Dive in to Duluth!

To my fine feathered friends,

Monday night we returned from a 5-day trip to Duluth. Minnesota. In February. With temperatures as low as -25F with wind chill.

I'll let that sink in for a minute.

Now, I'm sure many questions are racing through your heads including, "Is the milk in my fridge still good?" and "Should I paint the ceiling beige?" and possibly "Why did they go to Duluth?" All are perplexing quandaries worth pondering; however, I shall focus on the last question.

The primary reason for our trip was attending the Sax-Zim Bog Winter Birding Festival, and thus be escorted to see birds that spend their winters in the lower 48 and summer in the Arctic, such as this Snowy Owl:

The Snowy Owl, he is a lineman for the county

Mission accomplished! We added 17 birds for this year, and including 8 that we had never seen before, including this Northern Hawk Owl:

Maniacally posing with his lunch, an unfortunate Headless Vole. Note that the vole was in possession of a head until about five seconds before this picture was taken.

An explanation of the actual winter birding process is pending. For now, allow me to explain a little about our destination.

Duluth is a fine city of nearly 90,000 people, perched precariously on the edge of Lake Superior. As one of the largest cities in Minnesota, Duluth offers many advantages as a destination, not the least of which include:

1. Photographic opportunities! For instance, when the gales blow across Lake Gitche Gumee, ice piles in mounds and blocks on the shores near Duluth. These ice floes can destroy homes, but also create beautiful formations and even ice caves complete with ice stalactites and stalagmites.
2. Novel forms of recreation! You can walk on a frozen lake, fish in a frozen lake, or drive your car in circles on a frozen lake.  
3. One of the longest freshwater sand bars in the world! Epic! 
4. Ideal location! Near Wisconsin, where the liquor stores can open at 6AM!
5. Umm... Duluth has a nice personality?

Now, aren't you wondering why you haven't been to Duluth? Yah sure you betcha!

Still thawing,
Me