Photo Ops

There are many opportunities to capture interesting photogrpaphic images while on a walk around Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind. Timing and luck play their parts, and of course the amount of time one spends on the outdoor loop here at the Museum helps expose one to more opportunities, but one thing is for sure, you have to be there in person to photographic whatever it is that’s happening.

Here’s some of the images I captured last week.

In a flurry of beating wings and webbed feet running along the water, Hooded Mergansers take flight.
The resident Great Blue Heron rests on one of its favorite perches in the Wetlands.
A Red-shouldered Hawk stares at potential prey moving along the woodland floor.

The hawk in the above photo was only a dozen feet from me when I took the photo. The bird was watching something across the path from where it had perched. So intense was its concentration, that not once did it acknowledge my presence.

There’s only one thing on this hawk’s mind.
Raccoon tracks telling of a raccoon’s search for a meal.

If you’ve ever walked along our paved path through the Wetlands you’ve no doubt noticed foot prints crossing the path at various points along the way. Most of those tracks are raccoon tracks. The masked, ring-tailed critters make the rounds each night along the muddy edge of the water, crossing the path at specific locations. Their muddy feet leave a telltale sign of their passing.

The edge of the Wetlands may net them a handful of bullfrog, bullfrog tadpoles, or maybe a whopping-big Red Swamp Crayfish. Wherever there happens to be trash recepticles along the way, the raccoons make side trips to see if they hold any tidbits of food. Unfortunately for the nighttime raiders, the cans are emptied each night. This a good thing for the staff here at the Museum, raccoons can make quite a mess while rummaging through trash.

So, whenever you’re out on the trail here at the Museum, keep a sharp eye out for, well, anything and everything. You never know what’s going to happen out in the Wild.

4 responses to Photo Ops

  1. julie says:

    great photos, particularly love the action shot of the mergansers!

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