Moon Phases?

After spending much of the night up or awake working my volunteer job, I did something I seldom do - I slept late today. As a result I was too late to go ice fishing. Normally that would not have been a big deal, but from what I heard from several anglers, the fish were really biting today.

Fish biting and me seeing plenty of wildlife activity at the same time makes me believe the…

Part of the Process

People sometimes ask how I am able to shoot the pictures I do. Some days the process is remarkably easy. Other days, like today, hours of effort are invested in the process with no return.

For more than two hours I stood out in a snowy prairie hoping to photograph a short-eared owl. Not one bird flew close enough for a photo. In fact, the owls I did see were a long distance away. Still, I…

Two Things a Shih tzu Does Not Like

During our afternoon drive today I learned two things our Shih tzu Layla does not like.

Dislike #1 - Layla does not like it when I open the truck windows and turn off the heater to eliminate heat shimmer from distorting my images. The sudden chill makes her ride uncomfortable and she quickly, but briefly, shakes like a quaking aspen leaf in a gentle breeze.

Dislike #2 - Layla suffers from a heavy posterior. When I slow quickly or turn faster than she is prepared for, her weighty back end tends to …

Not Fit For Man, Beast, or Layla

After work today Layla and I drove around the countryside in search of scenery or wildlife suitable for photography. The wildlife was…

Edited For Privacy

For the past while I have been watching red fox activity not too far from our home. Today I was fortunate to record a couple of nice images of the beautiful animal in snow.

For the privacy and protection of the fox, I have edited the images enough to obscure the location of the animal.

Move Along

At an intersection today I found this rooster ring-necked pheasant out strutting on the road, eventually working toward the side of the road, but hardly moving when traffic came along. He showed no fear, even when traffic whizzed by at close range. My slowing to avoid hitting him only…

Selfish Benefit of Deep Snow

Now that we have many inches of snow blanketing the area, one selfish benefit of the white stuff is that it makes observing and photographing some wildlife species much easier than normal. That isn’t so good for the wildlife since it means they are having to work much harder to find life-sustaining food to get them through the worst of winter.

Today I spotted a small flock of horned larks. I paused along the road and this one…

Same Scene - Leading Lines

I am preparing to do a couple/few photography presentations in the upcoming weeks. As I explain photos, one thing to discuss is leading lines. Leading lines guide viewers to follow the path. Leading lines can be straight, angled, curvy, or whatever direction they might take. This wandering water path (leading line) goes back and forth. Did you notice how you…

Traveling with Gramps

It is one thing to have the title of “Grandfather.” It is another to be a “Gramps” or whatever name your grandkids might give you as your relationship with them develops. I have said many times that if I can do at least half of what my granddad did for and with me for my very special grandkids, then I would be doing OK. This weekend my oldest grandson and I went for a drive to explore and did we ever find something interesting that I am sure he will remember for a long time.

The two of us traveled to the Mississippi River to check out the conditions at one of my favored place to paddle the big river. Of course the river was frozen, but that did not mean there weren’t things to see and do.

As we approached the ramp area/parking lot, I noticed several large totes neatly organized in the lot. Several fellows were working around the totes, so the two of us got out to look around and ask questions. What we learned was that we were seeing the fruits of cutting holes in the ice and seining freshwater…

Hibiscus Trumps Winter

My photo for today was likely to have been a hen ring-necked pheasant taking flight against a snowy background had I not noticed our hibiscus was still producing a beautiful blossom. There is another about ready to appear - likely over the weekend.

So, instead of yet another winter image for today, how about we…

Eggs?

During my drive with the dog today I spotted this bald eagle on alert, on perch, near a nest. I am wondering if its mate was in the nest, possibly sitting on eggs. Time will tell.

Ol’ Layla

For a decade or so we had two Shih tzu dogs in our family - Lexi and Layla. Lexi was a smart dog with a bit of a princess mentality, and very much a close companion. We lost Lexi too soon. Layla was the opposite type of dog Describing Layla requires a paragraph of its own.

Layla has that typical scrunched face that Shih tzus are born with. Her body is considerably wider than her undercarriage - likely from her fondness for human food. Layla’s eyes are a shade of blue or a milky white due to cataracts. Even before she developed cataracts, her eyes protruded and looked in different directions. She is either partially deaf or has mastered selective deafness. The dog can’t always hear, but crinkle a mini-marshmallow bag just a little bit and she is on full alert. Ol’ Layla developed serious dental problems resulting in a series of surgeries. She now does not have one tooth in her mouth. Without teeth, her tongue falls out of her mouth, often with a left lean. With the tongue hanging uncontrollably, she tends to drool. Her attitude waivers between standoffish and welcoming…she decides and we respond accordingly.

