Phantom Lake Sunset

We had a very successful basic DSLR class on Saturday and finished the day watching sunset at Phantom Lake. It was great to see young faces learning the basics of photography. With nearly one on one instruction from photo club members the students received individual attention. From an instructor's viewpoint it was great to see the light bulb of understanding switch on several times. There is a fall class tentatively scheduled for the first weekend in October.

Dale

Morning Stroll

At some point I realized this skunk was within my comfort zone and there was nothing to do but remain motionless. The closer it came the more my attention became focused on its tail. At some point it must have been aware of me but decided I was not a threat.

Dale

Mating Osprey

This nest is in a remote area and I've been watching it for the last several weeks,setting up a tent blind about a week ago. On the first evening in the blind this pair arrived within minutes of getting situated. I was hoping for nice warm light but had to settle for overcast.

Dale

Franklin's Update

This guy is getting harder to see and seems to be spending more time in the brush prairie. A couple mornings he has crossed the road at 9 AM and I have been lucky enough to see him. The first time he went between my tripod legs and I didn't work the camera well enough to capture him. His range is at least 250 yards from the where he is first seen and when I lose him. Except when he is in the open he is very tolerant as long as there is no sudden movement. Moving on to other subjects, he has had enough of my attention.

Dale

Trail Cam Surprise

My weekly card exchange on the trail cams had the expected wolves and this cat. There were bobcat tracks at the rest area a year ago but I think this is one of the few images of one. It posed for 5 seconds and moved on. It's a nice to see one passing through, a breeding pair to add to the nearly complete Crex ecosystem would be even better. However, birders may not be too excited to have another nest predator.

Dale

Mother's Day

This was taken last week and it seems to fit with today. Perhaps the young will be around later and I can see the results of this mother's careful settling in on her nest. I marvel at the seemingly random placement of killdeer nests, most must be successful given the large number of adults seen throughout the year.

Dale

Wild Edibles at Crex

Ali Corde put on a great program at Crex last Tuesday with samples of some of the wild edible plants available at Crex including: dandelion greens salad,  dandelion flower fritters, dandelion creamed greens, cattail shoots, popped wild rice, fern fiddleheads and pine needle tea. Everything was delicious.  Many thanks to Ali for going through all the trouble she did to collect everything and to the staff that helped her prepare these things for us.


Kathy J.

After the program we left the visitor center and were treated to an amazing sight of a  double rainbow. I hurried up to Phantom Trail before it disappeared and took this shot. Crex truly is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Franklin's Dance

This animal is currently in the Crex spotlight after years of invisibility. It's no wonder since according to one source only 10% of their time is above ground. Thanks to the prescribed burn we will be able to watch for her (?) over the next couple weeks. Credit goes to Kathy for seeing it and giving me a location. I walked the road with only a pair of binoculars while searching for it. There was a fox hunting and I started to follow it. When I turned around the Franklin's was standing upright half way between me and the truck where the camera gear was located. Fortunately it was hungry and allowed me to watch and record it for several minutes.

Dale