Egret, Heron, etc.

Update: My last blog about the Sandhill Crane family on Wasaukee Road contained photos of the Sandhill "colt" (correct term for the chick). I followed the colt's progress for many days and noted its quick growth spurt, realizing that it wouldn't be long before the crane family would leave the confines of their colt's birth home for more open fields and better food supplies.

The photos below of the colt stretching his/her wings was the last I would take because the next day the family was gone. And like all kids he/she doesn't write, doesn't call.

After being mired in the throes of depression over the loss of the Sandhills , lo and behold, I saw a Great Egret in the pond located a short distance from where the Sandhills were nesting.

The Great Egret is slightly smaller than the Great Blue Heron and hunts for food in similar fashion, spearing fish and other aquatic critters with amazing speed and accuracy. The Great Egret was almost hunted to extinction for its plumes in the late 19th century but has come back fairly strong, thanks to conservation laws that were enacted. I haven't seen many Egrets in our area so I was very happy that this one stayed for about two weeks before moving on.

                                                                                                         

          

The Great Blue Heron has been plentiful in this area and the photos below were taken in Cedarburg  and Mequon. The "dancing" heron photo below was taken from the bridge overlooking Cedar Creek in Cedarburg.

 

Above photo and following photos were taken at the Essex Place pond in Mequon.

 

 

Note: Information regarding the Great Egret shamelessly taken from Cornell Ornithology website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes are those huge stork-like birds that resemble Great Blue Herons and have a noisy "clack-clack" call that can be heard from afar. The adult Sandhill has a six to seven foot wingspan and although they are very tall they weigh less than 12 lbs. A bright red patch on the crest of their heads makes them stand out.

While searching for Sandhills in flight, I came across a small clearing on Wasaukee Road just north of Donges Bay Road and spotted two Sandhill Cranes and their chick. For the next week or so I kept going back for photos.

 

The chick was probably born in May and by late July or so it will be able to fly. It learns quickly how to dig for grubs and worms by watching the adults and also by getting food directly from them.






                                                                                     

                         

Before long, the chick begins to show evidence of changing from "fluff" to actual wings. It also begins to stretch and exercise.

 

 

When the Sandhill displays its wings it's reminiscent of the wings of angels.

 

 

 

 

                   
                    The Sandhill in flight resembles the Great Blue Heron and is an awesome sight.

At one point, the Sandhill family crossed the road into a more vegetated area and I thought I had seen the last of them, but the next day they were back at their clearing.

Moab, Utah

Moab, Utah, located in the southeastern quadrant of the state, is the perfect place to explore three of the most beautiful parks in the United States---Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Dead Horse Point State Park.

We recently spent eight unbelievable days doing just that, staying at the Red Cliffs Lodge near Moab and taking early morning and late afternoon trips to the parks in order to take advantage of the optimum light conditions.

The above photo was taken one early morning at Dead Horse Point State Park. This scenic view is one of the most photographed in the world.

We were hesitant to drive to the park during a light rainfall at sunrise but were rewarded by this spectacular sight.

 

 

The following shots reflect the changing landscape at Dead Horse Point. (Use Google to find out the origin of the name.)

Take a guess how Arches National Park got its name. There are over 2,000 natural arches within the park. Here are a few:

Balanced Rock in Arches Park is fascinating in the daytime and at night.  We were there during a full moon and it only took me about 100 tries before I got this "just okay" shot:

This is what it looks like at sunset: 

Other pics at Arches:

Canyonlands National Park is located near Dead Horse Point and also has wonderful scenic viewpoint as well as hiking trails. Mesa Arch is located there:

 

                                                                     (Above) Another Canyonlands viewpoint.                        

The Priest and the Nun formation (left) is not in any parks---just along one of the many highways near our resort, as is Fisher Tower (below), site of many a western movie location.

Final word:

I took over 1,000 photos during this trip. Unless you leave $10.00 in a duct-taped mayonnaise jar at my doorstep, I will send all of the photos for you to watch.

 

Peregrine Falcon in Wisconsin

The Latin word for the Peregrine is "peregrinus" which means "wanderer," no doubt because the Peregrine is found worldwide except in Antarctica.  Another name for the Peregrine is "Duck Hawk."

The Peregrine is about the size of a crow, weighs around 2 lbs. and has a wing span of 3 1/2 ft.  As with most predator birds, the female is larger. The most distinctive features of the Peregrine are its yellow eye-rings and yellow legs.

The Peregrine photos shown here were taken recently at the nesting box located atop the power plant in Port Washington, WI on the southeast side of the building. It can easily be seen from the parking lot located on the south side of the plant.

 

                                     

                                             
Note the bands on the legs of the bird in the photo above. Some research last year concluded that the Peregrines using this nesting box were originally tagged in Indiana.

When the Peregrine dives to catch its prey (birds, bats, ducks) it can reach a speed of 200 mph and is considered the fastest bird in the world.

I was lucky to photograph one of the Peregrines returning from a hunt with a small bird in its talons.






                                                   

                                          From the looks of it, their dinner didn't fare well.

                                      Looks like the female took the lion's share and

                                   ran away.

 

 

WARNING!

Sexually explicit photo of bird sex follows. Send the kids to their rooms.

 Take my word for it...the above photo depicts our two birds having sex. They hid their passion well behind that pulley. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the shot of them sharing a cigarette afterwards.

 

 

 

                                               
In the mid 20th century, the Peregrine was almost eradicated because of the prevalence of  DDT but it has made a steady comeback since the pesticide was banned. Wisconsin is lucky to have this nesting box and others elsewhere in the state. Look for it the next time you visit Port Washington.