Henry Hintermeister

Art over Water There are a few occasions when photographing wildlife, that the environment of a photo outshines the subject itself. This may be true in catching two Greater Yellowlegs posing on a dead tree limb that protrudes over the shoreline of a small lake.

Listen Carefully Casual observers might miss it, but Juncos have regional dialects. A bird in MN sounds slightly different from one from out East. Listen closely, you might even hear a faint “you betcha” in its trill, just a little something to let you know where it’s from.

You Buggers I watched this eagle circling in the air with several large crows threatening it as they made repeated dives in an effort to force it away. Finally, the eagle settled on top of an utility pole and screamed at them in frustration.

Roadkill A full-grown bald eagle, its white head gleaming like fresh snow, looks a little guilty with one yellow talon planted squarely on what is a very deceased raccoon. The raccoon sprawls on the gravel as if it lost a wrestling match it never signed up for.

We have every right to criticize whoever we want. Including a Leftist Pope.

This is absolutely insane Tell this to the 100,000s of English girls who have suffered the trauma of rape gangs Tell this to the Christians and Yazidi girls and women still suffering as sex slaves Tell this to the Christians in Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia et all being raped and murdered by Islamists conducting a genocide Tell this to the thousand plus Jews murdered on October 7th Tell this to the Israeli Jews and Arabs subjected to Hamas/Hezbollah terrorists attacks Tell this to the native citizens seeing their cultures swamped and destroyed by criminal invaders Its OK for Pope Leo, he's got 27/7 armed security, but ordinary people are experiencing the brunt of 21st century militant Islamism

It is in the best interests of the Roman Catholic Church, the USA and the world that the Vatican publicly release details as to the subject matter of the recent meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Obama's political strategist, David Axelrod. This incident is harming the Church in the USA far more than it is harming the USA itself. Transparency may defuse the situation.

Back Again For the last nine years, my wife and I have followed the Minnesota lives of two ospreys. High above a local soccer complex, they make a home each spring and summer for young ones. Some years, there is just one to take care, but most summers, they raise two.

Popping Up Over a month ago, my wife and I first glimpsed a female eagle beginning to sit constantly on this nest about a third of a mile off a county gravel road. The first glimpse of eaglets after weeks of patience never gets old.

Flying Crayon The return of colored birds to Minnesota in the spring time is a most welcome sight. It is also a harbinger that more are to come over the next few weeks. This multicolored Wood Duck is one of our most welcomed.

Little Differences This week I saw this subdued-colored duck, and I had to take the photo into a bird identification site to have it “highly likely” identified as a female Gadwall, my first sighting of this species.

Where You Going? Two eagle siblings stood on one of the last ice ledges in our area of Minnesota for a while before one of them took off. Its sibling paid close attention, wondering if it was missing out on something.

I would rather eat sawdust and drink turpentine than try to get verified through Login.gov, one of the very worst apps/website I have used in 80 years. @MattPritchard

Login.gov may be the very worst app I have used in my 80 years on this planet. Non-existent customer service, poorly written instructions, nonsensical journey that repeatedly asks me to redo what I have already done to verify, takes me right back to do it again

Survivor Wildlife experts estimate there are nearly 1 million raccoons in Minnesota. I know some frustrated people who believe there are that many in their neighborhood.

Gearing Up At this time of year, Red-tailed Hawks are settling into breeding territory, repairing old nests or building new ones, and keeping close to the same woodlots, fields, and fence lines where they hunt and nest.

I Know Where You Live Estimated 710,000 crows in MN which means roughly one crow for every eight people in the Twin Cities metro. Crows will eat almost anything, a reasonable description of a raccoon, a teenager, and most food writers who preview new foods for the MN State Fair

50-Year Drought Ends Seventy years ago on the farm, Meadowlarks were a common sight in SW MN. It's been over 50 years since I have seen one as studies have shown a drastic population drop, but this week ended that drought.

Seasonal Mates In the shallow wetland ponds and marshes of east-central Minnesota each spring, Ring-necked Ducks provide one of the season’s most energetic spectacles. flushing from the water and sending up sprays of droplets.

Figuring It Out A juvenile eagle sits quietly on a dead tree on a cloudy spring morning in Minnesota. Perched above a lake outlet near Grandy, it watches a world waking up again, ice loosening its grip, water beginning to move more rapidly, and life returning to its world.