Wildlife

Pelicans, ring-billed gulls, and a barge tug

Sep 11, 2024

Photographer Ben Threinen captured this image of a group of pelicans at the Miller Creek delta near the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources office on South Oak Street. Together with the mass of ring-billed gulls and a white tug chugging through the background, it was an unusually...

Ohl: Camping Out

Jul 17, 2024

It was after midnight, the air was still, and it was a very dark moonless night. Cousin Lyle was the first to hear the grass rustling as the bear approached our tent. With whispers and big eyes, we quietly slid a little deeper into our sleeping bags thankful we had zippered the tent entrance...

Coverage of a cover of coots

Apr 17, 2024

Lake City photographer Ben Threinen took this photo of coots just outside the Lake City Marina on April 9. According to wiktionary.org, collective nouns for a group of coots include “commotion, cover, covert, fleet, flock, pod, raft, rasp, or swarm.”

Birds not of a feather seen together

Aug 30, 2023

Lake City photographer Ben Threinen hasn’t lacked for subjects lately. “The diversity of wildlife along the shores of Lake Pepin is in full bloom right now,” he said. Above is a seagull flying by a heron. At left, below, is a duck. And at right is a butterfly on some blooms.

Pelicans congregate at Miller Creek delta

Aug 23, 2023

Lake City photographer Ben Threinen submitted these photos of a large group of pelicans on a sandbar near the Department of Natural Resources office where Miller Creek drains into Lake Pepin. "They seem to be starting to stage in groups before heading south," he wrote.

Eagle not ready for close-up

Aug 16, 2023

Lake City photographer Ben Threinen’s attempt to get a close-up of an eagle at the Lake City Sportsman’s Club was foiled when his subject, apparently deciding he had gotten too close, took flight. Threinen managed to get this photo of the bird leaving its perch.

Bird notes: The barred owl

Jul 19, 2023

In the deepest woodsy places, I often find myself feeling keenly observed, and the observers I imagine are: owls. They see me, but I rarely see them, no matter how earnestly I’m looking. Owls are mostly nocturnal (active at night) or crepuscular (active in twilight), so one might hear them then....

Vultures stretch their wings

Jun 7, 2023

Members of a flock of vultures occupy the branches of a shoreline tree with their wings outstretched on Friday, June 2, in this photo submitted by Sonda Featherstone. The internet can’t seem to agree on a term for a group of vultures: some sites say it’s a “wake” of vultures, others claim “venue,”...

Spotted: Deer at government pier

Feb 22, 2023

An anonymous area resident submitted this photo of an unusal scene: two deer on the beach next to the government pier in Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 18. No one tell Dave Ohl’s friend Snooky.

Hawk appears bemused by the snowfall

Jan 25, 2023

Local photographer and filmmaker Ben Threinen took this photo of an immature red-tailed hawk waiting out the snowfall on the morning of Jan. 19. “Looks cold!” Threinen said.