When Life Hands You Lemons.....

Got a chance to go to Lindsay Parsons Preserve this morning for a chance to shoot Herons. The weatherman forecast partly cloudy skies which would work for the shooting angles that I had. By now, the little ones would be growing quickly and I didn’t want to miss a chance at some good images.

Of course, the weatherman didn’t mention a chance of fog, but there it was as thick as the proverbial pea soup! Why, why, why do I believe the weatherman??
But it doesn’t matter, you still gotta get the shot, right? Time to get creative with the light. The first two below were taken half an hour before sunrise. They’re just simple silhouettes, but they fit the mood of the morning. As always, click images to enlarge.

Beginnings…

Already bugging Mom….

It took two hours, but the fog finally lifted and from then on it was full, harsh sunlight. I had to figure out a way to get around the direct Sun and use it to my advantage. I couldn’t change shooting locations because then I would be too far away from the birds. And the Sun wasn’t going anywhere either. So much for partly cloudy!

Waiting for breakfast

A partial solution was to seriously underexpose the image and bring up the dark areas in Lightroom. Not a perfect solution because I still had that flat, hazy background, but at least I had something.

For the last two, the fog finally cleared out, but that left some very bright parts on the birds that I had to deal with. So I underexposed the image until the white parts of the birds were no longer blown out. But that leaves you with a very dark bird. Fortunately, the ISO was low enough that I could bring up the shadow areas on the birds to at least make them presentable. Nothing that Nat Geo is going to come calling for, but acceptable under these conditions.

Growing kids…

Standing guard

I actually like the rim light on these last two images. Not exactly what I was hoping for this morning, but you know what they say about lemons…. Thanks for looking!!
And don’t forget…. get out and shoot! (and don’t believe the weatherman)

You Can't Always Get What You Want..

I was lucky enough to spend a few days at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge last week. I had recently been awarded a grant from NYSCA and Iroquois was on my list as a place to help fulfill the grant obligations.
And on the top of my image wish list was an image of two Northern Pintail ducks in breeding plumage. They are among the most beautiful ducks out there beside my all-time favorite, the Wood duck.

I was quickly reminded how fickle the photography gods are because I couldn’t get nearly close enough to get an acceptable image. It didn’t matter what I did it just wasn’t going to happen, and I only had 2 days. But being a wildlife photographer sometimes means that you have to switch gears and try something different!

I knew that there were several Sandhill Cranes at the refuge, and it’s breeding season for them too. And you will know when they are anywhere near you, because their high-pitched call is unmistakable. Once I started looking for the Cranes, the gods began to smile on me again and gave me some good looks at these beautiful birds! I took several hundred Crane pics while I was up there, but I’ll spare you from looking at them all and only show a few. I hope you enjoy them! Click on the images to enlarge

Looking for breakfast

Quiet grace…

Outta here!

My favorite!

Last, but not least, “In her element”

Thanks for looking, and remember, get out and shoot!!

I Think They Need Sex Ed For Ducks....

It was very early the other morning when two ducks flew right over us and landed in the water about 40 yards away. Still too dark to see what kind of duck. I had taken a friend with me to a spot that I frequent quite a bit in early Spring. It’s a small finger of water, maybe 80 yards long and only 30 yards wide. But in the Spring, it’s a magical place. Something is always happening there, and it was no different today.
It turned out the ducks were a male and female Wood duck. They were in a feeding mood, and they came quite close to us, but we were well hidden. But once they were done feeding, the mood took a more romantic turn, and that’s when the problems started.
The female was ready and raring to go, but it seemed like the male didn’t have a clue what she wanted. When wood ducks are ready to mate, the female signals that she is ready by flattening herself out on the water. I’m guessing that this makes the whole process go a bit smoother.

He doesn’t have a clue….

I don’t know if this was his first time, but he sure wasn’t making much of an impression on the young lady! She even started blowing bubbles at him to maybe give him a clue!

Hey, big boy! Over here!!!

Finally, ten minutes later, he grasped the meaning of her gestures and he took care of business!

