Today at the AHATS WOA, I Saw Goats Beard

I caught the goat's beard open this morning at the Arden Hills Army Training Site Wildlife Observation Area.  The butterfly weed and black-eyed susans are about to bloom.  I also saw 5 common loons, a flycatcher of some sort, one female eastern bluebird, 6+ tree swallows (think most were recent fledglings), one northern flicker, a wood duck, a trumpeter swan and heard a gray catbird yapping away. 

Today Near the TCAAP WVA, I Saw Otter Tracks

Otter Tracks_44586.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

I'm pretty sure these are river otter tracks. Look how there are a few steps and slide in the pair of tracks on the right. There are some fresh tracks at the bottom of the frame.

There is a lot of activity in this area so I think I'll be setting up a blind when the ice is out...

Today at the TCAAP WVA, I Saw a Flower

Flower_5220_.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

Not many of these false sunflowers remain at the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area. There is tons of big blue stem and indian grass along with some tiny white flowers.

Today Near the TCAAP WVA, I Helped Count Butterflies

Butterfly in Hand_7783.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

I joined St. Paul Audubon for the annual butterfly count within the Arden Hills Army Training Site today. It was great fun although very hot (90F or so).

Here is a slideshow. Go ahead and click on the full screen icon on the lower right.

Today at the TCAAP WVA, I Saw Lupine

Lupine_7587.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

The national guard did a prescribed burn at the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area on May 31st. This morning, I saw the first lupine after the burn.

Today at the TCAAP WVA, I Saw the First Lupine

Dew on Lupine_0417_.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

I was up early to catch the morning light at the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area. Along with the morning light, there was dew all over everything.

Here is are some shots of the first lupine of the season.

Previously at the TCAAP WVA, I Saw No Moon

Thats No Moon-0188.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

That's right this isn't a moon...it's not space station either. It's one of last year's monarda (bee balm) plants. These are really cool when they are bloom.

Previously at the TCAAP WVA, I Saw Susans in the Sun

Susans in the Sun_DSC_5959.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

The TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area is filled with wildflowers. There is a great variety so something is blooming nearly all summer. I made this photograph on July 10, 2010 when the entire area was covered in flowers. I pays to visit the same place frequently.

I often say that I see something new everyday at the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area.

Here is some Butterfly Weed. There are quite a few large clumps of this flower scattered around this small area. This shot was made on June 23, 2010.

Previously at the TCAAP WVA, I Saw Flower Deformity

Flower Deformity DSC_1447, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

It's raining and snowing at the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area today so I thought I'd add some flowery cheer by posting this shot of a couple conjoined twin black-eyed susans.

My Top Favorites of 2011

I don't exclusively take photos at the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area although I click more there than anywhere else.  Some of my clicks at the WVA made my top favorite list for 2011 (scroll to the bottom for a link to the whole slideshow).

Frosty Barbed-wire

Tree Swallows (they didn't nest here)

The biggest fish I've seen in Osprey claws

Watched this caterpillar for weeks...missed the butterfly

Watched this snake wriggle in and out of this hole.

Two egrets flying by the harvest Moon

Finally caught a deer jumping over the fence.

I made a big print of this, wow!

Here is the complete slideshow with 30 various photos. Click on the four arrows in the lower right for a full screen show.

Previously at the TCAAP WVA, I saw a Ghost.

Happy Halloween from the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area.

Today at the TCAAP WVA, I saw the Morning Dew

Pink Dew DSC_9021, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

Got out to the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area this morning to see what I could see. Saw a pair of trumpeter swans, not the family. I haven't see the cygnet for over a week.

This morning I made some shots of the morning dew on the remaining flowers. It's difficult to get macro like shots with the 300mm f4. It focuses no closer than 12 feet. All these shots are cropped kinda tight.

Today at the TCAAP WVA, I saw Great Light on the Bridge

E Bridge DSC_2701, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

Kind of a plain sunset tonight at the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area. No clouds but great light on the bridge. When I made this shot, I was standing in wildflowers and weeds up to my armpits. The purple ones are a monarda...aka...bee balm. They are almost done blooming so the centers are kind of brown. The yellow flowers are a kind of cone flower, I think.

The Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts people now have a 16x24 framed print of Evening Bridge at the TCAAP. I decided to enter that photo because I won a best-in-show from Gallery96 last fall with an 8x12 version. I'll know their decision to allow it into the State Fair or not by next Thursday. Last year my Demur Amur photo of one of the Amur Leopards at the Minnesota Zoo did not make it into the fair but it won the People Choice award at the Salon 300 State Fair Overflow Show.

Here are a couple more of tonight's photos of the bridge:

My Photobook of the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area is Now Available

My New Photobook: Today at the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area is now available. Only $67.95. 37 fine art images on high quality photo paper. Twenty six 8" x 12" pages bound professionally with full color images.

View a preview below.

Previously at the TCAAP WVA, I saw a Wildflower

Wildflower DSC_9826, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

It's the 4th straight day of super hot and topical humidity at the TCAAP WVA. I didn't bother going out again. I'm sure I missed an interesting sunset as I could see the color of the light from my window.

Here is another winter shot from at Wildlife Viewing Area. I can't wait for snow.

Previously at the TCAAP WVA, I saw Bee Balm

Whoville?, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

Monarda, also known as bee balm, is all over the place at the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area. It's blooming right now.

This shot is from exactly three years ago. Taken with my Sony DSC-W150 point and shoot. I think it looks like something from Whoville which is probably why this photo has over 3000 views on Flickr.

Today at the TCAAP WVA, I saw the First Monarda of the Year

First Monarda DSC_1038, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

Went out to the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area this morning and saw the first Monarda (bee balm) blooming. This plant is all over the place within the WVA and this is a first bloomer.

At one point, I heard an awful creepy squawking and looked to see a great blue heron being annoyed by a red-winged blackbird. Fortunately, it landed on one of the closer dead trees.

Today at the TCAAP WVA, I saw Baby Loons

Marsden Loons DSC_0568, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

Yay! My first sighting of baby loons on Lake Marsden at the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area. I've heard they have a difficult time (50% success rate) on this lake because of all the floating bogs. I haven't seen baby loons here for the last several years. They are real far away from the viewing bridge so this shot is pretty severely cropped. Plus they were backlit by a strong sun. Regardless, I'm happy I saw them tonight.

I also got a nice shot of a bumblebee working on a giant blue hyssop.



And I met a very nice and interesting videographer/photographer Jim Radford.

Here a video essay he made at Bosque del Apache wildlife refuge in Socorro, New Mexico, with Naturescapes.com workshop.

Previously at the TCAAP WVA, I saw a Green Fly

Green Fly, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

Exactly three years ago today, I made this photo of a fly on this purple wildflower. Don't recall the name of the flower at this time, but I know I used to know it. ;-)

I didn't make it out the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing area today because I cleaned my filthy sensor on the D7000. Not sure why it got so dirty. The D5000 has never needed cleaning. Hmmmm.

Today at the TCAAP WVA, I saw a Pink Ghost in the Mist

Pink Ghost in the Mist DSC_0182, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

We had a strong thunderstorm quickly move through the area tonight, so I headed out to the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area in the hopes of seeing a rainbow. Didn't see the rainbow but I did see mist rising all over the place. Here is a shot of all the wildflowers and a pink ghost.

This post isn't longer because I was working on all my fireworks shots from last night.