July 9, 2017 - Dunning Lake

Here are some photos taken at our lake home in northern Minnesota. We have at least two Eastern Chipmunks that visit our yard. They can often be seen under our bird feeders picking up seed that falls to the ground. It’s amusing to see them stuffing their cheeks with seed. Then they rush back to their den to store the seed for next winter.

ChipmunkEasternDunningLakeItascaCounty20170702

When we take a boat ride around our lake, we often see Great Blue Herons feeding along the shore. Fortunately, the light was coming from the right direction when this one flew by us.

HeronGreatBlueflightDunningLakeItascaCounty20170707

I was walking through our woods when I noticed some movement in the grass. I investigated, and, as a result, got my first photo of a Wood Frog. The dark brown mask is an identifying feature of this amphibian. Notice how well it blends in with the dead leaves around it.

FrogWoodRanasylvaticathepathleadingWindTurbineDunningLakeItascaCounty20170622

This American Toad was hiding in the grass near our house.

ToadAmericanBufoamericanusDunningLakeItascaCounty20170703

We often see Painted Turtles basking in the sun along the edge of the lake. This one came out of the water and was exploring our driveway as a place to lay its eggs. It started to dig a hole but our driveway apparently wasn’t acceptable to this turtle. It left without finishing the hole.

TurtlePaintedDunningLakeItascaCounty20170629

On one of our boat trips around the lake, Diana spotted this Ruffed Grouse. We were both astonished to see a grouse standing on a big rock, overlooking the lake. I’m sure I’ve never seen that before. Grouse usually like to stay hidden in the woods.

GrouseRuffedDunningLakeItascaCounty20170629