Mallard ducks (which are very common in Wisconsin) are not as fearful of humans as other wildlife can be.
Being fairly tame, they don’t seem to mind posing for some closeups.
Tag Archives: Birds
Common loons
One of my favorite things about northern Wisconsin (where I just returned from camping) are the common loons that spend the summers there.
They’re beautiful and kind of elusive. They don’t like to get close to humans at all. But I was armed with a new telephoto lens I bought several months ago, and was determined to get some decent shots.
Ducks of Door County
Robin crossing
While walking the neighborhood the other day, I came across this robin, perched regally on the top of the railroad crossing sign.
Red-winged blackbirds
Soaring eagles
I had a LOT of bald eagle sightings when I was in northern Wisconsin.
My favorite happened late one afternoon while I was reading in a lounge chair at my campsite. Dark movement in the sky hit my peripheral vision. I looked up, and there was this eagle, soaring on the wind, scanning the shallows of the lake for fish.
Birding at Horicon Marsh
Last weekend my father and I visited Horicon Marsh and National Wildlife Refuge where we went on an early evening, two-hour boat tour.
A few times we were fortunate to get some great views of birds close up, like this sandhill crane.
View more →
Easter walk
After a delicious Easter brunch at my brother Steve’s house, some of us decided to head outside for a walk. Below, Mike, Adam and Wil Bloy demonstrate that yes, waiting is hard.
The one that got away
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 a telephoto 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.
Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge
About two miles north of where I was camping last week, was the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge.
