A Bloy and his Blog

I saw a lot of honeybees gathering nectar, while hiking the Arboretum yesterday.

read the rest of: Honeybees

No pictures on this post, just a story about an encounter with a bald eagle and the photo that didn’t get taken.

While on vacation last week, I was biking the trail along Trout Lake, hoping to get some photos of loons. That portion of the trail runs along the lake shore, with a buffer of trees of about 10 feet. The trees make for a decent blind, so the birds don’t get scared away. I had seen loons (fairly close by) along that section of trail in the past and I was hoping for a good shot. I had my camera setup with its telephoto zoom lens, ready to go in my bike’s saddle bag. At one point I did see some loons off in the distance a bit. I took a few photos, but they were a little too far away. Back on the bike I went, continuing to scan the nearby shore. Suddenly, a shadow overhead caused me to look up. There was a bald eagle swooping by, about 20 feet above me.

read the rest of: The one that got away

Where do ladybugs go for walks? I caught one strolling inside this flower.

My favorite reads are those that let me escape. Whether I am bored in a waiting room, worried about something, or just trying to clear my head so I can sleep, books that can transport my mind to another place are worth their weight in gold. The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild by Craig Childs is a wonderful example of such a book.

In The Animal Dialogues, the author vividly describes various encounters he has had with wildlife. The book is set up so each species has its own chapter: Bear, Coyote, Rainbow Trout, etc. Within each chapter are a few stories about different encounters with that species. And “stories” is an appropriate word to use here. The author’s vivid descriptions of these encounters read like a novel. Here’s an example from the chapter “Bear”:

read the rest of: The Animal Dialogues by Craig Childs

While I was in northern Wisconsin last week there were all kinds of monarch butterflies flying about.

read the rest of: Monarchs

About two miles north of where I was camping last week, was the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge.

read the rest of: Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge

I just returned from a camping trip, where I stayed at Perrot State Park.

The park is located along the Mississippi River, about 15 miles northwest of La Crosse, Wisconsin.

read the rest of: Camping along the Mississippi