in icy cold water for no reason at all. And even though I didn’t make out the wolf on the first pass, it was certainly there when I pressed the shutter!

As I walked back to the car to get my long lens, the wolf slipped away. The deer stood there for another hour before making her way back to shore.

After posting the image on social media, I learned that the wolf and deer were almost in the same position an hour and a half earlier, and were again spotted three hours later.

The title given to the first Boreal Owl I’ve seen!

It’s my understanding that while resting midday, though not always sleeping, they often keep their eyes almost shut as not to alert other birds to their presence. Those bright yellow eyes often signal a predator!

The second Boreal I photographed on the same day was hunting along the railroad tracks. Here it takes a quick break on a branch, where you can definitely spot those yellow peepers. even at quite a distance.

The third and final Boreal photographed that day I caught as it was taking off from a tree top!

It was a good day for Boreal Owls!

An anniversary camping trip to the Gunflint Trail in June had Tom and I photographing moose calf twins with their mom on multiple days.

With the moose population on the decline in our area, we were thrilled with each sighting. Even finding tracks on the muddy backroads had our hearts skip a beat with anticipation of coming across the majestic creatures.

When out after dark on a regular basis, the chances that you’ve heard the call of a Northern Saw-Whet Owl are pretty good. I’ve listened to these elusive owls for years. Of course I didn’t always know what that beep-beep-beep sound was, coming from the woods, but with time and a bit of reading, I learned. It wasn’t until this spring, when I went out with a friend, that I had an opportunity to see one of the smallest owls we have in North America with my own eyes.

On February 26th, I had the honor of photographing my sister, Heather marry the love of her life! It was a small gathering of family and close friends who would witness their exchange of vows on a beautiful winter morning.

Cheers to the new Mr. & Mrs. Schwan!

Was not planning on attending the commemorative beacon lighting at Split Rock this year due to having seen it many times before and having a full agenda on the horizon. But just as I was packaging up my last order of the day, the chances of seeing the northern lights were increasingly improving. So I lured Josie into the truck, got to the post office just before close and took that hour and a half drive down to the north shore for a chance of capturing a scene.

There’s about a two hour window of the beacon being lit and a lot of patience that goes into contending with everything else that comes into play, from the sheer amount of visitors also wanting to see and photograph this, to the very bright moon on this fantastic evening.