February Paddle, Fascinating Plant, Spilled Generosity

I am happy to say that my personal goal of paddling every month of the year continues after I put a canoe on the Cedar River this morning. Weather conditions were brisk… 23-degrees and windy, but the river was open and I got the mission done. On the water the most commonly seen bird species was the bald eagle - many of them.

One of the gifts I gave Kristy for Valentine’s Day was a grafted cactus. The pink blossom is a…

Similar For a Reason

There are times in life when big decisions with life-changing consequences are made. When I face such challenges, my attention is fully committed to addressing every detail that may come to mind. Such has been the case for the past few months and especially today. As a result I have not had the time or energy needed to invest in wildlife or outdoor photography other than to photograph aspen trees from the air.

Yes, this image is similar to…

No Flowers, But Plenty of Sticks and Attention

On this Valentine’s Day I was treated to seeing a pair of adult bald eagles in their nest high in a tree. Photographing the birds and knowing it was Valentine’s Day prompted my curiosity about the pair bonds for bald eagles.

According to several sources I trust, bald eagles mate for life. Their courtship rituals include very impressive.

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At the State House

Today was a day of networking, showing support, and learning at the State House in Des Moines. A primary topic covered was the Iowa Flood Center (its purpose, its accomplishments, and funding needs). I also had an opportunity to talk to the Iowa Geological Survey team, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and fellow water quality/water quantity concerned individuals.

People may wonder exactly what I just described. We addressed…

Better Than the Alternative

A good number of days have passed since I last had a thick layer of frost to peer through on the windows of the truck. After waiting for the truck to warm up and the frost to break apart, I began to think of “…another Monday…” with a not so positive attitude. Then reality hit me - I have another Monday to work, another week to work through, and I am alive and upright to make the best of the day. Suddenly my focus on frost on the window thoughts transitioned to “isn’t the framing of the sunrise through the frost pretty?” With that I recorded a few images with one being shown here. So yes, I had another Monday. Yes, I had frosty windows to…

Mostly Smaller Sensors

A fellow EMA/photographer friend of mine (JW) shared an image yesterday that he recorded using a GoPro camera. His photo was the inspiration for a photography challenge for me today. The question was, can I produce decent images using smaller sensor cameras - in today’s case my GoPro and my drone.

To show my efforts I will begin with the GoPro photos.

The Fine Line

We have hit that time in the winter again when I really struggle when it comes to certain wildlife species photography. When saw-whet owls are in the area it usually takes a couple/few months before the masses learn of their presence. Before that, some of us go look at them every week or more and the owls go about their business.

Then the time comes when so many go out to see the birds, some very frequently, and the locations are shared. One person tells another who tells even more and before long the owls are doing their best to hunt at night and during the day are being loved - possibly to death.

I don’t know where the line is between appreciation and loving to death. My intent is to appreciate the owls - even if that means I avoid joining the masses for a relatively easy saw-whet owl sighting.

Today I went back and forth on whether to see or not to see this area’s popular saw-whet owl. Go north or go south. Either direction meant I would likely see a saw-whet owl - do I want the easier owl or the isolated owl. As challenging as it was, I opted not to bother the well-known area bird. Instead I hiked harder, found one I had not seen for more than a week, and stopped at that. I don’t plan to visit this one again for a while. Even though saw-whet owls appear docile, they need their space and they need time away from me. I will give it that.

I am in no way trying to appear condescending or “better” or anything else. My intent is only to share my thoughts on what I see happening again. Without people seeing wildlife, how can they develop an appreciation? On the other hand, how do we appreciate without “loving to death?” I do not have that answer, but I think about it often.

Based on indications in the area where I found this owl, the owl has been isolated other than for whitetail deer, cottontail rabbits, and normal winter songbirds. With luck its solitude will continue and soon it will move north again with plenty of body fat and energy. I will continue to look for more owls and hopefully minimize my impact on all saw-whet owls wintering in our area.

The Struggle Was Real, The Interruption Was Appreciated

A family member and I spent some darkness hours and most daylight hours at the healing spot to the north today. During our drive home we did what we always do - we watched for and counted our wildlife observations. During those critter censuses, I will stop for photos if it is safe and worthwhile.

We saw two eagles at close range today. Pictures shared here are of the first observation. The sound of tires on rumble strips prevented any photos of the second bird.

