The PhotoNaturalist

Roll that beautiful owl footage! Sparky shares his favorite video clips of owls he found in early 2025. Highlights include a pirouetting Boreal, Great Gray pouncing. Between January and March 2025 an irruption of northern owls flooded into northern Minnesota; dozens of Boreal Owls, hundreds of Great Gray Owls and a couple Northern Hawk Owls were seen. The bulk of observations were from south of Duluth, Sax-Zim Bog, Two Harbors area, Lake County, Superior National Forest to Grand Marais.

Owen and Quentin Reiser are a couple of interesting dudes who did a U.S. Big Year of birding via Kia Minivan in 2024. If you haven’t seen their LISTERS movie, you must do it now! Over TWO MILLION people already have! And don’t forget to pick up Quentin’s hilarious book about their Big Year.

They first contacted me in late 2023 to do a Zoom call so they could ask me questions about birding and doing a Big Year. I got a taste of their unique world view when their last question was, “How many Canada Geese could you take in a fight if you only had a jean jacket.” Well, the obvious answer is six or seven!

But we ended up birding together in Minnesota’s Sax-Zim Bog twice, and once in Texas. They helped me find a Groove-billed Ani in San Benito…a bird I hadn’t seen in decades! I helped them find the Black-backed Woodpecker in Sax-Zim Bog.

Their resulting movie on YouTube (LISTERS: A Glimpse into Extreme Birdwatching) has really struck a chord with millions of birders and NON-Birders. Let’s spend some time with these guys now out in the field and find out a little bit more about them.

July 4, 2025

My Great Grandfather Anders Stensaas came from the Melhus/Kvål area of central Norway in the early 1900s and settled near Vermillion, South Dakota. After a few years, he went back to Norway to marry the girl from the neighboring farm, Anna Rofstad. Anna’s father Ivar was distraught and angry that Anders had taken his daughter away. It is hard to fathom these days how far Norway and South Dakota really were in the early 1900s; no planes, no phones, only a slow boat from Oslo and a long train ride to the prairie. Letters were his only connection to his daughter.

In the early 1930s, Anders and Anna (now Americanized to “Andrew and Anne”), returned to Melhus and had a homecoming with her father. They all made peace, and he soon died at age 99.

Our connection to our Norwegian family has always been through Anna’s family, the Rofstad side. That’s just how it goes sometimes…Connections shift from maternal to paternal and back and forth over time.

My father was stationed in Germany in 1957-58 with the highly prestigious “U.S. Army Accounting Corp,” a fearsome, highly-trained….okay, okay, I’ll stop now. Dad was drafted after graduating from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and his main interest while stationed overseas was to see as much of the European continent as he could on Uncle Sam’s dime.

He made trips to Paris (Eiffel Tower, Louvre), London, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Holland, a cruise down the Rhine River, skiing in the Swiss Alps, and even attended the World’s Fair in Brussels. And then he contacted his second cousin Gudrun (Rofstad) Moum in Vikhamar near Trondheim to see if he could visit. He had a great time with Gudrun and Hermann, and they visited the Rofstad family dairy farm (see photos).

Fast forward to 2025, and I thought it would be neat if the boys could see the ancestral homeland. I had been there multiple times in the past, Bridget and I even visited on our Honeymoon, so I told Jan that we’d just have a short “stand-up” visit. Well, that is nearly impossible when visiting relatives in Norway!

The short “stand-up” visit went out the window when the phrase, “Why don’t we go in and have some coffee,” was offered. And the photo albums came out, and then here came the cakes. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it!

But almost none of the farm Rofstad relatives spoke English very well, but thankfully Jan, Liv and Anders did a lot of translating for us. Did I mention that there was cake(!) and more coffee, and lots of stories. Good fun! But my Bjorn was so tired that he fell asleep on Bridget’s shoulder.

Eventually the gathering migrated to the local Lutheran Church in Melhus where I thought we might see the gravestones of our common ancestor Ivar Rofstad (both Jan’s and My Great Great Grandfather). I had seen the grave marker on a trip in the 1980s and wanted to find it again. But I was told that after a gravestone had been in place for 20 years, the family must pay a maintenance fee for it to remain in the cemetery. And if they don’t pay, another, newer, gravestone is put in its place. This seems downright crazy to me, but then again, in the U.S. we don’t have many centuries of dead people in graveyards, and we have lots of space to make cemeteries bigger and bigger.

