Exploring Wisconsin
It's a rough life in the Driftless.
Facts About Baltimore Orioles
Facts About Red-headed Woodpeckers
It's April in Wisconsin. Usually there are flowers starting to bloom and you run around in shorts all day. Not today though. On the plus side, after hours of shoveling snow someone said to me, "Go take photos of this crazy weather!" I was just getting into an artistic groove when I was then diverted underground. It made for a bizarre counter to having been out in the weather all day. When I resurfaced it took a while before I could see again. Who knew heavy snow could be so pure and bright?
Cranes Descent. For the first time in a while I went for a photo walk into the park. Wanting to photograph birds I carried my camera and 400mm zoom lens ready. As I stood at the head of the ridge trail that runs just downhill from our home I could hear Sandhill Cranes in the distance. I scanned the sky all around me but tree cover prevented a clear view. As their calls grew louder they began to bounce off the heavy tree line opposite me. I never saw that particular flock. As I made my way down the trail I stopped periodically to scan the skies and to take photos of very high flying formations of geese as they migrate back to Canada. Eventually I found myself in the middle of the open prairie, the sky a nice dome above me. I settle into a very balanced stance and began to just relax, meditate, watch and listen. I heard another flock coming off in the distance. After long moments of waiting and not seeing anything I figured I'd missed this flock as well. Just then I noticed what I thought was a small, silent gaggle of geese circling above me and descending. I literally had to keep my camera directly pointed over my head, framing, adjusting my exposure and tracking them as they circled around and around above me. It was a really good exercise as I tried to aim the heavy camera and to turn it just so in order to compose the scene. When I got home I had a chance to actually see what I photographed. They weren't big geese or swans. It was a flock of Sandhill Cranes! WOOT! #Grus #canadensis #Grus_canadensis #Grus-canadensis #Sandhill #crane #Sandhill_crane #Sandhill-crane #Sandhillcrane #migration #natureasart #naturelovers #wildlifephotography #exploretocreate #your_best_birds #nuts_about_birds #bestbirdshots #bb_of_ig #bird_brilliance #eye_spy_birds #feather_perfection #birds_adored #thebirdingsquad #nature_worldwide_birds #total_birds #instabird #birdlove
Brigham County Park is located just northeast of the Village of Blue Mounds on County Highway F. This 232-acre park is named after Ebenezer Brigham, one of the first settlers in this area. The park provides a panoramic view of the Wisconsin River Valley. Park features also include a group camp area, a 25 unit rustic campground, two shelter facilities, picnic area, play equipment, and a nature trail through a maple woods.
Facts About Red-headed Woodpeckers
The Eastern View of Blue Mounds
A view from the east.
It was a glorious day. While we slept the weather dropped many inches of snow on the Mounds. Underlining the layers of fluff was a fine sheet of slush that couldn't grip the ground. Crystalline structures clung to the branches like the the refined and form fitting evening gowns of Red Carpet starlets. If you are familiar with my Instagram feed you'll know how thrilled I am with my yellow, spring steal snow shovel. I took it to work with me. Soon after arriving my shovel & I were dispatched. After a night of FOR REAL not sleeping because I was concerned I wasn't going to get enough physical exercise through "Gym Time," I found my bliss. For hours I worked in a stunningly beautiful setting as the sun broke through the clouds. By the time lunch time arrived I knew exactly what I wanted to photograph. Post lunch was a detailed inspection of the caverns. As I write this hours after work my wrist pedometer is showing I've walked nearly thirteen miles. I should be tired and ready for bed but my mind is reviewing nearly all the visual details I took in today. While that is normal for me, now I am focused on one very specific location. I also saw very real life forms underground for the very first time.
I met her in 2006 right before I thought it was the end of delusion. It was actually the beginning of a new dream.
Early this morning I followed a whim and grabbed my longest zoom lens and headed out as soon as the kid was off to school. I ended up at Brigham Park, just past where I now work at Cave of the Mounds. There's a view there that simply tickles me. You can see around sixteen miles from the top of the smallest of the two "Blue Mounds." That's the Wisconsin River Valley you see off in the distance. Not long after shooting this a man came riding up to me on his bicycle, I could tell he was a distance rider and hailed him. He was up from Chicago, and was scouting out the area. Having seen that view earlier I helped him map out a bike quest from the Cave. He passed by this view, which is a nice meandering ride down the Mound into a charming little valley. I told him how to also find a scenic restored Prairie, and the best trout stream in the area. His route then brought him back full circle through Stewart Lake, past my house and to the local brew pub. From there he could take the Military Ridge trail to his camp in the nearby state park. It made my day knowing I'd sent him off to see things I knew he'd really enjoy. By the end of the day I received an email thanking me and letting me know he's bringing his scouting troop up over the summer to explore, come to the Cave and asked me to guide their tour. God, I love my job.
Facts About Brown Snakes
The Cave's natural environment is total darkness. A darkness so devoid of ambient light you can only find it deep underground and leagues under the sea. It feels like a thick, black woolen cloak on a foggy night's stroll. The weight of it presses down on your back gently. It's warmth off setting the drooping gravity of it as it tries to slowly envelope you. I find I am being drawn into it, carrying only my tiny shielded flash light as I hum my way along the passages alone.
10 years, 3 months, 27 days later and I am officially back in the exhibits game. Monday I report in at 9AM to get my Cave of Mounds staff shirt. I just bought blue outdoor pants on my way home from my first meeting with them a few hours ago. On Tuesday of last week I heard about an opportunity there. After careful thought I then presented my portfolio and an idea to the staff. It worked. I'm hired! It's a new beginning for me. I am so thrilled to be working with passionate folks who are obviously so invested in preserving and presenting a National Landmark! I have this giant, LIVING diorama to get to know and work on. On top is an ancient Oak Savannah to save. Underneath is a cavern whose depths I've only seen from the tourists' perspective. I am going to bet that I won't sleep tonight...
Teri and I slowly walked along the only free channel of the mostly ice covered Mississippi River. La Crosse was shrouded in a very dense fog. Only vague dark shapes of trees crusted in hoarfrost lace lined the shoreline. The open channel was a deep, slate gray ribbon that silently slid by. Occasionally we'd spot a duck drifting by, only defined by their ashen silhouettes. Then I spotted it. A dark hulking shape sitting motionless in the fog. I took a few silent minutes to angle closer without scaring it off. By the time I could find it in the fog with my zoom lens, focus, and take this shot it was doing this. Just sitting there with it's head tilted back, beak open. It never made a sound and soon began to preen itself. Soon after it simply strolled off, disappearing into the fog. #eagle #baldeagle #birdofprey #conservation #wildlifefriend #wildglobe #wildgeography #featured_wildlife #marvelouz_animals #animalelite #ig_shotz_animal #nature_perfection #nature_brilliance #wildlifeplanet #live_love_wildlife #bd_pro #splendid_animals #fog #foggy #lax_parksandrec #lacrossewisconsin #lacrossewi #wisconsin #wisco #discoverwisconsin #mississippiriver #travelwisconsin #explorewisconsin #driftlessarea #midwestmoment
