Nature Photography Field Trips

This is the time of year when Trumpeter Swans seem to yap constantly.

Keep your eyes peeled when you are on a photo trip and you may get a shot

at something totally unexpected. Here a curious Red-tailed hawk perched along a roadway.

Mallard drake preening

Mallard drake waking up from a snooze.

Mallard drake flying over Rum River.

Mallard drake taking off on Rum River.

Mallard drake displayingat Riverside Park in Shakopee.

Trumpeter swan displaying.

Adult trumpeter landing on Mississippi River.

Squabbling swans

Displaying adult trumpeter.

Cygnet landing on Mississippi River.

Displaying Cygnet

The last two Saturdays have been field trip days for our Nature Photography class. On the 11^th we met on the Rum River in Anoka to photograph mallards. It was a cold morning with the thermometer registering 2 degrees below zero. The wind chill calculated at 28 degrees below zero. Thankfully we were down near the river where we were somewhat sheltered from the wind. The light was beautiful with the reflection of the trees on the water. The mallards were certainly there in numbers but were quite lethargic and more interested in resting on the far river bank than coming to our cracked corn or flying up and down the river. As the morning went on the ducks began to do more sorties up and down the river.

The following Saturday ( 18^th) we met at Swan Park in Monticello to photograph the beautiful trumpeter swans along with mallards and Canada geese. Again the light was beautiful but the day was spring-like and somewhere near 30 degrees. We arrived at about 9:00 am more swans dropped in and when Jim Lawrence came out to feed the waterfowl , there were plenty of birds to photograph.

Later in the afternoon a couple of us went to Riverside Park in Shakopee where we found beautiful afternoon light and lot of mallards .

Trip to Georgia

The start of a beautiful day on Tybee Island.

Alligator resting in sun at Savannah NWR

Snowy egret hunting a shallow pond.

An American coot working the shallow water at Savannah NWR.

A great egret kissing his reflection on Tybee Island.

A willet tippy-towing through the Atlantic surf on Tybee Island.

A purple sandpiper napping in the sun on a Tybee beach.

A black skimmer in flight over Tybee Island.

We spent a few days visiting Beth and Anthony in Georgia. We were fortunate to spend some time down on the coast near Savannah. I was able to do some photography on Tybee Island, at Fort Pulaski, ( where the supposedly invincible fort fell to the Union army using the first rifled cannons in the civil war,) in the Savannah historical district, and at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge in South Carolina. We had beautiful weather and it was fun to feel the sun’s warmth again. There were some winter migrants in the area; some shore birds, wading birds, waterfowl, skimmers and gulls, along with beautiful sunrises. Most of my shooting was done with a Sigma 50-500 OS lens. It was the first opportunity I had to test the lens. My initial feeling is that it will be a fun lens to shoot in the spring when the migratory birds come through. I was especially excited photographing my first Alligator in the wild. He was sunning himself along the edge of a roadside pond. I would have missed him but my sharp-eyed wife alerted me, “There’s an alligator!” I quickly pulled over, jumped out of the car and started shooting.

Swans back at Swan Park

A Coopers hawk posed on a neighboring brushpile.

Jim Lawrence testing the location of feeders for swans is

greeted by mallards.

Mallards flocked in when corn was offered.

Trumpeter swan coming in for a landing.

The histogram is well balanced to pick up good detail

in the white in bright sun.

Swans

Our New Years Day snow paved the way for the first Swan feeding of the year on the weekend. About 600 swans showed up with 2000 more in the area. Jim Lawrence was test feeding – the swans weren’t eating but the mallards were definitely prime.

We were there in the morning with the bright sun forcing shadows over the birds that were flying into the north wind. Shooting was tough but we finally settled on 1/1600 of a second shutter speed at f 7.1 with 2/3 minus compensation. An added bonus was a Cooper’s Hawk chasing sparrows in a brush pile in Jim’s backyard. She posed for several photographers before taking her prey and departing the scene.

No Snow- No Swans

A strange colored mallard showed up at the Monticello park today.

Trumpeters are passing by but not being fed until the fields are snow covered.

There have been many disappointed observers and photographers at the Monticello Swans Park this winter. I was over there today and only saw a few swans flying over. There were a number of Canada Geese and lots of mallards. I did see a good number of swans in fields on my drive over to Monticello. Therein lies the problem.

Without snow this winter, the swans are finding all the food the need in local fields.