So what was the struggle you may wonder. Well, we stopped at the…

I Too Have Been Bitten

Try as I might, I am struggling to remember that the calendar is only showing the second week of February right now. That is even though the ice is melting, rivers are opening up, most snow is gone, and I hardly need to wear a jacket outside.

Like some of the wildlife, I too have been bitten by…

All is Quiet in T-Town

I am happy to report that all is quiet in T-town tonight.

Please Fetch the Drool Bucket Mr. Webster

Every now and then I am treated to a small, micro habitat that gets me going. I am all excited when I see trees with white bark and even more giddy when there is a random pin oak/red oak in the mix. Such was the case today.

This area isn’t very large, but with a long lens I was able to compress it to fill the frame with aspen (or birch) trees and an oak tree.

Please, Mr. Webster, fetch me the drool bucket. This was better than a Canadian bacon pizza with pineapple and sauerkraut.

A Walk in the Park

When Mother Nature gives us an early spring-like day in early February, you can bet I am going to go for a walk. And go for a walk I did, including over the swinging bridge at Alcock Park.

It may be impossible to tell for sure without viewing the EXIF data, but this picture of the bridge was from…

What Did Which?

This morning I took a walk at Sweet Marsh to check the progress on renovations. Most of my imaging was from the air and I will share those images when ready. While there I did play around with my Nikon, my GoPro, and my cell phone. Can you tell which camera took which picture?

There’s Your Sign

Wow… what a day. I traveled around four counties, shared images and stories at the Wickiup Nature Center, and found a saw-whet owl.

Spending time with like-minded souls who appreciate backpacking, nature photography, paddling, and being outdoors was a treat. It has been a long time since I last attended a similar gathering. Nice job on putting that together Chuck!

Finding a saw-whet owl was fun too. Really, this one was easy. As I explored the timber a…

Wrap-around Foreground/Background (with a bonus)

My path today intersected with this adult bald eagle in soybean stubble. I will admit, my first goal was to shoot a decent photo of the bird. It wasn’t until I studied the image on my computer that I realized the wrap-around foreground and background really added to the composition.

I am glad I was not perpendicular to the bird and the tilled row in the stubble. The recorded angle…

Classic Camera Effect

Today’s image was made this morning when I saw a lone tree against a pink sunrise and fog…many elements, yet nothing that really stood out.

Instead of giving up on file I opted to apply a “Classic Camera” effect. In essence I wanted the final view to depict something old, moody, and subdued. With the color remaining in the image I still did not like what I was seeing. The picture had to reflect what I was feeling - OK, but a bit pensive.

It was time to…

The “Bigger” Picture

Oh my…what a beautiful January day in Northeast Iowa! Temps in the mid-50’s with a slight breeze and a sky full of sunshine. What more could we ask for (…well, we do need rain)!

After work I enjoyed a pleasant hike at Alcock Park. Since this park is dissected by the Wapsipinicon River, my preferred route (when the park is closed to vehicles for the season) is to hike in from the west, cross on the swinging bridge, then hike upstream to the dam. The entire distance out and back is less than…

For Safety

For the safety of this red fox I have edited this photo to make it challenging to identify the location. Hopefully it survives this season.

Interesting Views

Twice today I was afforded interesting imaging opportunities I took advantage of. The first was quick and easy. The second was also quick, but took more preparation.

Image 1 - My day began early for an EMS run under moody conditions. After returning home and while eating breakfast, I noticed the sun was slowly burning through the fog to usher in a beautiful day in late January. As I watched the sunrise, I thought it might be interesting to frame with our Norway spruce trees as it broke through the fog. With selective framing and cropping I was able to create an image that conveys a simple message… “Morning Has Broken.”

Image 2 - These images took only a few minutes of actual time to record, but more time in the preparatory phase. Knowing I would be at the State House today to meet with lawmakers…

Provisions

February 1 will mark the beginning of my 22nd year of shooting “A Picture A Day” and sharing them for all to view. This self-assignment has probably been the best investment I have made to improve my photography skills.

Shooting so many pictures over so much time has occasionally proven challenging - either a lack of time or a lack of subjects has made me wonder if I was going to be ending my continuous string of images. Today was such a day. Kristy and I were both watching for possible compositions and seeing nothing I wanted to work on. We took a break without any photos with a plan of me going out later to look again.

An hour or so after our pause I headed out. For a reason unknown to me I had an over-powering urge to…