Sparky visits three of his favorite spring birding and bird photography spots in western Minnesota…Lake Osakis by kayak (Western Grebes, Red-necked Grebes, Marsh Wren, Forster’s Terns), Felton Prairie in Clay County (Marbled Godwits, Greater Prairie Chickens, Bobolinks) and Thief Lake WMA by floating blind (floating hide) (Franklin’s Gulls, Dunlin, Forster’s Terns)

A day trip to northern Minnesota’s Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge yields some nice photo opportunities including Thumper the drumming Ruffed Grouse, goslings out for a walk, Golden-winged Warbler, and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher that is quite a ways north of its normal range.

We also tour the Warren Nelson photo blind.

American White Pelicans stage on the St. Louis River of Fond du Lac, Duluth MInnesota every spring from late April through mid May. Their antics are entertaining! They glide on 9-foot wingspans (second widest in North America!) over the hilly landscape and perform surprisingly graceful “waterski” landings. My favorite is their bill stretching exercises…and I have several clips of this. One catches a fish that is nearly too big to swallow.

Need a creative jumpstart to your wildlife photography? In this video I try and backlight the pelicans pouch and create a “stained glass” effect. I also share other backlighting wildlife photography tips.

Spring in Sax-Zim Bog filmed on April 25, 2024: Season FIVE of Virtually Live from Sax-Zim Bog begins with Sparky seeing what spring migrants have returned to northern Minnesota. Along McDavitt Road he finds TWO rarely seen behaviors…Mating Sandhill Cranes and two leaping Black Bears! We also see some crazy video clips of our 8-year old friend Blake who has an American Woodcock that has chosen him as a mate! Other avian highlights include cooperative Green-winged Teal, courtship display of the Broad-winged Hawk, and slow-motion Trumpeter Swans.

Sparky also encourages everyone to join Friends of Sax-Zim Bog’s big spring event called the Big Week. It runs from May 11-18.

Lots of positive and exciting things going on in Sax-Zim Bog! Sparky spends some time with the Evening Grosbeak researchers David and Mallory as they track the birds with satellite transmitters.

We also enjoy one last look at the beautiful white male Snowy Owl that graced Sax-Zim with its presence for a few weeks before being hit and killed by a train.

Sparky interviews young brothers Ari & Asher from Tennessee about their trip, and also runs across Big Year birders Owen & Quentin whom share in a close Black-backed Woodpecker sighting.

And how about some hockey at the Zim Rec rink?

Virtually Live 43: S4E8

Early February in northern Minnesota’s Sax-Zim Bog. Despite being nearly snowless, the birds and wildlife are here in abundance—Ermine darting about and feeding, an unusual red phase Ruffed Grouse doing its balancing act high in the birches, and a one very patriotic Northern Hawk Owl.

Sparky also meets a future “Bog Buddy,” 8-year old Blake.

He also shares the results of the Tiny Bird Art auction 2024.

I find some cool things in this episode of Virtually Live from Sax-Zim Bog. Snow Buntings and Pine Siskins have arrived from the north. Then I run across a bizarre sight…A Muskrat is chasing a Wood Duck around a Beaver pond!. Later a Great Gray Owl flies over my van and into the bog so I put on my rubber boots and go in after the owl. Amazingly I find it and plop down in the Sphagnum moss to enjoy the show. Eventually the Great Gray comes within 30 feet or so and plunges into the moss for a vole. Wow! 

Birding and bird photography in Sax-Zim Bog in October.

Also remiders of the upcoming Tiny Bird Art fundraiser, BRRRRdathon: World’s Coldest Birdathon, 2024 Bog Wild Calendar, and Wrap up of Bog BioBlitz XI in Sax-Zim.

Virtually Live #39: Season 4 Episode 4

October 16, 2023

In part 2 of Sparky’s Florida Bird Adventure he travels from Jupiter to Miami and inland to find some amazing birds in interesting locations:

Jonathon Dickinson State Park—Florida Scrub Jays, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatches.

J.W. Corbett WMA—Bachman’s Sparrow, Swallow-tailed Kite family, 

Grassy Waters Preserve—a very close Snail Kite catching 3 apple snails

Vista View Park—17 Burrowing Owls!

Sparky also shares his best butterfly and reptile finds of the trip.

—South Florida bird photography Part 1—Nearly eaten by Croc!

In Part 1 of Sparky’s Florida birding adventure, he takes his Canon R5 and Canon 100-500mm lens to South Florida…IN SUMMER!

Birding and bird photography stops in the South Miami, the Keys, and the Everglades include:

Brewer Park-Miami (parrot roost-Red Masked Parakeet, Chestnut-fronted Macaw)

Black Point Park & Marina (Mangrove Cuckoo, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Common Myna)

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park-Key Largo (Magnificent Frigatebird)

Big Pine Key (White-crowned Pigeon, Key Deer, Gray Kingbird, Black-whiskered Vireo)

Fort Zachary Taylor S.P.-Key West (Roseate Tern, Least Tern, Sandwich Tern, Great White Heron, Common Ground Dove)

Key West Botanical Gardens (Magnificent Frigatebird)

Flamingo Boat Launch-Everglades National Park (American Crocodile, West Indian Manatee)

Part 2 will cover Florida from Miami up to Jupiter and inland to Johnathon Dickenson State Park and more.

In Virtually Live 37 S4E2 Sparky shares findings and updates from the Sax-Zim Bog. We join him and Clinton on several Warbler Wednesday & Songbird Saturday field trips. And we find out the results of the First Greater Sax-Zim Bog Big Week!

Wildlife highlights include a huge boar Black Bear, CoyWolf, Cliff Swallows gathering mud, hunting Great Gray, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Flicker nest, dust-bathing Grouse and a variety of warblers.