Have Lens Will Travel

Well, after having my new Tamron 600mm lens since July, I think I've finally found some settings I can rely on for decent images. It's been quite a learning curve since it arrived. With my old 300mm lens I typically shot everything in auto-mode. I know, I know, but I've honestly never had a single photography class and don't understand that much about photography. The reason I got into it at all was simply to record which birds I'd seen and to learn new ones. But with my new lens I was inadvertently thrust into the world of photography more than I'd ever planned. Dunno why and I have no explanation for it but auto-mode was just not giving me the quality of images I was used to getting. And so I had to start experimenting quickly with other settings. Today it felt like everything was finally going right for me and was able to capture some images that years ago would have blew my mind to imagine that I had taken myself! My first good photo opportunity I really had to make myself. I'd spotted both a Green Heron AND a Great Blue Heron in very close proximity to each other in the little pond near Oliver Avenue on the east side. I couldn't get an unobstructed view without having to crash my way through some young willow trees. And almost instantly the GB Heron took off. But luckily the Green Heron stayed and tolerated me getting even closer where I had some great views of him. I ended up crouching down to avoid some branches which gave this photo a nice and low vantage point. Later on the south wood chip trail, I heard and then spotted a Northern Cardinal. It was a beautiful female with her crest up which is something I don't see closely very often. Though she was in a darker area and in some tangled branches I got a couple of nice shots without changing my camera settings. I really like how the dark green background contrasts against her. Near the parking lot on the south side I stopped at a spot where I've been seeing Hummingbirds once or twice. Sure enough one buzzed over the tiny, orange Touch-me-not flowers and then disappeared. I waited for a while and then just as I was about to give up, it came back but perched this time in the dead tree standing in the middle of the area. I really had to bend down and contort my body while holding my heavy lens in order to get an unobstructed view. I took numerous shots, anticipating it was only seconds from flying away again. But the bird continued sitting still for me for just long enough for me to find the right angle. I'm really happy with how this one turned out. This is a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird –the only species of Hummingbird that are common in Minnesota. As usual in the bird world it's the male who has the more colorful "ruby" throat for which they are named. Along my way I saw a handful of other good birds including Gray Catbirds, American Golfinch and a couple of American Redstarts too. I did spot something of interest today that was not a bird. Right on the edge of the paved trail near the west side baseball fields was a tiny little rodent. At first it wasn't moving and I thought maybe I was looking at some part of a plant that broke off or something. But as I got closer I realized it was indeed a Meadow Vole. I generally see more of these in the winter time when they scurry across the white snow. However I've also seen more of them during very wet periods too. I wonder if too much moisture drives them out of their burrows and hiding places. He was casually dining on what looked to be a willow leaf and did not appear to realize I was only feet from him. In fact I got so close that I darn near touched him. I considered feeling his fur but didn't want to completely freak him out. This one was small in comparison to others that I've seen, so maybe it was young as well. On the north side near the bridge over Shingle Creek I decided to turn left and follow the creek for a while. I am glad that I did because here in the big grassy field I spotted a pair of Wild Turkeys. The were actually headed my way and continued walking closer to me. I got distracted by something and turned my attention away from them for a bit. When I turned back around they were poking along the edge of the field very close to me. Turkey can be tough subjects because their heads are always moving differently from their bodies. But when they stand still it's a bit easier. I tried hard to catch a few shots with both of them together and this one was my favorite.

Last Hike of 2012

Today was New Years Eve and for the first time in many years I had to work today. I was able to leave a bit early though and so I was able to hike around the park one last time in 2012. I didn't arrive until after 4pm so I didn't have much daylight. The first thing I spotted on the north side was a Northern Shrike who seemed to be having a hard time perching on a branch. When I looked closer with my binoculars I realized he had a mouse! This was the first time I've ever spotted one with a catch and it was exciting but he was so far away. I wanted a photo so badly that I hiked out into the snow and quickly scared him off. He took his catch to another tree out in the middle of the park to eat. I later found myself hiking out along the banks of Shingle Creek near the north side. Despite how loud the snow is to walk on, I could periodically hear little noises beneath me that sounded like chewing. I've been noticing runways in the snow everywhere lately -made by either Mice or Voles. On the banks of the creek there is tall grass most of the year and it must be heaven for the little ground critters here -especially in the winter. It probably keeps most of the snow just far enough off the ground to give them places to live. Here and there were little holes where grasses poked out and if I watched closely I could see what looked like a Vole pop his head out quickly. Again I thought I'd try and get a photo but they were just too quick for me. At one point I could hear rustling underneath me and as I watched the runways I could see a rodent running through it, appearing only briefly when the runway would break through the upper crust of the snow. It was pretty funny. Just before sunset I did spot another Great Horned Owl but he was facing away from me. From this angle the really look lumpy and awkward perched in a tree. I attempted to make a GHO call by muffling a series of 5 "whoo whoos" into my gloves. Apparently I must suck at it though as the Owl abruptly flew off when he heard my terrible impression. Well, the world did not end either as the Mayans had predicted so I look forward to many more hikes at the park next year. Happy New Year!

