Albino Catfish

Kayaking on a small lake, this guy swims out from under some weedy shelter. For color comparison, another cat is along side him. A pretty rare sight to see, and luckily I had a camera with me. The photos are not great, but I didn't have a polarizing filter handy. I would put him at the 4-6 pound range.




Click on image to view large!

Sharpie!

Found this Sharp-shinned Hawk off in the distance. He slept, fluffed, yawned & scratched for my enjoyment. I thought he was a cooper before processing, but to my untrained, long-range eye, I found out he was a Sharpie! A first!

Happy Labor Day!

I didn't really have an appropriate post, like a squirrel lounging on an adirondack chair sipping a Corona with lime on the beach, or a Fox basking in the sun's rays with a bottle of suntan lotion and a pair of Ray Bans , but I did find a juvy Cedar Waxwing taking flight like he just needed to scram, and that's the way I feel. No post tomorrow, because, you know, it's Labor Day--Geez!

I hope you all enjoy your Labor Day!

On Guard

Tree Swallows are such gorgeous birds. I can't help but fire off a few shots when opportunity knocks. The irridescent blues are irresistible.

Cooperative Blue Jay

Traveling down the main road at Mazonia, I passed by a Blue Jay that was very close to the road. I turned around, came up next to it and took some shots.




He was pretty meek about me and my camera, so I took a few more as he hopped from limb to limb.
I love cooperative birds, when I can leave without scaring anything.

Gray Catbird

I really liked the fine detail on the feathers of this Catbird.

Note: I set a goal of blogging every day for a month and this is my 31st post. Mission Accomplished! I don't know if I could capture enough fresh images for blogging in any other month than in May. It was a great month for nature photography.

Assorted Warblers

All of these warblers were found in the same location for a pretty good representation of the species in one concentration:


Nashville Warbler





Palm Warbler





Pine Warbler





Wilson's Warbler






Black & White Warbler





Female Blue-winged Warbler





Female Yellow-breasted Chat






According to Richard, this is a Warbling Vireo!-Thanks Richard!!!!!!





Magnolia Warbler

Bullfrog Eye

I thought this picture was cool because you can see me in a squat position behind the decking in his eye reflection, and his fleckily (is that a word?) gold eye is so vibrant.

Daytime Nighthawk

Stopping at my local warbler station, I set up my comfy camp chair and relaxed under the bluest sky nil of clouds. The light breezes and sunshine made for the perfect 70-ish degree day. I didn't care if I saw a bird or not; it was more about soaking in the gorgeous day and what it had to offer. Then something flew over my head...


It took me a few seconds, because I have only seen these once before during the daylight hours and they were extremely high in the sky at the time... A Nighthawk!-WOW!


Then another and another and another...COOL! I watched them circle above me for awhile, then head north...It got me thinking maybe I should follow them, so I did.


I found about 10 of them at a pond within the park, swooping down low... like swallows do. They were feeding! I took all the shots I could, but these guys are really really fast! They fed and they left, and I have to say that I was so disappointed when they did. I had such a good time with them as they were buzzing around my head. Who can say they got to spend a few minutes watching nighthawks feed, up close and personal? It was truly...amazing!



Cool Facts: Pursuing flying insects at dusk and dawn, the Common Nighthawk can be seen flying its floppy flight in rural or urban areas. Its white wing patches and eratic flight make it look like a big bat with headlights, and it is known in some areas as the "bullbat." It also has a tiny beak with a large gape, surrounded by stiff feathers called rictal bristles, which help the bird catch its aerial prey. The male Common Nighthawk has a dramatic booming display used during the breeding season. He flies around at a moderate height, then dives straight toward the ground. Somewhere just about two meters from the ground he turns upward. At the bottom of the dive he flexes his wings downward, and the air rushing through his wingtips makes a deep booming sound. The dives are directed at females, young nighthawks, intruders, and even people. (Source: All About Birds)

Lighting is Everything!

I was so happy with the lighting on this series that I had to share a few...




The contrast of the yellows and the greens complimented each other for a bright picture.




Yellow Warblers are abundant if you know where to look at this time of year.

Can You Catch A Gnatcatcher?

It's never an easy task to photograph the itsy-bitsies of the bird world. They almost never stop hoppin, flying, jumping, flitting, you get the point.



Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are a tiny, long-tailed bird of deciduous forests and scrublands, & makes itself known by its soft but emphatic "spee" calls and its constant motion. By flicking its white-edged tail from side to side, the gnatcatcher may scare up hiding insects. (Source: All About Birds)

March Madness! Its Looking Alot Like Spring!

I took a long ride yesterday afternoon to all of my favorite spots since the weather outside hit 50 degrees and the sun was out. Finally! It was the perfect day for driving, minus the rugged terrain caused by Old Man Winter. At Mazonia Fish and Wildlife Area, I found that a boat launch was totalled due to heaving. It's pretty sad to see, because the conservation areas in my part of the world are in financial woes, causing them to close their parks twice a week during certain times of the year.



I found my first killdeer of the year at Goose Lake State Park.



This shot of an American Coot was all I could grab as a car was behind me. I wanted to capture their strange feet! It was found walking the embankment at the Dresden Cooling Lakes, near the covered bridge.



The deer were sunning themselves under the protection of this small grove of trees near the Dresden Lock and Dam.



