Thursday, January 22, 2009
Snowy Scenery
The landscapes surrounding a cooling lake makes for some interesting textures, caused by the steam that comes off the warm water.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Feast or Famine
Wildlife photography.
It's a fickle hobby.
Feast AND famine.
The famine is that I can't find anything but eagles to shoot.
So, right now, I feast on Bald Eagles.
The deep freeze has brought them to me in good numbers.
As a matter of fact, I have never seen so many at my watering hole before.
I counted 12 the other day, with 2 being about the average, that I would see.
It's a fickle hobby.
Feast AND famine.
The famine is that I can't find anything but eagles to shoot.
So, right now, I feast on Bald Eagles.
The deep freeze has brought them to me in good numbers.
As a matter of fact, I have never seen so many at my watering hole before.
I counted 12 the other day, with 2 being about the average, that I would see.
Monday, January 19, 2009
It's Not Much to Report, But it's Something...
Yeah, I know, another eagle. But...This one is special. I didn't go to Iowa for this one, it was a local. We do have locals around, about a handful, but to find this one in such a strange location makes it a good find.
Perching on a dead tree, which was kinda pleasing to the eye, under a clear blue sky, off the beaten path, among the snow covered corn fields, the bald eagle was a treat to capture digitally. He let me approach pretty close, but yet, not too close. I think we all know where bird boundaries are, so I kept a slight distance for comfort.
And Fred, if you are reading, he was on your road near the natural gas pipe area.
Perching on a dead tree, which was kinda pleasing to the eye, under a clear blue sky, off the beaten path, among the snow covered corn fields, the bald eagle was a treat to capture digitally. He let me approach pretty close, but yet, not too close. I think we all know where bird boundaries are, so I kept a slight distance for comfort.
And Fred, if you are reading, he was on your road near the natural gas pipe area.
Monday, January 5, 2009
A Trip to the Mighty Mississippi
Deciding what to do over the weekend resulted in a trip to the border. The state of Illinois' west ridge boundary stops at the Mississippi River. A great avenue for bald eagles, the trip took 3 hours to make.
Any chicagoland birder can tell you Locks 13 and 14 will produce hundreds of eagles, numbers peaking in January and February. I counted 99 in this image.
The sky was perfect! The temperature was not!
Our first stop was lock 14 where, believe it or not, the parking lot provides the closest views. This shot proves the theory.
It was a great day and well worth the trip, although I couldn't get home fast enough, it was a long thaw getting home.
Any chicagoland birder can tell you Locks 13 and 14 will produce hundreds of eagles, numbers peaking in January and February. I counted 99 in this image.
The sky was perfect! The temperature was not!
Our first stop was lock 14 where, believe it or not, the parking lot provides the closest views. This shot proves the theory.
It was a great day and well worth the trip, although I couldn't get home fast enough, it was a long thaw getting home.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Kestral Hunting
Walking a path lead me to a Kestral perched at the top of a sapling. I froze and lifted my lens. Of course it flew, but what I didn't expect was for it to rise up and flutter over some unlucky rodent. It was pretty cool to be so close and watch.
She never did snatch her prey, but the show lasted for at least a minute or so, before she selected a new area to hover over.
It was the coolest thing to happen to me so far this year!
She never did snatch her prey, but the show lasted for at least a minute or so, before she selected a new area to hover over.
It was the coolest thing to happen to me so far this year!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
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