A Quiet Day

With today being a “holiday” to recognize New Year’s Day that fell on Sunday, my activities were minimal. Actually, I was busy in that we had an EMS call during the overnight hours that then kept me up for a few hours. This morning I set a couple of tip-ups on the river with no fish caught. And I watched for woodpeckers that are debarking a couple of trees along the river - again, like fish, I had no luck seeing them.

Since finding wildlife today at close range for photos did not happen, I instead photographed compositions I thought were interesting. One was this Virginia creeper vine hanging against a white-barked tree. The view shows texture and details of things we don’t normally pause to look at.

A second image was this…

Slowest and Slow Pace

Happy New Year to all! May 2023 be your best year ever.

My day began at a necessarily slow pace as I carefully photographed hoarfrost along the Wapsipinicon River.

A person might be tempted to think shooting frost pictures would be easy, but the truth is the process is challenging. You must move at a slow pace to preserve the frost, watch your focus (including depth of field), coordinate your background, and pay attention to your lighting. For every “keeper” image I probably deleted five to ten photos that did not work.

This afternoon was our annual New Year’s Day Paddle for 2023. We had fifty people on the water this afternoon in canoes and kayaks. Our put-in point was the Shell Rock River in Shell Rock. Paddlers had…

A Variety of Views

On this final day of 2022 I have a mix of images to share. I will begin with a sampling of hoarfrost pictures from early this morning. Shortly after Kristy and I finished our walk the wind started up, temperatures started to rise, and the hoarfrost was no more.

Later today I photographed a spunky, but ordinary…

Erosion Art

Today’s first image shared is both interesting and troubling. We are looking at wind-blown dirt on snow stopped by vegetation.

The image is interesting in that a person would be challenged to airbrush the shades of gray and black on the patterned snow. The creativity is amazing to study.

This image is troubling due to how much of our valuable topsoil blew during the recent blizzard. Field after field, ditch after ditch, there is hardly any white snow. The strong winds lifted and moved dirt virtually everywhere. Even where conservation practices are utilized, the wind was more powerful. It is disturbing to see.

On to something else…

The fish under the ice…

Not Sure Of This One

According to my research and electronics, this young bird is an immature red-shouldered hawk. I could easily be convinced the hawk is a different species, but I don’t know what it would be. For now I will go with red-shouldered hawk, but I welcome any other suggestions.

Photographed Him (or Her)! (and more interesting pictures!)

After days of looking I photographed the short-eared owl I have been searching for. Ironically, I did not find it - a friend did as he was moving his snow. He texted me a picture of an owl, not realizing he had found the owl I have been looking for after first seeing it a number of days ago when it nearly hit my windshield.

Can I be absolutely certain the owl in the picture is the same bird I watched last week? No, but this short-eared owl was found not too far (as an owl flies) from…

I Wonder Where It Went

One day last week I ducked while behind my windshield when a short-eared owl nearly hit my truck. Dusk was well on its way and I would guess the owl was preparing for some time on the hunt. (By the way, short-eared owls are an uncommon observation in this area.)

After the owl took flight the bird was immediately harassed by a half-dozen or so…

Different Cardinal Thoughts

On Christmas Eve Day I shared an image of a male northern cardinal that appeared at just the right time to remind me of important people in our lives that are no longer with us. With the holiday coming, the cardinal was a good omen to see. Today I share with you different thoughts on cardinals.

Shortly after waking and eating breakfast I was outside preparing to move snow from our driveway. As I walked toward the garage a bird of prey took flight - likely either a Cooper’s hawk or a sharp-shinned hawk. I was not afforded enough time to identify the bird with certainty, but I do know it was a bird of prey - a bird that feeds on other birds with great efficiency.

Since the prey bird was flying away and out of view, and since I have plenty of sparrows to feed the bird (bird feeding in a literal sense), I did not look around for any clues to the story behind the hunt and attack. As I began moving snow what had happened became very apparent. My first clue was a…

Merry Christmas from Kristy, Me, and this little Saw-whet Owl!

Holiday Reflections

For as long as I can remember the appearance of male cardinal, especially when not expecting one to appear, has been symbolic of someone no longer with us - an avian reminder of people of importance in our lives. In our home we hang a male northern cardinal decoration on our Christmas tree as an inclusion effort for those we miss so dearly.

