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Today Was Not a Day For Photos 3/30/2008

There are some days when shooting photos is nearly impossible.  Today was one of those days.  Clouds, clouds, and more clouds filled the sky.  I hadn't even planned to go out looking around, but after completing necessary tasks at home, I decided a little exploring was necessary.  Critters observed were: woodchucks, many whitetail deer, bald eagles, great blue herons, ruddy ducks, scaup, mallards, sandhill cranes, eastern phoebes, Canada geese, hooded mergansers, wood ducks and common mergansers.  I only took a couple of photos...

Much Wind and Many, Many Birds! 3/29/2008

A very active spring migration continues to occur at many areas around Bremer County.  I began today's efforts with a pre-sunrise paddling trip to a spot that I had hoped would put me in position for a few nice waterfowl and other bird images.  Although the ducks didn't swim by as close as I would have liked, I was able to capture some acceptable images:

Green-winged Teal:

Blue-winged Teal:

Pied-billed Grebe:

During early afternoon I photographed the ring-billed gulls on south end of Sweet Marsh:

While working on the gulls, a pair of sandhill cranes flew over.  I'm sharing a couple of images...one shows both birds "talking" as they fly.  They were calling the "Courtship" call.  

The second image shows a slightly different view of the cranes.  If you've never heard or seen sandhill cranes, now is the time to visit Sweet Marsh.  You might have to wait a little while before you hear them call, but it shouldn't be too long.

Finally, I ended the afternoon sneaking up on a pair of wood ducks.  I have always had a goal of capturing a pleasing wood duck photo.  I think I am coming close to realizing success:

What a Day and a Lesson Learned 3/28/2008

Wow, what a day!  The sun was shining nicely, so nice that I spent nearly the entire day out watching Iowa's wildlife.  I began by checking on the bald eagles again.  As I had hoped, the eagles were feeding on dead pigs a little bit closer to the road.  They still won't sit long, but are fun to watch.  Both adult and immature eagles were present.

I then paddled my kayak around Sweet Marsh.  Waterfowl is plentiful, but it is difficult to make a close approach.  Instead of paddling toward the ducks, I had much better luck hiding and waiting for them to swim by.  As I paddled around, I came across this muskrat sleeping in the warm sun.  It did wake and preen for a half-minute or so before going back to napping.  The fact that the muskrat went back to sleep while I was 8-feet away tells me my camo is working.

I then concentrated on waterfowl.  Close encounters included most common species.  A few canvasbacks have arrived.  I wasn't able to approach close enough for an acceptable photo.  Following are images of a few species that did approach near my kayak.

Bufflehead:

Scaup (I'm not certain whether these are lesser or greater scaup):

Wood Duck:

Ruddy Ducks in winter plumage:

Pied-billed grebe:

And the afternoon ended with a surprise meeting with a female common merganser.  Unfortunately, I was on the wrong side of the bird to enjoy ideal lighting.  Image how nice this photo might have looked if I had been on the opposite side of the bird!  I'm including the less-than-perfect image so readers can learn from my mistake.

Plenty of Birds...Too Much Distance 3/25/2008

After a few hours of work this morning, I ventured out to see what type of wildlife was moving around during the sunny mid-day hours.  I began my outing by checking out a field full of bald eagles (thanks Mark!).  All of the birds were a long distance from the road, so I "practiced" on the closest bird.

Notice how this bird demonstrated its lack of appreciation for my photography efforts.

I saw plenty of waterfowl, including a pair of white-fronted geese.  Unfortunately, I was not able to create an image of the speckle-bellies before they reached the wind and flew to parts unknown.  Some of the waterfowl observed include wood ducks, common and hooded mergansers, scaup, buffleheads, and these mallards.

Another interesting sighting was a golden-crowned kinglet.  The little kinglet perched on a branch no more than 4 or 5 feet away, but with my longer lens mounted on my camera, I wasn't able to create an acceptable picture at such a close range. I also saw a few sandhill cranes.

While quietly paddling in backwater, I moved right past several groups of deer.  This deer appears to be the buck I was watching last fall.  He had trouble standing and you can see that his eyes have quite a bit of matter draining from them.  I suspect he spent most of the fall and early winter taking care of mating instincts and then was nearly fatally challenged by our recent winter.

Finally, I photographed a hawk that I cannot recognize.  Please email me if you know the species of this bird.

Another Cold Day on the Water 3/23/2008

After the Easter Sunrise service, Easter breakfast, and later Easter Service this morning, I was able to get out on the water for a while this afternoon.  Waterfowl was abundant, but none were close enough for a portrait type photo.  Instead, I had the ordinary Canada goose photo opportunities.

As I paddled my way back to the truck, I spent time watching a couple of muskrats in the mood for love.  Their subtle squeaks could easily be heard as they chased each other around and splashed in the water.

