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.

Bobwhite Calling

A friend of mine told me about a very photogenic Bobwhite, who has been making regular visits to a certain signpost at my favorite spot: Goose Lake Prairie State Park every morning. Today, I escaped from work for an hour or so and tried my luck. I couldn't believe what I saw. He was there all right. I heard him before I saw him, so I slowed the car and found that he was running next to my car. That can shock anyone. Anyway, I stopped, he stopped, let out a whistle, and looked at me. He scrambled off a few feet, stopped, let out a whistle, and went on his way. I drove on, turned around, and creeped up again. He found his favorite signpost, flew up on it, and started his morning ritual. I pulled up next to him, took a few shots, went up aways to turn around for a drivers side angle, and shot from across the road. I couldn't believe he stayed. I shot some video, shot a few more stills, and pushed my luck up a notch. I thought I might try some super-detailed shots with this tolerant quail, so I pulled up to about 5 feet away, turned off the car, and shot my heart out. He was incredible. He continued to whistle the entire time.

Of course, you can click on any photo to see the details!



The purple stain around his mouth is from mulberries. It was obvious, as his roosting tree I found him in after his morning session was next to a mulberry tree.










Thanks Bob! I REALLY enjoyed my time with you!

Video to come...

I'm Still Here!

I know, it's been awhile, 2 weeks, give or take, since I have posted. I've been really busy with the yard, and I haven't seen much lately. But I do have a few to share that has happened over the past couple of weeks:

A doe changing it's winter coat from shabby to chick!



A milkweed flowerball full of creatures!



Blue Grosbeak. Extremely rare! A lifer!



A Northern Mockingbird. Extremely elusive around these parts, so snapping a picture was a thrill!