Long Ride, But Good!

I did a 17 mile ride today on the Hennepin.  I started just outside of Sheffield and went a couple miles past Wyanet.  My butt really hurt by the time I was finished, but It was a gorgeous day and yes, there were some critters out and about!

About 5 minutes into my ride, I spotted something on the trail already, and I was quite happy about it!

Snapping Turtle

I got him off the path and he wasn't too happy.  He kept his manners though.

A couple miles later, I had another pleasant surprise.

Canadian Geese and Goslings

Aren't they adorable?

I finally got a Great Blue Heron to stand still for me.  Like owls, I notice that they aren't as threatened when on a bike, rather than on foot.  I'm not sure why, but it just seems that way.

 Great Blue Heron

A couple of Canadians wandered through while taking photos.

Finally, I got back to the truck!  I loaded the bike and took off down the road, and one final surprise revealed itself!

Wild Turkey

Trying to impress!

What a great ride.  I have found that biking really relieves my stress.  I just forget about everything when I'm on my bike cruising down the canal.  Seeing the wildlife is just a bonus.  Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone! 

Hognose! Yes!!

Tonight while eating dinner, my son got a text from a buddy wondering what type of snake they had found in their yard.  He said it looked like a cobra!  As soon as he said that, I knew what they had without even seeing a picture.  For those of you that have never seen a hognose snake, their first line of defense is to puff their heads up, and believe me, they do look like cobras!  Here is a pic sent to my son (the snake was pinned by a squeegee, not a rake.  No harm done).

I told Jacob to tell his buddy not to kill it and asked if he could bring it over to the house.  His dad graciously brought it over.  He proceeded to tell all the behaviors that I'm so sad I missed:  Puffed head, hissing/striking, and ultimately....playing dead!  It rolled over and stuck its tongue out as if really dead!  I've always wanted to see that last behavior, but unfortunately have yet to witness it.  I've only seen one other Eastern Hognose ever, so this was a definite highlight.

The friends dad had it in a garbage can, and it just lay on the bottom.  I went in and picked it up with a slight hiss reaction, but no other defensive behaviors.  I have to say, this was one of the most docile snakes I've ever handled!  He didn't seem threatened at all and posed nicely for some closeup shots.  I love that turned up nose!

A bit of a flattened head for repositioning against my arm.  Not a defensive display.

Around 2 feet, this guy was shy of the 4 foot length they can reach.

I said yesterday I hoped to get a new personal species find soon.  This was close, being only the second Eastern Hognose I have seen, but it is a first photograph species for me.  Super excited and privileged to get to see and handle this awesome species of snake!  

I released him in a place where he won't be bothered by humans and will provide plenty of toads to feast on.  I didn't know it until I did some reading, but toads are their preferred food and are immune to toad venom.  Apparently they also have "fangs" in the rear of their mouth that will actually pierce inflated toads to make them easier to go down the hatch.  Love it!!

New Gear and Some Snakes!

If you've followed one of my two blogs, you know that my newest obsession is biking.  You also know that I've complained a few times about missing good shots that have presented themselves while biking without my camera.  I'm such a whiner!  I have been carrying my camera with my while biking, but the problem is, I haven't found a convenient way to carry it.  When I see something, I have to take it out of the sling-type case that I carry on my back.  Most of the time I miss the shot.

Well, no more!  I found a company in Canada that produces a vest that allows me to safely lock my camera to my chest while riding.  When I spot something, its as simple as turning the camera 90 degrees and it detaches from the vest.  The company is called Cotton Carrier Camera Systems, and this product is perfect for what I like to do.

The harness fits nicely, but took a bit to get adjusted to feel right while riding.  Materials are top notch and the camera is VERY secure in the lock.  I can also wear my Camelback while wearing the vest.  So far, no complaints what-so-ever except that it does get a bit hot.  Regardless, I would sweat while riding whether I was wearing it or not.

I took it on a test spin on the canal and did a short 5 mile ride over by Sheffield.  I've been seeing some mink over there, but today the Northern Water Snakes were out in full force!  One of these days I'm going to see a new personal snake species, I just know it!  Biking will allow me to cover more area along the canal at dusk when they warm themselves on the path.

I'm really hoping this new way of carrying the camera will allow me to cover more ground and get some great shots.  Whether I use it for hiking or biking, I really like how secure the camera is and not swinging around my neck.  A great product!

Wildlife at Home

Yesterday, my wife and I spent the afternoon mowing, cleaning up around the yard, etc.  We have an old doghouse that the dogs don't really use, so I decided to get rid of it.  When I lifted it up, I caught movement from underneath, so I carefully set it down without knowing what it was, and went to get my camera.  I called my wife over and asked her to hold the doghouse up from behind.  The minute she saw my camera, she got a look of worry.  "What's under there!"  Not knowing I coaxed her into the task:)  I gently raised it up until she had a hold of it, and slowly squatted down......

......A Vole!

What a cute little guy!  I really have no idea what species, but the two most common are the Prairie Vole and Meadow Vole.  We also have Woodland voles, but they all look the same to me.

He had made a nice little home underneath the doghouse.  The tunnel structure is nice:)

He also had a nice little nest formed.

Regardless of how cute he was, he had to go.  I simply chased him into the neighbors yard:)  I'm sure he'll be back once he finds a new place to live.  It's always a great surprise to see something new right in your own backyard.

