Love those pelicans

I rarely go to the same location at the same time each year but I can't get enough of the pelicans at Lac Qui Parle Dam west of Watson. All the shots are identical, except for the light, so I was practicing with my video set up and waiting for sweet light to do still shots when this bird's landing came along.

High Water

I went to check a camera trap and discovered the road was flooded.  I had to choose between turning around or looking for something to photograph.  I drove to the next convenience turn around point and saw reflections along the road and then I noticed the songbirds. We have had about six inches of rain this week and it will take a couple weeks for the the water to recede so I can get the camera that fortunately it is on high ground.

Technical: Natural sound recorded with a Rode Stereomic. The overhead jet is just part of the world. 

Turtle Turf War?

It is tempting to call this an action video about turtles battling each other for the best place on a log. However, there is a problem with calling this an action video. These are turtles, "action" is carried out at turtle speed, only slightly faster than snail speed. At the end of the day this is just another interesting observation in the life of a wildlife photographer.

Who's on my tail?

I'm sure there are a least a dozen titles that would describe this pair. Whenever two species are together it's a special moment. This was a lucky side shot taken while watching turtle wars, well war might be an exaggeration, but definitely conflict. The movie comes out on Monday.

Mirror, mirror. . .

This female mallard seems to be preening in front of the camera as if it is a mirror while the male waits patiently. This interpretation might have been influenced by raising two daughters.

Celebrating Green

 A couple weeks ago the pale purple of this hepatica was the center of attention on the forest floor. April showers have now turned the forest floor green. I enjoy photographing in a light drizzle to catch the water droplets on leaves.

The ground is alive!

I was studiously looking for insects on bloodroot flowers when the ground suddenly became alive with snakes sliding through the leaves. I had stumbled garter snakes emerging from a winter nest site. There is something disconcerting about getting eye to eye with your subject when there are a dozen snakes at your feet.  These docile reptiles have been given a worse reputation than big bad wolves.

Goodbye Monochrome

Color is coming! After this week the world will be green! Deer are getting hungry for some fresh greens in Flandrau State Park. We are routinely seeing 15-20 browsing on our afternoon and evening hikes.

True Beauty of Nature

 

I usually try to record beauty and perfection in nature ignoring its imperfections. A perfect specimen always gets my attention, whether it is a trophy deer or wildflower at peak bloom. This otherwise healthy buck is an example of survival in an imperfect world. The beauty here is its ability to adapt, survive, and thrive. Isn't that the beauty of our lives as well?

Scent Post

 

Some of us read the local news each morning. Coyotes check their scent posts for the latest  information. Occasionally the news is updated.

Technical: Reconyx Ultrafire cameras are placed in selected Scientific and Natural Areas under a special permit from the MN DNR.

Diversity

This view from the top of a prairie knob shows both a remnant of the virgin prairie and the current status of the prairie restoration. The image below was taken on the same property showing the diversity of this scientific and natural area: Cedar Mountain SNA. The name is somewhat of an oxymoron since this "mountain" is within in a mile of the Minnesota River, in the heart of the valley.

Minneopa Color

For some reason fall colors also draw me to water. Minneopa State Park has both so yesterday I went on my annual fall visit. There are now bison in the prairie section of the park but the gate is closed during best photo times so I'll wait for a good atmosphere day to try my luck with them.

Wild Ginger

There is "wet belly" photography on the prairie and "nose to the ground" photography in the woods. In this case it helped that there was a steep hillside. This intricate flower has an unpleasant aroma that attracts flies for pollination.

Rue or False

White with green leaves can be so many things in the spring woods.  The common Rue Anemone and False Rue Anemone can be differentiated by the deeply lobed leaves of the false rue anemone.  My inclination is to get tight with wildflowers but to get an ID the leaves need to be in the image. Even then it can be difficult to get the right species.
Technical: Multiple apertures were shot to get the best background blur and still maintain sharp flowers. Manual focus on the stem of the smaller flower was used to divide the range of focus.

Primordial

One of my projects this year is photographing the granite outcroppings of the upper Minnesota River Valley. This rock is over 3 billion years old so the challenge will be using composition and light to make rock that is unchanging appear alive and interesting. I like the combination of ephemeral ice with the eternal rock in this image.

Technical:  Close up using a wide angle lens of a small water pool at Morton Outcrops.

Frozen Cactus

I could feel the pain of this cactus caught in the wrong place at the wrong time a few thousand years ago. Little did it know it was condemned to Minnesota winters while it's relatives would live in sunny Arizona year round. One of my projects this year is photographing scientific and natural areas of the upper Minnesota River Valley where prickly pear cactus is relatively common on the granite outcroppings.

Autumn Ferns

I rarely use the technique of framing in composition but I couldn't resist putting these ferns on the lower edges to frame this October scene. The lines seem to form a diamond in the woods. This was taken along a country road in the Minnesota River Valley which is an often overlooked autumn location for color.

September Waterfall

The spring run off is long past and summer rains a memory leaving the slow moving water of fall. This is a roaring stream in the spring and now you can walk across it with ease. The smooth water adds to the tranquility of the afternoon when it was recorded during a 5 second exposure.

Technical: polarizing filter and 2 stop ND filter used.

Minnesota Cactus

Minnesota has three species of cactus, typically all are in bloom during late June. The brittle prickly pear cactus seen here is the most common and found on exposed rock surfaces along the Minnesota River Valley. These were photographed on Rock Ridge SNA near Jeffers.

Cedar Mountain SNA

I explored a Scientific and Natural Area that's new for me over the weekend.  Most of it is highly degraded prairie overgrown with sumac.  When it started to rain I headed into the wooded part of the area, attempting to stay dry longer, and discovered unique rock formations. I made it back to the truck soaked but happy with the my discovery.  The label "mountain" is a relative term in the Minnesota River valley. It has a high point allowing a great view for miles downstream. I can only imagine the view 200 years ago.