The other day I was working with my Purple Martin colony. I have 16 gourd nesting boxes which house 16 families, and at this time of year the babies are fledging (leaving the nest for the first time). Earlier in the day I had picked up one baby martin that was on the ground and put them back into the nest. Having baby martins on the ground for a day or two is perfectly normal. In fact for many species of bird it’s normal for the young to spend at least one day on the ground before being strong enough to fly up into a tree. However I was concerned for my baby martin that a predator might come along so I put him back in the nest.

Later in the day, two more baby martins were in my lawn. The parents were swooping down to feed them. Their young mouths gapping wide-open to accept the insect meals. At this stage of life the parents are bringing in large insects such as dragonflies. They stuff these huge dragonflies inside the tiny mouth of the baby martins and they eagerly swallow them down. Often times you can see the wings of the dragonfly hanging out of their mouths even after they have swallowed. 

I have installed a small color video camera complete with sound inside one of the martin gourds and so I’ve been monitoring them since the parents first constructed the nest and laid the eggs. At first the parents bring in tiny insects to feed their blind and naked babies. But as the baby martins grow they start feeding larger and larger insects and now they are up to the big insects such as dragonflies.

Purple Martins are the largest species of swallow in North America. At one time in history they use to nest in pairs in tree cavities. Due to decreased nest opportunities people put up nesting apartments for martins and have totally changed the way they nested. It is now estimated that west of the Mississippi River nearly all martins nest in some kind of man-made cavity such as metal houses, wooden houses or in my case, plastic gourds. They don’t nest in natural cavities anymore.

It’s a pleasure to host these magnificent birds in my yard and I really do enjoy seeing and hearing them every day. So when the young leave the nest, I feel like an over-protective father. So sure enough while I was watching my Martins a Mink came running down the shoreline heading right for the base of my Martin houses.

I grabbed my camera to see if I could capture some images of this predator in action. It was fun to watch this Mink, which turned out to be a female, run right up to the metal pole that holds up my Martin colony and try to climb it. Thank goodness I have a metal predator guard to stop this very thing from happening. So here we were, in the middle of the day, in broad-daylight, with a Mink running around following its nose trying to locate something to eat.

It would point its nose up in the air and sniff around and then chase off after something it smelled. At one point it was running through my lawn. I was capturing images of this energetic critter when it started running straight for me. I was sitting down in the grass trying to get a better camera angle and it approached within 10 feet before deciding I might be too large to have for lunch.

It turned and returned to the base of the Martin colony. Some of the adult Martins gave alarm calls and even swooped down after the Mink. Obviously the Martins knew that the Mink was a threat to them and their babies.

At one point the frustrated Mink ran over to a large maple tree about 30 feet away and climbed right up the tree just like a squirrel. No hesitation at all, just straight up the tree. No doubt the Mink was thinking there might be a way to reach the Martin colony and the babies from the tree but no such luck.

The Mink scampered right back down the tree and once again over to the base of the martin colonies. I was busy capturing images of this super-fast critter. A couple times the mink stopped to sniff the air, standing on its hind legs to sniff about. This was when I captured my most favorite images and also when I could see that this was a female Mink. No doubt she was feeding young mink back in her den and was actively searching for something to eat. Everything needs to eat, including the predators. Until next time…

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com 

Climbing a 20 foot tall, narrow metal ladder, carrying an arm full of expensive camera gear is always a nerve racking experience. Once I was perched on top, I start to organize all the camera gear and get settled in for a long wait. It took several minutes to adjust the camouflage material used to conceal myself, tripod and camera. No part of me can be seen and only the front of my camera lens was visible. I also made sure that I had a seat cushion because I’ve spent too many hours in photo blinds sitting on bare wood or metal.

Blue skies and a moderate wind out of the north made for perfect conditions to be photographing. Stretched out in front of me was a beautiful deep blue lake ringed by dark green trees. Absolutely picture perfect day.

I’ve been working on setting up this photo blind for a couple years now and finally everything was in place. I am hoping to capture some images of an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus). Sometimes called the Fish Hawk, River Hawk or Sea Hawk. All these other names are not correct and actually misleading since the Osprey is not a hawk at all. And it is not a type of eagle either. It’s the lone member of its family with no closely related relatives. It’s a kind of raptor that eats fish and migrates south for winter.  

