Category Archives: Wildlife

Duck!

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I caught these two hanging out in a little wetland on some reclaimed mining land. I don’t think they need to fear being hunted here, so they really weren’t as skittish as most ducks I’ve tried to photograph. They just kept rooting around while I stood by. Of all the sights of North Dakota’s wildlife, ducks feeding with their tail pointing straight up has got to be one of the funniest. If they were in sand instead of water, you could say the one on the right is a Democrat!

It’s easy being (Kawasaki) green

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This character makes it look easy, anyway. The critter you’re looking at is a lacewing, found near gardens and other habitable locations. If you see these flying about, be happy! They eliminate lots of common pests and are considered a beneficial insect. You can even buy lacewing eggs for use in your flowerbeds and gardens.

It’s appropriate that this little guy sat on my motorcycle seat. I wonder if he knows he’s Kawasaki green? Perhaps he just thinks that motorcycles are Lacewing Green.

So that’s who’s been eating our flowers

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I spotted this furry pair eating near the neighbor’s garden last night when I came home. I finally found out why people put white plastic grocery bags near their gardens: my neighbor said they’re rumored to scare rabbits away as they rustle in the breeze. I also found out that they must not be very effective; these rabbits were only a few feet away from them. They also weren’t too intimidated by a 4×4 truck parked right beside them, my flash going off, or the sound of my neighbor and I talking about them. They just sat there, lazily chewing the grass.

Oh yeah…I also found out (presumably) who ate my wife’s flowers. We got some stuff that sprays on the flowerbeds and smells absolutely AWFUL. It drives them away for good, just don’t get any on ya!

Bashful

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Maybe he wants us to call him Flower. It’s obvious now why these little guys have all those spots on their backs! This guy blended in pretty good, and was nice enough to sit still for a picture. I tried to get a better angle to see all of his face, but he darted down his hole right away.

Turtles can play, too

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One of these turtles was sure having a heyday swimming circles around the other in some shallow water east of Bismarck. It’s weird to see a creature like a turtle acting in a playful manner, but this one was definitely doing so! The larger turtle, perhaps a parent, was not participating but didn’t seem to object.

There be dragons about

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This beastie has made my yard his home this year, and has chased down and eaten a lot of bugs in return. I found him perched on my clothesline pole yesterday. Oh, okay..it’s more of a motorcycle parts line than a clothesline, but you get the picture.

There have been a lot of enormous dragonflies buzzing about lately. This is also a good time for damselflies…if you can find any wetland areas in this drought, poke around in the weeds and you’ll find thousands of little dragonflies and damselflies in an assortment of colors!

Pelicans and Potholes

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As I drove through the “Prairie Pothole” region east of Bismarck, I noticed that the water levels in a lot of these tiny lakes are VERY low. We need rain badly. I also saw a lot of these big white fellas. They were apparently in a pretty good mood, too, because normally I haven’t been able to get near them with my camera. I’ve tried at a number of wildlife refuge areas around North Dakota.

Pelicans are neat looking birds, and large ones too. These guys were hanging out in a lake just east of Medina. Monday was a pretty nice day, sunny and lightly breezy…perfect for swimming and flying, I guess. While the birds kept a reasonably safe distance, they weren’t as shy or skittish as the ones I’ve encountered in the past. Still, I pushed my telephoto lens to the limit to get these shots of them.

Something so big can still look pretty graceful, can’t it? Notice how his feet are tucked in behind him…he’s got retractable landing gear! My little lovebird, Scooter, does the same thing when he flies. It’s pretty cool to see. This pelican circled around quite a bit, gliding and flapping those enormous wings. He looked very graceful…

Until he augered in on the landing. That would be me if I were a pelican…as soon as a camera comes along, I eat it trying to land in calm water. “I meant to do that,” as Pee Wee Herman would say. Oh well, I still think he’s a remarkable creature. He was able to compose himself and glide proudly along, preening his feathers as he bobbed around in the water. And I hopped in the truck with a smile on my face, ready to continue back home to Bismarck.

It lurks beneath the surface…in a little stream east of Bismarck…

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I was walking across a foot bridge over the stream running along Bismarck’s east edge…minding my own business, if that’s possible with a 300mm lens. I glanced at the water below as I casually made my way back toward my truck…but wait! The water moved in a very peculiar fashion, or part of it did, anyway. I swung my camera over to get a closer look.

The water’s pretty low right now, and dark as well. There’s a bit of moss, algae, and debris that add a lot of clutter to the surface in the shallower parts of the stream. That’s where I saw a familiar shape gliding along slowly, leaving a muddy trail of swirling eddies in the muddy current behind it. It was a HUGE snapping turtle.

I tried to hold the camera steady as he eased to a stop and poked his head out of the water. His head alone was at least the size of my fist if not larger! His jagged shell stayed obscured by the water, and his head blended in with the debris almost perfectly. Had I not seen his slow movements a moment before, I’d never have spotted him.

He looked about for a minute or two, although it certainly seemed like a much longer time. I leaned on the railing of the bridge and snapped away, hoping to get at least a couple of clear pictures. When a lens is zoomed out that far, it’s hard to be steady enough without a tripod or monopod. I had neither; they were back in the truck, of course.

His curiosity satisfied, he eased his head back into the water and began to swim under the clutter. In doing so he lost some of his muddy cover, and it was then that I got a fleeting glance at his shell…just before he disappeared under the plant cover for good.

Watch your fingers and toes in the shallow water east of Bismarck!

The damsels have returned

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In force, too! Just find yourself a little bit of sheltered water and there will be damselflies nearby, darting around in the weeds. Some even land atop the water if possible, such as in this photo.

These are weird little critters…watching them fly is just bizarre. They can dart all over the place but never change orientation…it’s just plain unusual. Getting them to sit still for a picture isn’t always easy, either!

I’m not the only wildlife photographer in this house

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My wife and I spotted this litte fella perched alongside the bike path as it heads east, between Washington and Airport Road. Someone at one of the apartment buildings nearby has some feeders set up, and he seems to feel right at home there.

I didn’t have my camera on that particular bike ride. She had the presence of mind, while riding with a friend yesterday, to take her Canon with and keep her eye out for unusual photo opportunities. I guess I’m starting to rub off on her in that respect. She grabbed a few really good shots, including these two pictures of the blue and white swallow. I’m so proud of her!