As I was driving and looking around and thinking today about the Christmas holiday and how so much has changed (with not all of the changes being positive), this lone male cardinal paused next to me along a secluded, snow-filled road.

There he sat in the warm sun, even while temperatures were in the single digits with a wind blowing approaching 30-miles per hour. His unexpected appearance on this Christmas Eve Day, at a time when my mood was more reflective than outgoing, reminded me of special people we won’t be seeing this holiday - as if the bird was indicating “things are OK... everything will work out.”

Ironically, the setting for this cardinal picture was busy and cluttered, like life often becomes. I know there will be more still, serene times, just as I accept that an easy life was never promised. And even on my worst day, life is still better than some who don’t know if they will make it through the day. So, I have it pretty good and for that I am thankful, though some days I need reminding!

For each of you reading this I hope you have a male cardinal (or something symbolic) that appears this holiday season so you too can pause to reflect on those no longer with you, or how times have changed, but also so you can be reassured that things are OK, even as life is filled with challenges. Life won’t always be easy, but you are not alone either.

May your male northern cardinal appear and give you peace during this Christmas season!

Weathering the Weather

Today was one of those days when a family member and I were scheduled to travel to Rochester, Minnesota. Some might think that with today’s weather conditions it should have been an immediate decision to forgo the scheduled visit. That is easier to say than to do. We did have a back-up plan, but did not know what we would face on that trip, especially considering the time of that appointment. So, travel to Minnesota we did knowing what our challenges would be.

Our trip northward was not too bad until we were about 15-miles south of the Minnesota border. That was when we first faced…

During the Blizzard

Over the years I have learned that the more uncomfortable winter conditions are for me, the more likely I am to be able to approach close enough for photographs of horned larks, lapland longspurs, and/or snow buntings. When I had a few minutes, just as the wind was beginning to kick up, I went out for a search for those three species. I was somewhat successful with…

Same Farmstead, Another View

Not too long ago I shared views of this old farmstead in rural Iowa. As I drove past it today I had to stop to document the cold, unwelcoming setting this offers. Snow is on the ground, the skies are a dark, drab gray, and a person can almost feel…

The Edge of Light

Long before the sun was high enough in the sky to do easy photography I spotted this bald eagle, presumably with its mate, in a protected tree setting. Both birds were blocked from the sun just inching up over the horizon.

As I looked at the birds both took flight. I did not realize it when taking the picture, but after viewing the files on my computer I noticed…

Thought Provoking Geese

When I spotted so many Canada geese congregated together, along with a half-dozen or so trumpeter swans, it made me think about challenges some areas faced with avian influenza. Where avian influenza was documented, the effect for poultry producers was swift and dramatic. Millions of birds were…

Two Interesting Observations

After a week had passed since we took an air boat out to check on a possibly injured or ill swan, this morning I looked at them again. As happened recently, I did not see any bird that appeared less than healthy. That is a good thing!

One thing that I did notice was there was not one, but…

Priorities

Our family has been blessed in that we all have jobs. For that we are thankful. However, sometimes our jobs require us to make adjustments, including during the holidays. Such is the case this year.

Instead of searching for and shooting wildlife or outdoor images today, we…

Today Was a Blur

For more than one reason today was a blur. My schedule was full of commitments making for a time blur. Traveling in the snow and blowing snow made for a visual/cognitive blur. At times visibility was so low that it…

No Filters Needed

There is no doubt the weather this afternoon really tanked out. A thick glaze of ice on roads and sidewalks and everything else made productive functioning challenging. Cars and trucks were going off the road, jack-knifing, rolling, and who knows what else. And, many drivers drove faster than was safe for conditions. That’s the way it was here in Northeast Iowa today and there was nothing we could do about it.

Being one who finds “weather” to make for photogenic compositions, I did look around a bit, before I had to respond to an accident. Whether it was…

A Request and a “Thank You” for Mother Nature

Dearest Mother Nature,

After yesterday and today I think most of us are understanding you will set the tone for the outdoors each day. I, speaking on behalf of many, request that you please withhold the violent winds that blew across the landscape these past days. We understand… no need for more of yesterday and last night.

I would also, on behalf of many, like to thank you for the beautiful cloud display we enjoyed this afternoon. Those of us in our section of God’s green earth experienced, at least for a few minutes, what it might be like to live next to a glacier. The juxtaposition of clouds and earth was stunning and much appreciated.

While we are talking…