Sandhills Crane, 2022 The light was pretty good for this mid-morning shot. Not too hot yet, and the birds were active. This photo was taken at the Wildlife Safari Park near Ashland, Nebraska. The drive-thru park has a wide variety of animals, all native to Nebraska except for the lonely Black Bear. Animals have plenty … Continue reading Sandhills Crane
Category: Wildlife
Downy Woodpeckers There has been an unusual amount of traffic at the suet feeder this spring, both in numbers and variety. This looked like a "date" between these two Downy Woodpeckers (male with red spot). This is a lousy picture (above)-- taken from a trail cam on a windy day. But the video shows a … Continue reading Love Birds
American Kestral - 2022 One of the more colorful raptors found in the Central Plains states is the American Kestral. The bird stands about 9-12" tall (roughly the size of a Mourning Dove) with a wingspan of 24". Becuase of its relatively small size for a bird-of-prey, it is sometimes called a Sparrow Hawk. Their … Continue reading Kestral
Young Doe, 2017 I came across this scene in mid-May at Yosemite, NP. This young doe was more curious than afraid, and the beautiful array of wild flowers made it a special "catch". Thought for the Day: Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads. Henry David Thoreau
Look hard. Concentrate on the spot 1/3 down from the top and 1/3 to the left of the right border, and you will see the head of a Mallard hen. It's amazing how she blends in with her background. On May 1st Mama & Papa duck were seen cavorting in the front yard of a … Continue reading Duck Cam
Barn Owl This barn owl looks healthy and full of life, but it wouldn't last long in the wild. He was hit by a moving vehicle, taken to the Raptor Woodland Refuge at the Fontenelle Forest Nature Center, and saved. He is healthy now, but can't fly well enough to feed himself. This is one … Continue reading Perpetual Care
A rare oriole showed up at our bird feeder recently. We rarely see orioles in our yard because we only use basket feeders hanging from trees. We got tired of raccoons rooting around our deck, and we're too lazy to put out special feeders for orioles and humming birds. Taken with my cell phone -- … Continue reading Special Guest
Blue Heron - 2018 How do you get to that itch on your back that's just beyond your reach? Back up to a wall's outside corner and do the "Hokey Pokey". But, Mother Nature gave the Blue Heron a long neck so he could avoid the Hokey Pokey. Thought for the Day: I believe in … Continue reading Back Scratcher
Mule Deer Ever seen such big ears!? This mule deer doe must have sensed I was no threat, her fear instinct did not overtake her curiosity. But, she was cautious, only allowing one camera shot before returning to her breakfast. Even though she wasn't looking at me while grazing, her ears always pointed in my … Continue reading Big Ears
Sheep Protector During our ATV tour of the Comstock game reserve we came across this adorable alpaca. Good natured and easily approachable, I thought he was part of a "petting zoo" application that might appeal to young families. Not exactly. The alpaca was there to protect the sheep from coyotes. Thought for the Day: As … Continue reading Alpaca
An interesting animal, the giraffe. Exotic color and markings, obscenely tall (over 15') with spindly legs, surprisingly quick and agile, gentle demeanor, and a very particular eater. Its main food source is the thorny acacia tree, consuming 100 lbs of leaves and twigs per day. This photo was taken in the in Tanzania's Ngorongoro Crater, … Continue reading Giraffe
Young Doe I was surprised as she was. Our eyes met simultaneously and the realization of what we saw froze us both. The young doe seemed more curious than afraid, no flight instinct was apparent. She just stood there while I took several pictures, as if modeling for the paparazzi. After a while she sauntered … Continue reading Oh! Deer Me!
Early morning in Smoky Mountains NP an elk herd was grazing on the edge of the forest. This doe was off by itself, as if being shunned by the others. She was aware of me, but didn't seem bothered by my presence. Ho hum, just another butinsky. Thought for the Day: Make someone happy today … Continue reading Doe Elk
This is the Black Swallowtail butterfly that was clinging to the railing of my deck. (click here). I just rotated the image 90 degrees to get a level front view. It reminded me of a large airplane at the end of the runway. Since then, it has snowed almost 4 inches; hope he got cleared … Continue reading Ready for Take Off
Brrr! It was cold the day I found this Black Swallowtail butterfly on the lawn, temp in the 40's and strong winds. It was motionless; I thought it was frozen ... or dead, but flapped its wings when I tried to pick it up. I placed it on my deck so it wouldn't get stepped … Continue reading Black Swallowtail
This is my second butterfly "raised" and released, DP-2. Like clockwork, it hatched on the 10th day of pupation. When the larva (caterpillar) pupates, it spins a cocoon-like shell around itself hanging from the bottom of a milkweed leaf or the top of the jar in my case. The chrysalis (cocoon) is green as I … Continue reading Monarch Hatching
Just in time for lunch. Cute little critter, huh? Thought for the Day: Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. … Continue reading Fruit Bat
I started this little science project with a Monarch larva (caterpillar) on August 11th, when DP-1 was less than 1/4" long. It grew to over 1 1/2" long before it pupated on August 29th. After ten days in the pupa stage, a magnificent female Monarch butterfly hatched around noon on September 8th. When we opened the … Continue reading DP-1 Lift Off
I see many faces in this shot. I see a grumpy old man, I see a stone-faced poker player and I see a stern judge listening to the evidence. I see a family patriarch or an elder adviser. Maybe a mind reader. Frozen, motionless; I couldn't get a read from its body language and the … Continue reading Many Faces
My current pet project is the butterfly larva I adopted a few weeks ago, named DP-1 (click here). A couple days ago, after growing to approx. 1 1/2" long, it climbed to the top of it's new home, gallon jar, and wrapped itself in a protective green shell. It is now in its final stage, … Continue reading Pupa