American Kestral Sighting

Even though it was Sunday, my visit to the park today didn't happen until just before 6pm. Temps are still hovering just below freezing which is actually way below normal for this time of year. Fortunately there's been lots of sun lately -giving me hope that Spring might still arrive sometime this year. While walking down the long, straight stretch of path on the northwest side, I saw a bird come and land on the very top most part of a tall dead tree. It reminded me of a Northern Shrike so I took a peak with my binoculars. I couldn't believe my eyes but it was most definitely a male American Kestral! I was very far away but took pics anyway thinking I might not ever see one again. After crossing the bridge I decided to hike out along the creek in hopes that I might see some more Hooded Mergansers. But on the way, I spotted the Kestral yet again, this time with a fresh meal in his grasp! He was obviously preoccupied so I took the opportunity to hike closer. He was literally tearing his prey to shreds and bits of fur where flying everywhere. I couldn't believe that on top of seeing this colorful bird for the first time, I was getting to witness him in action, doing what only raptors do. He was really working at his meal, clutching and moving it with one foot while pulling back with his strong neck. In the process he had fur stuck to his beak. I was close enough that I could even see the two pink, hind legs of whatever rodent he'd snatched up. I assumed it was a Vole, not a mouse, as it was nearly the size of his own head. After I got too close, he flew off in the opposite direction and I finally made my way to the tall Cottonwood tree along the banks of the creek. I sat here for a while watching all the waterfowl action, hoping too see anything more interesting than all the Mallards. Eventually a male and female pair of Wood Ducks landed a long ways down the creek. They are the first I've seen this year. As I was sitting and watching, the Kestral made a 3rd and final appearance, roosting in some shorter brush near the creek for a short time.

Early signs of Spring

This Saturday morning I arrived at the park just after 8am. Technically today is the LAST DAY OF WINTER!!! The temp was a steady 34 degrees all morning and there was a very fine frost coating on everything. It was kind an unusual frost in that if you bumped the branches, it would fall right off like a heavy dust. Somewhere before the bridge I almost stepped on a Woolly Bear caterpillar on the trail. I thought for sure it was dead and left over from last fall until I noticed it move ever so slightly. When I picked him up he could barely curl up into a ball probably due to the cold temp. I think this is the earliest I've ever seen any caterpillar before. As I was making my way around the park I faintly heard a single bird call off to my left. I paid no attention and kept walking for a bit until I thought about when I'd last heard that sound. There it was, the first Red-winged Black of the season. Again I thought this seemed a bit early but I heard or spotted 3 or 4 more before making it around the park. I was walking the opposite way around today so I was coming around the ball fields near the end. Since the path around there is always icy I decided to cut across the baseball diamond and started to notice these odd looking patterns. They were trails or tunnels through the grass made either by mice or voles underneath the winter snow. At first glance, I think this photo looks a lot like an aerial view of a river system taken from an airplane.

Making my own path

I've been in a bit of a slump lately in getting outside. Probably due to our low temps lately. So this Saturday I was eager to get some park time in -and indeed I did. I spent a total of 4 hours at the park and never once used the trails! With snowshoes I was able to make my way around the inner part of the park and took some quite unusual routes through places you'd never be able to get to in other seasons. Not too long after heading west I noticed an uncommon shape and movement toward the center of the park. It was a Coyote! As I watched him through my binoculars I thought he might have been injured as he appeared to drag his hind legs behind him. However, I think that he was simply falling through the deep snow and pulling his hind end up and out with every step. Later I made my way to the middle and found his fresh tracks. It's unbelievably hard to get close to Coyotes at the park so I've been kind of obsessed with them lately. There was very little wildlife out today though I did spot lots and lots of signs. Almost everywhere were Vole tracks in the snow. You could see exactly where they popped out from a thicket of Cattails or even just a straight hole in the snow. The tiny footprints would sometimes go for hundreds of feet, but twice I saw evidence of capture by an Owl or Hawk. It was pretty obvious because you could exactly where the bird landed and pressed it's wings and tail feathers into the snow, and leaving just a trace of blood and sometimes lots of fur. I enhanced the contrast of this photo so you can see what I saw. Otherwise the photo just looks like plain white snow. With the lack of activity today I settled for less animate objects such as these Shelf Mushrooms. I've never seen so many growing on one log before -and this was just a small section of them.

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."

January Thaw

Today was apparently the first day we've been above freezing since Christmas day. It darn near felt like spring despite the 10+ inches of snow still on the ground. Lots of people were out today and I even saw an elderly couple out jogging. Not only were both of them probably in their seventies, the guy was wearing shorts! If there weren't so many other people around I probably would have taken a picture of him. Ha ha. On a less busy part of the trail, I almost walked right into a doe standing motionless just feet off the trail. As I went for my camera she spooked and retreated back into some thick woods. I noticed what looked like two young ones with her. The longer I watched, the more movement I saw back in the woods. In all I think there were six or seven of them but none ventured close enough for a decent photo. I walked up the trail further to a clearing and I could see a couple of them from a distance and was the only photo I got. On the south side I took the woodchip trail and noticed a round little ball of fur sitting on top of the snow. I thought it was dead but then it started moving. It didn't look like a mouse as it had a much shorter tail and no visible ears. Plus he was as round as a tennis ball. I got so close to him I wondered if he was injured or deaf but then he finally ran away. After looking online I think it was a Vole.