I love the time spent waiting to photograph wildlife. It releases my mind to wonder in thought and ponder things I don’t normally have time to think about. It occurred to me that when I started in the wildlife photography and book writing business, over 30 years ago, there were no Osprey near where I lived.

In the past, Osprey nested in tall trees around the edges of lakes. But these nesting sites were lost due to development and logging. Combine that with the use of DDT, a chemical that caused thinning of eggshells, along with indiscriminate shooting, pushed Osprey out of many regions and to the edge of extinction in much of the country.

In many regions the Osprey needed to be reintroduced. From the early 1980’s to mid-1990’s young Osprey were moved from places where they still lived to places where they were killed off. Along with this, nesting platforms fixed to the top of tall utility poles were put up in suitable habitat near lakes to provide nesting opportunities. Today we have a healthy population of Osprey that is thriving and doing well in much of the nation.

The Osprey is a very unique raptor and is highly adapted with many specialized features which help it catch fish. They are found on every continent except for Antarctica and live in a wide variety of habitats as long as there is water nearby to hunt for fish. They are the second most widely distributed raptor species in the world, right after the Peregrine Falcon.

Considered a food specialist of sorts because it feeds almost exclusively on fish. They fly over a lake, river, or ocean looking for fish. If you have ever tied to look into water you know this is not easy. Osprey have eyes adapted to see into the water. Using tiny oil droplets inside their rods and cones within the eye, gives them vision that is equivalent to wearing polarized sunglasses. They can see right into the water with no problems. Try a pair of polarized sunglasses to experience this yourself.

When they spot a fish, Osprey often hover briefly, before diving down and plunging into the water feet first. Many times they hit the water so hard that they completely submerge themselves while grabbing the fish. They have built in nose plugs to keep the water out. They pop back up to the surface and shake off the water before flying off with their fish.  

Osprey are large birds weighing between 3 to 5 pounds. Which means they can’t lift more than their own body weight. So large fish over 5 pounds can’t be lifted off the water. If they do catch a fish that they can’t lift, they often “swim” to shore using their wings like boat oars. On average they take fish that are two pounds or less.

After a couple hours of waiting in my elevated photo blind, an adult Osprey with a fish appeared and I was able to capture some stunning images of this unique bird making all the preparation worth the time. Until next time…

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com

“Look, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, no it’s SUPER MOTH”. Late summer brings an amazing insect to our flower gardens across the United States. It is the Sphinx Moth, also called the Hawk Moth or Hummingbird Moth. No matter what you call it, this is a large nectar feeding insect that looks and acts just like a hummingbird.

A unique insect that is found world-wide, with over 1,400 different kinds of this Sphinx Moth. The vast majority of them are found in the tropical parts of the world but a few reach into the northern half of the United States. Most are large in size with large narrow wings and streamlined bodies. Nearly all feed on nectar from flowers so they have the ability hover in flight.

The other evening I was standing in my perennial flower garden surrounded by flowers and noticed a Sphinx Moth going from flower to flower. In particular this was a White-lined Sphinx Moth which has large 2-3 inches wing span and hovers at flowers just like a hummingbird. Typically they come out in the evening with an hour or two of light remaining in the day. I ran to grab a camera and lens to capture this amazing winged beauty.

The Sphinx Moth uses a combination of olfactory (smelling) and visual senses to find flowers. Their eyes are sensitive to blue, green and ultra-violet light. Many flowers reflect UV light which turns the flowers into beacons to attract these insects. Although vision is a key sensory component, they also have a very strong olfactory senses. They can smell (with their antenna) different flower odors and flow the smell to find new patches of flowers.

When feeding, they approach the flower and hover in mid-air. This hovering capability is unique and has only been known to have evolved in just hummingbirds, a few bat species and these moths. The Sphinx Moth are some of the fast flying insects and are capable of flying over 10 MPH. While standing in my garden and trying to capture some images, several times the moths were zipping around me so fast I could barely see where they were going.

