Listen For A British Accent

I don’t often sleep well at night and haven’t for a long time. Rather than toss and turn for hours, I sometimes turn the TV on to watch outdoor and nature photography videos. For reasons I have not determined, it seems the majority of the videos are produced by folks residing in Europe or Scotland with many having a British-sounding accent.

Recent videos originating from over the pond have featured wildflower photography, particularly “snowdrop” blossom imaging. Snowdrops are plants I do not remember seeing before. Yet, when I found them today I knew immediately what they were - all because of the YouTube videos.

I found them so I…

Kristy and I and the Lad

Our oldest grandson is spending the weekend with us. While here we are sharing good times together. One activity was to go for a hike to find and photograph early blooming woodland wildflowers.

This evening was spent “Fishing for Cats”…

It’s a Miracle (and More)

A couple of nights ago a fellow outdoorsman observed multiple American white pelicans hit power lines and drop hard on the bridge below. He reached out to me about the incident and what might be done, if anything. After his work yesterday he confirmed there was one lone pelican on the water not far from the powerlines. A lone pelican tends to be unusual and concerning.

Suspecting the worst, I requested permission to enter the pond, recruited a volunteer to…

Fish Eaters with Feathers

As I sat along the Wapsipinicon River this afternoon I enjoyed the company of a half dozen grebes swimming around in the wide open space in front of me. None were ultra close to me, but they were near enough for photos with cropping.

As I watched the grebes, one of the birds popped up with…

West Ends of East Bound Deer

No matter how miserable weather conditions may be, wildlife does not have the options we enjoy- to hunker down in our warm, dry homes with food in the cupboards. Wildlife is forced to endure in rain, wind, cold, snow, and heat. Today was a good example of wildlife…

One Species May Be Gone, Another Species Arrived in Numbers

For more than an hour I watched and waited for a sighting of the snowy owl we first observed last Friday. When I did not see it I drove miles of sections looking for it. Is it possible the owl has moved on? I sure hope so since that would suggest a healthy bird.

With one species not accounted for, I was able to document a different species is now in our area in good numbers. Since yesterday many tree swallows arrived. I photographed these on power lines near Sweet Marsh.

Also in the Sweet Marsh area was…

What you Photograph When the Snowy Owl Is Not Found

During my early morning check of the snowy owl I found nothing. No owl was seen, even after driving around multiple sections. I was hoping that, for the sake of the owl, the bird had flown north to better-suited climates. At least by 0800 those were the conditions.

Since I did not find the snowy owl I turned my lens to a pair of pied-billed grebes in close proximity to my lens. Both birds…

From my social media post from earlier today…

This morning I watched the snowy owl fly into position from some distance away. There were no indications of any physical limitations. When the snowy owl landed, the bird then began preening until feathers were what was wanted. Other than the fact that this owl is still here in late March, its behavior appeared normal. (I watched the owl about 45-minutes - nothing unusual noticed.)

There have been suggestions about capturing the bird to be evaluated. Questions about this are:

1. How do you capture a bird that has no problems flying the length or more of a typical Iowa farm field?

2. How would the stress of chasing the bird to capture impact the bird?

3. Why capture a bird that is not showing any indications of poor health? Maybe this is a young bird slowly working its way north.

Could it have issues? Certainly, but nothing is showing at this time.

I am not seeing any reason to attempt a capture at this time. Hopefully sometime soon the bird will continue its journey north.

Also seen this morning were trumpeter swans, American white pelicans, and wild turkeys

I Believe There Are Migrants Among Us

Other than the drab, gray/white sky today, there was much in the air or on the ground or on the water to photograph. Each of today’s images features a migrant species.

Certainly the most unusual was a snowy owl near Tripoli. I photographed it yesterday and hoped it would…

Early Spring Wildflower Trifecta +1

This morning Layla and I took Kristy for a ride in hopes of finding an early spring wildflower trifecta. With our variable winter conditions I was not sure if finding three early spring species would be possible. But, after finding a dozen or so hepaticas yesterday, I thought success may come our way, so we traveled, hiked, and photographed.

Our efforts proved…

Spring is Popping Up!

After so many days of warm temperatures, along with the calendar showing late March, I had a hunch I might find wildflowers today. There were not many, but I did find a dozen or so hepatica plants in bloom.

Spring is so pretty!

Just A Hint

While I was out recording a camouflage test for my canoe this morning, I saw more waterfowl and other birds than I could count. For much of the time there was steady movement of birds - from pelicans to sandhill cranes to geese and ducks.

