"What a thousand acres of Silphiums looked like when they tickled the bellies of the buffalo is a question never again to be answered, and perhaps not even asked." -Aldo Leopold
I’ve mentioned my experience with my teeth before. Today was just a cleaning, but when I saw this panoramic x-ray image of my mouth I had to have a copy. The great folks at my dentist sent it to me. Yeah, we’ve all seen the commercial. HFCS is just fine when taken in moderation. Well, so is smack, I’m sure. Ever try doing just a little H? Yeah, probably not. Feel free to use this as a tool to inform your young ones that peanut butter cups are not a staple food. 😉
It’s surprising how often these guys take to yawning. The poor things spend the first couple months or so stuck in the nest, so what else do they have to do? I’m sure this time for them lasts forever, just like those endless days of summer youth do for us. Do they reminisce as they move on through the years of those days spent packed in a tube with their siblings?
“The Great Yawn”
Technical details: Canon EOS 7D camera, EF500mm f/4.5L USM lens, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/100 sec
Thoreau called the Great-horned Owl the “Cat Owl” because of the similarly colored eyes. I think I prefer this name. Did you know, the eyes of a GHOW are the same size of that of a human’s!
“The Cat Owls”
Technical details: Canon EOS 7D camera, EF500mm f/4.5L USM lens, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/250 sec
This one was taken near first light the morning after our near 24 hour long snow event a few weeks back. Mom seemed to have stayed the night in the nest, presumably helping to keep the chicks warm and out of the snow. The family seemed pretty miserable, but all three chicks made it through. In this one, mom is in behind two of the chicks that are visible.
“End of a Miserable Night”
Technical details: Canon EOS 7D camera, EF500mm f/4.5L USM lens, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/200 sec
This image was taken of a GHOW nest this year that was located in a park not too far from my house. The owlets have recently left the nest, but will be dependent on mom until near the end of this summer. This pair of “Cat-Owls” have used this cavity in this snag for their nest site for at least the past three years. I will be sharing more images taken from the nest over the next week or so.
“Three Owlets”
Technical details: Canon EOS 7D camera, EF500mm f/4.5L USM lens, ISO 640, f/6.3, 1/160 sec
Today’s photo is one of the Red-tailed Hawks that make a home in St. Louis’ Carondelet Park. This is indeed, a wild bird. Of course Sarah was with me on a Sunday when we arrived here looking to photograph some of the Crossbills that visited us this year. While keeping my eyes peeled on the hemlocks for the Crossbills, I heard Sarah whisper, “Do yourself a favor and slowly look up”. I did and found this hawk perched ~15″ from me! Even once it discovered I was there it did not flush immediately but stayed and looked around a while.
Oh yeah, the MO chapter of The Nature Conservancy has prepared a slide show containing some of my bird photographs along with some pathetic creature. Please feel free to have a look by clicking: Missouri Birds: Images From Bill Duncan
“Happy Birds!”
“It is delightful to observe the assembling of these feathered people from the woods and reedy isles; herons white as wave tops, or blue as the sky, winnowing the warm air on wide quite wing; pelicans coming with baskets to fill, and the multitude of smaller sailers of the air, swift as swallows, gracefully taking their places at Nature’s family table for their daily bread. Happy birds!”
-John Muir-
Putting close to 15 miles on the trails this glorious weekend, I was noticing just how delayed spring was this year compared with the past several. Harbinger of Spring is about at its peak at the St. Louis latitude, and Spring Beauty and Cutleaf Toothwort are a few days to a week before their peak will be here. But, it is coming. I saw thousands of these plants pushing there way up through the leaf litter along with Dutchman’s Breeches (very cute little buds, I must say). I finally tried the rhizome of the Toothwort today while on a hike at LaBarque Creek C.A. near Eureka. A member of the mustard family, the Toothwort’s small, fleshy and crisp rhizome has a tooth-like appearance, hence its common name. Another colloquial name associated with this plant is Pepper root, also in description of the rhizome. I found the taste to have hints of horseradish and green onion, with a little peppery heat. The perfect size and flavor makes me think it would be perfect in a variety of dishes, including stir-fry and salads. But since it would require killing a lot of plants, I doubt I will make a habit of it.
As I was coming to the last mile or so of my hike today, I thought I would once again strike out on my first Bloodroot of the season. But, just in time, I saw a single, fully-opened bloom a couple of feet from the creek. This was the only subject I photographed all weekend, but it was still a grand couple days for a walk.
“First Bloodroot of the Year!″
I have finally got the video to a point where I can post it online. I lost a lot of quality in the process, but baby steps I guess…
Compared to it’s close relative in the Zonotrichia genus, the White-throated Sparrow, the White-crowned Sparrow is a bravado. These guys, especially the juveniles like the one pictured here, are quite curious and bold. They will readily fly to the tops of the vegetation they are hiding in to get a better look and are quite responsive to pishing. I find White-throats to be cowardly in comparison and quite a bit more difficult to get a clear photograph or looks at. Happy snowy Monday.
“The Unstoppable Coppertop!”
“Take that, Monday!”
