Northwest

I just returned from the beautiful Northwest. The road leading into Portland takes you throught the Columbia River Gorge and one picture shows a rainbow which you can see its end. If there had been enough time I would have stopped and got the pot of gold but I had more important things to do. I had a new grandson I had never seen and was down to less than 100 miles of my 2000 mile drive. The other picture shows a snow covered Mt. Hood with Baby Zack and the proud grandfather.

Paving Sixth Street

I own an Asphalt Paving Company in East Central Illinois. A couple of days ago I photographed the "crew" paving 6th Street with the Court House in the background.
The trees still had some late fall color and with the building color made for neat shot.

Cedar Waxwing

This weekend we camped at Kettle Moraine State Forest located between Madison and Milwaukee. It was a beautiful late fall weekend with fall colors still vibrant. In the early morning with the frost still on the ground a flock of Cedar Waxwings descended on small fruit bearing bushes. They were fun to watch as they came and went in bunches. At one time I counted over 50 sitting together at the top of a tree. Pictured are 4 leaving for food and one who has already got his/hers.

Eleven Pointer

I was driving around my property on my four wheeler with my trusty camera at my side when some does popped up along the edge of the woods. I immediately stopped and scanned the area and scanning back was this nice buck not more than 75 feet from me. I slowly pulled up my Canon and hit the shutter halfway to hit autofocus. However, the light was too low for autofocus to work so I had to shift to manual. I fired a couple of quick shots but the shutter speed was slow and since my aperture was wide open my only choice was to speed the ISO to 1600. This was better. I just hoped that the pictures wouldn't be to grainy but as you can see they really aren't that bad.

White Tails and White Deer

In the Fall in East Central Illinois male deer become more visible as they start their prerut. In an earlier blog I posted a picture of an Albino Deer. This post shows the same deer playing with some of his friends.

Rarely Seen Birds

Pictured are three birds rarely seen in Coles County. That being said they are not rare. First is the Yellow-billed Cuckoo feeding on a wooly worm. They are often heard but usually hide in the tree tops. Note the Eastern Phoebe coming in to check out the worm. Second is the female Summer Tanager. Tanagers are summer migrants and we are on their northern range. They are bee and wasp eaters and the one pictured had just taken a bee from a Hummingbird feeder on my deck. In fact I took the picture from inside my house through a window with a portrait lens. Last is the Eurasian-Collared Dove. This is an introduced species and was first seen in Florida in the early 80's. Since then it has been migrating north and just recently was seen in Coles County Illinois. I first saw them about a week ago. What impact this will have on native doves is yet to be seen. My advice is if you see one go ahead and shoot it.

Scenic Northwest

The Northwest landscape is quite different than central Illinois and there are plenty of photo opportunities. Pictured are the Grand Tetons reflecting in Jackson Lake, Old Faithful in Yellowstone, and Mt. Hood the highest peak in Oregon. My dad always said there was nothing prettier than the corn fields of Illinois but now I am not sure.

Albino Deer

Last year, I heard that there was an albino fawn on the east edge of Charleston. I had heard it even visited the local Walmart parking lot. I never saw it last year but rumors started again a couple of weeks ago that it was being seen and had grown some antlers. I talked to a land owner who had seen it and said it would often appear in the evenings to graze on the soybeans. This evening I went with a friend to the field. We waited and low and behold the albino deer and seven other deer appeared.(These weren't albinos). The sun had set but there was just enough light to capture a few shots. Also, after looking closely the deer isn't an albino but a white deer. To be an albino, its' eyes would be pink among other things.

American Bittern

The American Bittern is unique from other herons because, when approached, it stands still with its' head upwards, sometimes swaying back and forth imitating a waving reed. I had just finished photographing a Peregrine Falcon when I came across this American Bittern. I was having a good morning to say the least. This photograph was taken at Ridgefield NWR.

Peregrine Falcon

The Peregrine Falcon shown was photographed at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge is located north of Portland, Oregon in Washington State close to the Columbia River. We are in Oregon visiting our daughter and son-in-law. Sunday, we went to Ridgefield and were treated with several different species of birds, but the highlightof the day was the Peregrine Falcon who kept its perch at a fairly close distance making it easy for viewing and photographing.

Two Reflections

Pictured is the famous Sanibel Lighthouse located at the east end of Sanibel Island, Florida. Also pictured is a bird I often hear called a "flamingo" but in reality is a Roseate Spoonbill, a beautiful bird with a unique bill and feeding habits. Reflections make for fun photographs and getting both the lighthouse and spoonbill in one shot was a real challenge.

Common Nighthawk

Common Nighthawks historically nests on the ground in grasslands and in open patches of soil or gravel. Today they commonly nest on gravel roads or flat roofs with a gravel cover. The bird shown chose on old parking lot with apparently low traffic volume. They usually lay two eggs which hatch in about 18 days.The female broods the young birds for about fifteen days protecting it from the sun and weather. Notice the young bird in front of the mother and how well he/she blends in with the loose rocks. Common Nighthawks are not hawks and they hunt mostly insects in both the day and night.

