Weekend Wanderings

I wandered around all weekend, looking for the good stuff, and although I didn't get a whole lot, I was happy with a few shots.




This is my first female Kestral. It just seems that I always photograph males, so this was a treat.








I've run across this coyote on several occasions, but this time, I caught him in mid field for a more detailed view. I really liked the "gassy-fumy" air in the background which skewed the landscape.








This guy is quite healthy according to his heavy girth around the middle. He/she is about the biggest/baddest coyote I have ever seen.









Now this guy is a special sight. He is the first buck I had ever captured well enough on film, many years ago. He is quite old as you can tell, but I see this particular guy every year around this time. How can I tell it is the same buck year after year? It's quite obvious to me, looking at his rack which has the same shape, and the features on his face and snout and those distinctive eyes. I have just never forgotten his face. This could very well be the last time I will ever see this special guy...








I go over these tracks every time super slow, as the approach is partially hidden, and at times can produce a hidden buck for a great photo op. On this day, for some reason, I went over them with distraction and missed a great portrait shot. When I backed up to shoot, he turned and went for cover. I learned my lesson...again...








This guy trotted into cover quickly, reminding me that the "peak" of the rut has most likely passed, with his alertness to his surroundings back in focus.








This shot was taken just after sunrise, when the lighting has a red hue to it. Another buck on high alert.








This black squirrel was found eating a walnut, hiding under a pine. Black squirrels are actually a morph of the gray squirrel.

The Variety of Squirrels in Illinois

It seems that I have photographed all of the varieties of squirrels found in Illinois this year. So... I gathered them all for a final post about the different species:


The thirteen-lined ground squirrel is a slender rat-sized rodent weighing about 8 ounces with a length of about 10 inches including a tail of 3 inches. As its name implies, 13 stripes run the length of this ground squirrel’s body. Five of the light-colored lines break up into a series of spots as they progress down the back and over the rump. Five light and four dark stripes extend along the top of the head and end between the animal’s eyes.



Chipmunks are small members of the squirrel family (Sciuridae). There are about 20 species of western chipmunks and one species of eastern chipmunk in USA and Canada. Chipmunks can be found in woodlands, forest edges, bushes, gardens, parks, around houses or cemeteries. They have reddish-brown fur, with white and black stripes on their back. They also have long flat bushy tails.



Pine squirrels are small tree squirrels with bushy tails, and apart from the members of the genus Sciurus, they are probably the members of the large family Sciuridae that conform most closely to the commonly held idea of what a squirrel looks like and how it behaves.




Black squirrels are a melanistic phase of the Eastern Grey Squirrel. They are common in Midwestern North America and, in some places, outnumber the grey squirrels by a ratio of about ten to one.




The Fox Squirrel is the largest of the tree squirrels found in Illinois. It gets its name from its color that sometimes resembles a red fox. Fox Squirrels have large bushy tail with yellow-tipped hairs.


Now, about this particular squirrel, I have yet to be able to identify it (it's not an albino), so if anyone can help, it would be greatly appreciated. There are 3 in the park of the same color-blondish-and has a heavier coat and seems to be slightly larger than fox squirrels.

Cuttidad's Showcase

Sometimes the weather is against you, and this week I have not been able to get out. The rain has soaked Northern Illinois for days, so... to post something fresh, I am spotlighting Cuttidad, my partner in crime. She is co-pilot on some of my excursions, & when opportunity arises on her side of the car, I hand her my camera:


Black Squirrels seem to be popping up, in otherwise, gray and fox squirrel territory at Kankakee State Park. I have run into a few of them farther east a bit, but now it seems they are migrating their way west...




Black Squirrels are smaller than your typical fox squirrel. We found this guy playing with a pine squirrel, but couldn't capture them together.




There were Mallards in a large puddle one day, and Cutti really loved how the males head was reflecting the light, so she took some shots.




I talked her into getting down to their level and snapping off a few for a different perspective...




I was really impressed with this one! Cutti is the perfect "buddy" when going on a long adventure. She is just as excited as you are, and even though she doesn't normally look through a camera lens, she appreciates everything she sees, and sometimes takes video. She loves to talk about what we saw that particular day, and asks lots of questions about their behavior. I am beginning to want to take her everywhere, even though I am usually a "Lone Photographer". It is exciting to watch someone else be so curious and excited...