As I paddled shallow water a single white duck feather caught my attention. That feather was what I needed to generate various thoughts in my mind - from ducks in flight, a duck at the nest, young ducks, and the thoughts continued. I had to shoot a few views of the feather before continuing on.

I did see plenty of waterfowl and shot a bunch of pictures. This view of greater white-fronted geese proves how I was hidden enough for these geese to make a low flight past me.

For those wondering, this was my canoe with the camo cover on it.

Click on this link to view the video:

Camo Comparison for Wildlife Photography and Waterfowl Hunting

Watching Cats

About nine months ago I heard two very weak, nearly inaudible “meows” near one of our outbuildings. Eventually I tracked the sad sound to two very tiny kittens that appeared to be hungry, possibly dehydrated, and not long for this earth unless something was done quickly.

I will admit to not being a big fan of cats. That said, I also cannot watch animals suffer to death, especially young animals. So, Kristy and I (mostly Kristy) did what was necessary to rescue the cats from starvation.

Fast-forward to the current time. The two kittens so dependent on us are still with us (outside). We have rendered them unable to reproduce which turned the male into a lazy bum. The female seems to be a much better mouser.

As the cats do what cats do - roam the yard - they are exposed to threats. I have seen fox in our yard, coyotes not far from our mowed area, and bald eagles. Last week we had 19 bald eagles across the road. Obviously threats are prevalent for the cats that I am pretty sure the cats are not “seeing.” If they were aware they might be more elusive, at least when venturing out further from the house.

This morning when I was leaving the house I spotted this adult bald eagle on the top of our Norway spruce. The eagle was in a position to watch our yard… the roaming grounds for the two cats. I pointed my camera and lens over the shrubbery to document the threat that quickly left the area after it noticed me.

Time will tell if anything happens to the cats.

Small Stampede on the Dike

During my morning walk around Sweet Marsh I was surprised by the sensation I was being approached. You probably know the feeling… when the hair on the back of your neck stands up. That was what I was feeling - something was fast approaching and I needed to identify…

Seen Before the Clouds, Rain, and Wind

After seeing today’s weather forecast, I was out early to check on area wildlife. Two stops were made with two great wild bird observations.

First I was treated to another close viewing of pied-billed grebes. These cute little birds are gruesome to frogs, tadpoles, crawdads, and small fish, but are quite interesting to watch. I was able to shoot many pictures of four grebes.

Only a few minutes later, as I was leaving the grebe sighting, I spotted…

Eye Opening Images and Eyes Wide Open

One of my projects for today was to evaluate what I look like when I think I am blending in with cattails and similar habitat as I attempt to photograph birds. My perception of my appearance was far from reality when viewed from the air as approaching waterfowl might see me. Take a look at the following images…

Promise on the Horizon

As a family member I made another trek to the great healing spot to the north, I noticed this lone oak tree in front of a colorful sunrise. My reaction was to quickly turn around to record the view before it vanished as the sun climbed higher in the sky. (What you see on these colors was accurate - this bright and this vivid.)

Each trip north comes with…

Red Fox Subdivision

Years ago I chased red fox with a high power rifle so that I could sell the pelts. My step-dad taught me what I needed to know, and maybe more, to be successful. Decades later, I now no longer hunt fox in a lethal form, instead opting to photograph them. Even though I am not watching for fox to pull a trigger, I am watching for them with my finger on my…

Then The Polliwogs Went Limp

Last night I provided a Nature/Outdoor Photography presentation for the Northern Iowa Pond and Koi Club. Our conversation ran the gamut of outdoor topics, including how some birds that feed on fish, crawdads, and frogs usually beat the life out of their prey before dropping them headfirst down their throat. Regardless of how cute or small or attractive a bird may be, each feeds on something smaller. Ingesting something with much life left in it is dangerous and a threat to the health of the larger bird (predator).

Ironically, today while I was out for my daily “Nature Rx” I found a pair of pied-billed grebes eventually in the active feeding process.

After shooting some basic pictures of the birds, I left the area reasoning how many pied-billed grebe pictures does one person need. Then it dawned on me that with the weather, the…

What A Difference The Lighting Makes

Whether I am pointing my Nikon at a landscape composition or chasing wildlife with glass, the light makes or ends a pleasing photo. That concept is always in my mind as I am out, to the point I “see” light differences even when not shooting photos.

This morning’s ever-changing light really challenged my imaging. Not only was I in hiding photographing waterfowl and other birds at Sweet Marsh, but I was doing my best to press the shutter release at the right moments to capture birds in action with good lighting. Some files were clearly better than others. I just cannot control the lighting and the sky.

This first series of northern pintails illustrates the…