Try to Hunt Them Wild A few years ago I accompanied a group of guys while they hunted pheasants on a game farm. My intentions on that outing were to photograph the process of hunting ring-necked pheasants – shooting action, dogs pointing, the landscape in the fall. I had a good time, but that …
Attention Attracters Since leaf cover is absent allowing attentive people to observe wildlife much easier than normal, I have noticed how easy it is to see whitetail deer and bald eagles, with American kestrels coming in close in numbers seen. During my travels today I enjoyed extremely easy photo opportunities for the first two …
What They Lack in Size They Make Up For In Numbers After not seeing any pine siskins at our feeders for several weeks, today we were inundated by the little members of the finch family. If there was one on the feeder, there was at least a half dozen. Often there was not room …
Poppa’s Owl Our almost two-year old grandson is fascinated with owls. He and I often look at owl pictures, watch owl videos, and talk about owls. The little guy even carries a stuffed owl around, including to bed. This past weekend Kristy found an owl with great price markdowns at a local …
Random Images Today’s wildlife observations/photography were all over the board. Shortly after the sun lit the landscape, I was out to enjoy it. Near the entrance to Sweet Marsh east of Tripoli I found these pretty settings. All that was missing was wildlife. In a month or two that will change. Sweet Marsh …
Checking on the Offspring Way back when, so many years ago that I cannot remember for sure, I had the opportunity to work with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on a wild turkey reintroduction project. One location were we released the birds was Heery Woods State Park, near Clarksville. Today as I returned …
Eggs Coming Soon While out looking for a possible uncommon bird at a feeder, I checked on a nearby bald eagle nest. One adult was sitting in the nest as the mate was in a tree nearby. When I slowed to look at them, both birds took flight and perched in a tall evergreen …
Watching the Ladies As I drove slowly down a rural road I spotted what I at first thought may have been a decoy. This buck was rock-solid still, almost too perfect, considering the number of does wandering around him. Then he made a slight movement revealing he indeed was alive. The fellow was just …
Where There Were Swans There Are Now Eagles A week or so ago I shared that in a small area of open water on the Wapsipinicon River in Northern Bremer County there was a family of trumpeter swans – two adults and four cygnets. The swan family appeared fine and seemed to be resting …
A Lesson Learned Today I often assist with wildlife rescues. Over the years I have helped with injured pelicans, owls, eagles, swans, hawks, geese, and probably other species I don’t remember. Unfortunately, the successful recovery rate has been less than I have hoped for. Regulations are in place that dictate which injuries can and …