But I don’t think he made much of impression on her. They flew up into a dead tree and it looks like she was giving him the cold shoulder. Better luck next time buddy! Actually, after this encounter, they spent an hour searching the nearby trees for a suitable nest tree, and that was fascinating to watch.

Was it something I said???

Most times the stories behind the pictures are more entertaining than the images themselves. I hope you enjoyed both!

May I Have This Dance?....

For the last three weeks I have been shooting nothing but sports championships for the state. Spend a weekend shooting, cull and edit several thousand images and repeat. I truly enjoy shooting sports, especially with my friends Becky and Dave, but after the third or fourth week I’ve had enough for a while.
So it was great that Mel and I had a chance to get away for a couple of days together and decompress a little. That doesn’t mean that we didn’t have cameras in our hands!
We took a trip up to Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge just outside of Batavia. It’s 11,000 acres of prime wildlife habitat, especially waterfowl and wading birds. Click images to enlarge

A pair of juvenile Swans looking for breakfast

It was really nice to get away and spend the day wandering the refuge, but it looked like we were a bit early for the migration. The Swans are always one of the first to return to the refuge, and there were plenty of them there. Some will stay and nest right there, and others will continue their journey north. But the ducks were still not very plentiful. Ringnecks and Pintails were the most common, just not in sizeable numbers. Yet. But I’m guessing that in another week or so the place will be loaded with all kinds of waterfowl, including Great Egrets.
So on our way back, we went east on the thruway and stopped by Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge to see if there was anything different there. Unfortunately, the wildlife drive wasn’t open for the season yet but what we found behind the visitors center made up for it.
A decent size flock of Sandhill Cranes were there feeding. Now, that’s not unusual for them to feed behind the center, but I have never seen them that close to the center.
We were able to enjoy an hour or so of some great shooting being serenaded by the very unusual call of the cranes. I knew that this didn’t happen very often so I took plenty of images. I have added just a few of these beautiful birds to this post, and I hope you enjoy them as much as we did that day! And it always makes it more special when my wife is able to join me! What a great trip!

May I Have This Dance?

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait?.....

For the last 3 weeks the picture below is pretty much what I have been seeing when I would venture out for a morning shoot. This is the time of year when we get those really heavy banks of fog rolling in and they don’t dissipate until 10 or 10:30!
I can live with one here and there, but almost everyday???

Until this week I had basically been going out and watching these ghostly shapes glide silently past me, probably laughing the whole time.
But yesterday was different. It was one of those days where everything finally goes right! The birds were there, the light was right, the wind was right, and I was set-up in the right place for a change. And for an hour or so it looked like the duck version of the Bachelor television show! There were several male Wood Ducks there all vying for the chance to escort the lovely females for the next year. Click on the images to enlarge….

Contestant #1…..

The female was going from one guy to the other, pretending she was making a choice and then she would swim off again…

Engagement picture????

But the female was having a tough time choosing, so she had them both swim by again…

Decisions, decisions….

And we have a winner!!! The colors on the birds this year are just amazing!

The choice is made, and the loser looks on dejectedly….

Better luck next time buddy……

But the female seems to be having some buyer’s remorse…..

What have I gotten myself into?

A few minutes later, the wood ducks are the favorite subject of all the gossip queens on the pond!

But seriously, these are the kind of days that make it all worthwhile. Days like this don’t happen very often, so I definitely appreciate them when they do! And you know I’ll be back at it until the pond freezes up…. or I freeze up, one or the other!

Thank you for joining me on this anthropomorphic adventure! Maybe next time I’ll do it from a guys perspective!

A Wildlife Photographer's Lament.....

You know, being a wildlife photographer is tough enough without Mother Nature throwing in a curveball. I thought that I had the perfect setup for the Wood Ducks that I was trying to photograph in flight. (famous last words!) Click the photos to enlarge


Everything was working out exactly as planned. I had done my homework, so I knew where the birds were, where they were going, and I got there an hour before daylight. I wanted to make sure I was set up well before the birds began flying in. I knew where the sun would be coming up, where the wind was coming from so I knew how the birds would come in and take off. I was set well before daylight, which gives me a chance to enjoy a cup of coffee before the world begins to wake up.