American White Pelicans

Over the past couple of weeks, I have spotted a couple of pelicans here and there, flying down the Mississippi.  Next to eagles, the white pelicans are the birds I get most excited about.  Every spring they  group up for mating.  This morning, my wife and I stopped by Sunset Park in Rock Island, and I was pleasantly surprised!

The pelicans were everywhere in the protected marina area.  They were flying in as singles, some pairs, and a couple of larger groups came in shortly after we got there.  The horns on their bills show that breeding is the season.  The wing spans are enormous and I love watching their graceful glide as they land.  Taking off, however, is a bit more clumsy.  I won't bore you with any more drivel, so please enjoy some of the highlights of the morning.

Other than the pelicans, there were some other temporary migratory residents.

Blue-Winged Teal

Pied Billed Grebe

Rainy Day Mergansers!

The weather here today is absolutely awful!  Super foggy, super rainy, and super yucky.  I decided to leave my good camera at home and just take my point and shoot for a hike.  On the way to my spot, I saw ducks from the truck, and they weren't mallards, so it was worth heading all the way back home to get my camera.  I might be able to snap some decent photos from the vehicle, but with the fog and heavy rain, I thought my photos probably wouldn't come out too good.  Worth a try!

When I arrived back along the canal, they were closer to the roadside and I know what they were right away!  Hooded Mergansers!!!  These ducks are very difficult to get close to, so I easily get excited when I have an opportunity.  These are super crops, but they came out well.  I like the texture of the water from the rain.  You can tell what kind of day it is.

As an added bonus, there was a pair of common mergansers about 50 yards down.  I actually see hoodies more than I see these, so they are not so common to me.  This is one of the few species where I  think the female is more interesting than the male (don't take that the wrong way ladies).

I did get out for a hike, but all I got was wet.  Terrible day for hiking, but great for working from the truck!

Adventure By Bike

That's the motto I have been living by this past month.  Getting the fat bike has just opened up an entirely different mode of exploring.  I promise once the newness wears off, I'll quit posting and writing about it:)

The purchase was definitely a healthy one, as I've ridden more miles in the past month than I did most of the entire summer.  Peddling in the snow is more difficult, but it is worth it.  Nobody is on the trails, the serenity is wonderful, and riding in the elements is just awesome:) 

I actually see quite a bit of wildlife while riding, but the only downside is that I am not stalking closer for better closeup photos.  I have to start balancing more slow hiking in to get the photos I want.  Below are the critters that I have seen in the past couple of days while biking:

A super cropped distant coyote I spotted across a field

Lots of geese around here lately

Geese on their ice trail

Mallards

A great benefit to biking in the snow is covering lots of ground for animal track viewing.  Most of the animals in the area tend to follow the canal, so it makes it easy to keep an eye on their paths from the bike.  If they go into the timber....I just get off my bike and follow:)

A mink bounding under a branch.

I have to admit, that sometimes animal tracks in the snow throw me for a loop.  I much prefer the clarity of prints in mud.  When I'm not sure, I usually take measurements, as well as photos and then try and figure it out at home.  I didn't have my ruler with me today, and found myself a bit stumped on these tracks.  At first I thought the lines were tail drags, but I really think it is a front foot drag.  I'm thinking skunk, but not 100% sure.  Any help on these would be great!

New Adventure Steed!

I've been quite out of the loop here lately.  The cold weather kind of brings that out in me, and makes me quite lethargic and unmotivated.  That's why I'm always looking for more ways to get me outside, especially in winter.  For a couple of years, I have been lusting after a fat bike.  What's a fat bike?  Well, it is simply a mountain bike on steroids....the Frankenstine of the bike world.  The obvious difference is the tires.  The tires are around 4 inches wide!

I've been bugging my wife constantly, as all good husbands do when they want a new toy.  She is always good to me, so she finally agreed.  None of the local bike shops had any in stock that would fit me, so I drove over to North Central Cyclery in DeKalb yesterday.  What a great shop with very helpful guys that got me all set up.  I got a Salsa Mukluk 3.  Salsa is an excellent bike company in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Fat bikes allow you to pedal through terrain that a normal mountain bike would have difficulty such as in snow, sand, mud, and high grass.  I mainly wanted this bike for the snow, but of course, there hasn't been much of that lately.  After riding it for the first time today, I can tell I will be riding this in all types of weather throughout the year.  I'm not a speedster, and this isn't a fast bike.  It is perfect for cruising the canals and trails to do what I love to do.....EXPLORE!

This will be a perfect means for me to strap my camera to my back and just go, no matter what the terrain.  These are excellent pack bikes too, so hopefully I'll be getting some packs soon to load my gear on and do some mild paced touring and camping.

No critters for this week, but just had to share a bit of my excitement for my new, trusty steed.

Nature at My Feet

This is actually the first weekend in a loooong time that I did not get out to experience nature.  No matter, as I just had to walk out on my back porch to find it:)

Good Weekend Everyone!

Northern Harrier!

I've been trying to get a local harrier for months now, but it has never allowed me a decent opportunity. Today I went hiking about 40 miles away and see yet another northern harrier!  This one flew over and I got a couple of decent shots, but nothing to get too excited about.  I had to crop these extensively, which of course makes for poorer picture quality, but I like detail, so these are better than nothing:)  Harriers in flight are hard to capture because they do not have a predictable flight pattern.  When I first saw it, I thought it was a gull flying erratically.

According to the Illinois Raptor Center website, Northern Harriers are endangered in Illinois, which is why I am quite interested in them.  It's not every day that you get to see an endangered species.  Getting closer, but not quite satisfied yet:)