Junior Visited Today

As I was heading out the door today to be productive, I did what I always do - I scanned our tall spruce trees to see if we had any feathered visitors. As happens often we did have company, a sub-adult bald eagle I thought may have been Junior - one of the offspring from the nest near our home. Junior was watching our house area very intently, almost with hunger in his (her) posture. If the eagle was willing to somehow remove one or more of our moles that are devastating

This Might Not End Well

During a late afternoon walk to check on trumpeter swans with Canada geese, I was surprised to find a mature Eastern comma butterfly doing a poor job of flying around in the brush along my path. I was unable to determine if the butterfly was doing its first flights or if maybe the butterfly was struggling to do its best to take advantage of today’s “warm” conditions. Regardless, I suspect that overnight temperatures in the low 20’s might doom this butterfly.

Even if the cold tonight does not end it for this butterfly, the calen

Thanksgiving Pigeon - Not One, But Two

While driving along the Wapsipinicon River today I noticed two dark silhouettes in separate trees that I did not immediately recognize. After stopping and studying the birds using my long Nikon lens I realized I was just looking at rock pigeons.

I know that pigeons are not that big of a deal compared to bald eagles and swans and you name the special birds. But the fact that these two birds captured my attention is testament to their size. In fact, as I was slowing my truck I wondered what species of hawk I was looking at. These birds were big enough to become a part of the upcoming Thanksgiving meal - assuming there is also pecan pie and tators!

Snow Goose Hunters Be Careful

This afternoon at Sweet Marsh, not far from where hunters had set up decoys near the edge of the refuge, I noticed this lone juvenile trumpeter swan hanging out with Canada geese. At first quick glance, before I stopped and studied the bird, I thought - “What a large snow goose!” Then I looked closer at the bird.

Knowing snow goose hunting seasons are liberal, I want to encourage snow goose hunters - especially younger or less experienced hunters - to be very careful of what white birds you attempt to bring down. Trumpeter swans are protected and this one was really taking a chance by hanging with the geese. And yes, I know Canada geese cannot be hunted at Sweet Marsh, but geese and swans move around.

Redeeming Myself

Geez…apparently I need to invest more effort into getting out and looking for wildlife. This afternoon I drove by a very small area of open water, saw ducks, backed up as slowly as possible to not spook the birds, only to realize I had seen decoys when I got close. The fact that not one bird took flight or changed its behavior gave them away. I’ll be honest, my concentration was focused on the drake that looked very realistic when driving by. Good job guys who were in the woods a short distance away. You fooled me!

Deceiving Background Warmth

As my day came to an end I headed to our cabin to check on the status of the river - specifically wondering if it had frozen solid or if open water remained to paddle this weekend. I suppose I could paddle in the small amount of open water, but won’t bother. With ice nearly across the pond, and likely to complete overnight, it looks like I am done paddling at the river until spring. Dang…I hate that thought.

Even with the river freezing over, the scene along the Wapsipinicon was quite pretty. I had to document the beauty with this picture.

Ghost Grazers

This afternoon, when it was getting almost too dark to shoot photos, I found a family of trumpeter swans feeding in corn stubble. From my vantage point I saw heads, necks, and some bodies, but not the complete swans since they were on the back side of a gradual slope grazing on waste grain in the field. As I watched the swans I hoped they would move to a spot that provided a better view, but no, the birds continued to feed in the remains of the cornfield just out of view. I nearly gave up on shooting acceptable pictures of them and was ready to move on.

Then I heard the tell-tale sound of more trumpeter swans honking. Even though it was cold, windy, and snowy I was wishing I was in our Jeep with the top off so I could scan the sky to find the approaching flock. I twisted and turned but could not find them. Suddenly the vocal family flew in from the west, did a wide circle, and landed in the same field of corn stubble but not near the swans that were already there. As the big birds approached I was able to shoot some pictures as they were against the moody sky and then as each bird dropped to the ground.

Watching and Wondering

Late this afternoon I spotted this red-tailed hawk perched on a rooftop watching closely for rodent movement on the ground below it. The hawk was so engrossed in watching for its next meal that the bird did not notice I had stopped to shoot pictures of it. Eventually my presence was realized by the hawk, but not until after I had recorded a number of images of this magnificent bird.

After watching this hawk, along with numerous other hawks and kestrels over time, as they sat motionless to watch for movement, I wondered…would it be possible for humans to monitor one small area of habitat and actually see mice moving around? If we did see prey species, could we catch what we saw moving around?

