Photo of the Week – January 2, 2014

I’ve had a couple recent posts about the timelapse imagery from our Derr Wetland restoration.  We get to see some amazing things when there are cameras out there shooting photographs at regular intervals…

At the Derr Wetland, we have one installation that employs two cameras mounted right next to each other, allowing us to merge images from them into wide panoramas.  I’ve done just that with four pairs of images that show a pretty good range of conditions and seasons at the site, including quite a bit of variation in water level over time.  The photos are also pretty attractive for just being automated shots.  You can click on each image to see a bigger, sharper version.  I hope you enjoy them:

July 13, 2012. A prairie ecologist talks to a tour group about the restored wetland site and is caught on camera doing so.

July 13, 2012.
A prairie ecologist talks to a tour group about the restored wetland site during the drought of 2012.

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November 30, 2012.   Clouds turn pink from post-sunset light on a late fall evening.

November 30, 2012.
Clouds turn pink from post-sunset light on a late fall evening.

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February 25, 2013. A flock of migratory Canada geese enjoys the snow-covered wetland.

February 25, 2013.
A flock of migratory Canada geese enjoys the open water and the snow-covered surroundings.

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October 16, 2013. The groundwater level rose this fall after irrigation was over and we had some good rains in the area.

October 16, 2013.
The groundwater level rose this fall after irrigation was over and we had some good rains in the area.  As a result, some of the higher side channels filled up with water.

For more information on this kind of timelapse photography, contact Moonshell Media.

You can see more timelapse imagery from this site here and here.

Ice Patterns

The melting and freezing of water can sure create beauty.  During the last week, I’ve spent several days at our prairie cutting trees and playing with my kids.  The wetland on the property is frozen enough for ice skating, but warm days/cold nights have allowed some thawing and freezing along the edges.  That, in turn, has created some wonderful patterns in the ice.  Here are a few of them.

Patterns in ice.  Helzer prairie pond, near Stockham, Nebraska.

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Patterns in ice.  Helzer prairie pond, near Stockham, Nebraska.

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Patterns in ice.  Helzer prairie pond, near Stockham, Nebraska.

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Patterns in ice.  Helzer prairie pond, near Stockham, Nebraska..

ice pattern on the pond.  Helzer farm.

If you like this kind of ice pattern, you might also like similar photos from these two older posts:

https://prairieecologist.com/2012/02/03/photo-of-the-week-february-3-2012/

https://prairieecologist.com/2010/12/14/a-pleasant-winter-morning-in-a-prairie-wetland/