The birds came in before daylight, when all you can see is a shadowy silhouette in the sky and a splash on the water. If they land close enough you can hear their wings whirring as they pass overhead. I couldn’t wait for the sun to come up!

As the black and white of night began to fade into the muted colors of early morning, I began to realize that I was in trouble. What I couldn’t see in the darkness was this heavy blanket of fog working its way down the wetland, right towards me! Now I had checked the weather forecast just before I left the house and there was a chance of patchy fog to the East of me. This was the biggest “patch” of fog I had ever seen, and it was riding the thermals right down the hill to the wetland where I was setup.

Go time!

So I did the only thing I could do and that was to hunker down and hope that the birds stuck around long enough for the “patchy” fog to maybe clear a little. The problem was that there is a small walking trail about 60 yards to the right of the birds in the pic above. I knew sooner or later someone would be walking down that trail, right towards the birds and scare them into flight. In fact, I was counting on it. I would be ready when the birds took off, and I would have a good shot angle.

He took off with breakfast in his mouth!

But it just wasn’t to be. The fog just settled in and wouldn’t budge. Eventually someone came down the trail, scared the birds, and I was able to get these shots. They’re fine for Facebook shots, but I had to do so much to them in post-processing that I don’t think they would print very well.

Let’s give the ladies their props too!

As you would guess, I was pretty disappointed. But then I realized I had no reason to be disappointed. I was where I love to be, on a beautiful Fall morning, photographing the most beautiful birds in the world! I’m just grateful to be alive to see this.
As for the birds? Eh, I’ll get ‘em next time……

Procrastination....

You know that old saying, “never do today what you can put off until tomorrow”, right?
I’m quite good at that as evidenced by the fact that we’ve been home from vacation for over 3 weeks and I still haven’t posted anything about the vacation yet. It was very nice to get away and spend time with my wife and just explore our destinations. We were on a river cruise down the Danube River that took us through several European countries. If you like architectural photography, then this would be the trip for you. I took pictures there but not nearly as many as I usually do. It was kind of nice walking around without a camera for a change. Without a doubt the churches and castles took center stage, and they didn’t disappoint. They were all pretty by day, but it was at night when their true beauty stood out. I did not post many, but it will give you an idea of what there is to see on a trip like this. Click on the images to enlarge…

Just cruising by the small towns…

Old (church, lower left) and older (castle ruins up on the hill)

Budapest by day….

Budapest at night!!!!

Typical city scene in Prague…..

It was a wonderful eight days, weather was perfect, people could not have been nicer. If it’s on your bucket list, I can highly recommend it!!!

Practice, Practice, Practice.....

Been going out almost everyday lately, trying to get used to the new lens. But I’m also making a conscious effort to get as low as I can, preferably at water level, as much as I can. I think it makes a big difference on the perspective of the image and it seems to make for a stronger image too. I think the low angle adds to the environmental feel of the image. But I need your help.
I need some honest feedback about these images overall. Not only the perspective, but the technical quality also. All of these shots I think were made at ISO 5000 and above, so there is denoise work on all of them. But do you think I went too far? They were all shot at close range so the DOF is very thin, but it’s what I expected.

It would be nice to have a discussion so I can get some different points of view that I may not have considered. I would appreciate the help!

A Green Day At The Brick......

It’s been a month since my last post, so I figured it was about time. I was a little burned out from editing all the sports we shot recently, but now it’s the birds that are racking up the clicks for me. And specifically, the Green Heron. I’m not sure why but there is an abundance of Green Herons this year. At any one time, I can count anywhere from eight to ten herons within my line of sight!
But most of the time, the best action happens during low light. And this creates a problem with shutter speed and high ISO. You photographers know what I’m talking about. So, I figured that I would use the greenies as my subjects while I worked on getting better quality out of my high ISO images. It’s a work in progress and I’ll have a post on it soon, but I can tell you that I got some pretty good images at 12-14K! As always, click on the images to enlarge….

