WARNING - Graphic!

Road-kill Collateral Damage

Once again a bald eagle was killed as a result of feeding on a road-killed whitetail deer along a local highway.

A Bremer County deputy and I were hopeful we would be rescuing an injured eagle, but that was not the case. At the death scene, in addition to the whitetail deer - a doe - was the dead bald eagle and two dead whitetail deer fetuses.

If motorists wonder why I frequently remove animals from the highway, it is to prevent these situations.

To bring this post something positive, I am including images of eagles photographed not far from the death scene.

A “Busy With Birds” Day

Seldom do I know what to expect for my days. I might start out with one project and find several other opportunities altering the trajectory of the day. Today was such a day.

According to the radar, the winter storm was supposed to be winding down early this morning, so I went out in search of featured creatures. I found bald eagles - many bald eagles - in trees and catching fish. With the bald eagles were ring-billed gulls catching smaller fish. I also found common mergansers and many American robins.

After I returned home I received notification of a downed bald eagle. The bird had been observed entering the open water of a pond to maintain distance between my buddy and the bird. My buddy assembled a team of assistants to prevent any additional water entries. I lined up the necessary gear for the capture and a transfer of care to Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project.

It was a busy day!

Weathering the Weather - Two Viewpoints

Whether we approve of the weather this weekend or not, soon we will be treated to wind and snow on top of the rain and ice that fell earlier today. It would be tempting to hunker down on the couch inside to avoid the misery. But, I had to go out to “see” our outdoor landscape and wildlife. Ugly conditions or not, I found plenty to photograph. I will divide this post into “Wildlife” and “Scenery” views of weathering the weather.

Wildlife

Holding Patterns?

I don’t know if it was due to yesterday’s weather, today’s weather, more open water, or something else, but the avian activity at Sweet Marsh was much subdued this morning compared to…

Priorities

Since today was a trip north with a family member, my outdoor time was limited to a few minutes around our farm.

Two adult bald eagles were in the field near us. This was the closest bird.

I hope for more outdoor time tomorrow, but am thankful trips north are still needed. I will trade outdoor time for family time.

Pushing Their Way Upwards

Even though the calendar is showing only mid-March, and even though we have a Winter Storm Watch issued for this weekend, some spring wildflowers are working their way toward sunshine.

I was out looking today for other early wildflowers, but found none. Instead of going home without images, I opted to look around for more skunk cabbage plants since my last visit. I found quite a few and photographed some that I share here.

Continuation of a Great Morning

In yesterday’s post I shared close encounters with common goldeneyes, trumpeter swans, and a mink. But, that was not all I enjoyed at close range. I had many ducks…

Close Encounters of the Nature Type - X2

During my morning walk at Sweet Marsh this morning I had two close encounters with wildlife that I did not expect.

Encounter #1 - I was photographing a pair of trumpeter swans that were checking out a muskrat mound, maybe for future nesting.

Marsh Sightings

Unlike yesterday morning when I did not get out until late morning, today I was out walking at Sweet Marsh shortly after sunrise. The sky and marsh were filled with waterfowl as marsh mammals moved around on the still water. As I shot photos and hiked the dikes you could see…

Reasons Why

Back in May of 2024, as I was working in the far reaches of our yard, I heard a very soft, very weak, very sorrowful “meow” coming from our pollinator habitat. After a bit of searching I found the source - two young (so young) kittens that I wasn’t even sure if they were weaned. One kitten was calico-colored and one was black and white with a black heart on his white side. It is important to share that prior to the arrival of these kittens, I despised cats. These two though, were entirely dependent on Kristy and me. We could not let them starve.

Our intent was to limit these cats to mousing around the farm - living outside in the elements. Both did a good job with the female being far more effective than the male. After the vet removed his junk he became considerably more lazy and certainly a friendly cat.

We recognized an outside lifestyle posed risks to the cats. Passing vehicles, coyotes and foxes, and bald eagles were identified as the biggest threats. We were accepting of the risks, or so we thought.

This past fall another adult cat began stopping by. The female did not like that cat, but our male seemed to fall in love (even though he had nothing to work with). The wanderer led our male…

Observations On A Cold, Windy, Gray Day At Sweet Marsh

When it came time to go outside today I was hesitant. After warm days I could not get excited about getting chilled. Still, I went out for my walk at Sweet Marsh and saw plenty.

In the waterfowl category, most species have arrived. Some are present in impressive numbers while others have many in the area. As happens during migration, conditions change every day.

T-Max with Some Color

Back in the old days, when I was shooting film cameras, I would occasionally load a roll of Kodak T-Max film. T-Max was a popular black and white film with an interesting grain pattern. Shooting monochrome film challenged my “vision” and taught me how to “see” compositions differently - even with color in the scene.

During today’s eerie weather - warm, damp, fog that almost looked like blowing snow - triggered thoughts of T-Max and how my scenes might look without color. Following are some samples of my version of digital T-Max film.

Uncertainty

Today an alert motorist noticed this young trumpeter swan sitting on snow in a ditch in a rural area of the county. That person notified a county conservation staff member who called me to ask for assistance for the bird. Together we quickly had the swan captured and headed for Terese at Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project. Once there a test for avian influenza was performed with a negative result. Sadly, the young swan’s posture suggests a spinal injury. The bird was found in the opposite ditch from power lines. Time will tell for this young swan.

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.