Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota.....what a spectacular place to see birds and mammals!

My first Great Gray Owl.   I love the snow on his face in this picture.    She had been out hunting at 6:45 am.

Female Snowy Owl.   They are doing a census this year, thus the shoe polish on her head.   We have them in MI I just haven't been able to see one here....yet!Northern Hawk Owl!    Feel in love!

Northern saw-whet owl sound asleep!
















What a great getaway to kick off the new year in   Duluth, MN.    We went with Birding Ecotours and saw every bird on the list and many mammals.  (of course I have more pix to post but am out of time for the moment)    Oh I should post the ermine we saw........this mammal we were lucky to see the last 10 minutes of our trip.    If you can brave -20.....this is a wonderful bog....Sax-Zim!   Definitely worth the extra pair of long johns!  

Love me some squirrels!

Just look at that face!

and this one!

GREAT WHITE SHARKS/AMAZING CREATURES

LIFE IS NOT FOR THE WEAK OF HEART.
THIS I KNOW!

SWIMMING WITH THE GREAT WHITE SHARKS AT ISLA GUADALUPE  WAS A PIECE OF CAKE COMPARED TO MANY OF THE PEOPLE IN MANAGEMENT I HAD TO DEAL    WITH IN RADIO.   ALONG WITH THE OH SO GOOD AND WONDERFUL,  CAME THOSE TRULY UNDEVELOPED SOULS WHO ARE WAY SCARIER THAN ANY SHARK COULD EVER BE.   

.....just sayin'!.....  GIVE SHARKS A BREAK.......AND if you ever have the opportunity to go cage diving with them.....DO IT!  They are truly spectacular creatures and this is a good way to keep them from being killed by humans and see how they live up close and personal!    

Beatrice McCartney and Heather Mills McCartney...PLEASE READ this about the NARWHALS we all saw in 2014

Real tears flowed and genuine heart pain occurred while in Arctic Bay, Nunavut to see the narwhals and other amazing wildlife.   It was supposed to be an Eco trip but turned into exactly the opposite.  A group joined us ( I won't mention the businesses they own) but they flew in on their private jet and hired the Inuits to get them narwhal tusks.  I mean KILL the narwhals to get their tusks.  They then planned to smuggle them illegally into the USA.    I love these whales so much.  To witness them being shot at everyday we were there except one was just too much to bear.  It's one thing to eat them ( I guess ) but another to kill for the tusk.   The inuits keep posting the dead narwhal tusks on their Facebook pages.   I wrote 2 of them and said please post the beautiful pictures you took with us....but they get more attention posting tusks from dead narwhals.   I guess some people think that's cool. :(

Seeing the narwhal in person and listening to them was just an incredible event.  They sing and communicate with each other so beautifully.   One day their was no hunting and it was PURE MAGIC being on the ice floes edge in the middle of nowhere. We literally camped on the ice!

One day they were being shot at when the ice floes edge was gone....they were in little pools of water being shot at.   I cried more than once on this trip.   To see such sentient, beautiful beings being killed with these powerful GUNS was just horrific.

They did NOT hunt in front of Beatrice or Heather Mills-McCartney.   Hmmmmm...wonder why?  I met them at the airport and we chatted for a long time.  Beatrice LOVES narwhals and I hope one day she can help to save them.   They are not just eaten as so many believe.....they are being hunted for their tusks as well.

JLForsyth

Life is so good today!

As I sit here reflecting on my new life since radio I am so amazed at how far I've come.   TRULY AMAZING!   I have peace.....I am happy!  And it has nothing to do with my career or what I do to make money.    I thought about radio my entire life...my show......the dynamics at the radio station and on and on.  Typical thought preoccupation with career and job.   When that was taken from me I had NO clue who I was or what I wanted to do really.   I'd been DJ JYL for 30+ years.  It was my identity......who I was.  
    I  knew I was ready to discover a new part of myself when i went back to work for CBS for a brief minute.    It was just time for a change.  That cool change so to "sing"!
      I wish I liked to write more......but actually I've found creating art is what I truly love to do.
Blogging is good.....but I never seem to stick with it.
Where as fortunately with my art I have for going on 4 years this October.   Feel very grateful about this too!   I have 2 shows coming up in September and 1 in October.   Mostly, I keep creating.   Haven't really started marketing.   That's all still to come.