Think about it…each bird of prey - hawks, owls, eagles, and falcons - must eat near daily. They must find meals under all conditions or their condition will quickly deteriorate. Now consider how many rodents there must be out moving around, especially when you consider that you often see birds of prey hunting the same areas day after day after day. There is so much going on that we don’t even realize…right in our own backyards.

Resisting the Inevitable?

There comes a time each year when my special spot transforms from a pleasant, quiet get-away to a rigid, at times noisy, cold and nearly lifeless area. I am referring to the transition from fall to winter on the Wapsipinicon River.

Knowing my days of paddling for the year are nearly done, I ventured out on the water today. As I left our shoreline I paddled in what seemed like a giant smoothie until I hit open water. From there I paddled upstream until I reached ice at least 1/2-thick and almost too much to break through. What began as a quiet outing became a noisy adventure as I pounded my paddle blades through the ice to break a path. That happens when a person is there as water changes from a liquid to a solid.

Unless we are fortunate to have a warm spell, my days of paddling are nearly done for 2022. Sometime in December I will need to paddle below a dam or where water water is moving too fast to freeze so I can continue my years-long passion of paddling every month.

I guess I will be spending more time doing cold-weather hikes or ice fishing. Oh boy…another winter in Iowa.

Nature in Florida

Yesterday I shared the first of a minimal amount of pictures taken during our visit to Disney World last week. Those images were recorded with my cell phone and were acceptable, considering I was using my phone. Today I am going to post some photos recorded using my Nikon on the day Hurricane Nicole hit our area. Obviously these pictures were taken after the worst of the weather had passed. Still we had wind and rain to deal with so I had few photo options. The times I was able to shoot pictures though were great as the lighting worked well - not to harsh with virtually no shadows.

For those wondering, the great egret standing on the giant Lego creation was photographed outside the Lego store at Disney Springs - a series of shops willing to take your last dollar so you aren’t burden with carrying cash around the Disney theme parks.

Making Memories!

Since my last post our family (kids, their spouses, and grandkids) traveled to Orlando, Florida to celebrate a special birthday at Disney World. Before we left several in our group and a friend made T-shirts stating “Making Memories” and that is what we did. Wow, what a fun-filled trip that went far too fast.

We flew from Minneapolis to Orlando on Wednesday. Our plan was to visit Disney’s Magic Kingdom on Thursday, but Hurricane Nicole shut everything down. I have to be honest about Hurricane Nicole. By the time the storm reached us it was probably Tropical Storm Nicole and was much less exciting than some of our Iowa summer thunderstorms. Still, the area shut down meaning our plans changed.

On Friday we enjoyed hours at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. There were plenty of wildlife exhibits and rides for the kids, but oh the people! We had to wait for everything. Crowds or not, it was fun.

Did Anyone See It?

For the umpteenth year in a row I missed the changing of the guard for the roadkill clean-up crews.

During the warm weather months, beginning almost after the last late snowfall and continuing until it gets chilly, turkey vultures seem to be in charge of ridding our area of carrion. Now that we have had temperatures in the teens, the bird species assuming clean-up duties has transferred to bald eagles.

Over the past few days there have been several whitetail deer hit by vehicles. When I travel past their kill zones, it is easy to see where their demise occurred. Bald eagles are congregating and feasting, ridding us of the mess, as was the case with this picture.

It is sometimes hard to accept that our nation’s bird is really just a very majestic-looking dead flesh eater, but that is what they are. And do they ever do a good job of it!

This one was finishing off what remained of a gut pile. The bird seemed satisfied with its meal.

Post Freeze Blossoms

Even with a deep freeze the dandelions seem to be continuing to thrive in our yard. We have a good number of yellow blossoms and a healthy collection of ripe seed heads.

I don’t really like dandelions in my yard, or creeping Charlie, but I dislike herbicides more. So for now I won’t be spraying. Eventually I may have to, but not yet. If it wasn’t for the dandelions, many of our insects would have nothing to pollinate.

If having a few dandelions bothers me, think how I might feel this time next year. We are going to put in pollinator habitat. That should be a complete opposite flora arrangement compared to a monoculture lawn. I am ready for that diversity, even if there are dandelions present.

Don’t Veer for Deer!

