Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Wood Lily Field


There is a field of wood lilies in bloom along County Rd O, more lilies than I have ever seen in one place. This is wildflower season with a rainbow of color on the prairie, including a few late blooming lupine.
Dale

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Corduroy Dike Evening


Five inches of rain within the last two weeks have put the water levels higher than they have been for years. It will be hard for the migrating shorebirds to find mud but the ducks may be stop by in numbers we haven't seen for awhile. Butterflies and prairie flowers are now taking front stage. Mosquitoes and flies are doing well. This is one of the most colorful times of the year. Summer is a great time to get out of the car and stroll the prairie. Sometimes watching a single flower is amazing as butterflies and insects visit it. It's time to enjoy the small wonders of the world.
Dale

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Mystery solved...

I got an email back with info on the Sandhill Crane with leg bands. How exciting to get news like this.
Kathy;
Thank you so much for forwarding this observation on to us!  I remember this bird very well....
Our team from ICF was at Crex in the summer of 2007 banding chicks for a project by a colleague, Matt Hayes, who is currently working up his PhD at the UW-Madison. He is looking at the dispersal of Sandhills in the upper Midwest, and these birds were part of the genetic component of that question. So - the bands may look worn, but they are only 3 years old! That glorious brown mud that has stained the feathers of this bird has gotten the bands as well. I've attached a picture of one of these bands, how it SHOULD look!
When we found this family group on 14 July, just east of County Rd F north of the headquarters, it was well out into the wetland.  We thought we would try and sneak up on them anyway... well, our team ended up chasing that poor chick for a half hour before it was finally in hand! We quickly banded, measured, obtained a blood sample (it turned out to be a male) and released it to waiting parents. It is simply priceless to see evidence that it is not only alive and well, but likely near its natal area.  Could you provide coordinates or other description of where you observed this bird?  It may even be a paired, breeding bird. On that same trip we also caught birds in Amsterdam Slough and Fish Lake areas; All have the red number band, plus the one inch color/US Fish & Wildlife silver band combination. Do let us know if you happen to see more!
Such great information; thank you so much. 

Sincerely,

Anne Lacy
Long Term Crane Research Coordinator

International Crane Foundation
E-11376 Shady Lane Road   P.O. Box 447
Baraboo, WI 53913-0447 USA
608-356-9462 x146 / Fax: 608-356-9465

Visit our website! www.savingcranes.org
 
"Working worldwide to conserve cranes and the wetland, grassland, and other ecosystems upon which they depend." 
 
 

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Sandhill Crane bands

Of all the thousands of Sandhill Cranes I have seen over the years, I have never noticed one with leg bands until today. I was driving down Main Dike Road and about 1 mile before James Road, a crane flew out of the deep woods right in front of my car. It landed on the other side of the road and I could see it was being harassed by deerflies. I started taking photos as it walked away and it was then that I noticed it had leg bands on both legs. Unfortunately, I couldn't read any of the numbers but I have reported it to an email address I found on the internet (savingcranes.org).
I'll report any information I get back from them.
Kathy J.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Storm Clouds


I'm experimenting with time lapse video and last Thursday's storm gave me the perfect opportunity to try it. An intervalometer that allows me to set the interval between shots on the DSLR arrived last week and I was anxious to use it. Video is played at 30 frames per second so at least 300 frames are needed for 10 seconds of viewing. Doing the math, 30 second intervals is a time lapse of 2 1/2 hours. This video was captured over about 45 minutes. Experience will eventually determine the best interval for each subject. The Animal Planet series "Life" is the inspiration for this, especially the plant segment in which they compressed a whole growing season into 10 seconds. That 10 seconds took two years to build, more energy than I plan to expend.

The storm looked too threatening in the house and I went into the prairie for better visibility and to get away from it although Sandi says it was just an excuse to play with a new toy.
Dale

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Cranes and Wolves


I have had a camera at this scent post for about a year and a variety of species have been recorded. This is an interesting reaction from the cranes to the wolf scent. I would like to thank the photographer who did not bother another camera trap that was set up on Crex. That location has been good for bears this spring. Since it's Father's Day, I'm hoping for Obsession cologne. Check out this link: Cat Attractant

It's about six weeks until the Third Annual Crex Photo Seminar which has a theme this year of Creative Nature Photography. Another speaker has been added to the already diverse group of presenters. Kyle Krohn from West Photo will be here to answer equipment questions and show a selection of products. Check the Crex website if you are interested.
Dale

Friday, June 11, 2010

Swans in the rain

Z72 with his mate and 3 cygnets

From the information I have, Z72 is a male that was hatched at Grettum Flowage at Fish Lake Wildlife Area in 2003.
Originally this pair had 5 cygnets when I first spotted them on May 18th. This video was taken June 5th so they've lost 2 cygnets. It's a tough world out there.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Bear Strolling

This guy was peacefully ambling along last Saturday morning. I'll let you in on a videographer's secret. The original audio was unusable because of my panting after running 200 yards across the prairie, carrying the camera and tripod, to get in front of him. As he headed away from me the camera battery died. This was edited from about a minute of raw footage.

I have a collared bear captured on the trail cam that I am trying to get info on and can't wait to post it with the details. This has been a good year to see bears.
Dale

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Killdeer Family

I have been watching this nest for the last several weeks and happened to be on hand the day the eggs hatched. I came back the next day in morning light to film them. These offspring are about a day old and ready to fend for themselves but still like to stay warm under mother's wing. Does this sound familiar?
Dale