Wooden fence posts are going the way of the Dodo Bird…They are disappearing fast. No farmer in his right mind puts in cedar posts anymore…Too much work and they don’t last as long as steel posts from Farm & Fleet. Or do they? This Savannah Sparrow is singing from the top of a very old post. How old? 75 years? 100 years? Lichens encrust the weathered soldier. Wind, rain, hail, snow, bitter cold, ice have all taken a bit of life out of the post. But from a photographer’s aesthetic, the post is perfect. A photo of the same bird—same light, same position, same behavior—on a green steel fence post probably would have been deleted. I seek out fields fenced with wooden posts…Ones that are close to the road so I can ease up on a singing Savannah Sparrow, Western Meadowlark, Upland Sandpiper and get a shot. This sparrow actually allowed me to approach on foot and get a few handheld shots before splitting.

Look for the yellow lores on this grassland species. Its song is a rather loud “tic…tic…zheeeeeee..zhoo” It is common in hayfields, prairies and other grasslands more than a few acres across the continent.

While conducting bird surveys for the Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas I was somewhat surprised to find several family groups of Sandhill Cranes in northern Pine County. I knew they bred here but didn’t realize they were so common in this part of the state. Rounding a corner on a rural dirt road I surprised a family of cranes…two adults and two “colts” (the name for young cranes). The colts disappeared but the parents kept a close eye on me until I moved along. They are incredibly cool birds. The Greater Sandhill Crane (the subspecies in our part of the world) can stand nearly 5 feet tall with a wingspan of over six feet. Their loud rattling call can be heard for great distances.

Note the dirt hanging from one of the crane’s bill; This is from foraging in the mud for frogs, mice, snakes, plant tubers, corn, etc.

Canon 7D, 400mm f5.6 handheld from car window.

We all naturally gravitate to the longest lens in our kit when shooting wildlife. It’s a natural reaction…But it can be a creativity killer. During this amazing session with a family of Northern Hawk Owls in northern Minnesota, I completely forgot about the wide angle lens in my bag. In fact, I was even putting the crappy 2x teleconverter on my 400. But I realized this bird perched in a scraggly Black Spruce would make a great silhouette. I intentionally underexposed to make the bird and trees black and then converted the image to a warmer white balance to increase the orange color, simulating the sunrise. Turns out, I really like this image! It is better than 95% of my telephoto shots from this morning. It shows the perching behavior and, more importantly, the habitat that these day-hunting owls make home.

The lesson? The wide angle lens can be a wonderful wildlife photography tool.

Some days you just get lucky. And today was one of those days. I awoke very early to be up on the Stoney River Forest Road in the Superior National Forest by dawn (Lake County in northern Minnesota). Unfortunately  the day dawned foggy and I struggled to find photo subjects. Driving slowly through a Black Spruce/Tamarack bog I spotted the delicate pink blossom of a blooming Bog Laurel. As I stepped out of the Subaru I heard a familiar sound—the begging call of a young owl. Sure enough, there were THREE juvenile Northern Hawk Owls calling from three different Tamaracks. I doused myself in bug dope (10% DEET!), put on my rubber boots and trudged into the bog. Long story short, I spent two hours watching, waiting and photographing this family. Mom (dad?) would come in every 20 to 40 minutes or so with a big, fat, juicy vole. She would fly in to one juvenile but instantly the other two would race to her to get their share…Talk about sibling rivalry!

This photo is the result of patience and luck. Most of the time the young birds were high up in the tippy tops of Tamaracks…with a gray sky background. Patience rewarded me with this bird only six feet off the ground. Luck had it that at some point mom/dad must have given a signal for the chicks that danger was near (and it wasn’t me because the adult ignored me). For at least 10 minutes all three youngsters froze…No begging, no looking around, no moving at all. I used this to get within 10 yards. Note that this guy has a precious vole clutched tightly in its talons…probably a gift from mom or dad.

I chose a vertical orientation to include the photogenic perch.

Canon 7D, 400mm f5.6 on tripod with Wimberly Sidekick, f5.6 at 1/250 at ISO 200.