Back Out Shooting Photos

After a disappointing day of equipment failure yesterday, I found myself spending most of my morning running back and forth between different camera stores. Indeed I will be shipping my new 600mm lens back for service. The worst part about this is that I have a big bird watching trip planned for the Sax-Zim bog area on this coming Thursday! The mere thought of not having my lens with on this trip is heart-wrenching. So my next best option was to rent a lens. National Camera had just one of the very same model for my Nikon camera and today I took the rented lens to Palmer Lake Park. I was simply amazed at how well this one worked! In fact it was hard to remember when my own lens ever worked this well. Things were in focus and the vibration compensation feature was a dream. It makes me wonder if my own lens was slowly getting worse over time. Anyway, I was happy to have a working lens back this afternoon as I spotted a Pileated Woodpecker who was contently working on an Oak tree not far above me. This was on the paved trail on the north side where the majority of the Oaks are located in the park. I shot a LOT of photos of this male –note the red, not black "mustache" behind the bill– and enjoyed watching him for quite a long time. It's not often that I see them in the park and to be able to photograph the bird properly gave me such enjoyment. I was already experiencing bird photography withdrawals just knowing that I might not have as good a lens as I'd gotten used to. In fact I was having fun just pointing it at anything and seeing how sharp a shot I could get. Again it was dreary and misting today and everything was wet so the raindrops clinging to the trees were catching my eye. With most of our snow now gone from high temperatures (I believe we hit 50º today) I decided to hike out along Shingle Creek heading downstream. Here my friend had photographed a Mink earlier in the day. Indeed I did spot one running across the only thin ice that was left on the creek. But I was behind too much brush and could not get a clear shot. There was also a Doe followed by a younger Deer out in the field to my right. It was getting quite dark by this time but I had set my camera to 1250 ISO and then later to 1600 to try and compensate for the poor lighting. Earlier I also saw a large flock of Cedar Waxwings, a few Chickadees and I could hear what sounded like Tree Sparrows somewhere behind me.

Some More Rain for October

The on-again-off-again rainy weather we had yesterday decided to continue again today. Now that I've upgraded to such a larger camera, this type of weather makes it harder than any other to hike around the park taking photos. I've seriously thought about buying some kind of weather protection for my camera but I've procrastinated about it and instead carry a selection of large plastic bags with me instead. When I was on the south side overlooking the lake I could really see a swath of rain moving over the park and tried to capture it in a photo here. Things are still pretty green everywhere in the park but the cattails are showing just a tinge of rust coloring now that it's October. I saw a handful of interesting birds, of which most I didn't get a good photo of. These included a Least Flycatcher, House Wren, and a pair of mottled birds weaving through the grass that I'm pretty sure were two female Pheasants. There's also a few new mushrooms popping up here and there and though I really don't know any of them by name, they can still be fun to photograph. I've recently heard someone refer to these at "Tree Mushrooms" but I'm sure they have another name. I never realized until a few years ago that mushrooms that look the same as you find on the ground will grow right out the side of a tree. Now I see them quite frequently. Almost always they are growing out of a hole where a dead branch broke out, making me think that the spores are simply finding a good place to settle and grow. Later near the end of my walk I spotted one more bird that I tried to photograph but was moving quickly. I'm pretty sure this was a Nashville Warbler, of which I've only seen just once or twice at the park. So despite the less than favorable photo, I'm posting here anyway just because I have so few pics of this Warbler.

A Wet and Humid Sunday

This Sunday morning it had been raining just enough to get everything wet and also deter me from taking out my new camera. The new one is just too big (with the lens) to easily cover it up under my clothing to keep it dry if need be. So the only way I was going to get around the park today was with my much smaller and older point and shoot. When I arrived at the park the sky was still overcast and drizzling so I wrapped my raincoat around my waist in case the rain got heavy. The first thing I ran into was a Doe on the south side that other park goers were pointing out. She was right alongside the trail and I got some OK pics but it made me realize once again just how tricky my old camera really was. Unless using a tripod or leaning against something solid it's just very hard to get crisp and sharp details. I noticed that all the foliage had nice drops of moisture on them and figured I might try to focus more on that and other closeup shots -the one thing my old camera does very well! This first one is of raindrops on a Spotted Jewelweed (touch-me-not) plant. I really like the how the drops were glistening in the sun. Oh I forgot to mention that not even 1/4 of the way around, the sky cleared up completely and it began to warm up quickly, making my raincoat pretty pointless to have brought with. On the north side, in the same area I always look for them, I finally caught my first closeup glimpse of a Hummingbird this year. I've seen them already from distances, but not feeding low to the ground like this one. He was also feeding on the Jewelweed flowers and I snapped a few photos while he took just a quick break. It's neat to see Hummingbirds in action but I think it's also neat to see them perched. You really get an idea of just how small they are! Later I spotted another Doe and this time with two young fawns. They were back aways from the trail and I really couldn't get any decent photos. They fawns were quite young and still short enough hide well under the tall weeds. The wet and humid weather had brought out the Dragonflies, Turtles and even Toads. I caught this one on the edge of the paved trail.