On your mark…..

But this heron didn’t give a damn about ISO, they just wanted breakfast. They’re about to leap off that branch into the water three feet below. They usually reserve this move for something a little larger than a pin minnow.

And they’re off!!!!!

The rest is a sequence of images that show what they go through for a meal.

Like an Uber for birds!!!

And of course, as soon as his siblings see that he has a fish, they will all come over and try to steal it from him! So he is constantly moving his prize away from the others.

Notice the light getting warmer, little by little.

Like having an in-flight snack….

The fat lady is about to sing…..

But the fat lady was laughing at the heron because right after this pic, he dropped the fish in the water and lost it!!!!
Tough break, but I’m sure was able to survive!
Most of these images were shot at 4-7K ISO. Not really that high anymore, but still way better than a few years ago!

Once again, thanks for looking, and get out and shoot!!!

For The Love Of The Game....

We just got done shooting a crazy week of year end sports championships. In a weeks’ time we shot flag football, golf, lacrosse and baseball. I love doing it, but I was also glad when it was over. All told I shot roughly about 8000 images, which is less than I normally shoot. We try and get at least one pic of each kid that played.


But I really want to talk about the effort and desire that these kids put into this championship. Up until this point, this tournament is probably the biggest thing they have experienced in their lives. And believe me, they leave it all on the field.
Please click to enlarge the images…

The vast majority of these kids will never go any farther in their sports careers, and they know it. That’s not why they play. It’s for their teammates, and the chance to be part of something bigger than themselves. A chance to leave their mark, and forever remember the best of times.

Unfortunately, if these kids are lucky enough to maybe get a scholarship and move on to college ball, it will never be the same. Big money enters the picture and changes the game. Even if you are at a small school, it is no longer enough to give your very best. You must produce or else. And with the NCAA instituting a program to actually pay the student athletes, they are no longer amateur athletes. They are low level professionals. What was once an admirable endeavor turns into a cash transaction. The sporting ideal will slowly fade…

But my hope is that someday in distant future, 25 or so years down the road, these kids meet up again for a reunion or maybe just a quick visit. And one of them pulls out their phone and calls up one of these pics and says to the other “do you remember this?” And immediately they will be taken back to the exact time, remembering every sight, smell, and the sense of pure joy that playing for the love of the game can bring a person. Nobody can ever take that away from them. And for me, that will be my greatest reward…..

Cuteness Overload.....

I’m not sure how to start this blog post. On one hand, it was another seemingly ordinary trip out taking photographs of some of my favorite subjects. But it ended up being extraordinary in that I don’t remember another day where I had more fun sitting in a swamp. Or two days, to be accurate. These images span 2 different days at Brick Pond. Please click to enlarge….

Rounding up the troops…

It was very slow at first, but things took a very positive turn when Mom showed up with the kids and proceeded to get up on the log for a session of preening and cleaning. And she had to do a head count to make sure she had all 12 of them!

Head count….

Once they all got cleaned up, it was time for a nap. It was a continuous battle to see who could get closer to Mom, which made for some interesting combinations! It also gave Mom a few minutes of rest!

But soon enough it was time to get moving again. Mom woke them all up and took the lead, coaxing them into jumping off the log. At first they all hesitated, but once the first one took the dive it was cowabunga time!

And they’re off!!!!

Look at the one on the far left. It looks like they were having a blast!
But I saved the best for last, in my opinion. This last one just has that cuteness factor that can overcome the less than stellar technical qualities of the image.

Mom will never find us here!!!!

I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun playing in the mud. These are the days that stick with you during the lean days when you don’t see much of anything. I am very glad that I can share this day with you, because that puts a big smile on my face! Enjoy!

He Thinks He Is Hiding From Me......

He was about 12 yards away which makes depth of field critical with this lens (400/2.8 w/1.4 converter). Actual depth of field was about 1.5 inches in either direction. Gotta make sure the eye is in the focus point! You can see how quickly the focus fades away from the eye. But in this case shallow DOF also helped by blurring out the strands of vegetation in front of the bird. Which would have been distracting if they were in focus....