      Next week Brett and I are going kayaking and camping in the San Juan Islands.   Where 3 pods of wild orca live.   Pods J, K and L.  The Southern Residents they are called.    Of course I will learn so much more about them once we get there.  I LOVE WHALES AND DOLPHINS and seeing them in the wild is unlike anything else.   They are such amazing creatures.    Intelligent, social, playful.....describing how they make me feel is beyond words.
    I want all orcas out of captivity and I want dolphins out of the entertainment scene too!
So ..... Taking Eco trips helps support people who can help keep these cetaceans safe.   It helps...  SO MUCH needs to be done.   I think about this so much.

Next month,    The Congo is where I'm off to visit ......

the Western Lowland Gorilla's.   Of course hoping to see a lot of other wild life too!     Again......an Eco trip.  Very small group.   Hopefully us visiting them will help protect their forests and land.   I believe it does.    Going to WHERE they live......rather than seeing them in a zoo!   WE all deserve to live freely.

Anything but destroying their land and poaching!   Ugh.  People do some awful things to innocent creatures.    Breaks my heart.  They are so HELPLESS!

This is not a blog about changing people......That I can not do.     I can only change myself and live my life in the best way possible to help make our planet and those who live on it safe and able to live out their own lives with their own species.

My art is often about the love I feel for all animals and nature.
Nothing brings me closer to God than they do.

JAPAN! When will you stop killing whales and dolphins?

I watched "the Cove" and saw such horror.
It changed my life in the fact that I had NO idea in this day and age dolphins and whales were being hunted with acoustics ( banging on poles) to lead them into their death

The cute ones these Japanese fisherman sell to a life of captivity. The ones not picked are brutally killed in front of the others.
Dolphins and whales mate for life.....like we do.
You can imagine how you would feel if this were your family. They are no different.

The Japanese people seem to be doing nothing to stop this, and we need them to get them involved, as a country somehow. This is proving to be very very difficult!
HOW? Is the big question.

For starters....... "The Cove" is a must see, in my opinion, so you know the truth. Then pledge to never see a whale or dolphin in captivity of any kind ever again.
No swim with dolphins programs, no Sea worlds, no shows where Orca's, belugas or dolphins are in cement pools.

If this would stop being such a profitable industry, that in itself would help a great deal.
Convincing people this is wrong is very difficult!

They are brainwashed into believing these are "rescued" dolphins......or that they are born in captivity.

You can't believe any of this!!

In my lifetime, the dolphins of Japan could become extinct.
They slaughter them ( whales too) year round.

"The Cove" is online and you can watch it for free.
Please help us stop this!

Dolphins and whales deserve to live and not be in captivity and killed off because they are not cute enough for Seaworld.

Alaska is where it's at

Just got home from paradise.
Saw Orca's, Humpbacks, Otters, Sea Lions, Colony Seals, Harbor Porpoises, Black and Brown bear, Eagles and the most beautiful sunsets and snow capped mountains.
I'm just in awe of all the beauty I got to experience the past 15 days.
This was a Jyl Trip........I planned it myself and decided to go alone.
One of the BEST trips I've ever had.
When you travel alone it's totally different than traveling with a friend or spouse.
Not that I'm going to always do this....but it's nice to know that I can enjoy myself just as much as being with someone.
I was more open to letting other people into my life instead of focusing and sharing with the person I'm traveling with.
I did things with people I'd have never done things with had I been with someone else.

It just all worked out beautifully.

The Bed and Breakfasts were all on the ocean and gorgeous.
The Marine Highway (ferry) that the locals use was awesome.
The eco-tourism yacht I found was the BEST of the BEST!!
A wonderful captain who books 8 people. He could book 15, but he's not just about the money, he's about quality for the people he shares his love of Alaska with.
Rare in this day and age to find someone like that.

The boat was built in 1931 and she was a true beauty. He keeps it up so perfectly.
His son is taking over in January. I hear he's as awesome as his dad.

I'm just on cloud 9 after this trip.

Being in nature is ALWAYS and FOREVER where I am most complete!

Feeling so grateful!