Spring is a wonderful time of year. Especially right after the thick ice of winter melts off the ponds and small lakes.
Each spring in nature there is a lot of tragedy and triumph. Heartbreak and happiness. Success and failure.
I am always interested in the unsung hero or the rulebreakers of nature. The kind of critter that is common, yet no one seems to pay any attention to them. Or the bird who is so common throughout the U.S., yet no one seems to notice them.
The rites of spring are particularly interesting, especially in the bird world.
Spring is filled with so many cool and interesting natural things. The earth is awaking after a long and frozen sleep.
This year we seemed to zip right past Groundhog Day without even noticing. Perhaps this is because during COVID time, every day seems the same, just like the movie "Groundhog Day." Nothing new or different. Just one day like the other. But for the groundhog, also known as the woodchuck, spri…
As winter loosens its grip on the northern states and it finally feels like spring, my mind turns to all the changes in nature. In particular, the animals in the northern climates that change the color of their coats (pelage) or the birds that change their feathers (plumage) from brown to wh…
The bison turned quickly, ready to charge. The two feet of snow didn’t slow its powerful hooves, but rather kicked up a rooster-tail of shiny ice crystals into the cold winter air, highlighting the bison’s efforts.
The bison turned quickly, ready to charge. The two feet of snow didn’t slow its powerful hooves, but rather kicked up a rooster-tail of shiny ice crystals into the cold winter air, highlighting the bison’s efforts.
I enjoy watching most sports, especially football. During college bowl game season and now as we head into Super Bowl Sunday, a variety of storylines dominate talk radio and sports news. Oftentimes what I find personally inspiring or motivating is not necessarily what’s grabbing the headlines.
There is no question about it! It is a dog-eat-dog world out there, and now I have proof.
Illegal dumping, which is when people throw waste such as couches, tires, or hazardous materials in ditches or other unauthorized locations, is an ongoing problem. It often happens when people rent dumpsters too.
A light and gentle snow started falling the other day while I was out in the woods. Quickly the tiny flakes started to build a uniform blanket covering the ground. It was a beautiful scene.
Winter is a time of plenty for owls. The nights are very long, and the days are painfully short. I was reminded of this the other day while out photographing and filming a wild Barred Owl sleeping in a tree. I spent several hours just observing this magnificent raptor as it dozed in a large …
This winter has been a bit strange in the northland where I reside. Not much snow but enough cold temperatures to start freezing the lakes. The small lakes and ponds freeze up tight right away, but the larger lakes have open water near the center or in the deeper areas. While out photographi…
'Tis the season of the reindeer. After all, it’s hard to not notice them at this time of year. They make appearances in holiday movies, or on holiday greeting cards, and sometimes they are seen in Christmas tree lots as the featured animal. They appear on stage in plays or re-enactments and …
The recent weather rollercoaster has found me stomping around the woods in search of rutting White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). One week I am wearing a short-sleeved shirt and light-weight hiking shoes and the next week I am dressed in four layers and waterproof boots along with a h…
Some say health care workers are on the “front lines” fighting COVID-19. Our physicians, nurses, caregivers, and those supporting clinical operations are working harder than ever due to COVID’s prevalence in our communities.
Because of Thanksgiving, in my mind, the month of November and turkeys are linked together. Of course, this is uniquely an American association due to our Thanksgiving holiday.
I really find that some of the most amazing animals on the face of the earth are the insects. I recently spent some time capturing a few incredible images of just one of these amazing animals, the praying mantis, often just called mantid.
There are so many interesting critters on this planet. Unique and fascinating critters.
Several mornings a week, I rise early and head out to my favorite patch of late blooming flowers. It’s a large patch of tall, bright yellow flowers.
Several mornings a week, I rise early and head out to my favorite patch of late blooming flowers. It’s a large patch of tall, bright yellow flowers.
While many of my friends grew up playing on the field for a sports team or performing on stage in a music group, I usually sat on the sidelines in a pile of dirt, book in hand.
Well, it’s that time of year again. The countdown is on and it's just a matter of a few precious days to a week or so before we we’ll say goodbye to one of our favorite avian backyard residents — the hummingbirds.
In my last column I wrote about the cicada killer wasp. An extraordinary large wasp that kills cicadas to feed the wasp’s offspring.
Nature has so many different ways to accomplish just one task — reproduction. At this time of year, it seems that everywhere I look I see baby birds. It’s a blizzard of baby birds being fed by their parents. From a small backyard pond to the large expansive lakes and wetlands to suburban bac…
I often find the most interesting things in nature are the most mundane aspects of nature. For example, I am sure many of you are seeing turtles crossing roads or perhaps crawling across your yard. Why do these reptilian friends do this at this time of year and not at other times? Where are …
In any profession there is often a lot of jargon and acronyms thrown around to express a point or to not use long cumbersome names.
I am no stranger to getting up at zero dark thirty. But when my alarm goes off at 4 a.m. after not sleeping most of the night, it’s getting harder and harder to drag myself out of bed.
On an especially ordinary weekday afternoon, a message popped up in my inbox: “URGENT,” it read.
At this time of year there are so many signs of spring. Even though the calendar says it’s still winter, and many parts of the country are still covered with a thick blanket of snow, there are signs of spring all over the place.
Have you ever been in gymnasium, perhaps for a basketball game, and the announcer asks all those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces to stand up?
Working in the newspaper industry gives you a weird look at the business of death. By “business” I’m not talking dollars and cents, but rather the impersonal, everyday office work that surrounds a critical and inevitable moment that each of us will experience: the end of our life.
Even though I ran the Twin Cities marathon for the first time on Oct. 6, I still don’t consider myself a “runner.” Running isn’t something I love. I love scoring a deal on a $4 sweater at Goodwill that still has retail tags from Target. I love stopping strangers on sidewalks to pet their dac…
Rep. Tony Albright is one of the few politicians I like and respect. He takes the time to write summaries for the Jordan Independent, and he’s not above trading good-natured ribbing. I agree with him on most issues.
We have more information about more people than ever before. And it seems to me we like those people less than ever before.
There are only a handful of birds that elicit pure excitement and joy when it shows up at your backyard feeding station.
In thinking about the column by Scott Erickson in the Feb. 28 edition of the Jordan Independent, I feel I must reply. Truth and facts are real. Whenever I hear “fake news,” I often think that the word “fake” should really be replaced with “unflattering.” Try this out the next time you hear it.
Move over “Cake Boss” — there’s a new jefe in town.
Some of you m ay have seen me in Jordan already. I’m that weird redhead bopping around from place to place to get to know the area... and to keep warm.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens...”
“It’s (finally) beginning to look a lot like Christmas!”
Jordan has a lot to be proud of right now. The Jordan High School football team made it to the semifinals of the state tournament. Although they lost 55-26 to Pierz, they should not feel too bad. After all, Pierz had an undefeated season and went on to win the state title last weekend. They …
Families around the country will gather around a table to enjoy a nice Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. There will be turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, squash, cranberries, dinner rolls and pumpkin pie.
Republicans have put out a new tax reform proposal, and I cannot quite decide how I feel about it. It has the potential to help me, but it also has the potential to hurt me.