A Good Day to Be a Duck

It just figures that it's been nice out for most of the work week but then come the weekend our weather turns sour. Rain and colder temps had been predicted for this Saturday so at least I was somewhat prepared. I've never minded going 'round the park in the rain as long as I'm dressed for it but now it's nearly impossible to bring my new camera with. It's just too large and bulky to keep from getting wet. So I had to really rough it today with my old point-n-shoot camera. On the south side I spotted male and female Blue-winged Teals in the tiny pond off the parking lot. I was able to get just a couple shots before remembering how easily these Ducks get spooked. They're nothing like a Mallard that you can walk right up to sometimes. Using my old camera again really made me appreciate my new one that much more. Later however when I spotted a patch of Marsh Marigolds, my old camera redeemed itself with it's ability to take macro photos -something I've not quite figured out yet with the new one. I don't know much about these flowers, only that they seem to thrive in fairly wet, swampy areas and I'm noticing them this year after a friend had pointed them out to me last year. Another plant with the very same background for me is the Jack-in-the-Pulpit and I spotted this one on my own today. It was in the same spot where it was also pointed out to me last year and I wonder if it could be the very same plant. Other than their uniquely vertical shape, the dead giveaway would be burgundy striped underside of the top leaf and this one happens to face directly away from the trail. Hopefully it doesn't get stepped on. Someone also recently told me that in the summer or fall they will get red berries that can be used to seed new plants so I'll have to keep watching for them.

Here comes the sun

Well, we made it one whole week without rain so I guess it was time again. We received about 3/4 of an inch overnight and this morning was all wet again. I actually took my rain jacket with me this time just in case it wasn't done yet -but of course I didn't need it. The sky was mostly overcast but changing quickly with a mixture of grey and darker areas. It seemed like nothing was quite ready to come out just yet except for this snail who I met on the trail. You can't tell from this photo but it was one of the largest ones I've ever seen at the park. I saw a Cardinal and just a handful of Song Sparrows and Goldfinches until I was more than half way around the park and the sun popped out. Shortly after I noticed a single Osprey over the lake and I figured I'd try to get a better photo of one today. I hiked a lot closer first, up to the water overlook by the railroad ties. There I waited over and over for him to circle closer to me. With my camera zoomed as far as it would go, it was tough to follow a flying bird but I did manage to catch a photo with just a bit more clarity. Then I cropped it even more on the computer and I almost think that I can see a band around his leg. This was the only Osprey I saw today though I've seen up to 3 at once before. I stayed on the wood chip trail on the way back to the parking lot and noticed a big, Black Swallowtail Butterfly among the wildflowers. I stood there just along the edge of the field as my camera focused and I could just feel the mosquitoes swarming my legs below. I held steady to snap just two photos before I could feel the bites coming on. As soon as I was satisfied I quickly went to swat away the mosquitoes but there must have been 10 to 15 of them already buried up to their head on each of my legs. I couldn't believe how bad they were. I think I have mosquito bites on top of mosquito bites!

Another few soakings

This Saturday it had already rained hard in the morning from about 8 to 9am. I waited this out before heading to the park thinking I'd be dry for at least the next hour -but I was wrong. Not too far into my walk I spotted a dark shape on the path that I thought was a piece of wood or something. Upon closer inspection it was Toad who probably came out to enjoy the wet weather. I tried to move him off the trail but he wouldn't budge even when I grabbed him so I let him be. About 20 minutes later I'd just crossed the straight part of the path on the north side when it began to down-pour yet again. I stood in a place under some trees and tried to wait it out, but the rain picked up in intensity and I found myself moving around looking for a drier spot. In a matter of minutes I was soaked from head to toe and still had 3/4 of the way to go. What a bummer. Amazingly the rain stopped almost as abruptly as it had started, the sky cleared completely and the sun came out full blast in just a matter of minutes. I noticed a Flickr bouncing around right on the paved path -probably looking for insects after the rain. As I was trying to get some shots, I could see movement behind me but paid little attention thinking it was just another park-goer. When the person that I thought was coming still hadn't passed me I turned around to realize it was a Doe. It looked like a young one but did not have any white fawn-spots. Later near the south side I spotted this Cardinal against the clear blue sky. I'm guessing it was a young female by it's rather grey-ish appearance, and it's only real recognizable feature being the large orange bill. The bird was clearly drying itself out in the bright sun -just as I was trying to do at the same time. Later in the day it rained yet a 3rd time in just one day!