While hovering at a flower, they unfurl their long straw-like mouth part called a proboscis. They expertly insert the tip of the proboscis into the corolla (tube) of the flower, which is where the nectar is located, and take a quick sip. They withdraw their mouth part and move onto the next flower and repeat.

While I was trying to capture some images of the sphinx moth I noticed a second then third one hovering at the flowers. Soon I could see five moths feeding at my flowers. I could see that all of them were the White-lined Sphinx Moth. You can identify them by the white lines down their wings and also they have six distinct white stripes on their furry body. They also have a large pink patch on their hindwing (they have four wings, two on each side). Usually you can’t see the pink patch unless you are photographing and capture the wings in an open position.

There are two distinct “flights” of the sphinx moth each year. The first occurs is in late spring and a second in late summer. The late summer flight usually has many more moths. The adults usually don’t survive winter. After mating the females will lay eggs which hatch into large green caterpillars with a single horn protruding at the back. This is why they are sometimes called horn-worms. The caterpillar stage of life is well known for eating a lot. They feed on the green leaves of many species of plant. When it is ready to change (metamorphosis) into the adult moth the caterpillar digs a shallow burrow in the ground where it stays for 2 to 3 weeks. When it’s ready to emerge as an adult, it wiggles up through the soil just before transforming into the adult moth and takes flight.

This is an amazing insect species and I hope you get a chance to see one for yourself. Until next time…

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed at www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com.

The American Bison (Bison bison) is an incredibly interesting critter. Sometimes called, Buffalo, this name is a misnomer and suggests that the American Bison is somehow related to the Buffalo of the Old World. So you might say, contrary to the song “Home on the Range” buffalo don’t roam around in North America. Instead, Buffalo are indigenous to places such as South Asia (Water Buffalo) and Africa (Cape Buffalo). Bison are found in North America and parts of Europe.

There are many differences between Bison and Buffalo. For one, Bison are adapted to harsh cold winters with lots of snow. Neither the Water Buffalo nor Cape Buffalo could survive these wintery conditions. Bison have huge heads with thick fur a mop top and full beards, where Buffalo are beardless and don’t have much fur.

Another defining characteristic is, Bison have a large hump at their shoulder, which Buffalo don’t. The hump is a mass of muscle that moves the gigantic head of the Bison. The muscle is used when males fight for dominance in the breeding season. Males will spar by striking their massive heads and horns together and pushing against one another. The bigger and heavier male is usually the winner.

They also use the large shoulder muscle to power the head to act like a snowplow in winter. They sweep their head back and forth moving several feet of snow to the sides to expose dried grass below. During winter all their food is covered in a thick blanket of snow and the only way they can gain access is to push the snow to the sides.

The horns are another difference between Buffalo and Bison. The horns of Buffalo are much longer (upwards of several feet) than the horns of the Bison. The Bison’s horns are shorter, point pointed and often curved upwards.

I was thinking about all of this recently while leading a photo tour to Yellowstone in winter. By far the most common animal we saw while touring the back country of Americas first National Park was the American Bison. Many herds inhabit the park and we where treated to many opportunities to capture some amazing images of this gigantic animal.

My personal favorite is when the bison get close to the hot springs or geysers and become encrusted in snow and ice. A similar condition occurs when it snows. The bison get covered with snow. They are so well insulated that the snow doesn’t melt, so if they don’t shake it off, they walk around covered in a blanket of snow.

One day, deep in the interior of the park, we came across a small herd of Bison. Several large males where with a group of females. This is fairly unusual because during the non-breeding season the males are often off by themselves or in small bachelor herds. More so, the herd seemed like they were a bit gitty or happy. The entire group looked like they had springs in their feet. They would jump and bounce around then start running.

My group of photographers got into position to capture some images while the herd of bison started moving our way. It is always amazing to watch these kinds of animals and their behaviors through a long lens because it looks like you are right in the thick of things.

Suddenly the herd looked like they started to frolic in the snow, jumping and trotting. Several of them would turn sideways while running. In all honesty it looked like they were having so much fun. Normally you see the Bison in a real-life struggle for life. Most of the time they are just plowing through the snow to get to the grass beneath.

