July 4th Photo Safari

This summer included a long trip up north but stories and photos from that trip will be added later.  Instead this blog post is devoted to our Overland Park Arboretum visit on July 4th.  We've been members of the arboretum since moving to OP three years back and have made many visits in search of birds in winter and summer, insects, have given the girls photo challenges in the past, and even had them write about their experiences there. During this visit the girls wanted cameras and chose their own direction; Christine and I were left to watch and enjoy their creative spirits.

Turtles caught their eyes first.

 

(Top L to R) False Map Turtle, Red-Eared Slider, and Ouachita Map Turtle
(Bottom L to R) Red-Eared Slider and Spiny Softshell Turtle
  

The four different species of turtles were sunning and near the boardwalk, where the girls joined others in looking at turtles and fish in the water.

 

Danielle decided it was a good idea to get up close, while Michaela laid out to shoot an Eastern Amberwing.

Here are Danielle's videos below. 

Butterflies were out as well!

We all took photos of butterflies, which were spread throughout the Arboretum. 

 

(Top L to R) Silver-spotted Skipper and Sleepy Orange
(Bottom L to R) Horace's Duskywing, Clouded Sulfer, and Monarch
  

Fairy Houses are there also!!

Christine and the girls have created fairy houses the past couple of years as admission to the Renaissance Festival, we walked through the Enchanted Forest to get ideas.  As fate would have it we started the girl's versions this weekend when the neighbors trimmed some trees.

 

Pictures to use as ideas and inspiration.
 

Photo ops!!!

It is fun to take pictures of the girls, but somehow their smiles show up so much easier when they are taking photos as well.

 

They are getting big!

What a January

January was a wonderful month; we visited family, had friends visit, enjoyed 70+ degree days outside and are anxiously anticipating the sale of our WI house. Personally I'm still acclimating to the warmer winters with limited or no snow. I suspect the family is as well, as we are take the opportunity to get outside and visit parks more than ever.

The Overland Park Arboretum is quite close to our apartment. With no playground equipment at the Arboretum it is not the girls favorite, but it offers photographic opportunities throughout the year. Even though the temperature dropped nearly 40 degrees from Wednesday to Friday this week, Christine and I spent half an hour at the Arboretum bird feeder station taking pictures Friday morning after dropping the girls off at school. It was wonderful to spend time outside with my wife and cameras, as we do not often take time to do this activity together with the girls activities consuming much of our time.

The downside of warm winters are less days where I am housebound. As such, I am behind on our photographs.  Hopefully I'll get them edited in the coming weeks to share our ice skating adventures, visit from friends and rope park, and our trip to Oklahoma City with my parents. Until then, enjoy the birds! Any speculation on who took which photo?

Tufted Titmouse are common in the south east and here but rare at our previously locations. 

     

I prefer the beauty of the female Northern Cardinals compared to the male.

 

Dark-eyed Junco subspecies coloration vary greatly. Here are the "Slate-colored" and "Oregon" males.

Park? ... Park? .... Did someone say Park!

Last night Old Man Winter returned to Kansas City in the form of snow.  Perhaps this was expected, as the polar vortex of early November let go to mild days and included 60 degree days near the end of November and early December. This is the story of one such unseasonably warm weekend day.

Trying to get our girls out early in the morning can be a challenge, and on weekends we are rarely out the door before 10. Thus on this fine day I left early to meet a birder from Manhattan at the Overland Park Arboretum. Birds were cooperative and the his desired Purple Finches appeared at the feeders.  I even tried to take a few photos, laying on the ground and almost dozing in the warm sun.

 

A Dark-eyed Junco and Tufted Titmouse from the Overland Park Arboretum feeder station.

Waiting in the garage?

Returning home around 10, Christine and I agreed we needed to get outside to enjoy the lovely warmth and lack of wind. After lunch we told the girls of this plan, with the intention of looking for winter gulls and finding a new park near Nelson Island.  Somehow they put shoes on and were ready quickly, hoping in the car in anticipation.  Perhaps it was the new movie, or the warm weather, but this observed behavior was completely unexpected.  Christine and I packed up in peace and quite, enjoying the time to have a conversation and catch up on with each other. We must have taken too long, as Michaela came in asking if we had forgotten about them.

 

We whiffed on winter gulls at Nelson Island but found a neat climbing tree.

 

We put all my bird search endeavors on hold as the family got distracted by park. Even though it was small in comparison, the new layout seemed to captivate the girls imagination. It also happened to be quite busy, being on a frequently used trail-head.

It doesn't seem natural yet to be laying in grass at the end of November in a short-sleeved shirt....but looking back man was it nice.

Arboretum Photos Part 2

After the families quick visit to the Arboretum on Saturday, I went back Sunday afternoon with hopes of photographing insects. I brought a manual focus macro lens that I've been using the past month. The macro lens allows me to get quite close to insects, but is tough to get accurately focused and almost impossible to use with moving subjects. For some reason I grabbed two cameras rather than one however. In addition to the previously mentioned camera I brought another with a 80-200 mm auto-focus lens.  The 80-200 lens is a shorter focal length (not as much magnification) than the 300 mm lens we use for taking pictures of birds, but as it turns out was perfect for what was to happen.