Major flooding

Our weather this July has been unbelievably hot and humid. It seems that almost every day is 90+ with 70% or more humidity. We had one day last week where they said it was even more humid than it typically gets in the Everglades of Florida! So for that reason and some other travels, I've not made too many posts this month. I was away last weekend but I'd heard that the Twin Cities received some pretty intense rain. I think the city of Roseville measured 4 or 5 inches and there was even a part of a railroad track that washed out and derailed a train in Fridley, MN. I had no idea that the park was so severely flooded when I arrived on Wednesday evening. Long stretches of both the wood chip trails and even the paved path were completely underwater and impassable. I had to take a major detour around the ball fields on the west side. On one of the wood chip trails that wasn't flooded I found the Cooper's Hawk nest again. I couldn't see any chicks in the nest this time but as I was looking I scared up the parents who were both roosting further down below the nest. One flew along the trail and perched again just a little ways further down. I walked slowly right underneath it and paused just once to snap a quick pic. As I continued around I came across more and more flooding. For some odd reason I'd started on the north side and went counter-clockwise today which proved to put me in a predicament. Coming around the south east side, I found the paved trail completely flooded. There was literally no other way to get back to my vehicle -that is unless I wanted to walk along 69th Avenue. I decided to just go through the water versus backtracking. I couldn't tell how deep it was but I soon realized it was pretty close to the tops of my shoes and my feet were quickly soaked. After I'd gotten through, I came to yet another flooded portion of trail. Since I was already wet, I kept going and found this portion to be even deeper, way above my shoes. Yuck! In just minutes time I reeked of stale swamp water. Just before getting back to my vehicle, I noticed 5 or 6 Great Egrets hunting in the water which used to be the baseball fields. This is officially the highest water I've ever seen at the park.

Memorial Day Thunder and Rain

It had rained and stormed again overnight and when I arrived at the park this morning everything was still very wet. It was Memorial Day Monday and I was hoping things would dry out in time later for a picnic outside. That possibility was promising as the sun was peaking through periodically. With yet more rain I still stuck to the outer paved trails. Just after setting out I was able to spot a Yellow Warbler fairly close off the trail. I got to watch him sing while viewing him and this always helps me better remember their call in the future. It's a series of 3 to 4 high pitched "twicky-too" sounds -at least in my opinion. Near the north side I encountered another singing bird -a Song Sparrow. They sure sound a lot more like a brightly colored Warbler than the drab brown, speckled bird they are. They also seem to strain upward with every inch of energy they have when they call out their song. Kind of fun to watch. On the east side it had started to rain a little bit, then a bit more and I got nervous seeing as how I'd left my rain jacket behind. I picked up the pace but as I did, the thunder started rolling again. I even saw a bright flash of lightning as I was looking upwards for birds. I honestly thought it would not rain again but as I was back on the south side it began to pour down hard. I was getting really wet but paused as this open field because you could just see the rain in the air against the backdrop of trees.

Severe weather and flooding

Last Saturday we receive an inch of rain. Then on Sunday the 22nd another inch of rain came along with a Tornado that ripped through north Minneapolis. The tornado caused unbelievable damage to homes, buildings and especially trees. After moving through dense neighborhoods it continued northeast, hitting the North Mississippi River Regional Park extremely hard. Palmer Lake Park is just a few miles away -just far enough away to escape any damage. The only effect on the park is a fair amount of flooding from all the rain. I though I'd seen the highest water levels at the park last year but that doesn't even come close to this. Some of the wood chip trails -and even parts of the paved path were actually impassible this evening. Small plants that were growing along the trails are now completely submerged. It will be interesting to see if this will help or hurt the summer plant growth. On the north side of the park I heard a Pheasant crow and for once I actually spotted him upon hearing him. He was in the same place I'd spotted another during my last visit, walking along some low, scrubby trees just above the tall grass. I actually got to see him crow but wasn't fast enough to catch a photo in time. As I was coming back to the south side I noticed a couple of park goers staring at something inside the path. It took me a while to spot what they were watching but it was two young Bucks eating leaves off the trees. Both had an impressive set of thick velvety antlers. I tried for a long time to get them both in one shot but they were moving around too much and it was getting too dark for my camera as well. I wonder if these are the young ones born last Spring?

