The Prairie Ecologist

Despite everything going on this year, there was still a lot of beauty to be found in 2020. I saw it in the small acts of kindnesses between people, regardless of a global pandemic and widespread political and cultural division. I was also very fortunate to be able to capture the splendor of Nebraska prairies, though I ranged less widely than I have in other years. As 2020 comes to an end, I’d like to put together something that reminds others of the beauty around us, particularly in prairies. I’m hoping you can help.

1.) The Nature Conservancy’s Niobrara Valley Preserve on January 1, 2020. Nikon D7200 with Tokina 12-28mm lens @ 12mm. ISO 500, f/22, 1/60 sec.

In the coming weeks, in addition to other blog posts, I’m going to share some collections of prairie photos from 2020. I hope you enjoy seeing all of them, but I’d also like your help in choosing the ones you think are the best. I’ll try to incorporate those select images into some kind of project (still in the design phase) that both highlights the beauty of prairies and helps people feel better about the world in general. With each collection I share, I’d love to get your feedback about the images. If you’d like participate, just go to the comments section at the end of this post and list the numbers of any images that resonate particularly with you. Thanks in advance for your help, and I hope you enjoy the photos.

2.) Ice bubbles in a restored wetland at The Nature Conservancy’s Platte River Prairies. Nikon D7200 with Nikon 105mm lens. ISO 500, f/25, 1/60 sec.

3.) Grouse tracks. The Nature Conservancy’s Niobrara Valley Preserve on January 1, 2020. Nikon D7200 with Tokina 12-28mm lens @ 18mm. ISO 500, f/18, 1/250 sec.

4.) Ice bubbles at Springer Basin Wildlife Management Area. Nikon D7200 with Nikon 105mm lens. ISO 500, f/13, 1/400 sec.

5.) Sunrise on a frozen wetland. Deep Well Wildlife Management Area, Hamilton County, Nebraska. Nikon D7200 with Tokina 12-28mm lens @ 19mm. ISO 500, f/22, 1/400 sec.

6.) Frozen beetle at Springer Basin Wildlife Management Area. Nikon D7200 with Nikon 105mm lens. ISO 500, f/20, 1/125 sec.

7.) The Nature Conservancy’s Niobrara Valley Preserve on January 1, 2020. Aerial photo with DJI Mavic 2 Zoom. 4.4mm lens, ISO 100, f/2.8 @ 1/800 sec.

8.) Cattail seeds and frozen bubbles at Springer Basin Wildlife Management Area. Nikon D7200 with Nikon 105mm lens. ISO 500, f/16, 1/125 sec.

9.) Ice and wetland plants. Deep Well Wildlife Management Area, Hamilton County, Nebraska. Nikon D7200 with Nikon 105mm lens. ISO 500, f/18, 1/400 sec.

10.) Sunrise and frozen wetland at the Helzer Family Prairie, Hamilton County, Nebraska. Nikon D7200 with Tokina 12-28mm lens @ 12mm. ISO 500, f/22, 1/125 sec.

11.) Frozen frog in the ice at the Helzer Family Prairie, Hamilton County, Nebraska. Nikon D7200 with Nikon 105mm lens. ISO 500, f/10, 1/200 sec.

12.) Ice bubbles in a restored wetland at The Nature Conservancy’s Platte River Prairies. Nikon D7200 with Nikon 105mm lens. ISO 500, f/14, 1/100 sec.

Today’s post includes a batch of photos I thought I’d already shared. In early November, I went up to the Niobrara Valley Preserve to help with some prescribed fires. I arrived a little before sunset the night before our first fire and drove into one of our bison pastures to see if I could find the herd. Luck was with me and I found a couple good-sized groups right away.

I positioned myself so the bison were between me and the sun and enjoyed about 30 minutes of bison-watching and photography before the light disappeared. The animals were very calm. In fact, they barely seemed to notice me as they moved slowly past the truck. This all happened on the eve of election day and the tranquility felt like medicine and a welcome escape from a lot of noise.

Nikon 28-300mm lens at 175mm. ISO 400, f/9 at 1/2500 sec.

The selection of photos from that night are shared in chronological order. As the sun got lower, the colors got warmer and the light less intense. After the sun dropped below the horizon, I stopped taking pictures, but I didn’t leave. I just sat and listened to the sounds of the bison crunching softly through the grass, punctuated by periodic gentle grunts, until they moved far enough away that I couldn’t hear them anymore. Then I started up the truck and drove back to the road.

Nikon 28-300mm lens at 300mm. ISO 400, f/11 at 1/4000 sec.

Nikon 28-300mm lens at 195mm. ISO 400, f/13 at 1/2000 sec.

Nikon 28-300mm lens at 240mm. ISO 400, f/13 at 1/3200 sec.

I posted some of the photos to my Instagram account, but apparently never got around to sharing them here. Instead, I ended up with a bunch of photos from the two fires we conducted that week and posted those instead. Actually, now seems like a pretty good time to post these. As I as going through the images and preparing to post them, I got to experience the sense of calm I felt on that night. I hope they’ll give you that same feeling.