Sunset on a Smoky Day
Another day of smoke from the Canadian wildfires is present in the Upper Mississippi. The haze makes for a stunning sunset photo on the web cam but not so great to be outdoors. Minnesota is known for its bright blue skies courtesy of the fresh air in Canada but not this summer. Today set a new record for the number of air quality alerts with 23 days now recorded. This region usually averages 2-3 days in a season.
The other difficult weather condition in the state has been the lack of June precipitation. This has left lots of exposed sandbars on the Mississippi.
The exposed sandbars give the waterfowl a safe place to rest. Male mallards are starting their summer molt which is why their plumage looks so disorderly.
Mallards, like other ducks, shed all their flight feathers at the end of the breeding season and are flightless for 3–4 weeks. They are secretive during this vulnerable time, and their body feathers molt into a concealing “eclipse” plumage that can make them hard to identify.
Lastly one web cam image of the smoky skies - this one taken mid-afternoon on June 24.
