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Taken at the World Bird Sanctuary. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm VR f/2.8 lens, Singh-Ray warming polarizer, Manfrotto monopod.
Thank you flickr for selecting this photo for a blog on the best bird shots for 2008: blog.flickr.net/en/2009/01/12/for-the-birds/
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Indigo Bunting taken July 25, 2020, at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area in Boone County, Missouri.
SEEN IN EXPLORE JULY 28, 2020.
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The best way to view my photostream is on Flickriver: Nikon66's photos on Flickriver
Tags: Indigo Bunting Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area EBCA McBane Boone County Missouri Nikon D850 600mm Nikkor Explored
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It had been almost exactly 2 years since I had last traveled to Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is located in the northwestern corner of Missouri, not far from the Nebraska border, and a good 5+ hours drive from my home in St. Louis County. With the long Christmas weekend, I had planned on trying to make the drive up there early Saturday morning. However, late Friday came confirmation that the wise and truly representative members of our federal government had decided to shut everything down for the good of the people they represent. Loess Bluffs, being run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, would clearly be impacted.
I searched for quite some time on the interwebs (the source of all knowledge) and could find no confirmation on whether Loess Bluffs would be closed due to the government shut down. Most National Wildlife Refuges have Facebook sites, but nothing about the impact of the government shutdown was posted. It was too late in the evening to call the refuge office. In an act of desperation, I posted my question on their Facebook page, not expecting an answer. I was just about resigned to cancelling my trip when, at 8:43 p.m., I received an official response from the Refuge - - while the office would be closed due to the shutdown, the auto tour and trails would all remain open to the public. My trip was back on, thanks to the wonderful hard-working people at Loess Bluffs. Hopefully, this shut down will not last long and they will all be able to return to their jobs soon. I am truly grateful to the person who responded to my Facebook post after hours on a Friday evening.
I went straight to bed and woke to my alarm at 1:45 a.m. I was on the road by 2:15 a.m., and I pulled into the gate at Loess Bluffs about 5 hours later. I was not alone. Several other visitors were there who had obviously come to see what I had come to see - - thousands upon thousands of snow geese covering the wetland area and filling the sky (not to mention a lot of eagles, hawks and Trumpeter Swans).
The last time I was at Loess Bluffs, I had spent the night. This time, my plan was to spend the morning, and then turn around and be back home in time for dinner. 10+ hours of driving, plus several hours more driving around the refuge. It was a long drive back home that day. By the time I got home, I had just enough energy to eat dinner and jump back into bed.
© All rights reserved - - No Usage Allowed in Any Form Without the Written Consent of the photographer, Mark S. Schuver.
The best way to view my photostream is on Flickriver: Nikon66's photos on Flickriver
Tags: Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge Snow Geese Eagle Hawk Holt County Forest City Mound City Missouri Nikon D800
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I was spending a cold morning photographing Trumpeter Swans at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary in West Alton, Missouri, when I kept seeing these large flocks of birds swarming overhead. I took a few photos, but there was little in the foreground to give the size of the swarm any context. Finally, one of the flocks made its way towards the Clark Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River between West Alton, Missouri and Alton, Illinois. I quickly spun around and fired off a few shots before the swarm made its way out of the area. I'm not sure what kind of birds they were, probably Starlings and possibly Red-winged Blackbirds, but they were pretty amazing to watch.
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The best way to view my photostream is on Flickriver: Nikon66's photos on Flickriver
Tags: Birds Flock Swarm Clark Bridge Alton Illinois West Alton Missouri Mississippi River Nikon D850 600mm Nikkor
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Marble Creek winds its way through approximately 20 miles of the St. Francois Mountains in southeast Missouri, including some of the oldest mountain range on the North American continent, and the only mountain range which runs roughly east to west. Marble Creek is named after the pinkish dolomite along the creek bottom, which is locally called “Taum Sauk Marble.”
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Tags: Marble Creek St. Francois Mountains Dolomite “Taum Sauk Marble” Shut-in Ozarks Iron County Missouri Nikon D850
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