Juvy Ring-necked Pheasant Rooster

Juvy Ring-necked Pheasant Rooster, originally uploaded by Hannibals Animals.

I was caught off guard spotting this crazy colored game bird from a distance. I didn't know what it was. As I approached closer, I was thrilled to see a juvenile pheasant coming into color.

Mama Mink and a Baby

I captured some photos of my first mink on film, which has been an ongoing chase for many years. I would only see one when I didn't have a camera or as they bolted across my path only to disappear as fast as I saw it. This time, with a trusty friends help with a location of a den, I grabbed a few shots as mama swam across a tiny stream, and as a baby sniffed out a bug that seemed quite curious. I only saw them for a few seconds each, but I'll take what I can get!

Yellow-headed Blackbird- A Lifer!

It took plenty of years to finally find this beauty! An extremely rare sighting in Illinois, I recieved word of a few about 60 miles away. I chose a good day, set out early and was rewarded, but not without a few hiccups/complaints! The directions were simple enough, but the vagueness in terrain became clear pretty quickly. I knew there wasn't a parking lot for this "state owned" property as of yet, so I was advised to park in the neighborhood close by. I did that, walked across the highway, to a sign stating the preserves name, but was questioning the "authorized vehicles only" part of it. I was assured that the sign was there to keep out the kids, so I began my journey. I was looking at a seldom used gravel road, followed by a footpath along a cornfield, to an open area, looking north for a cattail marsh as the directions say...Sounds easy! A half-mile walk! O.K...Let's just stop the drama here and just chalk one up to another place I care not to revisit. The immediate cattail area was awesome though! The YHBB sighting was awesome! He was very photogenic, and had I had a pair of rubber wading boots, he would have obliged me in some really nice close-ups!

Haulin Ass!

Haulin Ass!, originally uploaded by Hannibals Animals.

It's quite obvious that these guys are much faster than they look!

Bobwhite: "Call All Ladies!" Video

A very personable Northern Bobwhite Quail whistling for a lady at close range. Plenty of songbirds can be heard in the background, and even a Robin joins his perch!

Bobwhite: "Calling All Ladies!" Video from peggy hanna on Vimeo.