Oh, the Advantages of Being on the Water 3/22/2008

Today was my first wildlife photography day from a kayak for 2008.  The air wasn't very warm and snow flakes painted streaks across my images, but there was plenty of wildlife observed to make the outing worthwhile.  Some of the species seen were wood ducks, mallards, and the following assortment of birds.  Note: Imagine how some of these images might have looked with better lighting.

The first birds that allowed a close approach were common mergansers.  Following is a male and a female:

I then had a lesser scaup swim by my blind:

A male red-winged blackbird was staking his claim for nesting areas:

Only a short time later I shared water space with American coots:

I then watched a pair of sandhill cranes perform their courtship rituals, including branch tossing, dancing, and calling:

Finally, an immature bald eagle graced the sky with its regal form, directly overhead:

Today was a Weather-sealed Camera Day 3/21/2008

As much as I hate to challenge the weather seals on my Nikon, today was one of those days for testing.  Although the sun never broke through the clouds, conditions were tolerable.  Then, after hiking into the timber more than 1.5 miles from the truck, the mist began.  I tried to keep things covered while still shooting, but ended up with a good coating of moisture.  I paid extra for a camera with weather seals and today was another one of those days when the extra expense was worth it.  Even with damp weather, I did see quite a bit of wildlife.  Due to lighting conditions, most of the images are simply "proof images" and nothing special.  The photos do document the variety of birds currently along Plum Creek, the Wapsie River, and Sweet Marsh.

Song Sparrow:

Eastern Phoebe (I think...please correct me if I am wrong.):

Fox Sparrow:

Buffleheads:

Lesser Scaups:

Ring-necked Ducks:

Sandhill Cranes:

An Optical Illusion?  3/19/2008

I was studying some of my images from yesterday and noticed what almost appears to be an optical illusion.  Concentrate on the heads and necks of these geese.  Do they appear to merge?  Look close...do the goose heads appear to change position between front and back?

A Couple of Species, Not Many Photos 3/19/2008

Due to an evening meeting, I took some time off during the day.  A quick drive out by Sweet Marsh was rewarded with observations of eastern bluebirds and a bald eagle.  Of the many images created, I'm only willing to post the bald eagle.  Even that image is only border-line acceptable.  The others simply weren't sharp enough for inclusion.  I'll be running some tests to figure out what I need to improve for the next trip out.

What a Mix of Critter Sightings! 3/16/2008

Just as I do as often as possible, I went out looking around today.  I had hoped to find some migrating waterfowl, but other than geese saw none.  Although Canada geese are very common, the position of the wings juxtaposed against a moody sky seems eye-catching.

I then found what I believe is a song sparrow in the shrubs along the dikes at Sweet Marsh.

I did come across two of the least appreciated mammals.  First was this skunk.  For quite a while it continued to lap up melt water while I took its picture.  

Then, all of the sudden, its posture changed to hunched up.  I'm no dummy, I moved away quickly.  It repeated the gesture, so I took the hint and left.  

A short while later I found this opossum. 

It did a fine job of "playing dead."  However, I knew its trick and used the opportunity to create photos.

Notice the need for dental work.  Can 'possums get herpes (canker sores)?  Is that gingivitis along the base of the tooth in front of the tarter-covered tooth?

The 'possum was hurting on the other end too.  Take a look at this tender looking 'possum tail.

Later I found three sandhill cranes.  These were the first of the season for me and were quite a distance out in a field.  

I ended my photo shooting with this immature bald eagle.

After a while the bird became bored and let out a yawn.

We Worked Hard and Were Rewarded With Mergansers 3/15/2008

I spent the morning working at the "Feed My Starving Children" project at Wartburg College.  For those wondering, the Wartburg project packed around 100,000 meals for less fortunate children around the world. 

While packing food, I received a text message from a fellow photographer telling me the hooded mergansers spotted earlier in the week were still around.  As soon as our shift was finished, I headed out to the location and we were rewarded with a couple of great photo opportunities.  Neither lasted more than a minute or two, and both took work to be in the right place at the right time, but it was worth it.  Thanks for the call Jason!!

A pair of hooded mergansers.  The bird with its crest up appeared to be the dominant male of the two:

Male and female hooded mergansers:

Male hooded merganser:

Female hooded merganser:

On my drive home I saw this red-tailed hawk hunting the ditch near the highway.

An Uneventful Wildlife Photography Day 3/14/2008

Although the weather and lighting were pleasant today, my wildlife observations, at least through a camera lens, were limited to a barred owl at Alcock Park.  Observations with my eyes included a first-of-the-season eastern bluebird and a 13-lined ground squirrel.

Warm Temps and a Cooperative 'Possum 3/13/2008

While checking river levels for possible flooding, I came across this 'possum willing to pose for a variety of images.

Cute 'Possum:

'Possum with a Runny Nose:

Embarrassed 'Possum:

Preening 'Possum:

Scary 'Possum: