When Holly Leivdal was out and about in the Tamarack area recently, she spotted a lot of wildlife happening. Looks like possibly a Painted Turtle swimming in that first photo. The second and third photos are definitely a teeny-tiny painted turtle. Oh my goodness, so darn cute when they are so small.

Then the bottom two photos are two Toads that Holly came across. Someone asked her what the Toad was doing with his neck all puffed out like a balloon and Holly said he was calling all the ladies. So I asked Google and it said, “Like birds, it’s only the male frogs that call. Females can make short chirpy sounds or peeps, but the male’s calls advertise their species, general fitness, size, territory and location to other males and females. Holly was spot on!

We wrap up this Pasty Cam with In The Keweenaw, who is taking us on a Copper Harbor Lighthouse Fly-By. In case you haven’t noticed, we live in beauty and this video confirms that for sure!

Outstanding photos today!!! That itty bitty Turtle
is adorable. And I'd imagine tough to get those
pics of the frogs. Awesome, awesome job!

Cool vid.

Agreed, a wonderful collection of critter photos!
Always been partial to Toads. As a kid growing up
out in the country, kept some semi-wild Toads as
outdoor pets. Had a Box Turtle for one day, but it
tunneled out of its backyard pen the first night lol!

Gorgeous video too! Never made it out to that
lighthouse, but we did get the opportunity to hike
to Hunter’s Point, a very special place! Think you
can see it in the distance in first part of video.

Hi
The turtles are cute. If ever you see one on a road and
want to save it, you should note the direction it was
trying to go. Pick it up and carry it to that side of
the road. If you take it back to its starting point,
it'll possibly still try to go across and shortly be
back in the same dangerous spot.

Cute little turtles!
I think it would take
at least a dozen or so
to make a good bowl
of turtle soup.
I tried to spot Sharon
Smith’s house in the
video, but the drone
didn’t get that far.

Kathyrn, we have encountered hatchling turtles
on our local Riverwalk several times. They are
always heading for the water, and we helped them
across so they didn’t get stepped on or run over
by a bicycle. Such cute little creatures!

Oh my gosh those turtles are so darn cute. I love
turtles, and especially sea turtles. They are so
cool. I really like frogs and toads, too.

We took a boat from the Copper Harbor marina to go
to the lighthouse. I love lighthouses. It was a
good time. It's so peaceful over there.

Alex, I thought you'd prefer toad legs.

DebS, do they let you go through the Copper Harbor
lighthouse? The Mackinaw Point lighthouse in Mackinaw
City is open but it costs you.

Kathryn, at this point they did. I do not know
about now. We've gone through that one, Eagle
Harbor, Two Harbors, Split Rock and, I believe,
Whitefish Point. I don't think we could at Mackinaw
City. There was a fee at all of them.

Some info about the Lighthouse Boat Tour...it sounds like the lighthouse tower is not accessible, but the lighthouse Keeper's dwelling and the grounds are.

Because the road to the Copper Harbor Lighthouse is closed to the public, taking a boat tour is the only way to get there. The primary service provider operating out of the Bella Vista Motel dock is:
Noah's Ark Charters

Tour Details - Route: You'll take a scenic cruise past the Copper Harbor State Marina and the coast of Porters Island before landing at Hay's Point. From there, you will be transported right to the lighthouse dock.

Duration: Excursions average 1.5 to 2 hours, including time to walk the grounds.

Time Limits: There is no strict time limit to explore the lighthouse grounds. Return trips run on a first-come, first-served basis.

Pricing & Logistics - Adults: $39 Children (14 & Under): $25

Seasonality: Boat service operates daily from the Saturday before Memorial Day through the first week of October.

Contact: Call (906) 289-4213 to verify daily schedules and book your trip.

NOTE: While the 44-foot lighthouse tower is generally closed to the public, the keeper's dwelling and grounds are open to explore, offering fantastic historical exhibits and views of Lake Superior.

Thanks, Mary. Maybe that's what we toured. Anyway,
it was a fun time. We left from the marina as
you're coming into Copper Harbor from M-26, not US
41. I love touring the gift shop there and that's
where we took off from. Not sure if they're still
doing that.

Yes, Deb...the boat tour used to depart from the Copper Harbor Marina when the boat tour was owned by a different party, but now it goes out from the dock by the Bella Vista Motel. I'm not sure, but I don't think the gift shop at the Marina is opened anymore, either, as I think the same folks who owned and operated the tour boat from the Marina, also ran the gift shop and I think they retired.

Thanks, Mary. It's too bad about the gift shop.
They had nice stuff in there. I'll have to make a
point of stopping this year to see what's going on
there.