Five Challenges Completed

After I had photographed a green heron this morning - a bird I see frequently but do not necessarily document - I then photographed a rough-winged swallow in an unusual pose. I sensed a pattern of “difficult compositions” being recorded. I wondered if my morning would be two and done or would there be more.

Then I had not one, but two eastern…

Scrambled Eggs or Dog Vomit?

I seldom tour the Wapsipinicon River at slow speed in my boat. Usually I am trolling a lure behind the boat or moving at a quicker speed. Today though I ran my motor at idle speed in hopes of seeing more things to study. Considerable time passed when going upstream and back downstream with very little outboard power. The effort was worthwhile as I saw more than I usually do by boat.

At one point I drifted into a couple of downed trees where I was watching birds. Up and to my right I noticed what I thought was a bright yellow mushroom. Of course I had to check it out and found the tree was hosting at least four “parasites” in the form of…

Not a Monoculture Environment

For those who strive for a perfectly manicured yard where pollinators find no blossoms, no pollen, and no nectar, I am sure a segment of our property is their worst nightmare. Several years ago we sprinkled wildflower and grass seeds across what used to be cropland. From a distance the foliage appears unkempt at best and a possibly a…

A Pee Shooter? (Do Not Click or Scroll Away)

While out loosening my arm today, as I was shooting pictures of a prothonotary warbler, I noticed a large spider crawling on my GoPro camera. Of course my attention promptly switched from the bird to the spider that was so close. I quickly transitioned from shooting “farther away” wildlife to macro…

“There are Cactus in Iowa?”

Early this morning I was talking to a buddy about what he and I were doing today. When I explained that my activities planned for the day included finding a cactus to photograph, he replied with “There are cactus in Iowa?” Well, the answer is yes, there are cacti in Iowa, but probably…

Welcome Back!

More than three years have passed since I last saw a Graham’s crayfish snake. This species of snake is considered a “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” and it is illegal to kill or collect this species in Iowa. After not seeing a Graham’s crayfish snake for several years I was concerned…

Motion in Basketball and Sad Irony

Kristy and I, along with a bunch of other people, watched young folks play basketball today. Before we left home I grabbed a smaller camera to document the action without giving thought to the low light capabilities. After struggling to make the camera do what it was not capable of doing, I decided instead to capture action. If I moved the camera at the same speed as my basketball player, I should be able to record some sense of a sharpness on that person only with the remainder of the frame blurred. My theory worked a few times, as shown here. I almost like this style more than just freezing the action.

On a different note… After leaving the basketball tournament I learned that a friend of mine - a fellow I visited last night at the Hospice House - died late this morning. We first met decades ago with a birding interest. Then we worked together - him in Public Health and me in Emergency Management. Now that we were both retired we were back to birding and wildflowers. Losing this friend really hurts. I knew it was coming, but not this quick.

Ironically, when we returned home I heard for the first time a male dickcissel calling in our small prairie. I am sure my buddy would be as excited as I was. Sadly, I cannot tell him.

River Rat in the Making

We enjoyed the company of this young fellow and his sister for part of today - mostly the rainy part of the day. While watching the radar I noticed a break in rain - maybe 15 or 20-minutes of a “dry” period. He and I promptly scooped water out of the boat and then pulled it off the river. He is great help, although not always excited about these weather event preparation efforts under less than ideal conditions. I appreciate his help!

I would welcome a pause in the rain for a while. But, when it is here the dramatic clouds have been fascinating.

I Got a Little High Today

During today’s exploration I got a little high when I spent time at the top of the observation tower at Pilot Knob State Park. This was a first visit for me, so I had no idea what to expect. Like nearly all of Iowa right now, the mosquitoes were miserable. Otherwise the park was very nice. Dramatic clouds…

“Oh Kip, I am so dizzy” Ray Reinke 9-24-1991

A recent social media post and a conversation with a friend indicated for the first time in years I may be able to boat from our cabin to the old Highway 63 bridge on the Wapsipinicon River. Such an effort has not been possible for many, many years due to downed trees cluttering up the river. Paddling a canoe or kayak was possible, but not boating. Today I went to learn if I could get my boat to the Bremer/Chickasaw County Line via the river.