Long story, short…we couldn’t find his grave. But I did see the marker for Ingebrigt Rofstad. Such a nice man! I had met him here in 1986 I believe.

The current church itself dates to 1892 and is an impressive and imposing stone house of worship that holds 500 congregants. I could hear organ music coming from inside but did not go in.

Historically on this spot was the Medieval Church completed in 1190AD. It was torn down by Royal decree in the late 1800s to make room for the new church. But they did re-use some parts, including the portal. And in 1999 restorers found actual runic carvings in the portal. The best interpretation is “sea priest” or “male goat priest” or “Hafr (the) priest.” The Runic alphabet basically went extinct by the 1400s, so this inscription predates that time.

Next—Off to the Viking capitol, TRONDHEIM

In Part 1 from Churchill on Hudson Bay…

My wife Bridget gave me some money for Father’s Day a few years ago to finally go see a Polar Bear. I think she was sick of my whining that I’d never seen one on my June trips to photograph birds up in Churchill.

But it wasn’t enough money.

So I saved up and went in mid September 2025. 

I went just on my own, rented a truck and drove around the limited road network outside of Churchill Manitoba on Hudson Bay.

You see the Polar Bears congregate here to wait for the sea ice to freeze so they can get on with doing what they love…Hunt seals from the ice! 

Well, it wasn’t as easy as I’d thought. But soon after foolishly getting stuck in the sand right in the middle of a known Polar Bear area, I did actually spot a speck of white that was NOT a pale-colored rock or old mattress,  It actually had fur!

This was the first of four Polar Bear sightings…one each day. And I think they were all the same bear! I named him Larry. Larry the Polar Bear.

One encounter stood out above the rest; mainly because he came to me! And quite close!

With binoculars and camera, Sparky heads off to beautiful Box Canyon in southeast Arizona. Only a few miles from the world-famous Madera Canyon, Box Canyon hosts some dry hillside species that are rare in most of this area. In fact, a cooperative and bold Five-striped Sparrow perches nicely for Sparky right off the rugged road that traverses Box Canyon.

Sparky also finds a nest of a pair of animated Thick-billed Kingbirds, but one of the babies is not quite ready to fledge.

Walking a random wash in the canyon leads to a close-up encounter with a Varied Bunting. Multiple evenings were spent with new friends listening for the CODE 3 Buff-collared Nightjar. This would be a Lifer…but did Sparky hear it? You’ll have to watch to see.

One stormy night yields a friendly Tarantula, and a 3-foot Black-tailed Rattlesnake sporting its lovely green scales.

July 3-4, 2025

Join the Stensaas famly as we travel from Lillehammer to the historic town of Røros.

Leaving Lillehammer in the afternoon, we wound our way north on the 3 ½ hour drive towards Røros. My natural magnetism to stave churches kicked in again as we stumbled upon yet another! The Ringebu Stavkyrkje. The family was not keen on waiting for me to tour it so I had to be satisfied with a photo from the driver’s seat.

But it was here that I became a bit confused. Google was trying to take us down a narrow dirt road as the fastest way to Røros. We stopped at a little roadside shed where a man was selling stave church souvenirs and Coke. He didn’t speak any English but I made out that, yes, we were on the right track. After a few miles the road widened and then was paved. It traversed a mountain plateau that had to be a preserve or park. How did I know that, you ask? Well, there were no hytte! There are cabins (hytte) scattered all over the mountains of Norway, even in the most remote locations. So if this was not a park, there would be hytte all over. Indeed, it turned out that this barren but beautiful landscape was Rondane National Park, Norway’s first national park designated in 1962. Wild Reindeer roam these mountains but we did not see hide nor hoof.

Dropping down into the Glomma River Valley we snaked along the waterway for a long way. The two-land road was excellent but we were stuck behind several vehicles that were stuck behind a very slow local…and no straightaways long enough to pass. That’s okay, it was lovely scenery and we noticed multiple trout fisherman (salmon?) out flyfishing in the river.

