Tag Archives: macro

Photo of the Week – January 26, 2017

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Ok, I know I just posted a bunch of ice storm photos last week, but as it happens, I took more than 1500 shots that morning (!!) and I didn’t post all the ones I liked last time.  So, with apologies for the semi-redundancy, here are a few more close-ups of ice-coated prairie from that magical day.  You’ll notice that Indiangrass got a lot of attention from my camera.  That was partly because it still had interesting fuzzy seeds, and partly because its golden brown color was pretty irresistible when under a sparkly clear coating.

Also, you’ll notice that I stayed low and shot upward at the sky quite a bit.  As the morning wore on, everything got brighter and more sparkly.  That was great, except that it was hard to find backgrounds for close up photos that weren’t full of distracting flashes of light.  By getting close to the ground I could use the clear blue sky as background and really highlight the sparkle of my subject without the extra sparkles of everything else around it.

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I know ice storms can be dangerous and can lead to hazardous driving and long hours for power company employees and sand truck drivers.  It seems selfish to wish for ice storms just because they also make great photo opportunities.  And yet…

(Finally, just one last reminder to please take a few minutes to fill out the quick survey for readers of this blog.  I’ll close the survey Monday morning, so this weekend is your last chance.  Please click HERE to take the survey!)

Photo of the Week – March 24, 2016

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Early spring on the Platte River is crane season.  Every one of the half million or so birds in the mid-continent population of sandhill cranes spends a few weeks along Central Platte River each spring.  They roost overnight on the river and spend their days feeding in nearby cornfields, grasslands, and wetlands.  As we go about our outdoor work, there is a constant soundtrack of crane song in the background.  It could be worse.

Those who know me best understand that while I occasionally photograph wildlife, I’m really more about photographing little things like bugs and flowers.  I have quite a few photographs of sandhill cranes, but I get as much or more enjoyment out of photographing the small signs those cranes leave behind.  Plenty of great photographers, starting and ending with Mike Forsberg, spend lots of time each spring making great images of the birds themselves.  I don’t really feel compelled to compete with them.  Today, I present a photo essay on sandhill cranes that features exactly zero photographs of sandhill cranes.

Sandhill cranes spend significant time feeding and loafing in prairie wetlands like this one we restored from cropfield back in 1999. The cranes feed on invertebrates, and whatever else they can catch, but also spend a lot of time preening and socializing in these areas.

Sandhill cranes spend significant time feeding and loafing in prairie wetlands like this one we restored from cropfield back in 1999. The cranes feed on invertebrates, and whatever other small creatures they can catch, but also spend a lot of time preening and socializing in these areas.

Last week, as I walked along a low ridge between two wetland sloughs, nearly every sharp edge of the plants held a down feather, plucked - I assume - during some aggressive personal hygiene activity (preening).

Last week, as I walked along a low ridge between two wetland sloughs, nearly every sharp edge of the plants held a down feather, plucked – I assume – during some aggressive personal hygiene activity (preening).

Not all the down feathers ended up caught on plants. Some ended up splayed gracefully on the water's surface.

Not all the down feathers ended up caught on plants. Some ended up splayed gracefully on the water’s surface.

Among the most heavily-used wetlands on our properties this spring were some sloughs we excavated last last season on former crop land.

Among the most heavily-used wetlands on our properties this spring were some sloughs we excavated last last season on former crop land.

Sandhill crane tracks feature wide-splayed toes and lack the rear-pointing toe that perching birds have (cranes have a toe there, but it's so short it doesn't reach the ground).

Sandhill crane tracks feature wide-splayed toes and lack the rear-pointing toe prints seen in tracks of perching birds (cranes have a toe there, but it’s so short it doesn’t reach the ground).

Iron deposits in our soils rust where groundwater is high at times but low at others. We use that rusty red color to help us decide how deep to excavate. Cranes, in turn, mine that rusty soil and use it to stain their gray feathers for improved camouflage.

Iron deposits in our sandy soils rust at elevations where groundwater is high at times but low at others. We use that rusty red color to help us decide how deep to excavate our wetlands. Cranes, in turn, mine that rusty soil and use it to stain their gray feathers for improved camouflage – which is particularly important when they get to their nesting sites up north.

A close-up look at a crane feather forms a fascinatingly abstract image.

A close-up look at a crane feather forms a fascinatingly abstract image.

The beauty of cranes extends to the tip of every feather.

Feathers are simultaneously fragile and strong.  When the barbs separate, a bird can easily “repair” the situation by simply running its beak along the feather to reconnect the tiny hooked barbules that hold everything together.