Appreciative Hesitation and Mutants

Today was the 2024 Fifth Grade Field Day for fifth-graders across Bremer County at Alcock Park. Volunteers and Bremer County Conservation staff members invest time and energy each year to share various outdoor passions with the younger folks. My understanding is the count of school kids today was 400 or more, along with school staff.

Each year I teach the backpacking session. For some of my participants today was their first time to discuss such an outdoor activity. I would guess that to be true of many of the stations.

My thanks to Bremer County Conservation, Heather Gamm (coordinator), the many volunteers, and the schools who make this happen for so many kids. We may be their only outdoor experience. Hopefully we make it worthwhile.

As for the title… there are a few seconds…

A Beautiful Story of Success

So many years have passed by - thirty-four to be exact - since I was able to assist with the reintroduction of trumpeter swans to Northeast Iowa. We had adult birds and young birds introduced to a private quarry/pit in Black Hawk County. The wing feathers were clipped on…

Equal Opportunity Outdoor Photographer

I have never hidden the fact that I am an equal opportunity outdoor photographer. My curiosity allows me to photograph so many various images. With each I attempt to make the subject look as good as possible. Now that the introduction has been addressed, I will share some of many pictures from the past couple of days.

Over the past couple of days ample time was enjoyed on the water. This…

Scenes from Time with Friends

Over the past few days I have spent quality time with some of the best work people in America. We learned much information about emergencies and security. Today we participated in an exercise with our friends at…

A Meaningful Place

A location on this dirtball we call “Earth” exists that has special meaning for me. For most I would guess the “Freda Haffner Kettlehole” would not be worth a stop. I, on the other hand, look forward to my time at the kettlehole.

My visit to the kettlehole has been an annual event where only…

More After the Snowy Egret

Yesterday I was thrilled to have not only seen, but also photographed a snowy egret. Since the bird sighting was a “Life Bird” for me, I opted not to share other images from the day, instead focusing on that special event.

I am going to post some of the other images from yesterday now. Don’t worry, I…

One Bird Renders Me Rudely Speechless

Picture this… I was talking to a friend for a good conversation when a white bird that I had only seen in pictures made a fly-by. Then, the bird circled around and landed twelve feet or so from me and stood perfectly still. I couldn’t help it. Whatever the conversation may have been, my attention was immediately fixated on the bird. I was rude and have apologized, but the bird grabbed all of my attention. My reaction was beyond my control.

This was my first observation and photos of a…

Only a Couple

Work is certainly getting in the way of spring outdoor photography. So much so that today I only have pictures of two species to share.

What a Divided Day!

Wow, what a pleasant day! Kristy and I had two of our grandkids and a granddog with us and were we ever busy - paddling in the morning, a hike in the woods in the afternoon. I will divide the day’s images by activities.

Paddling: All four of us spent time on the water looking for turtles and birds. Possibly the most interesting wildlife photos were a series of images of Olympic quality for the sport of turtle diving. Our score for this dive would be quite high considering the shape of the turtle hitting the water.

Shelf Cloud Across the Horizon

Early this morning Kristy and I watched as this very dramatic shelf cloud moved across our horizon. Coming with it was wind and rain - about 1/2” according to our rain gauge. This was very impressive to see and watch!

Marten’s Lake Renovation Update

We had a pleasant day with very little wind so I put my drone in the air over Marten’s Lake to look around. The dirt work appears to be complete. My understanding is the next step is to establish vegetation on the banks. Then maybe, just maybe, we will see some water in this pool again.

If the video I recorded is worthwhile I will share that when it is prepped. For now I have…

Was Feeling Sorry, Then Changed My Mind

There they were… four tom turkeys strutting their stuff for a lone hen turkey. I felt so sorry for her. All the neighborhood boys were doing their best to impress her and she seemed absolutely uninterested.

Then it dawned on me… it is not that she was not interested yet. She just has to…

Quiet Time

Some days a person needs some quiet time in the outdoors. “Quiet time” has various definitions. In this case I am suggesting time in the outdoors with little to know human contact. In my situation there was plenty of..

In The Moisture (Again)

Yesterday I shared photos of wood ducks in cloudy, dreary conditions. Today my images feature blue-winged teal, a hooded merganser in the rain and a…

More Color Than The Sky

There is no doubt in my mind that this drake wood duck had more color than the drab sky of today, or the many blue-winged teal I found hanging out in ditches that have not had water for a couple of years.

Woodies are much more…

In the Rain (+ A Bonus)

Even though much of today was moist due to rain or drizzle, I still went out to look for wildlife or wildflowers. After all, life in the outdoors continues in all types of weather. Rain just means…

Just a Couple Specimens - Not!

What began as a woodland wildflower walk for Kristy and me to find a couple of blooming specimens - along with some fungi - became a longer walk with many wildflowers and fungi found and photographed.

We put together a short video of the wildflowers and fungi - with each identified. View the video at this link:

Just A Couple Specimens - Not!!!

Following are some of the many images recorded today. (View more at the video.)

Cute For Now

While adult Canada geese can be pests, watching the little goslings peak out from under Mom Goose or Dad Goose’s wing is certainly an interesting few seconds. Those little ones are so cute and innocent!

As I watched the first two goslings sneak a look from under the wing, I was surprised to see…

How Much To Include

Many years ago when I was beginning down my outdoor photography passion path, I started out studying wildflowers through my camera lenses. First pictures were preserved on the subdued colors of Kodachrome slide film, then the very strong greens of Fuji film, and ending with the equally vivid colors of Ektachrome Elite. A day in the field would cost the price of a roll or two of slide film, processing, and postage - along with a week or two of processing time. And you better hope your exposures were on the mark or the investments were wasted. Now imaging provides near instant results without film and processing cost, but with much higher equipment costs. I shot more than…

Personal Sharing For Your Benefit

For outdoor folks, especially those that pursue wildlife with camera, bow, or gun, the following information is likely something you already know. For others you may learn something new in these comments.

Pursuers of wildlife often have specific clothing they wear to go outside. Typically those clothes are camo-patterned to match the habitat where outdoor activities occur. Often the clothes receive special laundering to avoid fading and scents that give warning to wildlife with sensitive noses.

Recently I went into hiding along a river bank to photograph wood ducks and/or hooded mergansers. My photographic endeavors produced…