Phantom Lake at Crex Meadows

Bald Eagle having breakfast on the far side of the lake during a snow burst

O Arkansas

Thanks to John Trapp of Birds Etcetera , I've come across this read by Laura, O Arkansas .
On occasion, she even writes about birds .

return to Crex

What a difference three weeks make!

It is now colder -- bleaker (until the sun shines) -- birdless & peopleless (almost).

there is very little open water

by mid-morning the sun began to peer out

Before you criticize me for dirt on the lens or sensor -- the white spots against the blue sky are snow flakes that were falling as the sun came out.
more to follow

winter IS here

even more signs

Are birds just feathered dinosours?

read about it here 

more of winter's coming to Springbrook

Springbrook's Goldfinches

Inspired by Richard's recent Goldfinch posts on his At The Water blog, I had to share some finch photos from Springbrook. They seem to take the ice in stride.

Some of these didn't seem to be so willing to get along.

winter IS coming

Last week as I was walking around Springbrook, there was no doubt that winter IS coming.

The cloudy sky takes on that certain look threatening snow any minute.

Ice covers ponds with very few open spots.

The leaves are frozen and crunch under my feet.

Even the few remaining birds seem a little anxious.

Or am I projecting my own feelings upon them?

more to follow

the remnant

These are the last two shots I want to share with you from my trip to Crex two weeks ago -- a Rough-legged Hawk & 2 Bald Eagles. If anyone has been there in the last several days, I'd love to hear a report since I'm planning on going next week.

the last of Crex's cranes

And you thought there would be no more Sandhills?

This probably will be the last of them for the year. I hope to get to Crex next week, but I doubt there will be any left. It was fun while it lasted. Now to look forward to Kearney, Nebraska, next spring.

why more megapixels don't necessarily result in better pictures

An interesting analysis written so that even I can understand it -- here .

The quote from Ansel Adams is worth reading the article.

Why do I take pictures?

Every once in a while I ask myself that question -- what drives me to get up in the dark to get to a birding spot before sunrise? -- my photos aren't that great; why do I take them?
Though not pertaining to bird or nature photography, some of New York Times' David Pogue's reflections in "Why We Shoot Home Videos " deal with related questions. 
Why do you take bird or other photos?

orni-theology

This post may be more suited for my other blog, Ivars' Voice , but I decided to share it with you also. Theologian, John Stott, has authored "The Birds Our Teachers: Biblical Lessons from a Lifelong Bird Watcher" relating his study of Scripture to his love of bird watching. Included are photos by the author. I have not read the book, but you can find a review here . It might make a nice Christmas gift for someone you know.

Yes, we have snow!

more from Crex

It was exciting to see this juvenile eagle; unfortunately, as I moved to get a better shot, it took off -- but, what a magnificent bird!

more Crex cranes

these Sandhills decided to take the high road

Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM

A test of a lens most of us would like to have and cannot afford (and some of us, couldn't lift).
click here 

Sandhills at Crex

I returned to Crex Meadows on Halloween Day.

As you can see, I can't get enough of the Sandhill Cranes.

You can tell that the one on the left is a juvenile -- the red on its head has not developed yet.

This is what your bill looks like if you dig around in the mud.

Yes, there will be more.

coot explosion

early morning at Crex Meadows

serious nature photography

Today I came across Ken Conger's Photography  site which will give you a good idea of what serious nature photography is like. Ken also has a blog that is worthwhile perusing. Both sites should inspire you to reflect on your own photography -- they did it for me (except I'm not ready to haul around the 400mm f/2.8 lens and a Wimberly head).

Coots at sunrise -- Crex Meadows

"Bucky" the Beaver has been busy at Springbrook

Downy @ Springbrook

Can you see the tongue?

wordless wednesday

Go Vote!

noise

I'm just getting into shooting in RAW (last 3 weeks). I'm not sure I know what I'm doing, but it is fun -- I seem to have a wider range for control using iPhoto & Aperture 2. Therefore, I was interested to read in Online Photographer (last Friday's post) about RAW producing less "noise" than JPEG.

Red-winged Blackbirds

Last Wednesday at Springbrook I was surprised to see a flock of male Red-winged Blackbirds passing through. The previous week there were none.

It was just after sunrise and the temp was well below freezing!

"Hey! I can walk on water!"

What I found interesting was that they were displaying some of the same territorial behavior that we see in the spring.

Are they finding bugs or seeds?

last week at Springbrook