Jan met us in the tiny town Glåmos near his and Liv’s cabin, and we followed him up the narrow drive. Originally a tiny hytte, it is now a lovely spacious family retreat. It was so nice to connect with Jan and Liv after so many years! Bridget and I visited them on our honeymoon in July of 2006. Always gracious hosts

After a typical Norwegian buffet-style breakfast, we headed to Røros, and connected with Nora (“Noora” på Norsk), Jan & Liv’s 15-year old granddaughter, who was to be our guide. And, wow, she has a future in tourism (or acting or public relations) as she gave us an impressive running narrative about the historic town and its sites.

Røros is a very old mining town that was founded after a 1644 discovery of copper. The story goes that a hunter shot a deer and as it struggled in its death throes, it scraped the moss away to reveal the gleam of copper. Soon the Røros Copper Works was founded and mining began. Since Norway was ruled by Denmark at the time, 10 percent of all copper had to be given to the Danish king, most of which went to fund war efforts and make armour. [Interestingly, Røros Copper Works thrived and survived for over three centuries, only to go out of business in 1977.]

Though the town of Røros did burn several times, amazingly many log homes still stand, some dating from the 1600s but most from the late 1700s and 1800s. It is one of the oldest wood villages in Europe. In 1980 Old Røros was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nora led us up the quaint curvy streets to the top of the slag heep. Now you don’t normally think of an unsightly pile of rocks as a historic site, but this mound of mine waste is part of the story of the town and it is now a tourist attraction.

I was especially taken by the variety and uniqueness of all the wood doors around town. So much so that I took photos of 20 different doors to turn into a poster/collage (see photo in post).

Prior to the discovery of copper, this remote and cold part of Norway (coldest area in the country due to it being far inland from the sea) was the traditional homerange of nomadic Sami (Lapplanders) Reindeer herders.

And nearby there still are Southern Sami Reindeer herders. Back home, I occasionally tell people that some of my Stensaas relatives run a Reindeer slaughterhouse in Norway…and that is mostly true. The “Stensaas Reindyrslakteri” has been in business just east of Røros since 1890, but the connection to my Melhus/Kvål Stensaas’s (my family) is thin at best.

Still, I thought the boys would get a kick out of visiting there and seeing the Stensaas name on a commercial business, and so we all drove out there to have a look. Stensaas Reindryslakteri produces wholesale and retail reindeer meats for groceries and specialty shops around Norway. Jan found the owner (4^th or 5^th generation?) who came out and chatted with us. And of course we took the mandatory photo of the boys in front of the emblazoned “Stensaas” delivery van 

A wonderful blue-sky day with family in Røros!

Now it was time to head up the road to my ancestral Stensaas/Rofstad homeland near Melhus/Kvål near Trondheim.

NEXT—Norway #7

ANCESTRAL STENSAAS-ROFSTAD FARMS

In this third episode of Birding & Bird Photography from southeast Arizona, I head 2 miles into a remote canyon to find a rare warbler from Mexico.

Sycamore Canyon off the rugged Ruby Road is an out-of-the-way birding location just a few miles from the Mexican border. It is a common immigrant route for those fleeing Mexico, and signs were everywhere. A Border Patrol helicopter suddenly appeared over the canyon wall and zipped right overhead. I guess the fact that I was carrying a camera, and was headed in the “wrong” direction signaled that I was just a crazy birder and not an illegal migrant.

I meet Connor and Alex on the way in. A day earlier they had helped me with info about the Berylline Hummingbird at Santa Rita Lodge, and once again they provide me with valuable info on finding another rare bird.

This time it was the Rufous-capped Warbler, a “code 3” rarity from Mexico. It is seen nearly every year somewhere in SE Arizona or Texas but usually only one or two birds. In fact, between 1993 and 2025 it was only not found in the U.S. in 1997.

After getting turned around and backtracking, I eventually find the warbler. It is a real stunner, and looks more like a Chat than a wood warbler. I enjoy some brief looks as it forages in the shrubs and small trees in the canyon.

Other highlights include a Black Vulture (small SE AZ population), Rock Wren, several Canyon Wrens (nice! I rarely have seen), singing Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Hepatic Tanager, and Western Tanager.

Herps included a brief look at a Black-necked Garter Snake, and photos of Clark’s Spiny Lizards, and Elegant Earless Lizard.

I find a DOR (dead-on-road) lifer Hog-nosed Skunk on Ruby Road.