Everyone was capturing some amazing images when the Bison got to close, and we had to retreat to the safety of our gigantic big wheel trucks. The Bison herd passed us, and we all celebrated the satisfaction of obtaining some amazing images of the American Bison in winter. Until next time…

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com.

Every trip I take to Alaska is special. When it comes to wilderness and wildlife, Alaska is the real deal. This year’s trip was no exception. Moose are often what I spend my time searching for but this year I concentrated on bears: Grizzly bears to be more specifically.

We have three types of bear in North America, the Black Bear, Brown Bear and Polar Bear. The Grizzly Bear is a type, or more accurately, a subspecies of brown bear. They tend to be the smallest of the brown bears. The name “grizzly” doesn’t have a clear origin. It seems that originally it was spelled “grisley” and referred to the grey or silver tips of the hair. The more modern spelling “grisly” refers to it being “fear-inspiring” or “fearsome”. Of course I think either interpretation equally describes this amazing bear.

Over my 30 plus year career in wildlife, I have had many encounters with black, brown and polar bears. I still find them endlessly fascinating and beautiful. They are one of my most favorite subjects to study and film.

This year I had many wonderful opportunities to study and photograph Grizzly Bears in Alaska. Most of it took place in and around Denali National Park. Most of the bears I encountered with females, which are called sows. All of them had at least one cub. Several had two cubs. Best off, the cubs were “spring cubs” which means the cubs were born this past spring, so they were still very small and super cute.

Grizzly Bear cubs are born while the mother is still in the den during late winter, usually in February. So these cubs were just 6 months old. As a result they were super curious and playful. They would follow their mothers anywhere and stick close by their sides.

One day, while I was filming a mother and single spring cub, the mother found a root of a tree sticking out of a dry river bank. She started chewing and scrapping at the knurled root. For some reason, this activity scared the spring cub, which sent the frightened cub running away from its mother.

The cub wasn’t more than 30 yards away from the mother but couldn’t clearly see what she was doing. The mother continued to bite and then roll around on top of the root depositing her scent and fur. The cub looked and acted to confused, often running back a few yards than standing up and trying to see what was going on with his mom.

I was able to capture some images before the mother got up and started to walk up the dry river bank and into the cubs view. As soon as the cub saw its mother it started running to catch up to her but suddenly caught a whiff of the scent post the mother had just laid down.

The cub approached the exposed and now torn-up root and suddenly starting doing exactly what the mother was doing. It was biting and rolling around on the root which now was rather beat up. The mother kept walking away and as soon as the cub noticed the mother was still walking away, quickly got up and ran after her.

The sow and cub started walking across the tundra straight for me. Usually the bears will stop and feed for a while before moving on but this mother had some place in mind she wanted to go and was heading that way. I was able to capture a number of images as the bears approached but needed to retreat before they came dangerously close.

I must tell you that when you are all by yourself in the wilderness and you are looking through a long lens of a camera, which makes the bears look much closer than they actually are, it’s a bit unnerving.

Each and every time I have an encounter with a bear I feel such respect towards these amazing animals and this time was no exception. I can’t wait to return to Alaska. Until next time…

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and capture the beauty of nature. He can be followed on www.facebook.com twitter.com and can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com

Walking on gravel in the dark, I was doing my best to not make any noise. I could kind-of-see where I was going but when you are carrying heavy and expensive camera gear and tripod, you always want to be extra careful. Approaching the edge of the clear-water pond, I sat down and started to organize all of the camera gear.

Thank goodness I was wearing my waterproof overalls. The ground at the edge of the pond was wet and muddy. My feet were resting in 2 to 3 inches of water, so I was also happy I had on my waterproof boots. Recent rains soaked the landscape and swelled the rivers.

Even though it was late summer, the morning temperatures in northern Alaska were in the low 40’s. Two layers of clothing and a winter hat and gloves were essential, especially when sitting for long periods of time.

It didn’t take long before I could see some movement on the opposite side of the pond. Coming out of the darkness, cutting through the glass-flat water, I could see a large branch with many leaves moving in my direction. Yes, that’s right, a branch with leaves was moving through the water.

As the branch got closer I could finally see what was moving the branch. An adult beaver was swimming in the pond bringing breakfast home to the family.

