Out Before the Drizzle - A Handful of Photo Ops (7/27/07)

If you were out and about early enough this morning, you noticed the heavy cloud cover and sporadic drizzle.  I nearly succumbed to the temptation to stay in bed, but then I decided to go paddling and see what was happening at Sweet Marsh.  I hadn't been out there for many days and was surprised by the amount of vegetation growth - good and bad.  I've posted the some of the good vegetation: fragrant water lilies, pickerelweed, and American lotus.  The bad vegetation (not posted) is the Eurasian Watermilfoil that is rapidly expanding its range on at Sweet Marsh.  

For those not familiar with American Lotus, the plant produces huge leaves with blossoms nearly as large.

After maturing, the seed pod dries out and is brown.  These are not to that point yet.

I also photographed the following:

Great Blue Heron on a Log

Tern (either Common or Forster's)

Damselfly on Pickerelweed

Another Green Heron Image (from 7/21/07)

One of the challenges of shooting digital is the large number of image files you collect.  I was browsing through the images of the green heron that were made yesterday and found another interesting composition.  I've included it here.  Somewhere in all of the files there is a photo with a minnow hanging from the bird's beak.  If it is sharp enough, I may post that one too.

Beautiful Sunrise and Great Photo Subjects (7/21/07)

Those who stayed in bed this morning missed a great sunrise, especially along the Wapsie.  Late Friday night I guessed there might be fog in the morning, so I was on the water by 6:00am.  Sure enough, a light fog was quickly burning off the river.  I snapped a few images before the sun took care of all of the fog.

After working on the fog images, I went in search of green herons.  Over the past few weeks I had noticed a few along the river.  I found five different birds, but only one was cooperative enough to allow for close photography.  I was able to watch this one catch numerous minnows and heard it squawk a few times.  (Note: This was a true test of exposure compensation.  The white feathers on the breast of the heron tended to burn out without a setting of -1.3 on the exposure compensation.  Thanks again to the histogram!)

Then, as I was pulling my kayak out of the river, I noticed this northern water snake that seemed to be panting.  I went about my business and checked on the snake periodically.  Each time I looked at it, the reptile appeared to be panting.  I have no explanation for its action, but I do have a photo to prove it!

More Boundary Waters Images (7/20/07)

I was browsing through more images created in the Boundary Waters and found a couple of insect pics that were interesting.  Both were taken with close-up filters on the lens.  During my days with film, I used extension tubes.  I'm now trying the close-up filters since they don't cause a loss of light.  However, the edge to edge sharpness is poor.  Fortunately with insect images, a falloff in sharpness on the edges isn't always bad.

D200 Night Shots - A Test Shoot (7/17/07)

I just returned from a conference in Des Moines.  I try to take a camera with me, just in case my hotel offers a good view.  This time, I was fortunate enough to have a very good subject for some long exposure, night shots in the digital format.  Simply put, I am very pleased.

Boundary Waters Paddling - A few photos...

I spent last week paddling in the Boundary Waters and along the edge of Quetico in Canada.  We had rain and wind every day.  Fishing was poor at best.  Still, the adventure was very enjoyable.  Following are a few photos from the outing.

July 4th Holiday (7/4/07)

The 4th of July holiday passed so fast this year.  Even though the cabin neighborhood was missing a couple of key people, we still had a great time.  I began with a photo session the night before, when I captured this image of a gray catbird.

Then I began the 4th with a morning paddle followed by a toad photography session.  

The night ended with my first test of the digital format capturing long exposures.  To say I am pleased is a huge understatement.  The images turned out great, and even better when you learn the time exposures were created from the deck of a pontoon boat with six people on it!

Tribute to a Dear Friend (6/26/07)

We lost a good person today.  For many, Jerry was known as a fair cop, one who would listen to your explanation if he pulled you over, and one who would feel your pain as he had to issue you a citation.  That is how many people have described Jerry.  For me, Jerry was someone different.  Jerry was my cabin neighbor.  Even though Jerry and I worked in the same building and spent much time together discussing the problems of the world, Jerry was more of a great neighbor than a coworker.

My first couple of meetings with Jerry were the typical formal type meetings. Then, the joking and fun began.  Jerry messed with me and I messed with him.  Now I miss him.  

Before Jerry retired, and before he began his two-month battle with pancreatic cancer, Jerry and I spent countless hours in my office sharing thoughts of the Wapsie River, our cabins, boats, Margaret, and just about anything else.  One image hanging in my office was always a topic - my favorite image of a Great Blue Heron that I captured across Indian Pond (from our cabins).  That print no longer hangs in my office.  When Jerry started feeling the effects of the cancer...those days when he was no longer able to visit the cabin...I moved the GBH print to Jerry's home.  

I want to share a sample of that image with you.  Words can't express the feelings, conversations, and emotions a single image has generated.  This one is for Jerry...

Weekend Results (6/25/07)

Another weekend has passed and we hardly saw the sun.  Oh well, it was still a fun-filled weekend with a few photo opportunities.

Lund in Fog -

We woke Sunday morning to a heavy blanket of fog.  I know fog can make driving miserable and dangerous, but it can also turn a mundane landscape into a beautiful setting.

Wren Feeding Young -

How would you like to be the recipient of a mutilated grub?  The little one in the nest box appears very willing to gulp it down.

Graham's Crayfish Snake -

I've been watching this snake that appears to be injured (see lump to the left).  It is much more skittish than the other snakes of the same species.  I suspect it may be in pain.