Parting Shots.....

Today is the last day of shooting for us. We have to fly back tomorrow. :(

The tides were not in our favor, but a few birds were nice enough to come and say goodbye….
I have uploaded some pics into a gallery folder marked Florida 2024. Take a look at your leisure. As always, click to enlarge….. Below are from this morning. Until next time!

Low Rider…..

Don’t forget the smaller ones!!!!

As always, it’s tough to leave this place. We’ve been coming here for 30 years and you never know when, or if, you’re going to get back……

Different Strokes.......

Two of the methods that shorebirds in Florida use to get their breakfast….. First up is the slow and sneaky…. starring the Snowy Egret. Click to enlarge the images…

Low and Slow…

I apologize for the shots being so tight, but that’s how close the bird was to me!

And second, we have the “run around like a frigging idiot” method of fishing…

Ready to strike….

And in the end he misses and he’s just not a happy camper!!! Life is a beach!!!

It’s amazing what you can see when you sit quietly….. thanks for looking!

Making The Most Of Your Opportunities....

Roseate Spoonbills are not a very common bird in this area. So when you get a chance to photograph these birds you shoot until your card is full or your battery is empty, whichever comes first.
Mel and I were very fortunate at Little Estero pool recently. This is a large, natural tidal pool directly between the Wyndham Hotel on Fort Myers Beach and the ocean. It is a magnet for all nature of shorebirds and wading birds and has been one of our favorite areas to shoot.
We weren’t sure if the pool would even be there after hurricane Ian devastated the area almost 2 years ago. The pool is there, severely damaged, but still there. The same can’t be said for the hotel. All that is left is a skeleton of a building, a reminder that we don’t control as much as we think we do.
We got there early, before shooting light, and were rewarded when a pair of Spoonbills dropped down right in front of us. They didn‘t stay long but we figured they would be somewhere on the pool for the morning feeding session. Eventually, the light got just right and we found the birds. Hope you enjoy the pics!!!! Click on the images to enlarge….

When the light is right….

Stretching out….

I am going to try and get back up there to document some of the devastating damage done to both man made and natural structures alike. The damage to the Mangroves surrounding the tidal pool is what has me concerned. Without those Mangroves, the pool could easily be reclaimed by the ocean…..

In Praise of the "Bird On A Stick" Pic....

In case you don’t know, I will explain what a “bird on a stick” pic is (bos). It is simply a photograph of a bird that is sitting, standing, crouching, on a branch, log, stick or other means of supporting itself. Almost always by itself, with little or no apparent environmental interest associated with the bird. It is purely a documentary type of image, designed to visually describe the bird.
There is nothing wrong with this type of image at all. We all have bos pics, several thousand in my case. Some photogs will say that unless you are a beginner that shooting bos pics is somehow beneath you. They will tell you that they are too easy. I say that if you are a good photog then you will find a way to make your bos pics more interesting, and in the process improve your photography.

I took this challenge to heart the other day when, on a very slow day, I could only find a Common Gallinule and a Great Blue Heron to be my models for the day. And even on a good day, the Gallinule is not what I would call a photogenic subject. So a GBH it was….
This first pic is the official standard for bos pics. A heron on a stick, looking forlorn and disinterested in general. A plain Jane example. It’s not a terrible image, just not a lot of impact there. But if you give it some time and some imagination you might coax a decent image out of him yet. Images are best viewed at largest size possible

Wait for the light…. (below) light is the essence of all photography and if you are patient enough (and the bird is too) and the light changes, it’s a whole new ball game. Still nothing outstanding, but now there is more visual interest. If you can, make sure the eye is visible.

Change perspective…. Get closer. Make the eye look bigger, giving more visual interest. Getting closer will make the feathers show their texture. Give your viewer more to look at.

Change your viewing angle…. Moving the angle of the beak to be more diagonal will increase the tension in your image. Tension increases the visual interest in an image. Molly Bang’s book “picture this, how pictures work” is a simple and powerful way to look at your images differently.