After arriving I walked the path towards the western gardens, but something caught my eye. A bird was walking along the shore and I hoped that if I sat still on the bridge, perhaps it would get closer.  I was very fortunate to have a raccoon walk right up to me using a similar sit and wait method last year.  Shortly after sitting down the bird appeared. Do you see it in the photo below?  

I'm hiding, you aren't supposed to see me!

The camera's shutter sound drew the heron's attention toward me. I didn't know if this juvenile Green Heron would continue in the same direction or turn around after spotting me. After a few anxious minutes, it started walking towards me again.  My heart was beating hard with excitement as I took many photos. 

  

Green herons are larger than perching birds. They can stretch to 18 inches and look at those feet.  

As the heron stepped out into the sun I was ecstatic to have an auto-focus lens on a camera. With the sun over my shoulder and close proximity, this was the best photo opportunity of a Green Heron in quite a few years.  While walking you can approach them, but they usually fly before letting you get nearly this close. 

With hopes that the above portrait was properly exposed and tack sharp on the memory card, I realized that this Green Heron had walked so close that I should zoom back the lens.  At 200 mm (about 4 time magnification) the heron barely fit in the frame. As soon as I zoomed back, the heron turned and started back in the direction he came.  I was happy for the experience but sadden with the possibility that it had ended so soon. Luckily, the change in direction was only because it spotted something to hunt!

 

The stalk and extension.

I watched the hunt through the lens, so some of the details were tough to take in as it happened.  But I was very excited to see what it had caught in the photos.  This little fish was in the wrong spot at the wrong time. 

After successfully catching the above morsel the Heron preened and satisfied an itch.  It stretched its wings and gave a good shake, and even appeared to lick its bill.  Then it went on another hunt, but this time for a different prey. 

 

Do you see the male blue damselfly on the stick?

The Heron spotted a small damselfly and had no problem catching it. The age of the bird showed itself however, as it tossed its dead prey in the air twice to maneuver it and dropped it in the water in the process. 

I felt truly blessed, as I was fortunate enough to watch this young heron successfully catch a fish and damselfly. But what happened next shocked me, as it turned to me and walked right toward me. I had never heard of a green heron attacking a person, so I confidently sat still with each step. I was very thankful for having a zoom lens now, as the the last two pictures below are taken at approximately 80 mm.  This is roughly a two power magnification, or twice the size of eyesight. After snapping the last picture I put the camera down to see the heron studying me from about 6 feet.  What a photo excursion!

This odd angle makes me image a completely different looking bird.

The heron's tongue appeared again while walking down the log.

He sat motionless for 10 seconds, before quickly walking across the bridge and  returning to the pond.

While I had no intention of taking bird photos on this particular day, I ended up with a memory card full of this juvenile green heron and this wonderful 15 minute experience. I did find a few cooperative butterflies, but those photos will have to wait until another post. 

Arboretum Photos Part 1

A 3rd Nikon DSLR for us, photo from last month!!

It is somewhat crazy how one's own decision making easily changes. Take for instance this weekend. 

I often intend to spend time in nature aware of my surroundings, studying my surroundings, and opening my senses to the experiences around me. Other times I chase a reported bird sighting, where it may be the first time I've seen that species or one I've seen before but am interested in seeing again. Less often I target specific bird species by searching appropriate habitat, or lastly I grab a camera with hopes of catching a good photo or two.  Many of those reasons disappear partially or completely when the girls are with. 

This Labor Day weekend I asked the girls to complete a rainbow challenge. The intent was to have the take a photo of an animal of each color of the rainbow. We returned to the Overland Park Arboretum in search of the birds, insects, reptiles, arachnids, and amphibians variety we had seen earlier this summer. Before we left the car however, the girls had decided it would be too tough to find anything purple or blue, and instead modified their challenge to find five different colors. They were great sports and spent the better part of an hour in their search.

I'm not sure what she was taking a picture of here.

Below are Danielle's photos.

 

Ruby-throated Hummingbird and a Painted Lady, species from my two favorite classes of animals.

    

Three Skipper sp. butterfly photos.

A Cricket Frog and Grasshopper sp. from the sidewalk.

  

A Fly (Villa Sp) and Arachnid (Harvestman sp perhaps Leiobunum vittatum)

Christine pointed out this hiding Five-lined skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) to Danielle. 

Below are Michaela's photos.

  

The Goldenrod Soldier Beetles (Chauliognathus Pennsylvanicus) were everywhere, as were ants.

    

A Black-legged Meadow Katydid and two Skipper Butterfly species.

  

A Cabbage White Butterfly and another visitor to the Hummingbird feeder.

It is fun to watch the girls notice things, slow down to take pictures, and to look through them on the computer afterwards.  Their perspective is quite different than mine. I did not get many photos on this day, beyond the one below. I did not quite get my fill of the surroundings either, but I can always go back again for myself.