What the duck?

My kids and I went out looking for more gosslings, but found this hen mallard and her family instead.

The ducklings did a great job of staying with their mom as they fed and swam.

The little ducks seemed like cute little fluff balls on the water.

My kids started to get antsy and the sun was in and out, so it was time to go.

The hen watches her little ones as we left.

On our way back to the car a young red-tailed hawk flew just above our heads and alit on a pole nearby.

My son Zach saw it first, just after it flew over our heads.






It was lucky for me that both kids like hawks enough to happily wait a few more minutes as I took these photos. Kids, ducks, and a hawk, another afternoon well spent.

Fall elk in Wisconsin



A medium sized bull elk pauses before crossing the road.



I didn't expect to get the chance to photograph Wisconsin elk this fall, so I was happily surprised to find myself in Clam Lake for part of three days last week.

 

The fall color was already past peak as seen in these morning reflections. 


  





   


   






   





A spike bull browses at the edge of the forest.







 
   


 
  








A family of wild turkeys heads for the woods after feeding near the roadside.



A bull elk walks across highway 77 on an October morning.





 

Golden oak leaves are back lit in a forest opening.





An immature red-tailed hawk watches for a possible meal from its perch.

  

The weather was warm and clear. It got as hot as 85 degrees one of the days I was there. I saw only eleven elk, five bulls and six cows and calves. I also saw several bald eagles, a few red-tailed hawks, and a coyote.

Photographing elk in Wisconsin is nothing like it is out west. There are only about 180 animals in the state and they behave very differently than their western counterparts. The Wisconsin elk seem content to hide out in the sheltering forests of the Clam Lake area. They have all of the food and water they need right there in the woods and don't seem to seek out meadows or other openings to gather harems in the fall.

In Wisconsin it seems to be a matter of catching the elk grazing along the roadside or in the act of crossing the road in order to get decent photos of them. Even so, with some patience, persistence, and a little luck Wisconsin elk can be fun.

A colorful perch

Driving in northern Wisconsin on a beautiful September day I saw this hawk alight on a branch. In the past I haven't had the best luck photographing hawks from the road in Wisconsin. Most of the time they fly off before I get any good photos, but I keep trying. So I turned around, got the camera ready, pulled to the side of the road, turned the car off, and took this photo.

This particular juvenile red-tailed hawk didn't seem to mind me at all. It attentively watched the ground below its perch as I photographed it from my car. It was so comfortable that I was able to change to a larger lens and make the photos above and below.

I really like the look of the changing maple leaves behind the hawk. If I learned anything here it's no matter how many times I have tried something and failed, it's important to keep trying. On any given day for no reason at all things may work out.