For many years I did what I could to keep a path open on the river. In fact, I wore my chainsaw out cutting trees that were wet, dirty, muddy, and often partially submerged. To get to the old bridge with a boat would be no small undertaking. But, according to the social media post, a couple of good fellows had really opened the path and my buddy confirmed it after paddling it last weekend. So, with my old fishing boat I headed upstream. How far would I get?

After moving upstream beyond the typical boating range I tilted my motor and ran at idle…

“He Just Ain’t Right”

As one wildlife interaction after another presented themselves today, I thought of how a friend might respond to my photos. I can hear one, maybe two commenting “He just ain’t right” when they see some of the pictures I came home with.

To prove them wrong, I will mix…

It’s A Good Thing I Am Working For Myself

As I paused from my tasks at home for the “who knows which time” today, I thought how it was good I was working for myself. Most of the work stoppages were this afternoon when I noticed butterflies (monarchs and black swallowtails) floating around our wildflowers. This morning my distractions were dew-covered vegetation - native and non-native.

These were some of my justifications for not getting as much done as might have been expected.

“Hit It Dixie”

“Hit it Dixie” was what I heard several times today as Grandma and I enjoyed several adventures with a couple of the grandkids.

Our travels included:

• Driving the Jeep without the top and doors to Decorah where we hiked and explored around Dunnings Spring. (We got “Ducked” too!)

• Following the waterfall we then went to the trout hatchery where we fed fish and learned about trout.

• Next we went to Echo Valley State Park where we…

Enhanced with Moisturizer

During a break in today’s rain I went out to look around at the blossoms in our CRP field. As expected, many of the plants were enhanced by the 1.25” of moisturizer we received in a fairly short amount of time.

Not only did I find raindrops on blossoms, but I also found plants in bloom that were not this far along only a day or two ago. Out wildflowers are growing as fast as the corn and beans around us!

Beautiful Simplicity

Overnight our pink rain lilies bloomed (again). Their simple beauty and attractive color make this such an attractive flower. Rather than give them an extended passing glance I decided to pause to shoot a few compositions of the flowers. The compositions varied from traditional to high key. I like them all.

Happy Birthday USA (a few hours early)

Celebrating began early at cabinland over the Wapsipinicon River. Good job guys!

Blessings

This day was one of blessings for which I am so thankful. Allow me to explain.

A family member and I have spent much of the week at the great healing spot to the north. This was not a routine visit alone, but also included an equipment upgrade. We very much underestimated the length of time the surgery was going to take resulting in me looking for my photos of the day while being emotionally distracted by the more important activity underway.

As I passed time in the courtyard, I intentionally parked myself near the cultivated flowers on the border. There I found wax begonias and Chinese astilbe blooms. No, neither is native, but still, when you are in a concrete jungle even cultivated plants are special.

I mentioned being emotionally detached due to the importance of the surgery when the plant pictures were made. Later, after we returned to the hotel, I remembered there might be one of my favorite paintings that features aspen trees. I found that painting on the third floor, near the elevator. I really like this painting!

Photography Challenge - Long Lens With and Without Extension Tubes

As my morning explorations began I decided that as much as possible I would use only my longest lens for photos. My hopes were to find dragonflies and damselflies that would, with an extension tube on my…

Now This Is Interesting Stuff

During my early morning wanderings I saw (and photographed) a couple of birds. Perhaps my surprise for the day was finding an unusual jelly fungi and this colorful red raspberry slime mold. I wonder how many times I have overlooked this stuff. Or, how many other interesting “wild” creatures have I not seen?

Please check the captions for ID details.

After 3” of Rain and Before

Just like that the sky opened up and 90-minutes or so later we had 3” of rain in our rain gauge. Along with the mess of so much rain coming so quickly we enjoyed a beautiful double rainbow. I knew my lenses were not wide enough to capture the entire rainbow, but with my drone it did a fairly decent job of capturing the moment.

While I had the drone in the air I also recorded a “Globe” view of our wet, little spot on the dirtball called earth. The second globe picture shows the rainbow.

With my Nikon camera I photographed clouds floating in front of the rainbow. The scene reminded me of something our daughter used to have when she was a child. Maybe it was one of her “My Little Pony” toys?

Before the rain I photographed mushrooms and a bullfrog along the river.