Cooper's Hawk Baby

I was recently asked to take pictures of baby Cooper's Hawks nesting at Douglas Hart Nature Center. They had recently fledged their nest but were returning peroidically to be fed by the parents. The nest was built fairly high in a Maple tree and the viewing was difficult. In fact, there was only one spot from which I could get a decent shot and that landed me right in the middle a large, very healthy bunch of poison ivy. Fortunately, I don't get an itchy rash from this ominous plant. That was really fortunate for me since I stood in that one spot for over an hour. There was only one baby in the nest and at first he/she was just hunkered down in the nest. However, something roused the young bird. It stood up and gave me several nice shots. This photo shown is the baby looking at me, thinking, "that fool is standing in poison ivy." Coooper's Hawks nests are fairly unusual for our area so I felt very lucky to be informed about the nest and asked to try and capture their beautiful images with my camera. What a truly special experience!

"Say Ah"

Well it is feeding season or try outs for the chorus. I caught these 4 baby Barn Swallows with their mouths open and in seconds mom/dad was there to feed one. These pictures were taken with a 500 mm lens attached to my 1D canon sitting on a tripod. It was in the shade so I used a flash and since this happens so fast I used a remote release. When the parent, was close I fired away.

Prothonotary Warbler

Last Friday, we headed for New Harmony, Indiana and spent a couple of nights in a recently purchased motor home. There was an antique show on Saturday in New Harmony a very quaint, well-preserved town with many early 1800 buildings. I would describe this town as very neat and a definite must-see in the area. We decided on Harmonie State Park campgrounds to spend a couple of nights. This park is approximately 3000 acres with several great trails and the mighty Wabash River running threw it. I hadn't expected to do much birding even though I had packed my binoculars and camera. Well, as it turned out, the birding was very good. From my lawn chair next to the camper, I saw a pair of Summer Tanagers, Brown Thashers, Cat Birds, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Yellow Warblers, Northern Parulas and more. In fact, one morning I witnessed a Yellow Warbler feeding a Cowbird juvenile. Now that was just wrong. Down one trail near the Wabash River, we first came across a Zebra Swallowtail nectaring on sweet clover. I had never taken pictures of the Zebra and since this gal seemed intent on feeding, I took several. Next, we came across a couple of Prothonotary Warblers. Diane noticed they kept flying back and forth from the woods to an old log sticking up out of the Wabash. Finally, we realized they were carrying materials to their nesting site, a hole in the old log. Prothonotary Warlbers usually nest over the water or next to it. It was a thrill to see the pair so closely and watch the cycle of life happening all over again. What a wonderful retreat this was. We highly recommend Harmonie State Park. It is absolutely beautiful. The humans are very quiet and peaceful. The wildlife, though, are hopping!

Bee Lunch

The Eastern Wood-Peewee, like other flycatchers, perchs on the middle to upper branches of trees. When an insect flits by, the Peewee flies out and grabs it. I saw this Peewee grab this bee then rap him a couple of good licks on the tree bark before swallowing him. Capturing the photo of the bee just as he is being swallowed takes great skill and pinch of luck (well, lots of luck).

Zebra Swallowtail

There are 6 swallowtails in the Midwest and by far the rarest and in my opinion the most beautiful is the Zebra Swallowtail. Its name comes from its black and white striping similiar to the Zebra. It has long tails and red bands on underneath side and red spots on top. This beauty was found nectaring on white clover just a couple hundred yards from the Wabash River. The Wabash River forms the west border of Harmonie State Park. I clicked off several shots and watched as she flew to a nearby patch of Pawpaw trees, its' host plant. She proceeded to deposit eggs.

Lark Sparrow

Two years ago, we planted over 40 acres of prairie. One field west of our old log cabin is 18 acres surrounded by woods. This reconstructed habitat is already attracting a myriad of wildlife. Last fall, we had two butterflies visit the prairie which had never been seen in Coles County before or at least hadn't been documented. Now, we have Grasshopper Sparrows and Lark Sparrows nesting in the prairie. The birds pictured are Lark Sparrows. Neither bird is common to this area. In fact, the Lark Sparrows have already successfuly hatched several eggs. The young are about half grown and trying to fly. The young birds are fairly hidden in the young prairie where the forbs and grasses are about 18 inches tall, but somewhat sparse. As you walk in the prairie, you hear a very loud "chip, chip, chip". You try to follow the sound and occasionally you catch a glimpse of the source of the chipping. It is a baby Lark Sparrow like the one pictured, hiding in the prairie grass. Another "chip, chip, chip" comes from the top of the tall grasses. The vocalizing is coming from the adults who have food for their young. Pictured are proud parents - one with a juicy meal, probably the male.