Due to known evening commitments this next week, I knew my chances of completing my “Full Moon Paddle” for November were minimal unless I was out on the river tonight. (I give myself a day or two leeway for paddling from the actual full moon to factor in weather and river conditions.) So, out on the river I went, even though a heavy blanket of clouds obscured the near full-moon.

The paddling in near darkness was interesting, but not exciting enough to keep me out too long. The wind was chilly and the lack of light defeated the purpose. So I paddled back to the cabin.

Before I began my voyage I turned on the lights in the cabin so I could find it on my return. I used those lights to navigate back and as I approached, I thought it made for an interesting view so I recorded my warm welcome off the river.

Is the Drought Over?

Wow, what a wet 24-hours we have had. I just dumped 3.5 inches out of our rain gauge and our yard is mushy soft.

We really needed the rain, but did the nearly continuous rain ever make for a long day, especially when we hadn’t seen much rain or rainy/dreary days for months.

When we receive so much rain at one time, I wonder how much runs off rather than having the time to soak into the ground to replenish the supply. Regardless, this was much-needed rain for our rivers. There have been discussions about sections of the river freezing solid this winter as low as it had been. Maybe, just maybe, the rain received since yesterday will prevent solid ice. And, if we could get a little more rain in a few days, that would help.

Let’s hope we got enough rain and won’t have big fish kills over the next few months. Time will tell, but conditions now look more promising.

Blue Jay Feather

Due to a family member and I spending the day out of state, my time with my Nikon was almost non-existent. When I did have time, it was dark and rainy. Really, photography was a challenge at best today. Instead of missing a photo for today (I am in my 17th year of a daily picture with zero misses), I studied and photographed a blue jay feather found under the feeder.

This year we have many pairs of blue jays. Are they related - it is possible. Are they interesting - yes, indeed they are. Do they bring color to the yard - yes! Are their feathers interesting - sure…take a look at the tiny feathers between the larger feathers that make up a single feather.

Such was my photography for today.

The “Other” Smell of Autumn Leaves

I don’t know too many people who do not enjoy the smell of autumn leaves this time of year. Along with their multitude of colors, there are similar amounts of sweet smells as the leaves fall to the ground and continue to break down.

But, not all leaves fall to the ground to decompose. Some drop into our streams, rivers, and other watery impoundments. As those leaves break down, the odor created is far from pleasant. Pungent comes to mind when I approach the edge of a body of water that is not moving much and holding an abundance of leaves. Not only do I promptly notice the aroma, but I also see what appears to be black oil/water - almost a sheen - on the surface of the river.

One of These Days

When I survey the area I am finding that almost all of the crops are out of the field and into the bins. This year has been good as far as protecting the corn and beans. We had no dericho or even strong winds (that I am aware of) to knock the corn to the ground. Farmers have been able to run their equipment efficiently and haven’t had to go back and forth to salvage what crop is possible, as was necessary last year.

Before this corn is harvested I wanted to shoot just a couple of pictures of an “Agriculture” sense to document the season. Today was the day to get that check mark on my “To Do” list.

Following are my versions of mature seed corn - a horizontal and vertical view.

What’s Missing?

I suppose Kristy and I could have waited another day or two, but conditions were ideal tonight considering we have reached November 1 - very low water levels, warm temperatures, and hardly any wind - all with rain forecast for a few days down the road. As much as I hated to do it, once again we pulled our dock from the river for the winter.

Text Messages

teststatetateea ad from my “just seven years old” grandson. “Hi Gramps” were his simple words. I didn’t even know he had the ability to send text messages, let alone the equipment to do it. His first message was followed with “When are you going shopping with me?” With those words our afternoon changed direction and Kristy and I made a difference in his life.

For his recent birthday we gave him a minimally filled fishing tackle box, with a note stating he and I would go shopping together to select the remainder of the necessary gear needed for a young fellow’s angling ambitions. After receiving the text messages this morning, today became that day. Kristy and I finished our lunch, drove to his house to pick him up, and then went to the local Farm and Fleet store where there was more than enough fishing tackle product to browse through. Oh, and when we arrived at the store Kristy was encouraged to shop for other stuff…this was a shopping trip with Gramps!

It had to have been close to an hour later when we had the important items to make a seven year old a professional fisherman. From there we went to his house, sorted through his new gear, made a functioning tackle box, and went fishing. One bass hit at a top water buzz bait followed by dozens of small bluegills herded around the dock with a nightcrawler on a hook. To say we all had fun would be an understatement. We had a great time and look forward to many more outings with his new gear.