Fun Friday: Struttin’ His Stuff

By Jim | Published March 27, 2015




From 2009, this male Greater Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) is “booming” on a prairie “lek”, in north-central Missouri: “Booming” refers to the rather eerie noise the male makes, by filling his air sacs, then exhaling in several, short bursts. This behavior is performed to attract the females (hens) for mating. And the “lek” refers to […]

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Another “Fake”

By Jim | Published March 10, 2015




Another “false” wildflower captured at Prairie State Park was the False Dandelion (Krigia biflora). Growing to 2-feet tall, it reminded me of the real Dandelions that grow so large in Alaska (where the all-day sunshine really gives them a hefty growth spurt)! Maybe not one of our “dainty” wildflowers, but still a beautiful plant with […]

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Skirting the Truth

By Jim | Published March 9, 2015




Another fond spring memory … the False Garlic (Nothoscordum bivalve) wildflower: This little beauty looks like it might be an onion or a garlic, but isn’t. Also, does not have the characteristic odor of it’s look-alike plants. The False Garlic is in the Lily family. The flower is an umbel (many shoots coming out of […]

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Close Encounter From the Kayak

By Jim | Published March 8, 2015




While on a kayak outing a few years ago, I ran across this juvenile Red-Shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus). Normally, it is quite difficult to approach this species, but sitting low in the water in the kayak, I was not seen as a threat. Here are a few of the many images I captured of this […]

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Fun Friday: Like My New Do?

By Jim | Published March 6, 2015




Green Herons (Butorides virescens) are a lot of fun to watch. Many times, they will cause their head feathers to become erect, giving them a quite comical appearance: This image was captured from my kayak a few years ago. Photographic Equipment Used: Canon 1D Mark 3 body Canon EF 100-400mm, f/4.5-5.6 IS lens, with Canon […]

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Testing the Limits

By Jim | Published March 1, 2015




While editing some older images, I found a couple of images captured from the kayak, of a small frog “hiding” in a lily pad. Reviewing the image data, I realized these images were made by hand-holding the camera/macro lens combo. I used a very small aperture to throw the background out-of-focus. This also caused a […]

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Here Fishy, Fishy

By Jim | Published February 28, 2015




While kayaking, I sometimes run across Green Herons (Butorides virescens), which are always fun and interesting to watch. And they are excellent fishers. In today’s photos, I’m sharing a couple of a Green Heron stalking fish at the edge of the water: In another post, I’ll share some images captured of a Green Heron fishing. […]

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Fun Friday: Peek-A-Boo!

By Jim | Published February 27, 2015




Today’s “Fun Friday” post is a fairly common experience I come across when kayaking … a juvenile Raccoon “hiding” behind some grasses at the edge of the water, watching “that crazy person in that funny looking contraption”: When I have an experience like this, I will quickly shoot a few frames, then slowly back away […]

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Hunting With My Bro

By Jim | Published February 26, 2015




While kayaking a few years ago, I captured this pair of juvenile Raccoons foraging along the water’s edge: Raccoons are always fun to watch, especially the younger ones!   Photographic Equipment Used: Canon 1D Mark 3 body Canon EF 100mm-400mm, f/4.5-f/5.6 IS lens, with Canon 1.4x TC, shot at 450mm Handheld from a kayak, with […]

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Female Belted Kingfisher

By Jim | Published February 23, 2015




Some images of a female Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle torquatus) that I captured from my kayak a few years ago. How do I know this is a female? The female has a reddish-brown belly band around her belly … the male does not: The low, in-the-water approach of a kayak can often get one very close […]

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