And...another shot the the great horned mama. I stopped again, because I saw white fuzz at the edge of the nest, suspecting a newborn, but as it turns out, it was just her. The day was too perfect not to take a shot.

Shots that got away: Horned Grebe, mallards, & hooded mergansers

The Sighting of a Rare Creature

Q-Ponz and I went kayaking over the weekend. He just purchased his kayak and being somewhat new to the area, I invited him to go to Mazonia for his virgin dip in the drink. Since I am now "seasoned" to the maze-o-lakes a.k.a. Mazonia, I was more than happy to be his adventure guide. I wanted him to experience what I did just a few weeks prior, exploring the unknown, charting new territory like Louis and Joliet. We went through the finger lakes, not stopping until we went from end to end, mapping a complete lake to check off our list of lakes. We paddled at a leisurely pace for hours, contemplating each turn into the depths, checking landmarks so we didn't get lost. As we entered a particular lake, overtaking an unusually long reed tunnel, something caught my eye in the sky. I got a pretty good look at something "heron-like" but tiny, and buff colored, flying into the reeds ahead. As I pointed this out to Q, another one flew into the same spot. We both were puzzled as to what it could have been. We floated into some nearby reeds, hoping to catch another glimpse, and waited for a few minutes in silence. A very loud call came out, sounding to me a bit like a duck, but not. Now, I have some pretty good knowledge of shore/wading birds, but this one was new to me. I could only draw a conclusion that maybe it was a baby green heron, but that didn't sit well at all. Green Herons are much smaller than the common Great Blue Heron, as they stand about 14" compared to the GBH at 42". This new heron was much smaller than even a Green Heron, and the coloring was all wrong. I had to reference what we saw when I got home.
At home, I grabbed my bird book, found the heron section, and turned the pages. I didn't have much hope, because this particular book didn't show babies, just adults and juvy's. After a few pages, I think I found what I saw. The description of this heron was spot on. It described it as buff in color, and the smallest of the North American Herons. It stands at 11" and has a distress call similar to the alarm quack of a duck. This treasure among herons is called a Least Bittern. They are reed seeking marsh birds who are the most elusive of all herons, rarely seen in flight, which is only a few seconds before it drops out of sight into march patches and reeds. They are not typical of heron behavior, being a fisherman of the shore in shallow waters. They prefer dense marshy lakes, and fish within the marsh beds for crayfish, etc., using their strong toes to cling to reeds in deep water.
If only my camera were repaired, would I ever have a chance to capture this once in a lifetime opportunity and bring it home to Hannibal's Animals. For now, I can only copy a reference photo for you to see this smallest of herons, and compare to the more common birds in the heron family. There are 2 types of Bitterns, and being a heron enthusiast, I have always wanted to see any type I have yet to see. There is the American Bittern, which is a large heron, and the Least, of which I have already spoke. The types I have captured are the Great Blue Heron, Great White Egret, Snowy Egret, Black Crowned Night Heron, Green Heron, and the Yellow Crowned Night Heron (seen while on vacation in St. Thomas, although they are supposedly in this area). There are plenty more that are not native to this state, and keep to the warmer year-round climates. I eventually would like to see them on a vacation to their neighborhood.

Desperate Measures

I stole the title "Desperate Measures" from my friend Pam, who is using the same title to post a photo of me (1st picture) taking a picture of the dragonfly using my camera phone. ( We both belong to a photosharing site called My Park Photos, which is an international site for parks all over the world.) She found it amusing, not that I broke my camera, but that I had to resort to my cheesy camera phone to capture a dragonfly, while kayaking yesterday. I found it funny, that I actually let the dragonfly land on me, cuz I have yet to be cured of my bugphobia. Anything for a photo, I guess, although It did freak me out, but I made my sacrifice. Anyhow, I was her photo whore on our trip. We would paddle along various lakes within Mazonia Fish and Wildlife Area, and the Green Herons were what we found most appealing. If I spotted one, I would signal, let her take advantage of position, hold her in place, or nudge her forward. If the Heron was hidden, I would go in first, and if he flushed, she could snap off some flight shots. (Thats right folks, I'm a really good friend.)

Kayaking is the coolest thing I have done in a really long time. We explored all kinds of small lakes not normally accessed, with our small crafts. We could sneak through the reeds if they were thin enough, or go through reed tunnels as small as 3 feet wide into larger lakes. The different perspective of this area from our kayaks told us exactly where we were, even though by lake, we should have been lost. We weaved all over in every direction in the maze of lakes, but knowing Mazonia so well, we had our landmarks from a different point of view. We didn't see a whole bunch of wildlife, but we did see a beaver, muskrats, green herons, great blue herons, a tern, seagulls, a water snake, red-winged blackbirds protecting their nests, cedar waxwings, fish jumping, baby ducks hiding in the reeds, (2 beer bottles-Aarg! Stop it people! ) and plenty of dragonflies. The water was turquoise (as most strip mines are) and clear. The privacy and peacefulness you get from the lack of "city noise" really makes you appreciate the entire experience. My journey has just begun; I can't wait to find another lake of lakes. My new obsession is to venture into every lake and see everything I cannot see from the paths and roads of Mazonia, and then venture to new waterways, as my skills develop. Hopefully, the long awaited return of my repaired camera will make it even sweeter.