My book has been published!  <---- Click here to visit my page at the Blurb Bookstore or order via my email address.      Click to order the book!

Kip's Tick Count for 2008 is currently at: 6 Ticks

Kip's Mosquito, Fly, and Gnat Count for 2008 is currently at:

2,627,449.

A Different Type of "Wild" Life 7-31-08

Today's posting is not about the typical wild life I feature on this site.  Instead, I will share a couple of images from a special motorcycle ride that takes place on the last Thursday of July each year.  The ride is called "The Guns and Hoses Motorcycle Ride" and is open to all current or retired firefighters, EMS providers, or law enforcement officials.  The event begins with an early breakfast at a church in Osage, followed by a brief memorial service to remember fallen comrades.  We then ride our motorcycles from Osage to the Mississippi River.  Some take a loop on the Iowa side of the river while others ride on the Wisconsin side.  This year's event was impeded by rain, but we still had 125-175 riders cover the country side.  If you meet the criteria and are interested in joining us, drop me an email and I'll make sure you receive next year's ride information when it is available.

Comparison - Day (Tiger) Lily to Turk's Cap Lily 7-29-08

For those who might not know the difference between a Tiger Lily (Day Lily) and a Turk's Cap Lily, I'll post samples.

Image 1 is a Turk's Cap Lily.  Notice the spots and how the petals are pulled back.

Image 2 is a Tiger (or Day) Lily.  Notice the stripes and the blossom is not curled  completely back to the stem.

A Delightful, Dew-covered Morning! 7-26-08

Contrary to how things might seem, I don't begin every photo-shooting day in my kayak.  I'd like to, but that wouldn't always be as productive as one might expect.  Saturday morning was a perfect example.  Based on weather conditions Friday evening, I was quite certain a heavy coating of dew would cover everything outside by sunrise on Saturday morning.  I was correct...when I woke early Saturday, everything in sight was wet with dew.  I donned a pair of chest waders and headed out to a local prairie-type area.  Following are a few of the images I captured before 9:00AM.  

I'll begin with wildflowers.

Black-eyed Susan:

Same plant cropped close.  Notice the insect?:

Butterfly Weed:

Dew-covered Clover:

Dew-covered Grass:

Dew-covered Unknown Round Blossom:

Swamp Milkweed:

Vetch:

Prairie Coneflower:

Spiderwort (with a small fly):

Same Spiderwort, but below the blossoms were three other insects...possibly aphids:

Heal-all:

Evening Lychnis (also known as White Campion) (This one of my favorite wildflower images so far this year!):

Now for a few insects:

Milkweed Beetles on Swamp Milkweed:

Mating Milkweed Beetles

Dragonfly #1:

Dragonfly #2:

Another Photo Lesson - Dark, Flash, and Software  7-25-08

This evening I spent a few minutes flipping a lure into the Wapsie and looking around.  I saw just one bird close enough to concentrate on - a great blue heron.  Due to very low light levels, I wasn't even going to attempt any photography.  Then I decided to see what I could do using flash, a high ISO, and noise reduction software.  Although the completed "improved" picture is nothing special, it does illustrate what is possible with a little bit of effort.

Great Blue Heron at Night - flash, high ISO, no software work:

Great Blue Heron at Night - flash, high ISO, Photoshop, and Noise reduction:

A Day Late in Posting, but What a Day Yesterday Was!  7-23-08

I made a decision to spend yesterday morning on the water at Sweet Marsh looking around to see which wildlife was active and cooperative.  From experience I knew not to expect too much, but I was still pleasantly surprised.  Here are a few images from the outing:

My first cooperative subject was this muskrat moving from one clump of cattails to another:

Only a short distance away I found a sizeable grouping of American Lotus.  This was the only plant with an open blossom:

Colorful pickerel weed is blooming along the edges of some cattails:

Dragonflies and damselflies were plentiful, but didn't always pose in the best locations:

Four pied-billed grebes were found in one area.  Is this the first indication the fall migration is underway?

Although the green heron cooperated, the light didn't and became a bit harsh.  This was taken around 11:00 - not a prime photography time.  

As I left Sweet Marsh, I noticed this common burdock plant was flowering along the road.  Some might consider this a weed.

Finally, I'll close with a photography lesson....  Following are two examples of the same image.  

Example one shows a fragrant water lily image without the benefit of a polarizing filter.

Example two shows the same blossom with a polarizing filter attached.  Notice how the glare was minimized on the blossom, floating leaves, and water.  All colors are much more saturated.  The cost of using a polarizing filter is between 1 and 2 stops of light.  When conditions are right, I prefer to use a polarizing filter.

Snakes, A Frog, Snakes, More Snakes, and Wrens  7-19-08

Between clouds, fog, jet skis, and mowing two lawns, I was able to spend a bit of time with my camera in hand today.  On the photography menu was snakes.  They seemed to be every where I looked.  All featured here are northern water snakes, although I also found a garter snake.

Northern Water Snake in Grass:

Aggressive Northern Water Snake (Bit my paddle several times):

Northern Water Snake with its tongue out:

Under our dock I found a huge bullfrog.  I hope it doesn't explode!

Finally, after I was finished shooting snakes, I captured a few images of adult wrens feeding their young.  In this image, the wren was delivering a "still alive" moth to many hungry mouths.

This image shows the parent removing a fecal sac from the nest box - after feeding the little ones.

A Few Images as I begin to Catch Up 7-18-08

Finally, I had some time to post a few images captured over the past few weeks.  Since my "free" time recently has been severely limited, I didn't venture too far from my backyard or the outskirts of Sweet Marsh.  Still, I think I was able to create a few interesting images.

Purple Coneflower:

Purple Coneflower (close):

American Bittern:

Bullfrog:

Bittersweet Nightshade:

Day Lily (Orange):

Lily:

Northern Water Snake:

Colorful Image, but not from Iowa 7-16-08

During a recent outing I had an opportunity to photograph a most colorful and unusual creature.  Since the specimen was quite small, I am devoting a separate page to the image.  Click here to view the creature.

Website is Active and Current Again 7-16-08

For the past month or so I have not been able to add new material to my website due to a combination of reasons.  Reason #1 - We had a flood in the county and my job requirements dictated involvement in the response and recovery.  Reason #2 - The server housing my site experienced substantial difficulties.  Eric has us up and running again and I'll post new material soon.  Thanks Eric!

Today I Went for a Ride 6-7-08

Wind, wind, and more wind...that pretty much describes the challenges of today.  It would have been easy to ignore photography for yet another day, but I forced myself to take a break from scheduled tasks so I could go look around.  It's been nearly two weeks since I was out, so the time away was nice.  I found a few wildflowers and a nice size snapping turtle.

Daisy Fleabane:

An unknown pink flower:

Small White Lady's Slipper:

Yellow Lady's Slipper

Snapping Turtle:

I've Been Away for Awhile - 6-4-08

Due to an EF5 tornado decimating a large portion of the City of Parkersburg and other sections of Butler County, I have been away and have not posted any images.  Words cannot describe the destruction or the commitment of the citizens of Butler County following this event.  Folks in Black Hawk and Buchanan County were also impacted by the storms.  My thoughts and prayers are extended to the victims of the storms.

Although I haven't shot any wildlife images lately, I have posted "The Sandhill Cranes of Sweet Marsh."  Click here to read it!