Hat and gloves one more time?

This Saturday morning followed the recent trend of cold and windy but with an added bonus of rain as well. Before I left the parking lot I'd actually decided to wear my winter hat -and was later thankful for it. Right away I spotted what I thought was a small group of Deer. As I went for my camera, they bolted forward quickly and then were followed by at least 6 or 7 more. The whole group actually ran right into and through the parking lot. Later, the cause of the alarm appeared to be a dog that wandered away from his owner. I saw roughly 15 or more Deer today and spotted another young Buck with new antlers. Right after the bridge on the north side I noticed a Wild Turkey in some thick brush. I was close enough for a photo but it stayed in the thickest parts moving in and out from behind trees. I decided to stalk him for a while hoping to get a better shot. Eventually he decided to move along and headed towards some more open areas. He would only pause for a second or two and only once or twice in an opening through the trees. It was ticking me off to be this close and not be getting a better shot so I followed him some more until he finally got to the edge of a field. There I paused motionless for long time and he walked right out in front of me and onto the trail. Wild Turkeys make the Deer in the park seem like tame pets in comparison. Any subtle movement on my part would have sent him running or flying off in a split second. The rest of my walk afterward was rainy as heck and my camera lens would not stay dry enough to even bother.

December Rain

After two days of higher temps, today the weather decide to change yet again -this time to rain. It had been drizzling lightly all morning, accelerating the snow melt to a noticeable degree. I decided to take the wood chip trail again in hopes of seeing the Owl in the same place as yesterday. To my surprise I did find him again a little further in this time. And this time I did walk up behind him, making him fly off within just a few seconds. I only got off three photos and this was sadly the best of them. I think it was the very same Owl from yesterday but looks different only because of the low light. As I continued, the steady drizzle collected in droplets on the trees. In the thick Buckthorn bushes it looked like tiny Christmas Tree lights. I found myself a bit unprepared later on as the drizzle turned into full on rain, then hard rain! After three to four rounds of this I found myself becoming absolutely soaked. I guess I should have chosen my raincoat over my winter jacket today.

Fall Flooding

Earlier in the week, we got half an inch of rain. Then mid-week almost the entire lower part of Minnesota was hit with huge amounts of rainfall. Amounts near ten inches were recorded in lower portions of the state but here in the Twin Cities metro area we received about two inches. I didn't think it was possible but water levels at the park have continued to rise. Since the path pretty much circles the outer edge of the lower-lying swamp, water is creeping outwardly towards the path in all directions. Though it's not a common sight on the trees yet, a few brightly colored signs of fall can be found here and there laying on the rich green grass. Even as it continued to rain this morning, birds were out in full force. I saw a Hawk, Cardinals, Catbirds, Robins, Chickadees, Coots, Downy Woodpeckers and even a Pileated Woodpecker in flight. But probably the most interesting bird I saw today were more Yellow Warblers. I don't know why I've never noticed them before but they are just everywhere now. Pretty sure I've only been seeing females as they are this odd colored dirty yellow, almost greenish-yellow on the belly. Interestingly I've noticed them more often near foliage of the very same color -which is especially prevalent now with many of the leaves in that "in-between" green and yellow stage. I watched this one for a while perform areal acrobatics usually reserved for Hummingbirds. It would leap upwards, hover mid-air and pick at these wispy leaves. I thought it was attracted to the plant itself but my field guide says it's diet is strictly insects. So maybe it was picking small bugs off the leaves. The wet weather has brought out the snails again. This one was half buried in water even on the path.

New Birds!