Minimize Distractions…. If you can, minimize any distractions in your viewfinder before you push the shutter button. It will make your post processing much easier. In this case, I had a fairly dark background so I just darkened it as far as I could to eliminate the distractions in the background. What your viewer sees is only what you want them to see.

Adjust the white balance….. Try warming or cooling the white balance of your image to change the feel of an image. It doesn’t always have to be the “correct” white balance. It’s your piece of artwork, so experiment a bit and see if you can’t get a different look that suits you.

Add environmental interest to totally change the way your image is viewed…. This image is just the original image that I used for the previous example on changing the white balance and is uncropped. I made the decision to show more of the environment around the bird and kept the original white balance to change the feel of the image.

Wait for the “bos” to be more interesting…. If you want more interesting images, be patient! Birds change poses all the time, and very quickly. Do not take your eye away from your viewfinder to start chimping! In this case, his feathers went up on his head for a split second and just as quickly fell flat again. If I hadn’t been ready it would have been another “almost” opportunity.

Your reward for being patient and working the bos composition….. a flight shot in good light!!! This what you really wanted anyhow. But now you were ready and you were well prepared. You took the shots and nailed them! Be proud of yourself!

It doesn’t matter if your bos pics don’t turn out to be the best you will ever take. That is the nature of photography, especially wildlife photography. As long as you strive to make each one the best damn pics you have ever taken, your photography will improve by leaps and bounds. Good practice will often lead to surprising results. So get out and shoot!!!!

New Faces, New Places, and a Wild Photo Adventure!

I had been looking at this workshop for 3 years now, but each time I thought that it was going to happen something came up to keep me from going. I enjoy shooting waterfowl and wetland shorebirds more than anything, so when the opportunity came up again I was hoping that this was the year. Fortunately, it was my wonderful wife that made this happen. She knew I wanted to go so she stepped in, handed me the money, and said now you have no excuses! Thank you so much honey!!!!
This trip wasn’t just any old workshop. I was going to shoot next to and be tutored by one of the most respected photographers and videographers in the business, Doug Gardner. Some of you may remember a show on PBS called Wild Photo Adventures a few years back. It was a half hour of terrific photography, but Doug also took the time and explained exactly how to shoot in situations like he was shooting in.

Doug has gone on to produce and film several specials for National Geographic and the BBC. He was also nominated for an Emmy this year!
So of course I was a bit intimidated about shooting next to such an accomplished photographer like Doug, but he put us all at ease very quickly. He treated us like friends and fellow photographers and couldn’t have been nicer. Not only is he a first class photographer, but he is also a world class ballbuster! I knew we would get along just fine!
So for four days I got to learn from the best in an area of Chesapeake Bay that is legendary for attracting large numbers of waterfowl at close range. It was an eye-opener to see so many ducks together in one small area. And most of these ducks were diver ducks. In our area we usually only see diver ducks out in the middle of the lakes. We got the chance to photograph them up close and personal and I took advantage of it. I ended up with about 14,000 images in four days. I know that sounds like a lot, but I could easily taken quite a few more!!!
So I hope you enjoy the following images as much as I enjoyed taking them. It was so nice to spend time with people who enjoy that type of photography as much as I do! I will also post a more complete set of images in the gallery section of this site if you are interested. Click on the images to enlarge….

Blue….

Bad Boy….

Pretty Girl….

Photobomb….

Crooked neck…

No brakes!!!!

Incoming!!!!

Lazy day…..

Intimidating…..

Riding the waves….

Final approach…

Touching down….

Winging it….

I met some good photographers on this trip and I can’t thank Doug enough for his help! He taught me some new ideas that will take my photography to the next level and I can’t wait to try them back at home!!!
And whatever you do…. get out and shoot!!!

Playing Catch Up.....

With all of the sports shooting that we’ve been doing in the last month, my wildlife photos have kind of taken a back seat. But we are all finished for the year with sports so I have a chance to catch up on my wildlife posts, and the first one would have to be the Otters of course. Clink on the image to enlarge.

