Trumpeter Swans, et al.

It's been months since I posted photos on this blog. During that time, I've been to the Horicon Marsh near Waupun, Wisconsin, the Thiensville, Wisconsin dam, a bridge in Grafton, and Villa Grove Park in Mequon. With the exception of the pics from Horicon, the rest were taken in Mequon, Thiensville and Grafton.

 On Route 49 in the area that has the Horicon Marsh on both sides of the road, I saw this group of Trumpeter Swans and their five Cygnets some distance away. To my great surprise, they swam toward me as though they expected me to feed them. The Cob and Pen casually climbed unto the grassy area adjacent to the road while their Cygnets swam nearby, testing their wings for the flight that was in their near future.

On another day cruising Rte. 49, I saw this gathering of Egrets and White Pelicans feeding together in great numbers, something new to me, and I snapped as many photos that the weather conditions and distance allowed.

These shots made great card covers!

 Back at Villa Grove Park one very early morning I took what I thought at first would be very boring shots of a lone Blue Heron fishing in the Milwaukee River. A little bit of editing produced more dramatic results.

This young Blue Heron below was standing quietly (and fearlessly) next to the Grafton bridge near the Art Mill shops amidst the rushing water when I took this shot as he jumped to a safer perch:

The Thiensville dam area located adjacent to the Thiensville Police Station has been a great source of subject matter for me. All of the following photos were taken there within the last couple of months:

The above photo is of the path that runs from the parking area of the dam to the small pond at Shully's Catering.

A Cedar Waxwing took time off from hunting the insects on the river. The birds gather in great numbers in the morning for their feeding.

The flowers along the path are unbelievable this time of year.

There are two Kingfisher birds that claim the area near the dam and I was lucky to get these shots of one diving for breakfast. They are extremely fast (and shy) and the water shot below is all I could get once it made impact.

But I managed to capture its flight to the opposite side of the river to finish breakfast.

In almost the same spot of the river, I was startled to see this Osprey fly to a tree close by and perch for a short time before flying away for more hunting. And then, a second Osprey flew quickly by me before I could get a shot. It's possible they were parent and fledgling migrating or just vacationing.

The next day, I caught a glimpse of possibly the same Osprey hovering high above the river as he considered his chance of catching a fish below.









This is a great time to get out and enjoy the many gifts of nature so close to where we live. Take a seat at one of the areas above and just be patient. You will be rewarded!

"The Who" Part 2

Four days after I posted the series of photos showing Mama Barred Owl feeding one of the owlets, I went back into the wooded area they call home (for now) to make sure they were all still there.

Suddenly, after looking everywhere and not spotting any of the owls, Mama flew onto the scene with a dark object in her talons and ducked into the woods. I followed her and luckily came across Mama feeding her prey to one and then two of the owlets. The third owlet was nearby but was reluctant to make the short flight required to join the family at dinner.

I was able to watch the dinner scene in its entirety:

                                         The two kids jockeyed for position and one actually
                                         fell, unharmed, off the branch.

The remaining owlet enjoyed the plat du jour consisting of a duck of some kind, possibly a wood duck. You can see the dangling webbed foot.

                          Eventually, owlet #2 made it back to the dinner branch.

                   

                           

 When mom got tired of serving dinner, she took off to rest and watch her favorite TV show, "Who's Your Mama?" followed by, "America's Got Talons."

                                     







                                                                                    

The Who

Thanks to bird-loving friends, John & Cathy, I was invited to check out the Barred Owl nest on their Mequon property.

Barred Owls are the ones whose call sounds like, "Who cooks for you?" Or, where I'm from, "Who cooks for y'all?" The "barred" name comes from their horizontally barred chest and their vertically streaked belly.

The nest was in a hole in a tree and two owlets were still in the nest; one was already out when I got there.

Mom was in a nearby tree watching over her kids.

I was able to catch a family shot later.  (Barred owls stay with mom for about 6 months or more until they go to trade school, marry or commit owl crimes and go to barred cells.)

One was ready to leave the nest in a few days.

 They have a sad visage and soft, brown eyes.

After  a few days passed, all of the owlets were out and it became harder and harder to locate them.
 I was fortunate to get these shots of Mom feeding one of the owlets. I think it was a chipmunk.

Today I was there and could only find one of the owlets alone on a high perch.

Maybe the mom is getting used to having me stalk them with my camera, because she didn't seem to mind when I spotted her on the ground, where she stared at me for a while and then flew deep into the woods where I lost sight of her.

 After a while, I saw her looking back at me.

 Barred Owls have perfect markings for hiding in the woods, where they swoop down on their prey in silent flight. Can you see her in this photo?

I suspect that in a few days I might not be able to spot the owlets because they'll start shedding their baby feathers and will be flying to other hiding places.

Bald Eagles 2017

I recently traveled to the Davenport, Iowa area to check out the winter arrival of Bald Eagles. During a stop at the Davenport Visitors Center, I learned that several eagles have been sighted at Lock & Dam #14 located in Pleasant Valley, Iowa about 10 miles from Davenport.

What a great tip! This location has a fairly large parking lot adjacent to the dam, a clean restroom facility, and, most importantly, a user-friendly boardwalk next to the water where there's room for many photographers to set up their gear with lots of space to share with others.

When my wife and I arrived, there were at least ten eagles in trees, waiting for the opportune time to hunt fish.

The first thing I noticed was this pair of eagles posing for us in a nearby tree. Eagles mate for life, and I imagined that this was a nesting pair either passing through or establishing a nest in the area.

And then the eagles started their hunt:

Luckily for us, a photographer had set up an ice chest loaded with dead fish.  Using a large syringe, he pumped a fish full of air so that the fish would float, enticing the eagles to leave their roost and make their strike for an easy meal.

Their accuracy was admirable, and they seldom missed the target.

One enterprising juvenile eagle caught the biggest fish, and it was not one of the dead ones.

These eagles were not bashful and were totally willing to fly close to the area where photographers gathered.

                   

                       A juvenile and adult eagle performed their acrobatic flight in tandem for us.


I spent several hours at the dam and I met photographers from Illinois, Michigan and Georgia. I had great conversations with them about gear and techniques and I learned a lot, especially about wearing proper winter clothing. I had a lot to learn about that!

I encourage everyone to make the 3 1/2 hour trip to Davenport during the eagle season. You can stop for lunch at Flynnies Diner in Dixon, Illinois (free home-made warm cinnamon buns!) and also visit the house where Ronald Reagan grew up. Yahoo!