My first visit this September revealed two brand new birds I've not before seen in the park. That is, assuming I've correctly matched up my amateur photos with my field guide. This first one I'm still not that sure about but I think is a Female Red-breasted Grosbeak. I'm basing this almost purely on the white "eyebrow" patch across the eye along with it's otherwise drab, rust coloring. The shape of the beak does also fit, so I think this is right. I have seen the more obvious male Grosbeaks in the park before but have never managed a photo. Later on I spotted a super bright red patch among the green foliage and thought it was a foil bag or something. By the time I realized it was a Cardinal, I was too close and scared him off. As my camera was still focusing though, a small yellow bird popped out into view. At first I was sure it was just a female Goldfinch but upon closer inspection of the photo I'm pretty sure it's a Yellow Warbler. Both male and female Goldfinches have black wings and this one's wings were mostly the same yellow color. The shape of the bill is also more slender and narrow. Near the end of my walk I grabbed this pic from the water overlook. The water level is again nearly even with the lowest railroad tie due to two heavy rainfalls in the past week.

More wet weather

This June has been one of the wettest I can remember. I heard somewhere that it's rained the last 21 of 27 days or something like that. With lakes and rivers being down for a long time, it's about time for another 10-year cycle into wetter weather. Dark rain clouds loomed overhead threatening to dump even more rain on the already saturated ground. There was a whole lot of nothin' movin' around in the park tonight except for another Hummingbird in the very same dead tree as last week. I took a few more pics which weren't any better than last week. On the south side I noticed a few clumps of these yellowish fungus. They looked more like they should be underwater in a deep blue ocean than growing on a trail of woodchips in central Minnesota. Having seen mutlitudes of various fungi at Palmer Lake, I'm guessing they present just as much or more to learn about than the all the species of Minnesota birds. Before leaving, I noticed that the tall clumps of grass that were resting stops for ducks, geese and swans this spring are now nearly underwater. At this point the water is for sure higher than when I went Kayaking back in mid-May.

Unexpected sights

I skipped the wood chip trail today in favor of the pavement as it's seriously just too wet and muddy lately. On a part of the paved trail I would have normally passed, I noticed this odd looking, down covered bird high up in a tree. The only thing really recognizable was the fat, red beak which means it must be an adolescent Cardinal. I still can't tell whether male or female, though there was a hint of red in it's wings. Though it wasn't raining today, everything is saturated with moisture from our persistent rainy weather. I don't know why but water droplets seem to stay nice and neat on the tall wild grass even long after a rainfall. On the south side I stopped to take some more pictures of another squawking Catbird when I noticed a little fur-ball scurrying around on the wood chip trail. It was winter time when I'd last seen a Vole so it was kind of cool to see another in late Spring. Like last time, I was able to quietly walk right up to him and get some closeups as he quietly munched upon some dead oak leaves from last season. I get the feeling they hear or sense movement better than see it. Just reading in my Mammals of Minnesota Field Guide by Stan Tekiela that there are at least 3 kinds of voles -and this is likely a "Meadow Vole."

Yet more rain

Surprisingly it was not raining as I set out Saturday morning but that only lasted so long. On the northeast side I spotted a single Doe near the Buckthorn trees. She stayed mostly out of sight, only just peaking at me from behind the leaves. The park was extra still and I think all the wildlife is just trying to wait out the rain -which came once again about 30 minutes into my walk. The water levels in the park are becoming extraordinarily high -noticeably higher even than when I went out kayaking in mid-May. I may just have to go again if it keeps up! The only thing moving after the rain started were Red-winged Blackbirds. I wish I'd had a better camera as this one looked right at me while the rain streaked down.

Spring Soaker

Our rainy weather has been continuing but when I arrived at the park Wednesday evening it was only somewhat overcast. Stupidly I left my rain jacket in the truck, opting for only my hooded sweatshirt and baseball cap. On the first wood chip trail I noticed a small speckled egg that was more or less intact. After searching the closest pine tree for a bit I found a nest with another similar egg still in it. Not sure if it would it make it or not but I added the egg back into the nest anyway. On the north side a bright orange bird caught my attention as it landed in a tall, thick tree. This was only the second time I've seen a Baltimore Oriole in the park and I waited around forever trying to get a picture. As it hopped around in the tree I noticed a second one but neither of them ever came out into plain view. While I'd been standing there for a while I noticed the southern sky getting darker and darker. It had a definite look of rain and I realized at that point I was probably going to get wet later. I hurried along quickly and stopped only once when I noticed a couple of deer about twenty minutes later. I got one decent shot of this young buck before it disappeared into the cattails. And then came the rain. Harder than I've ever seen at the park for sure and I was getting soaked fast. There was nowhere to go but in the woods. I found the most dense trees above that I could and stood there for a good 15 minutes while it just poured. When I moved just one foot to either the left or right I'd get even more wet so I just waited it out in the same place. By the time I got home I could have wrung out my sweatshirt like a sponge.