This Otter happened to nab a very respectable size Carp for breakfast and he was nice enough to bring it up on a log so I could see it. I had never seen them grab something that big before and I wanted to see how he was going to handle something of that size. I’m guessing the fish to be about 15” long and somewhere in the 3-5 ib. range.
The first thing he did once he got it on the log was to chew the tail off. I’m not sure if that was intentional, but it did seem logical. If the fish has no tail, he can’t swim away…

And what really impressed me was that he ate the whole damn thing, fins, head, and all!

Try not to swallow it whole!

Eventually his bestie (mate, buddy, sibling?) came by and asked if they could get a taste…… uh-uh-uh….. this Otter wasn’t inclined to share a single morsel of their breakfast. What a pig!

Don’t go away mad, just go away….

Eventually the Otter realized that he wasn’t going to share, so they went over to the lodge and sulked.

And last, but not least, here he is after eating a very large breakfast. He’s looking very smug! I just can’t believe he ate the whole thing! Their stomach can’t be any bigger than your fist, and the only thing that was left of that fish were some scales floating on the water.

With the colder nights that are in the forecast, the pond will begin to freeze over for good. We’ve been very fortunate that the open water lasted this long, but I think by this time next week the pond will be mostly iced over.
So while you have the chance, get out and shoot!!!

Cocaine Fueled Party at Brick Pond!!!!!!

It has been an interesting year in my photography travels. I have seen some behavior that I could only shake my head at and wonder what the reasoning was for the behavior. But this one I still can’t figure out.
There was a light snowfall last night and it left about an inch of snow on everything this morning. It was a beautiful sunrise with a fresh coating of snow, and I was hoping to see the Otters. There is also a small group of Hooded Mergansers that has been at the pond for the last month or so.
The Otters decided not to visit today so the Mergansers were the only game in town besides the geese. When they got to my side of the pond they showed me a behavior that I have never seen. They would get up on a log with fresh snow on top and proceed to walk down the log with their head down, beak open, literally shoveling snow into their mouth!!! Click on the photo to enlarge

John Belushi would be proud!

I was at a loss to explain it. It’s not like they need the water. They spend the bulk of their life in water, and to see them drinking water is commonplace. So why do they need the snow? Maybe it’s their version of a Slushie?

Once again, “you can’t make this stuff up!!” Enjoy!

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Wetland.....

It’s been a busy few weeks around here. We’ve been shooting the various high school sports championships, so time is at a premium. But I still have been able to sneak out to my favorite spots and check on my wild friends. And while I was out on one of those trips, I saw something that I have never seen before and still can’t explain. Hopefully one of my readers has seen this behavior before and can explain it to me! Click images to enlarge

breakfast……

The Otter shown above was just hanging out, quietly enjoying a breakfast snack of fresh Bullhead when a large Beaver swam up to him and began acting in an aggressive manner which seemed to startle the Otter.

The Otter is sitting on a half-submerged log about 30 feet long, with a large root ball at the left end of the log.
The Otter was clearly disturbed by the Beaver’s behavior and began backing up on the log, all the way to the end of the log. The Otter actually walked up backwards onto the end of the log, never taking his eyes off of the Beaver. And the Beaver kept advancing towards the Otter. This was really making the Otter nervous. And I had never seen any kind of interaction between the two before, so I had no idea what was going on!

What the heck is his problem?

Otters will occasionally share a beaver lodge in the winter time and I thought that maybe the Otter hadn’t paid his rent yet. Or maybe he got caught canoodling with missus beaver?
Eventually the beaver got so close that the otter started hissing at the beaver to let him know that the beaver wasn’t welcome.

Back Off!!!

The Otter eventually ended up on the very top of the root ball of the dead log and the two had a staring match for several minutes. With a quick splash, the beaver was gone, but it took several minutes for the Otter to work up the courage to leave the relative safety of the log.
Like I have said many, many time before, “you can’t make this stuff up!!!”