Beavers are one of my favorite critters. The North American Beaver, usually just called Beaver, is only one of two beaver species in the world. It’s native to North America but has been introduced to South America and also parts of Europe. It is the official symbol of Canada and the official mammal of the state of Oregon.

The beaver is the largest rodent species in North America and the second largest in the world. Adult beavers weigh from 25-70 pounds with the average adult beaver weighing about 40 pounds. They are semiaquatic animals that is very well suited for life in the water. It has a second eyelid that closes to protect the eye when swimming underwater but still allows the beaver to see. They have waterproof flaps that cover their nostrils and ears when submerged.

They have large webbed hind feet that propel them through the water but their front feet are unwebbed with five moveable fingers and sharp claws. Of course everyone knows about their large flat, paddle-shaped tail. By the way, they don’t use their tail to pat down or shape their stick and mud dams.

For five days, I showed up before dawn and sat on the wet ground at the edge of the pond. Each time I covered myself in camouflage material so I wouldn’t alert the beavers. During this time I was able to capture some amazing natural behaviors of this beaver family.

There was two adults and three juveniles. It was wonderful to watch the adults going about the business of gathering food for the coming winter. They would swim downstream from the pond to cut branches of willow. Then they would swim back to the den, which was just 50 yards away and around a corner.

Beavers don’t eat wood as many cartoons might portray. They eat green leaves and the soft bark from smaller branches. The left-over woody branches are used in the construction of the dam. So each day I would watch the adults bring back some fresh branches for the family to eat. Later they would carry the bare branches, stripped of their leaves and bark over to the dam.

The adults would also dive down to the bottom of the pond to scoop up mud and rocks and swim to the dam to add on top. They would also add more sticks. This dam was about 4 feet tall, holding back a wall of water. It was wonderful to watch the adults teaching the babies, called kits, to collect construction material for the dam. Each time the adult would dive underwater the kit would dive with the adult. They would both surface together and the kit would swim alongside the adult until they reached the dam, then watch the adult pile the rocks and mud on top of the dam.

Each morning they would work for about 2 to 3 hours allowing me ample time to capture some wonderful images and video before heading to their den to sleep the rest of the day. These were truly busy beavers. Until next time…

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and film wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com.

It wasn’t easy carrying the oversized dog kennels. The cargo inside where shifting from side to side throwing off our balance. Now and then, a tiny furry hand would reach through the metal bars grasping at the air. We carried the boxes containing the wild contents through the woods and down a long and wide trail. We crossed a small wooden bridge that spanned a slow moving shallow stream.

Here is where we found the perfect spot. A small flooded area of the forest provided a pond-like setting. Just through the tall trees was the edge of a small lake and just behind us was of course the slow moving stream. All the elements that make up a perfect new home for these fuzzy critters.

I was expecting that as soon as we opened the small metal doors the wild critters inside would run out and head straight for a tree. So we stood back and opened the doors and waited for the furry of action. But no, nothing happened. Slowly over a few minutes the fuzzy, black masked bandit emerged from the crate.

As everyone knows I am crazy about wildlife conservation. On today’s outing I was providing a wild place for the good people at the Wildlife Rehab Center of Minnesota (WRC), a non-profit organization that provides quality medical care and rehabilitation for all injured, sick and orphaned wild animals, to release some orphaned raccoons. Earlier this summer a bunch of orphaned baby raccoons where brought into the center. Without a mother they would not have lived. They were raised by the hard working and dedicated staff at the WRC. Now they were mostly grown up and ready to be released. After several minutes, one by one, all five raccoons exited the container and started to explore. This was their first time to roam freely.

Raccoons are a medium sized animal that is native only to the Americas from Central America up across the United States and into Canada. Their common name comes from the Algonquian Indian word arougbcoune, meaning “he scratches with his hands”. Raccoons are known for their ability to open objects with their hands such as doors, coolers, and latches. Tha also use their nimble fingers to feel around in murky water to catch things like frogs and crayfish. They likes to wash the food in water before eating by rolling it around and around in-between its paws. However they are really not washing their meal but rather just getting it wet to allow them to better feel which parts are edible and which are not. Apparently the water increases the sensitivity of their paws.