Purple Coneflower

In the past, I used to take mainly native plant pictures. Lately, my interest has been focused on birds. Well, the other morning I came across this gorgeous Purple Milkweed plant and decided to take a shot or two. Sometimes you just get lucky because at the same moment I decided to take a picture, a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird decided to take a drink. The Purple Milkweed is one of six different milkweed plants we have on our property and the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the only hummingbird species in this area.

Yellow-breasted Chat

Last Sunday I decided to drive to a local natural area where in the past I have often seen Yellow-breasted Chats. As we arrived at this natural area, there was the Yellow-breasted Chat sitting on a very unnatural wire. I pulled out my long lens and fired off a couple of shots, then waited as he flew into a group of small trees. I was able to click off a few more shots. I commented to my wife on the way home that this bird really doesn't resemble the rest of the wood-warblers. She then pulled out a bird guide which stated that the Yellow-breasted Chat is the largest of the warblers, has an unusual call comparatively, sometimes sits on a wire, and has the bill of a tanager. Despite constant speculation about its' taxonomic relationships, all evidence points to it being simply a large and unusual wood-warbler.

More Warblers

More pictures of warblers taken at Crane Creek. The bottom two are a male and female Black-throated Blue warblers. The male is the more colorful. The top two are American Redstarts the top one being an immature male.

Warblers

I have had a very good year birding so far. It started with Sanibel Island, FL in January, then the end of February and first of March in Texas, loads of action in my own back yard, and a couple of weeks ago, northern Ohio on Lake Erie. There is a spot on the shore of Lake Erie where the migrating birds stop for a breather and some fuel. The petite warblers wait for a strong southerly wind to help carry them across the great lake to Canada. This place is no secret because it is swamped with not only migrating birds but also with birders and bird photographers. This extraordinary place is Crane Creek/Magee Marsh and is about 50 miles or so east of Toledo, Ohio. There are several species of birds there but I was mostly intrigued by the warblers. We saw 27 species in two days and some close enough you didn't need to use binoculars to view them. We saw our first Cerulean Warbler, a female, which is the bottom photo. I overheard Jon Dunn, a well-known bird guide author, say that the Cerulean was his favorite bird. The middle photo is a Magnolia Warbler and the top photo is a Bay-breasted Warbler. I was able to photograph a nice variety of warblers. I will post them very soon.

Lark Sparrow

The Lark Sparrow is a striking sparrow, common in the west, but scarce in the east. Coles County is right on the edge of its' range. They like to frequent bare ground near brushy areas. They display a strong face pattern, dark spot on the chest, and have white edges and corners on a long tail. A courting male Lark Sparrow crouches on the ground, holds his tail at a 45 degree angle, showing off the white edges. If the female is receptive, he gives her a stick before copulation. I show a picture of the male with the stick but the rest is up to your imagination.

White-thoated Sparrow

Because people consider sparrows to be common, like the House Sparrow, many sparrows are overlooked. That is really too bad because many sparrows are actually quite handsome. The White-throated Sparrow is a beautiful bird with an equally beautiful song. They are migrating through Illinois at this time heading for their breeding area of Canada. They forage on the ground as well as tree tops. Today I saw them eating dandelion seeds and elm tree buds and sipping on the sap of Maples. (I made that last part up.)

Sora

A few years ago, Douglas Hart Nature Center built a wetland and many birds use it as a stopover during migration or as a permanent home. It was reported to me that an American Bittern was loitering around the wetland last week but today, it wasn't to be seen. Fortunately, there were a handful of Soras. These Rails are not quite as secretive than most and I got a good look at the one pictured.

Killdeer

I was leaving work a few days ago and, close to a machine shed, I spied some baby Killdeer. There were 4 babies and one adult. The babies were very young, probably not over a couple of days old and I was surprised to see them this early in the year. One photo is a picture of one of the babies (very cute)and another photo shows the adult pretending to be hurt so I would chase her and leave the babies alone. As I was getting ready to leave, a second adult showed up and was apparently viewed by her as an intruder. What followed was something to see. The mother Killdeer really put up a fight - none of that "Look at me, I have a broken wing" strategy this time. I snapped a picture of Mother Killdeer biting the rump of the other interloper. What is not shown is that after the altercation, the mother Killdeer walked off with a mouth full of the intruder's tailfeathers!

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Pictured is a Yellow-rumped Warbler, the first warbler we have seen this year. They are probably one of the more common warblers and most easily identified because, as the name implies, they have a yellow patch on their rump and also a yellow patch on each side in front of the wings. Even though not considered rare or unusual, they are a very beautiful bird. The one pictured doesn't show the yellow rump but does show the yellow patchs in front of the wings and the underneath side as it flies up to a branch to grab an insect. We also saw a Northern Parula today, making our total warbler species two for this spring.