Marsh Migrations Observations

Tonight was one of our better evenings for seeing wildlife during “Marsh Migrations” hosted by Crawdaddy Outdoors. The wind was a bit of a challenge, but the birds were active. Many of us even watched soras at close range.

They Cannot All Be Pretty

Over the past few days I have shared what I consider to be a nice assortment of pretty wildflower images. With the arrival of spring it makes sense to enjoy nature’s beauty either in person or digitally.

Well, not everything in nature is pretty and certainly not during the spring months when hungry young birds in the nest need feeding. As I was driving I spotted this adult bald eagle in flight carrying something I did not immediately recognize. Once I was able to look at my image files on the computer it was easy to see the eagle was carrying a…

Tradeoffs… Priorities

After yesterdays post (late morning and dark, dreary, windy, and cold), I decided the Layla (our nearly blind, mostly deaf, terribly stubborn, and missing all of her teeth dog) and I should take a drive. She sat on the center console while she and I drove to central Iowa to surprise my daughter, her husband, her boys, and Kristy who had been there since Thursday. None of them expected us and they knew we were there when I put Layla in the house and she walked to the room where all of them were gathered. They were surprised when Ol’ Layla came strolling in!

How does that first paragraph equate to the title? Well, by not sticking around home I missed out on…

Sweet Marsh Before the Wind (and a surprise)

In an effort to paddle before the wind kicked up this morning I was out on the water very early. A heavy cover of clouds obscured what little sunshine was present causing me to have to use a high ISO for my photos. I suppose slightly less clean images are better than none, so I will share what I saw today…

Enjoying Nature With a New Song

Conditions today were so challenging for outdoor photography. The wind was relentless and very tiring. Still, I wanted to get out to see what I could find - windy or not.

This morning I photographed a couple of bird species. First was this presumed young red-shouldered hawk.

Does Rain Bother Waterfowl?

I, and many others, are so happy to see the rain that has been falling over the past days. To see the creeks running again, some higher than we have seen for a long time, is a great thing. As I checked rising stream levels I wondered if it might be possible that we are considered to be in extreme drought conditions and could experience flash flooding conditions at the same time. It all depends how the water falls.

As I crossed a bridge today I noticed…

Interesting Behavior

Since I had a little time this morning before work to fill, I opted to go paddling at Sweet Marsh. Conditions for wildlife photography couldn’t have been more challenging - dark and dreary with on and off drizzle, wind and a moving canoe. As a result any photography needed to be done at a high ISO.

Shooting at a higher ISO than normally means I can expect noisier images than normal. For a fellow who closely studies final photos - adding digital noise is not something I prefer. But, sometimes you have no options - like this morning.

As I rounded some cattails…

That Did Not Take Long

Just last night Kristy and I tossed wildflower seeds in hopes that today’s rains would help with germination and flowers-to-come. Little did I know that 12-hours later I would find a well-established plant. Wow, I am impressed…those were some healthy seeds!

Seriously, over the past couple years I have over-seeded our CRP in hopes that some vegetation may survive the drought to become pollinator habitat. After last year, when little was happening, I was told by my CRP guy that I should watch the seeds as they sleep, creep…

Some We Want, Some We Don’t

With the weather forecast strongly suggesting we might receive some much needed rain, tonight Kristy and I tossed more wildflower seeds. This is the third time for spreading seeds, so if many of our seeds from the multiple…

I Needed 6-inches, There Were 4-Inches… I Quit!!

Maybe I am the only person in America wanting to paddle the newly dug channels at Marten’s Lake at Sweet Marsh - or maybe not. I do know I was the only person to attempt such an adventure this afternoon. And what did I learn?

I learned I needed 6-inches of water to have any chance of paddling my canoe up and down the recently dug channels. I learned there was maybe 4-inches in some spots. I learned that…

Crane Count 2024

Early this morning a dedicated group of people spread out across Bremer County (and elsewhere) to count cranes. In our area the species of cranes counted were sandhill cranes, but there is always the possibility we might have a whooping crane to …

Tonight On The Wapsipinicon River

Windy or not, tonight I paddled my canoe on the Wapsipinicon River near Frederika. In addition to an enjoyable paddling experience that was very relaxing, I came home with images I will share here. Let’s begin with…

Weather Quiz

Year after year I attend weather classes. Frequently I study written weather information and images. Still, my confidence level in my identifying weather phenomenon is low.

Today I will post four images recorded early this morning as rain was moving through our area. Please - If my identifications are in error, feel free to let me know.

Spring is Here!

Slow down, breathe deep, smell the fresh soil, feel your blood pressure and pulse drop as your excitement level climbs. We are here again… that special time of year… when winter struggles to hold on but the seasonal battle is being lost. The early spring wildflower season has arrived. Beauty surrounds us if we take a casual hike and look around.

My favorite season is here. It is spring wildflower time! As I slowly walked and studied the forest floor I…

Views From the Water

Tonight a group of paddlers enjoyed the first “Marsh Migrations” event of the year with Crawdaddy Outdoors. These were some of the views enjoyed from kayaks and canoes.

Thoughts on the Partial Solar Eclipse

I have spent countless hours studying wildlife during my decades of hunting with a bow, a gun, and now a camera. Never - not once - have I witnessed what I observed today at Sweet Marsh during the partial solar eclipse.

Early into my outing, when the moon was first beginning to obscure the sun, I could sense an eerie feeling. There was an uneasiness, a feeling of impending doom, or something unknown about to happen. Even the light seemed different as the partially blocked sun was peeking through clouds that varied from dark and heavy to slightly more than wispy. That was odd enough, but then things changed.

As I walked on the dike I quickly noticed that the birds, especially the…

Sandhill Crane Update and Woodies

Since my last post my grandson and I, along with Nick and Lexie, captured the injured sandhill crane I have been tracking for nearly a week. The bird is now in the care of Black Wildlife Rehabilitation Project.

I recorded the capture and put together a video. See it at this link:

Injured Sandhill Crane Capture

The following still photos were recorded after we had the crane caught (which was not easy).

Some Action

Just before today’s winds kicked up I paddled on Segment A at Sweet Marsh. I did not see any species I had not seen many times before, but did find enough…

The Annual Dilemma

Several times each spring, when the first wildflowers are popping up at the same time migrant birds are arriving, I struggle with which direction I should point my lens. Should I photograph blossoms or chase birds? Today I opted to go for a hike to photograph pasqueflowers rather than drive to a nearby lake to photograph a loon or merganser.

As I hiked I thought about how fragile pasqueflowers, along with most of our uncommon species, are. I would guess the majority of our society

Still Suffering

The injured sandhill crane first seen by others last week and by me on Monday remains in bad shape. Plans are in place to capture the bird for treatment or euthanasia very soon. I will be honest, I am hesitant about the likelihood of recovery. If a return to health is not possible, then this bird deserves…