Sycamore is a very remote canyon, and there a few things every visitor should know:

–The road in is rugged but drivable by a rental car

–The “trail” in the canyon is undeveloped at best, and it is very easy to lose the route.

–Must bring plenty of water, sunscreen, hat, etc.

–No cell service! So make sure you have a compass or other ways to navigate.

–Trail is rocky but flat. Easy in places, but tough in others.

–After about 1.8 miles the route is blocked by a cliff and a small waterfall and ledge. It takes some real scrambling to make it around this point (I did it but I was a bit turned around and had already gone past the warbler location)

Madera Canyon in southeast Arizona is a legendary birding location…and the bird photography isn’t bad either! I spend parts of two days in this “sky island” canyon on this mid August trip.

Berylline Hummingbird is a Mexican bird species that occasionally shows up in southeast Arizona. The American Birding Association (ABA) labels it a Code 3 rarity. It would be a Lifer for me. Will I see it? The Santa Rita Lodge feeders are alive with hummers including Rufous, Anna’s, Black-chinned.

During the slower parts of the day, I sit at a water hole along the creek, and watch multiple species come in, including a Warbling Vireo. I get a photo, but what I didn’t realize, was that in just two short days, the American Ornithological Society (AOS) would split this species into two—Western Warbling-Vireo and Eastern Warbling-Vireo. A LIFER!

The crimson-bellied flycatcher known as Painted Redstart comes in for a drink, as well as Acorn Woodpecker, White-winged Dove, Plumbeous Vireo and others. Calling its “squeaky toy” song nearby is a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, which I manage to get a few photos of in the canopy.

Other Madera Canyon highlights were Bridled Titmouse, Mexican Jay, and Hutton’s Vireo, a species I’ve never photographed before.

NEXT EPISODE—Arizona #3d 

Lifer on the Mexican Border—”Death march into Sycamore Canyon”

In Part 1 of Sparky’s August trip to southeast Arizona, he concentrates on finding the mountain warblers and magnificent hummers of Tucson’s Mount Lemmon. Only a short drive from the city, but a world away as far as habitats, Mount Lemmon rises to over 9,000 feet where pine forests dominate. It is even high enough to get several feet of snow each winter and sustain a downhill skiing area! The mountain is an example of a “Sky Island,” one of several of these isolated mountains/mountain ranges rising up from the deserts of southeast Arizona. The 27 mile Santa Catalina Highway traverses multiple habitats/biomes and provides dozens of excellent birding locations.

The Palisades Visitor Center at 7,950 feet is a great stop to see hummingbirds up close. On this visit Sparky finds dozens of noisy Rufous Hummingbirds (including one single adult male in stunning coppery plumage), several red-throated “zinging” Black-chinneds and a few rosy-headed Anna’s. A magnificent Rivoli’s Hummer joins the party as well, showing off its iridescent purple and teal feathers.

Sparky shares a couple unique photography techniques to capture the beauty and speed of these unique hummingbirds. Shooting video at 1/5000 of a second frame rate can yield some stunning still images.

Then down at Rose Lake Canyon Sparky stumbles on a nice wave of Mountain Chickadees, Pygmy Nuthatches, and Bushtits. Amongst them are several high elevation “mountain” warblers at eye-level including Grace’s, Black-throated Gray, and a stunning Red-faced Warbler.

At the end of the video, Sparky shares his favorite images of this episode.

In the next episode (SE AZ Part 2) Sparky travels to Madera Canyon. Will he get his Lifer Berryline Hummingbird? And what is that strange mammal coming down the path?

Sparky kayaks around Stone Lake in northern Minnesota’s Sax-Zim Bog looking for birdlife. Highlights include Sedge Wren, Belted Kingfisher, Common Loon and an unexpected River Otter.

Late summer wildflowers are peak in late July/early August in the Bog and we take a look at a few finds. 

Sparky gives updates on upcoming events including the Artist-in-Residence program and author/photographer Paul Bannick’s Welcome Center talk on Saturday September 27. Paul will speak on his new book, Woodpecker: A Year in the Life of North America’s Woodpeckers.

We end the video with highights of the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog BioBlitz XIII.

This is Virtually Live Episode 56 (Season 6, Episode 1)