They are great tree climbers, spend a lot of their time high up in trees. They descend the tree trunk either head first of tail first. Their hind legs and feet can rotate nearly 180 degrees so that the hind toes are always pointing up the tree and support them as they descend head first.  

They are active mostly at night but can be seen during the evening. They spend their days sleeping in hollow logs or other cavities or even in drain pipes. They are usually solitary animals but recent studies show they are much more social than we thought. Females will sometimes stay with sisters for many years. Unrelated males will often share a territory. Females don’t wonder very far while males have huge territories of upwards of 12,000 acres.

It was so much fun to watch the Raccoons explore their new home. One in particular found the flooded area and started to explore. You could see the joy and excitement as he run through the water splashing around just for the fun of it. He would pick up sticks with both his paws and teeth and carry them around. Suddenly he would jump up on a tree trunk as if to climb the tree but just look around and jump back down into the water splashing about.

I was able to capture some fun images of these happy critters as they began a new stage of their life. A life in the wild where they belong. We wished them well and gathered up the kennels and hiked back, leaving the raccoons explore and be wild. Until next time…

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com or twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com

I’ve been waiting and planning to capture a very specific image for over three weeks. I put a fair amount of time and effort into the making sure that everything would work out. Now I just had to wait for the leaves to change color from summer green to autumn yellow.

The time has come and autumn is upon us. The leaves on the Super Maples have changed from the shiny green of summer to bright yellow of autumn. I’ve set up my longest lens, a gigantic and heavy 800 mm lens on my most sturdy tripod. Stability is of utmost importance for this kind of photography. I have attached a speed light (flash) with an extra device that magnifies and concentrates the light from the flash into a powerful beam of light.

I mounted my best camera on the long lens and got ready. It was a waiting game now. The cool autumn morning broke with a thin layer of clouds blocking just enough sun to make it perfect lighting conditions. I had everything set up and ready to go. Now just sit and wait.

I love autumn. I enjoy just sitting back and watching nature do its thing. I watched an Eastern Gray Squirrel scampering about pushing its nose deep under the layer of newly fall leaves searching for acorns that fell nearly 2 months ago. He would pop up his head holding an acorn and start to eat.

I could see a newly arrived Dark-eyed Junco scratching around under my bird feeder. They do a special backwards, double-foot hop to expose any hidden seeds on the ground. These birds live up in Canada and come down to visit us only for the winter. You know winter is on the way when you start to see the juncos. The females migrate further south than the males so we usually end up with only males hanging around for the winter.

Off in the distance I could hear a flock of Canada Geese calling on the wing. No doubt they are heading south for a warmer climate.

There is a constant “rain” of bright yellow leaves falling from the towering maple trees above me. Several leaves land in my lap and brush against me on their decent to earth. They spent the entire summer, sixty to eighty feet up in the trees. They saw gentile spring rains and summer storms that blew strong winds. They saw lightening and hail and now they are dying and one by one are losing their attachment to the tree and silently falling to earth.

Not too far away I could hear the familiar call of the bird I am waiting for. I activate my camera and turn on my flash. I need to be ready because I will have only a split second to capture the image I have envisioned in my head when the bird comes in. The call gets closer. I grip the camera with my right hand and hold onto the adjustment knobs of the tripod with my left hand. Slowly I move my eye close to the camera’s view finder so I am ready and I don’t need to make any sudden movements when it comes time to capture the image.

Two birds Land in the branches above me, I hold my breath. Here it is, the very reason I am here–Blue Jays. Both jays give several more calls, loudly announcing their presences. All the other birds seem to take note of the Blue Jays and scatter.

I am waiting and almost willing the jays with my mind to approach close enough to capture some images. Suddenly one jumps from its high branch and lands at eye level. I quickly look though the view finder of the camera and adjust the focusing dot. It is extremely important that the eye of the bird is in focus, not just the body of the bird.

I spin the dials around on the top and back of the camera at the same time. In a split second I captured a couple images. The flash goes off adding just the touch of light to make the colors in the image pop. The jay doesn’t even notice me or the camera. I check the preview screen on the back of my camera to see if the exposure is correct and if the bird looks good. I got it! Weeks of preparation have paid off. Until next time…

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com.