This afternoon after work I thought it would be nice of me to…

Beautiful Introduced Species

Much of the time when someone mentions an introduced species, the thought of negative, unexpected consequences comes to mind - think of plants or fish species that take over native populations. On those more rare occasions when an introduced species does not have detrimental effects, we think nothing but good of them - as in the ring-necked pheasant.

Conditions like we have had the past couple of days have made rooster pheasants shine. The sun on their bright, colorful feathers against a background of snow is a sight to behold. Such compositions are certainly a delight to nature photographers - an introduced species or not.

This fellow was out scratching around in a field of snow. I could not see that he hit any grain, but with a little more time and perhaps some luck, he will have a meal for the day. Or, by being exposed out in the open he may become a meal for the day for an eagle, fox, or coyote.

Ready To Take Action

I teach many active shooter/active threat response classes with local law enforcement officers each year. Of the options to possibly save your life (Run, Hide, Fight) - the hide option is one where too often I see people get themselves boxed in.

As we discuss this in the trainings…if you are going to hide, hide in a manner that allows you to quickly get up to fight, or run, or take down the threat - whatever you deem to be in your best interest. Do not hide in a way that you can do nothing if you are found. We encourage people to be in a position to spring up and take action - to fight like your life depends on it because it probably does.

I thought of that discussion as I watched this bald eagle on a frosty perch. One minute the bird appeared to be resting comfortably and a split-second later the bird had…

Yesterday’s Discussion on Patience Becomes Life

Yesterday I had a social media conversation with a friend of mine who does a lot of fishing - like almost everyday. He was telling me how he spent fours hours on the ice for one fish. My comment was something about him having more patience than me. To that he replied something about me having patience to sit and wait for a bird to turn its head for a picture. Yes, I guess we both have patience when it comes to our passions.

I thought about that exchange a couple of times today when I was out waiting for birds to turn their heads, or even appear, for photos. Yes Dave, you were right. I did demonstrate patience today.

My hours on the watch for birds totaled up to nearly a full working day. I split the day into two sessions - one for typical backyard winter birds and then later I watched for short-eared owls and observed more bird species.

While watching for backyard birds I found a couple of species of interest - a Eurasian tree sparrow and a white-throated sparrow. Along with those two species I enjoyed interactions with cardinals and chickadees.

In Search of That One Picture

Daybreak came with a heavy blanket of fog or frost or mist or whatever we call it today. As I watched and waited for a break in the conditions, I eventually decided to venture out after recognizing what I was seeing was what I would be getting for this Saturday.

It would have been easy to concentrate my photographic efforts only on frosty or foggy scenic images since the conditions were perfect. I did record an assortment of winter landscape photos with a sampling shared here.

Ihaventpaddleditis - An Affliction

Nearly three weeks have passed since I last paddle a canoe or kayak. My withdrawal symptoms are increasing each day. Today it was go paddling or suffer at a worse pace than already is happening. So, go paddling I did on the Shell Rock River in Shell Rock.

Water levels and velocity on the river were…

Marten’s Lake at Sweet Marsh - An Update

A number of you have asked if I know what is happening at Marten’s Lake at Sweet Marsh.

You might remember that late last spring/early summer Marten’s Lake was drained to allow for much needed renovations. Existing channels were to be deepened and a couple of new, deeper channels were to be dug.

According to the specifications for the project that I found, the work was to be done this winter with a completion date of next month. I think the reality would be the work might take longer since drying out the pool took considerable time.

I had not wandered the dikes for a few months, assuming work was being done, so this past weekend I took a walk. My expectation when I reached Marten’s Lake was that I might see a partially/nearly complete project with deeper channels dug, spoil on the dikes, and likely heavy equipment in the area. What I saw was disappointing. I saw some equipment tracks on the dikes, but otherwise saw….

Color Casts

If you study the technology behind camera sensors you learn that even the most complex sensor designed by man does not have the abilities to “see” like a human eye and brain. Our brain and eyes automatically adjust color balance without any intentional effort on our part - like our breathing is automatic. Electronic sensors record whatever light they are exposed to exactly in the color temperature of that light.

Tonight’s picture is an illustration of…

Not the Evil Eye, But a Good Sport

When the outdoor conditions and time constraints do not allow for my typical nature photography, I opt to utilize my time improving on imaging techniques for later use. For example - today’s conditions outside were miserable for outside photo shooting. Instead of wasting available minutes, I chose to expand my macro photography skills and techniques inside with my wife.

Thankfully my wife is a good sport and allowed me to borrow her eyeballs for…