Oriole And Crab Apple Blooms

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It will be interesting to see if we have another banner year with the orioles in the backyard.  2019 was a stellar one for backyard birding in my neck of the woods.  Perhaps it was the fairly consistent and abundant rains that helped.  Vibrant, colorful, flowering trees were seemingly everywhere and the Orchard and Baltimore’s … Read more

Early To Rise – Sandhill Cranes

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One of the challenges with the Sandhill cranes on the Platte river is that some of them…well, many of them, will start their day pretty early.  Many will depart off the river, even before the sun has risen.  Couple that with the common fog that envelopes the river in the early hours, and you have … Read more

Loess Bluffs Refuge – Snow Geese

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When it comes to momentous occasions, not much can compare to the blasting exodus of tens of thousands of snow geese.  This short video was taken at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Missouri, which is a favorite stop over point for the birds on their migration tot he north.  Normally they are pretty … Read more

Air Of Confidence – Sandhill Cranes

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Some cranes, most likely the elders of the of the group, show a form of confidence that can only come through years of trial mixed with the tribulation of overcoming most everything.  They are, or should I say, become, an incredibly durable bird.  Migration flights of thousands of miles. Enduring all kinds of weather, from … Read more

The Feast – Bald Eagle

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It doesn’t happen every year, but sometimes, at our local lock and dam near Muscatine, you’ll find a particular eagle that dominates the lock chamber.  There’s water in there…it’s calm, and it get’s a fish coming through now and then…and this big bird takes advantage of that.  Due to it’s size and demeanor I’m pretty … Read more