Week 3

Used a different aperture, f8, I think I like these better.

Week 2 from the blind

These are all taken after 3 pm, my blind is set up for evening light. No Cardinals have been heard or spotted. My buddy Mike seems to think they'll show up after it snows. I am getting kinda bored of our snowless, brown landscape so far this winter.

Another winter approaches in SW Minnesota

I decided to set up my winter photo blind earlier than I have in the past. I chose the same area but further down the river. The main objective is to set up some feeders and attract chickadees, cardinals, nuthatches and a variety of woodpeckers. Usually it starts with putting up the feeders which we did on Friday night shortly after dark with the hope that the birds will get some good feeding time at the feeders in the morning before I show up. I arrived late morning not too enthusiastic to start earlier because of forecasted cloudy skies. The nuthatches and chickadees were the only ones around for the two hours I spent in the blind with this chickadee being my best shot. The peace and quiet was overwhelming and a great way to spend a Saturday.

After leaving the blind I decided to check out the Dakota Valley trail and the many small waterfalls along it's meandering path out of the hills. As with all images I create, a simple composition is my goal, evident in this waterfall closeup. I got down really low on the ground with my camera to make this shot.

The ice is starting to form creating many new shapes everyday.

As I was shooting the low angle waterfall, I heard a noise on my right, and not ten yards away a huge doe came into view and cleared the river with a single bound followed by another. Startled, I set my camera up quickly to capture the next one and I looked up, she saw me, then ran back up the hill. I stayed in the same position for the next 15 minutes waiting for that magical moment to happen again with no luck. The next image is the scene the deer were jumping through. Just imagine a big doe flying over the river, filling most of the frame, with her fluffy white tail standing at attention. Not to be forgotten anytime soon, and I might just make another trip soon to try and capture that action.

This is one of my favorite shots of the day with the frozen grass as a strong foreground element and the water cascading around the log.

The pool bridge is a great subject for photos from any angle.

The ice forms countless numbers of shapes along the river's edge with razor-sharp corners.

The prairie grasses are still standing strong glowing orange in the sunset light.

The abandoned farm house and shed are still present along the western edge of Camden State Park. My father spent some time there as a child some 50 or so years ago.

The railroad leads off into the sunset. I had to use my 3-stop reverse graduated filter to balance out the bright sky.

Below zero bird blog

I stayed at my bird blind in Camden State Park for 4 hours today. Very peaceful and very cold, -1 when I left at 2 pm. I had to go for a walk at noon to unthaw my toes. Despite the cold, the birds were everywhere. One thing out of the ordinary, today, was that I could not call in any cardinals. They usually come near with a few whistles, but not today, so I included some cardinal images from last weekend.

The Pileated Woodpecker roosts directly above my head and is around all day banging on the same old tree that I've seen him on for the last 3 years. I just wish the trees he hangs out in weren't so high.


Pileated Woodpecker male (red below the eye also, females don't have this)


Female Cardinal
Male Cardinal

The chickadees are so fun and still my favorite and keep me very busy. They landed on each perch I had set up so it was a successful day.










Sometimes the out-of-focus shots make for neat images.


Male Downy Woodpecker

Female Downy Woodpecker


Junco



Fun day but my backside and neck hurt severely!