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Kip's Tick Count for 2008 is currently at: 5 Ticks

Catching Up on a Few Day's Worth of Shooting 5/11/08

Due to conditions beyond my control - commonly referred to as "work," I haven't been able to post some of my recent images.  I'll post a few now as I attempt to catch up.

During a recent outing I noticed commotion in the lower branches of a dead tree.  After paddling a little closer, I realized the action was mating northern flickers.  The first image is an "action" shot, followed by a close-up of the male, post mating.  (The following three images were shot at high ISO due to poor lighting conditions.)

While I was out, I also had a couple of very brief encounters with a common yellowthroat.

At the base of a clump of cattails was a sora.

Later I thought I found another sora, followed it back into the muck, and realized I was in the company of a Virginia rail.

I also observed a pair of sandhill cranes dancing on the dikes.  According to my reference material, sandhill cranes will dance anytime, not just during breeding season.  Since I believe these two lost their nest to the high waters of a week or so ago, I can't help but wonder if they might be considering renesting.  Time will tell....

Lucky Shots From Early This Morning 5/7/08

During my early morning tour of Sweet Marsh, before the sun came out a bit, I had a close encounter with an American Bittern.  To me this is special since I've looked and watched for these birds up close, and until today hadn't lucked out.  Now I have!

The bird is doing its best to stay hidden from me:

An Early Morning Outing With Rewards 5/5/08

Due to time limitations, my only outing around Sweet Marsh began around 6:20am this morning.  I was rewarded with plenty of wildlife observations, but low light levels.  In addition to the following images, I also watched a female common merganser - that I didn't realize was still here, ring-billed gulls, and seven or eight whimbrels in flight.  I was able to photograph the following:

American White Pelican (possibly my favorite bird to watch fly):

Sandhill Cranes performing stunt flight maneuvers (no mid-air collision, and I don't know why they didn't collide!):

Green Heron feeding (one of two):

Double-crested Cormorants:

Tonight in my backyard I watched a pair of brown-headed cowbirds and wondered which nests they would parasitize:

and I photographed this white-crowned sparrow after it bathed in my pond:

To Be Hunted by the Hunter 5/4/08

I had an interesting time at the fox den this afternoon.  After not seeing them at all yesterday, I was beginning to wonder if the adult had moved the little ones.  Out of curiosity, I tried quietly blowing on my predator call followed by my squeaker call.  You might remember that the squeaker call enticed bald eagles last winter.  Within a minute or two after calling, I seemed to have crows coming in from every direction - and squawking - as well as two farm cats.  But, to my pleasant surprise, I also had a fox come out of the den.  Following are a few images from that experience.

I'm being hunted:

Am I hearing a mouse or a rabbit somewhere nearby?

Sometimes, its easier to just take a nap:

Earlier in the day I made a trip around Marten's Lake (Sweet Marsh).  A few pelicans are still hanging around along with ring-billed gulls and this Canada goose gosling:

And painted turtles lazily sunned themselves on this warm day:

We May Have Had Wind, But We Also Had Birds 5/3/08

This morning's trip around Marten's Lake (Sweet Marsh) was challenging at best.  The wind and the waves were almost more than my small outboard motor could handle.  I didn't find any new hatchlings.  I did, however, find a group of swallows together in the cattails.  I thought I was seeing tree and barn swallows.  According to my bird books, I was seeing cliff and tree swallows.  Following is a cliff swallow image:

Following my boat trip around Sweet Marsh, I went to check out the fox den.  After waiting and watching for a couple of hours and seeing nothing, I went home and enjoyed multiple surprises in my backyard.  The following birds were at my feeder and at other homes in the neighborhood.

Orchard Oriole (first one I've seen and he would not allow me to approach close):

Pine Warbler (I believe I have correctly identified this bird) (This is the first one I've seen):

Northern Oriole (he also would not allow a close approach):

It was bath day for this American Goldfinch:

I had my first warm-season red-breasted nuthatch at my feeder today too.

Catching Up on a Few Photos 5/2/08

Due to too many commitments and not enough time, I haven't been able to post for a few days.  I'll do my best to catch up with one long post.

Since my last posting, I have been out searching for interesting images or at least observations of local wildlife.  Some have been easy to find, others not so easy.  I'll start with my latest observations and you can scroll down to see/read what I've been up to over the past few days.

This afternoon I had a few seconds of time to shoot a few images of this young fox checking me out from the relative safety of its den.  Shortly after this image was created, the sky began dumping on me and I had to stop shooting for a while.

I've been beginning the past few mornings with a trip around Sweet Marsh to see what is new or changed since the previous day.  Today I learned that at least one Canada Goose nest hatched within the last 24-hours.

Yesterday was a busy day at my feeders.  For the first time this year I had male and female rose-breasted grosbeaks and white-crowned and chipping sparrows.  This afternoon I watched an oriole in the backyard (no image yet).

A day or two ago, shortly after the flood, I noticed Canada Goose eggs strewn about on the dikes and in the cattails.  The high water destroyed the nests and will no doubt have a negative impact on this year's successful nest counts at Sweet Marsh.

I observed Bonaparte's Gulls and Forster's Terns perched on the weathered logs in the water.

The smaller perching birds are also present.

Eastern Kingbird:

Tree Swallow:

Tree Swallows and Barn Swallows:

Palm Warbler:

Yellow-rumped Warbler:

A few American White Pelicans continue to remain at Sweet Marsh:

Of course the red-winged blackbirds are almost always at Sweet Marsh during the warm weather months.