Off The List!

American Bald Eagles; Our National Symbol of Freedom...These majestic rapters have made an amazing come-back! They are being taken off the Endangered Species list this week, and are now under the Protected list. In the 1960's they were nearing extinction, as DDT was a common pesticide for farming, which became a major factor in the eagles decline. Their numbers reached so low that our Icon of Freedom could and would slip away forever if our government didn't react. Bald Eagles were placed on the Endangered List, thus protecting the species from harm, along with banning the use of DDT as a pesticide. Since then, and over 40 years later, the breeding pairs have reached nearly 10,000 across the U.S. compared to just 200 pairs in 1963. Although they are no longer endangered, they are still on the Protected List which makes it illegal to kill the bird.

In my own neck of the woods, there is a pair just a few miles away, who have successfully bred an eaglet this year. The nest is out of camera range for a decent shot, but I did catch some action when one flew into the cornfield, looking for food this past winter. I was parked across the road from the field, and the eagle soared right over me. It also swooped down next to some geese, who seemed to huddle close for protection, but the rapter was only after some nesting material such as corn husks for their giant nest in a nearby tree.

Screech Owls

Screech owls are so cool. They are the smallest of Illinois owls, measuring 8-9 inches in length. They have yellow eyes and prominent ear tufts which are not ears at all, just simply elongated feathers. There are 2 morphs, red and gray. They tend to adapt their colors to their environment as represented here with the tree bark for camouflage. Their large eyes are fixed in the skull, making it necessary to rotate their heads to change their view. They nest in tree cavities, or even nesting boxes if necessary. The Screech Owl got its name from the call that they make, usually at dusk. They also have a low whistling call, sometimes sounding like a horse whinny. They eat a diet of small rodents, insects, snakes, and sometimes other birds.

My Favorite Colors

Just because its pretty, its cute, and all of my favorite bold colors!

When I got this shot, I had been set up and waiting for a hummingbird to come by, which frequented these wild iris's one sunday morning (I never got the shot). I went back after work for a few days, trying to capture it, but instead, all I got was this cute lil bug.

Grand Opening: "Hannibal's Animals"

I wanted to change the name of my Blog for a while now, as I didn't think most people would "get" the old title, and the reference was getting tired, so I finally came up with my new blog name last week. I then created this header on Saturday. I posted the original shot that I used to "photoshop" the final product. A friend wanted to know if all the creatures in the header were my shots? Yes, and there were a total of 19 layers (individual pieces).

Creating this whole thing was a bit conflicting, because I wanted to put too much into it. I had to leave out a fox that I had posted before, because I just couldn't find a place for her. I hated to not represent the fox, because I actually have 3 deer in this, but perspective and placement just couldn't work. I wanted depth to the whole thing, so the buck turning the corner was a must. The white deer worked so well, even though it was the most grainy of them all, but I had to keep the dear butt-biting the squirrel. The fawn had to stay because of the butterfly and the raccoon just had to chase the hummingbird. The coyote was just tall enough so the fox couldn't go there either. I also had plenty of water creatures, but didn't have the environment, so those were the choices I made. If I had to critique my own stuff, I would have to point out that the shadows on some are wrong (on the originals), but I added shadowing here and there where it was needed.

Tell me what you think? I will change the blogger address officially to hannibalsanimals.blogspot.com next friday, so be prepared to change your bookmarks!

Great Blue Herons are reliable. I can find them most any time I want. I have shot so many over the years, yet I am not tired of them. I found this guy at Gebhard Woods among the blooming wild iris's, lotus flowers and lily pads and just loved the setting.
Great Blue Heron Facts: Largest North American heron. A common wading bird that nest in trees near bodies of water. Wing span of up to 70 inches. Adults have a white crown and face; black plume extending above eye to back of head, gray/blue body. Stands 38 inches tall.

The Red(Winged) Baron

I got these shots on my way home, and although these images are not clean, I liked the action. I'm just guessing, but I believe the hawk is a redtail, and of course the bomber is a red-winged blackbird. Why smaller birds mob larger birds is unclear to me, but just the nerve of those pesky birds is something to admire. I've seen smaller hawks eat bigger prey like cardinals, so I ask: What are they thinking?

Happy Fathers Day Dad!

I shot these Orioles on friday, and decided then, that that would be my Fathers Day Card. I made one for my Mom on Mothers Day, and was struggling with what I would do for Dad. I used geese and goslings for Mom, which turned out cute, but on the same theme, where would I find something appropriate for Dad? I thought of a buck photo I had, trying to go for that proud, handsome, strong Dad thing, but when I was shooting the sock nest with the Orioles, what I noticed was the male feeding the chicks much more frequently than the female. ( A ratio of 6 to 1 if I had to guess.)

So if you bloggers out there still don't know what I look like, I am the chick on the left. (click on the picture for larger view)