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The Black-backed Woodpecker is found mostly in Canada and a few northern states, though its range extends into the Sierra Nevada in California.
Here is one in the Sax-Zim Bog in Minnesota.
On my last morning in Minnesota, this male (note the yellow cap) woodpecker spent thirty minutes searching for food in trees just a few feet from me. It was a special experience, and I took way too many photos!
The Boreal Chickadee, as the name suggests, is found in the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska, and the northernmost of the 48 United States.
Here is one photographed at the Sax-Zim Bog in Minnesota, on New Year's Day, 2019.
A cold, snowy day in the Sax-Zim Bog in Minnesota.
Photographed on New Year's Eve of last year.
One more Canada Jay (Gray Jay), perched on a carcass (of an undetermined species!)
Carcasses are placed at some of the bird-feeding stations in the Sax-Zim Bog, giving the birds an excellent source of protein and fat, but certainly not providing a photogenic perch... There was no danger of the carcass spoiling, as the temperature while I was there never exceeded 20 degrees fahrenheit (it was well below zero much of the time).
Another Canada Jay, photographed at the Sax-Zim Bog in Minnesota.
The Canada Jay, formerly the Gray Jay, is described by Sibley as "large and fluffy...reminiscent of a large chickadee..." I'd say that description fits!
Photographed at the Sax-Zim Bog in Minnesota.
A Pine Grosbeak, photographed at the welcome center at the Sax-Zim Bog.
The bird was flying towards a feeder. I tried many times with various focus modes to get these erratically flying birds in focus, most of the time the camera locked onto the bird's body or wings (if it focused on the bird at all!), in this shot I was lucky that the head and feet are in focus.
The same Northern Hawk Owl as in yesterday's post, photographed at the Sax-Zim Bog in Minnesota.
The Northern Hawk Owl is an owl of Canada and Alaska, whose range extends into the northernmost states during winter. There was one Northern Hawk Owl in the Sax-Zim Bog during my visit. It kept to the same vicinity day after day. It was necessary to hike on a trail through two feet of snow for about a quarter of a mile to see it, as it hunted from tree tops in an area with scattered tall trees.
Here the bird takes a streamlined leap from a high perch. The bird was a great distance away from my camera, so I was happy with the picture. Tomorrow I'll post a picture of it showing its wings spread in flight.
A White-tailed Deer, near the Sax-Zim Bog in Minnesota. Photographed on New Year's Eve of last year.