Until snow cover arrives the swans will be content to feed and rest in the fields. The “Swan Lady”, Sheila Lawrence passed away and her husband has agreed to continue the feeding program. The hopper is full and standing by for the first arrival of the swans which will follow the first good snowfall. The good part is that they are saving about $200 of corn each day with the delay.

The Magnificent Monarch

An early summer Monarch feeding on Butterfly weed

a close relative of common milkweed.

A September Monarch loading up on Aster nectar to fuel the

journey ahead.

Monarch caterpillar feeding on a milkweed leaf.

Monarch caterpillar climbing a grassy stem.

A tiger striped monarch caterpillar cemented to the underside

of a milkweed leaf.

This the set up I use to take macro shots of butterflies and caterpillars.

One of the fascinating organisms I like to photograph with the macro lens is the common Monarch Butterfly. You will quickly find there is nothing common about the Monarch. Beginning life as a minute egg pasted on the underside of a milkweed leaf, shortly, a tiny caterpillar, less than a sixteenth of an inch long makes his way out of the egg. After wiggling a short time on the undersurface of the leaf it immediately turns and zeros in on its own shell to make its first meal from the nutritious eggshell.

The caterpillar is designed to eat and grow. After the second molt, the familiar tiger stripes begin to show. Growth is rapid as one instar follows another. When the caterpillar has reached somewhat over two inches long, it has the urge to stop eating and begins wandering to find the perfect pupa station. Upon settling on the underside of a leaf or branch, it secretes a sticky, silky substance from its mouth and applies it to its perch. Now by carefully maneuvering, it slowly ends up with its rear claspers secured in the silk. By gradually letting go with its feet, it dangles head down from the surface.

Gradually it works the skin up until a beautiful chrysalis appears from the inside of its body. The chrysalis is lime green with gold flecks. Now the caterpillar must dissolve into a soup-like substance with only a few surviving cells. These cells then initiate the complete building of the butterfly including brain, eyes, antennae, heart, legs and wings. The butterfly that will emerge the next morning will have no resemblance to the caterpillar from which it formed. This is just one of the amazing processes that God has ordained in his marvelous creation. Throughout the summer the monarch generations live between 2 and 4 weeks. However the final generation, emerging in late August, will migrate to the mountains of central Mexico and live more than 9 months, before laying eggs on the return trip, after which they will die.

Macro Photography

Arigope spider with wasp victim. Note zigzag in web and downward facing position, always the stance of the Arigope.

Grasshopper on hoary vervain.

Ichneumon Wasp depositing egg

Gray Tree Frog on Black-eyed Susan flower

White-faced meadowhawk on hoary vervain.

Japanese beetle on a milk weed leaf

Tiger swallowtail on hoary vervain.

Arigope spider with wasp victim. Note zigzag in web and downward facing position, always the stance of the Arigope.

August is the perfect time to do a little Macro photography. Butterflies, dragonflies, tree frogs, spiders and an amazing variety of insects are at peak populations right now. I love to shoot my 180mm macro lens which gives me a good distance from the subject so that I can shoot in heavy cover and not have to worry about disturbing the subject. I also shoot in manual mode and use flash to light the subject so that I can get added depth of field. I will show you the setup I use on a future post. Here are some examples.

Workshop for Teachers

Wednesday, August 3 · 9:00am - 12:00pm
Location	Maplewood Nature Center 2659 7th Street East Maplewood Nature Center
Created By	Maplewood Nature Center
More Info	The workshop will include a digital cameras tutorial, basic photo tips, a hands-on photo activity, a review and discussion of the photos taken, downloading and editing techniques and student project ideas. We’ll show how to enhance your curriculum, not add to it! Co-hosted by Maplewood Nature Center & the MN DNR . This FREE event for teachers of all subjects and grades 3-9. This is a four-hour standards-based workshop held at the Maplewood Nature Center. Location: Maplewood Nature Center, 2659 7th Street East, Maplewood MN 55119, 651-249-2170. After the workshop teachers will: * Have FREE access to digital cameras and field guides for your students. * Have new ways to tie digital photography experiences to state education standards. * Know how to use student digital photos with WEB 2.0 applications.* Earn 4.0 Continuing Ed Units. For Teachers Only. Please pre- register: call Beth Girard @ 612-616-8431 or e-mail beth_girard@msn.com by July 27.

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• Maplewood Nature Center

  This is a wonderful free teacher workshop, please pass along to any teachers you may know.