Bird Conservation Meeting (6/19/07)

A very important meeting was held tonight regarding the Bird Conservation Area proposal.  Read my thoughts by clicking on this link:  

Bird Conservation Area Thoughts

Reptiles and Insects (6/15/07)

Apparently I should have ventured out earlier today than 7:00am.  By the time I had my kayak on the water, the sun was already quite warm and most critters seemed to be in hiding.  I did see a few interesting things...

An exoskeleton of a dragonfly (or damselfly) firmly adhered to a lily pad.  A short study on the life of a dragonfly revealed they typically live a few months to a few years.  Most of their lives are spent in the water as larvae.  

A damselfly resting on a cattail - If you've ever wondered how to tell the difference between a damselfly and a dragonfly, an easy technique is to watch how they fly and how they hold their wings when resting.  Dragonflies dart aggressively while damselflies move around with flutters.  Dragonflies proudly display their wings when resting; damselflies fold theirs back.

I used to think that mosquitoes only bothered mammals and birds.  This photo shows a mosquito attempting to drill its bloodsucking mouthparts into the scales of a northern water snake.

Finally, I found this bullfrog enjoying the sun and not a bit fearful of my approach.  Instead of hopping away, this one remained in place and watched me take its picture.

Very Little Shooting...One Little House Wren (6/10/07)

Today was a day dedicated to getting tasks completed that had been put on hold due to my daughter's softball games.  I took a break from mowing the lawn to watch a wren feeding its young.  It seemed that while I was running the mower, the bird would readily go in and out of the nest box.  When I stood there waiting to shoot a photo, the house wren approached only once.  I took one photo before getting back to work.  Since the nest box was in a shaded area, I had to use a flash to provide most of the light.  That is not my preferred shooting style.

I watched an interesting episode this morning in the backyard, near my bird feeding area.  A mature grackle had a small bird on the ground and was pecking at it and stepped on it a time or two.  After the "battle" was over, I went out to look at the small bird and couldn't find it.  I don't think the grackle carried it off, so I wonder if it was injured, but still able to fly away.  Update: Our beagle found the dead bird.  I believe it was a sparrow and the head was destroyed.

Interesting Wildlife and a Puzzle (6/9/07)

It's obvious as we enter summer that most wildlife has produced their young, are now busy raising them, and are certainly elusive.  My photo opportunities are much more difficult than during the spring months filled with animal romance (less wary subjects).  Images captured recently include:

Ctenucha Moth on Clover (unless someone else recognizes this as a different moth species):

Red-winged Blackbird squawking as I approach a nest:

Muskrat exhibiting odd behavior.   This photo shows the animal beached in the cattails:

I was paddling through cattails and heard an unusual type of water noise.  My first suspicion was carp spawning, but then it didn't really sound like them.  I quietly watched this muskrat swimming in a corkscrew style.  It would spin over and over, then beach itself in cattails. At first I thought it died, but when I approached it swam away with its head strongly tilted.  I suspect it had some sort of ear infection that might be causing problems.

Finally - find the four sandhill cranes in this image.  There are two adults and two young birds.    The birds are well hidden and the photo was shot from quite a distance away.  My thanks to AH for advising me of the birds' location.

Important Meeting in Tripoli - Show Your Support (6/5/07)

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will be hosting an important meeting on Tuesday, June 19th at the Tripoli City Hall, beginning at 6:30pm.  The purpose of the meeting is to consider designating a 45-mile stretch of the Wapsipinicon River and Sweet Marsh as a Bird Conservation Area.  The area of interest includes the Wapsie from above Frederika to Buchanan County.  Of particular interest are the Wapsie Greenbelt and Sweet Marsh. This title includes no regulatory requirements for private landowners, but does encourage maintaining or improving existing bird habitat.  If approved, this area will be the eleventh BCA in the state.   Please come show your support for this initiative. 

Wildflowers, wildflowers, wildflowers!!!(6/2/07)

Most of the morning was spent on some aspect of outdoor photography.  I began with paddling at Sweet Marsh and ended with  wildflower photography.  There are many species blooming right now, and time simply doesn't allow me to record all of them.  

Birdsfoot Trefoil:

Blue Flag:

Please email the name of this one if you recognize it:

Yellow Lady's Slipper:

Showy Lady's Slipper:

Whitetail Fawn Dilemma (6/1/2007)

Early this morning I was called about a fawn bleating in an area outside of Tripoli.  My daughter and I went out to check on the young animal and although it seems somewhat thin, its reactions appeared typical for a wild animal.  At this point, we left the fawn in the area.  My hope is that the mother deer is somewhere nearby and this fawn just happened to be noticed by well-meaning humans nearby.

Fawn Update: My daughter and I went back out to check on the fawn this afternoon.  The little guy could no longer stand and couldn't hardly hold his head up.  We contacted a wildlife rehabilitator who was willing to welcome the fawn into her care.  Two feedings were provided via a feeding tube, along with a warm heating pad, and gentle stimulation.  The color in the fawn's mouth began to pink up and we all became hopeful.  Suddenly the fawn took a turn for the worse and its life was over in mere seconds.  From the looks of the animal, it appears it may have never been fed by the mother deer who apparently abandoned the little guy shortly after birth.  

I want to advise that if you find an animal in the wild, the first and often best option is to leave the animal in the wild.  Perhaps this situation would have been easier if we had gone out another hour or two later and nature would have taken its course out in the tall grass.  I guess I'll never know for sure...