Today at the AHATS WOA, I Saw Eagles and a Coyote

Today at the Arden Hills Army Training Site Wildlife Observation Area, I saw a bald eagle. Within just a few minutes of getting setup this young bald eagle flew over head.

Shortly after that, I saw a coyote walking on the ice.



And then another eagle landed on a dirt pile on the ice:



I also saw a half a dozen crows, about 20 mallards flying over, a downy/hairy woodpecker and some chickadees.

Today at the AHATS WOA, I Saw Sunrise

AHATS WOA HDR Bridge_48476_.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

I trudged out to the Arden Hills Army Training Site Wildlife Observation Area this morning. It was about 3F with a 5-10mph wind. Cold. The snow was pretty deep and the hard-ish crust made it tricky to navigate on the snowshoes.

I heard a bunch of chickadees, saw one downy/hairy woodpecker and a half a dozen crows. No animal tracks within the observation area.

Here is an HDR of the sunrise.

Yesterday Nowhere Near the AHATS WOA, I Saw a Heron and a Pelican on Ice

Pelican and Heron_42719.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

I visited the Minnesota River Valley National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday. I've detailed my exploits and have a slideshow on my other blog here.

Previously at the AHATS WOA, I Saw Curves in Snow

Curves in Snow_44489_.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

It's over 90F today and very windy. Here's a shot from a while back that brings back good memories. Only a few short months and hopefully we'll have a lot of snow.

Today at the TCAAP WVA, I Saw Clouds

Clouds_46098-.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

I saw a lot more than clouds today at the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area. After work, I stopped by with the 50mm lens and the D4 because the clouds were looking pretty cool. We had short burst of snow here and there.

Clouds make for great black and white images, in my opinion so I focused on that in my minds eye.

After a few minutes, I noticed fast movement on the ice between the cattails. Within a few seconds, I determined it was a coyote running hard. There was a second one either following or chasing it. They ran all the way across the lake, by "the tree" and onto the road. They didn't stop for nothing. A few minutes later, I saw another coyote follow the trail of the previous two through the cattails but it didn't cross the frozen lake. I'm kind of bummed I didn't have the big glass but it was still fun watching them.

Previously at the TCAAP WVA, I Saw the Bridge and Clouds

Bridge and Clouds_44766_.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

Lots of great texture in the clouds yesterday.

Today at the TCAAP WVA, I Saw a Tree and Cloud

Tree and Cloud2_44779_.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

I saw the sun peaking through the clouds periodically this afternoon so I grabbed my gear and headed out to the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area.

Yesterday Near the TCAAP WVA, I Saw Sunrise

Sunrise_44592.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

Here is another sunrise shot from Saturday.

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 Curves in Snow

Curves in Snow_44489_.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

I stopped by the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area after work today to try out my new/used 20mm f2.8 lens. I was laying down in the snows for this shot on the right.

Today Sort of Near the TCAAP WVA, I Saw Another Bridge

Rice Creek_43853_.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

I did some snowshoeing in Rice Creek Regional Park today and came across this bridge along the creek.

Previously Near the TCAAP WVA, I Saw Robins

Robin_42871.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

I usually see a flock of robins near the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area throughout the year. Last Saturday, I caught them near a small stream of open water.

Previously Near the TCAAP WVA, I Saw a Foggy Sunrise

Foggy Sunrise_42337_.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

Here is another shot of Lake Marsden covered in fog. The tracks in the foreground are from wild turkeys mostly. There might be some deer and coyote tracks mixed in there too.

Today Near the TCAAP WVA, I Saw Fog

Fog and Trees_3938.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

We had a low hanging fog around the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area this morning. Here are a few shots.

Today Near the TCAAP WVA, I Saw Curves and Trees

Curves and Trees_41734_.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

It was mildly interesting near the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area today. The morning light was great so I did some landscapes. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Once again, I forgot to shoot the old Zenobia 120 film camera.

Today at the TCAAP WVA, I Saw Snow

Bridge_41592.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

The TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area had about 4 inches of wet sloppy snow on the trail today. I brought only the 50mm f1.4 lens to see what I could see. Here is a shot of the bridge.

There was a commotion in the trees off in the distance. Initially, I thought it was a weight of the wet sticky snow cracking some branch until I saw a turkey up there. Didn't have the big glass so it's just an interesting memory.

Today Near the TCAAP WVA, I Saw A Coyote

Coyote_40130_.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

Saw a coyote in the same spot where I've seen it in the past near the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area. So far, I haven't been able to catch it with the camera while it's standing still. As soon as I turn the truck off, it runs.

Nowhere Near the TCAAP WVA, I Saw Eagles

Eagle_43446.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

Spent the day in Red Wing Minnesota photographing all the eagles and ducks.

Today Near the TCAAP WVA, I Saw Rough-legged Hawks

Rough-legged Hawk_40631.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

We saw at least three different individual rough-tailed hawks today near the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area.

Here are a couple shots. The one on the right was screeching at us. Same bird below.



Different bird:


A very dark morph rough-legged hawk:

Previously at the TCAAP WVA, I Saw a Frosty Grass Foreground

Frosty Grass Foreground D7K-5545.jpg, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

Here is another shot of the hoarfrost day at the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area on February 4, 2012. I just processed this one today.