Incoming!

Over the past couple of days many more avian visitors have arrived at Sweet Marsh. Of special interest this morning were scaup (greater scaup according to my app). Initially they did not stick around as I approached. Minutes later they were doing fly-bys with some landing.

Pre-emptive Mental Health Therapy

I have never hidden how nature/outdoor photography is my mental health therapy.

I shot this great blue heron picture early this morning, just before responsibility summoned. The picture is not good, but all that I got.

Tomorrow’s “Nature Fix” cannot come soon enough.

Thank you to the many good people I spent the day with. You mean much to me.

Winter Regulars on a Gray Day

Today’s drab, gray skies reduced my enthusiasm to get out with my camera. However, whether I like the cloudy skies or not, I did go exploring.

During my wandering I found…

Long Distance Views Of Early Arrivals

Our calendars show March 1, but what I saw at Sweet Marsh today suggested maybe we are later in the month since many bird species have arrived.

So far the following species have been documented at the marsh:

Spring Wildflowers and a Lucky Coyote

How ironic… within the past 10-days I looked for skunk cabbage and found none. Today I am sharing pics of the first wildflowers of the year (found today) as did a friend and fellow photographer who photographed his skunk cabbage elsewhere.

Skunk cabbage is a unique plant species. Skunk cabbage produce heat as they grow, sometimes their internal temperature is…

A Scream I Was Glad To Hear (A Positive Update!)

Back on February 17 I shared an image of a dead bald eagle in a ditch not far from an active eagle nest. My concern was the close proximity of the deceased bird to a proven active bald eagle nest. My question was… “Was the bird associated with the nest nearby?” And if the eagle was connected to the nest, what might happen to that nest and any eggs that may be there?

For the past 10-days several of us have been watching that nest and nobody has seen certain activity. Since the dead eagle was found we have had cold temperatures and plenty of…

Story in the Snow

My plan was to hike the snow-covered timber, but all progress stopped when I came across these snowshoe tracks in the snow.

The tracks in snow were not made by “modern” snowshoes. If I had to guess, I think these were “Huron” style traditional wood and webbing snowshoe tracks. While the shoes may be new, the style is not. That was what made this snowy path stand out.

I wonder what the story was behind the tracks. Seeing the story in the snow made me think of old days, maybe even days of black and white photography and weathered explorers. Was that what happened? I can only imagine.

Winter on Quarter Section Run at Brandt Park

Enjoy relaxing moments in winter along Quarter Section Run at Brandt Park in Denver, Iowa.

Winter on Quarter Section Run at Brandt Park

Random Finds

During my outdoor explorations today I found a few birds of interest.

- The End Of The Watch - Waverly’s Old Cottonwood Tree

One of Waverly's oldest and largest cottonwood trees will be taken down very soon. The tree is suffering from very poor health.

This video and photos memorializes the tree that has stood watch along the Cedar River for many, many years.

Expanding My Skills (This is a photo-geek post)

Lately I have been reading and watching YouTube videos to learn how I can, with little or no cost, use “Focus Stacking” on appropriate images.

Focus stacking involves…

Embrace the White

I don’t know of too many people who would rather have a winter snowstorm rather than the unseasonably mild conditions we enjoyed early this past week. Since we can’t do anything about the weather, I opted to enjoy the fresh, bright white landscape rather than complain about it.

My first photo shows the snow sticking to the north side of the trees. According to what my mother-in-law told me, we have…

Pretty For a Second

As a family member and I were traveling back and forth from the healing spot to the north, I noticed how pretty the heavy snow on conifers was. Then reality hit as I reached the highway. Oh my, what awful, miserable conditions. The pretty was gone and was replaced with weather ugly.

Not ICM, But Similar

Some photographers are experimenting with a technique called “Intentional Camera Movement” or “ICM".” ICM involves taking a long exposure and moving your camera slightly to record lines or shapes, depending how you move your camera. Your base image is often somewhat recognizable behind the lines.

When I have practiced ICM I mount my camera on a tripod resulting in my movements being close to straight lines.

Today, while flying my drone, I noticed how so many distinct shadows of trees in a timber almost appeared like ICM. The final image is recognizable with an additional pattern - similar to iCM.

Random Observations

Knowing the weather is supposed to cool down to normal temps, I again went searching for an over-achieving wildflower. While I did not find blossoms, I did find leaves that I would expect may get frost-nipped in the next few days. The plant species was the…

Nature News -

Today’s post features several topics.

1. Indicators of Spring - I did see and hear a small flock of red-winged blackbirds this morning. For some, the arrival of red-winged blackbirds is their sign of a pending springtime. I will go with that!

2. Since our avian neighbors have done so well the past days providing hints of a warmer season, I thought I would check for an over-achiever wildflower that might have popped up in the warm weather. So far I have struck out. But, I did find two crimson cup fungi showing their colors.

3. Sad news for the eagles in our area… A friend of mine notified me of a dead adult bald eagle within gliding distance of a huge nest visible from Highway 63. From what we can surmise, the eagle may have been attracted to a whitetail deer skeleton and probably was hit by a passing vehicle. I will watch the nest to see if their is any activity. My gut feeling is not good for this season.

4. Very Concerning News - Each of us should read and consider the impacts of this situation - An aquifer supplying water to three growing communities is losing water quantity faster than it can be replaced. Water is a finite asset. We must treat is as such. Check out this article.

A Day of Exploring and Yet Another Indicator of Spring

With temperatures unseasonably mild, I spent the day exploring in Northeast Iowa. One stop was to hike more of Coldwater Creek.

One Dead Goose Does Not Suggest An Outbreak

In a small area of open water where waterfowl have been concentrated this winter I found a dead Canada goose today. This one dead Canada goose alone does…

Another Indicator?

Yesterday I shared photo proof of a northern pintail I found already this spring (one of several). Was that a sign of an early spring? Today I add another possible indicator of the end of winter approaching. Swimming among mallards was a…

A Sign?

Does some of our wildlife know something us humans are unaware of? Today I found a half-dozen northern pintails at Sweet Marsh.

Has the worst of winter passed us and the ducks know it? I certainly hope so!