If you have followed any of my columns over the years you no doubt know that I love all animals, from the tiny shew to the mighty moose and everything in-between. I find fascination and amazement in all the critters not just some of the cool ones. Recently I was photographing a super cool critter and it occurred to me that this animal is incredibly common but I am willing to bet that most have never seen one let alone know anything about it. It is the Meadow Vole (Mocrotus pennsylvanicus)

Voles are different from mice and shews in so many ways. They are stout little critters with a distinctive short, blunted nose unlike mice and shrews which have long pointed snouts. They have thick dark brown fur, small dark eyes and adorable tiny fuzzy ears. Mice have larger eyes and naked ears. They have short tails unlike mice which have long tails.

Meadow Voles are the most widespread of the approximately 50 species of vole in the United States. They live in open habitats with heavy vegetation across Canada and Alaska. They extend down and throughout the northern states and dip down as far south as Georgia in the east. They also live in the Rocky Mountains of the west.

The front and back legs of voles are equal in size and strength unlike mice which have much larger and stronger hind legs which allow them to jump. The vole’s equal size legs make them very efficient at traveling around at a fast trot on their network of paths and trails through thick vegetation.

Each vole has a network of trails or paths that are laid out like streets in a neighborhood. The paths weave between the thick plant vegetation or just under the snow right at the earth’s surface. Either way the paths are hard to see until a fire burns the vegetation or the snow melts which exposes the well-worn paths.

Voles are active all year long and maintain their network of trails along with a series of nests that look like clumps of grass about the size of a softball or larger. There are usually a well-worn trail leading to and from the nest sites. The inside of the nest chamber is clean because they have a separate spot for the latrine. 

Voles are herbivores eating mainly grasses, sedges and seeds. They have remarkably dexterous feet which allow them to hold onto the grasses they nip with their teeth before eating. They feed for short periods of time throughout the day and then rest. Voles practice coprophagy. Which means they eat their own feces so that the plant material they consume makes a second pass through their digestive system to extract all possible nutrients. This is very common in other animals such as rabbits.

Vole populations have peaks and valleys over a 5 year span of time. As in many other small animal species, the populations cycles up and down. The driving force behind the peaks and valleys of population is still hotly debated. Some believe the population swings are driven from the bottom up by food availability or shortages while others argue that the populations change from the top down by the pressures placed by predators. Either way, in any given area the populations are always going up or crashing down.

Voles can reproduce at any time of year with summer litters averaging larger than winter litters. The typical litter size is 4 to 6 young although they can have as many as 10. Gestation is only 21 days and the females are ready to breed again almost immediately after giving birth. Newborns develop quickly and are weaned at 12-14 days of age. By 2 weeks of age about 40 percent of the newborns have died or been killed. Within 30 days about 90 percent of litters are lost, most of them to predation.

Everything from shrews, and weasels and all the way up to foxes, coyotes and wolves eat voles. Raptors such as owls and hawks concentrate on hunting voles too. They are highly sought after food item, which explains why they breed so often and with so many offspring. They are critical for the health of other animals.

I recently spent some time photographing a wonderful Meadow Vole and it made me think about sharing the story of these amazing critters. Until next time…

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com or twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com

Stepping out of the house I immediately hear a familiar and wonderful sound. A sound that I only hear at this time of year. It is a high pitched and smooth bugling call, given over and over. The sound is always distant and comes from high up in the sky. If you don’t stop and look up and around, you just might miss it. It is the sound of hundreds of migrating Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus).

Each autumn thousands of these pure white waterfowl migrate out of their nesting area in northern Canada and Alaska and make an amazing journey across the country. Migrating flocks number in the hundreds to thousands and consist of immediate and extended family members. They are usually broken up into smaller groups ranging anywhere from 20 to 200 swans. They fly in large V formations.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been seeing and hearing dozens of flocks flying overhead. They are all flying in the same direction, from the northwest to the southeast. Usually they are migrating only on days when the wind is blowing out of the north or northwest.

Formally called Whistling Swans, the Tundra Swan is pure white with black legs, feet and beak. However when these birds feed on the bottoms of iron-rich ponds and lakes the feathers on their heads and upper neck become stained a reddish color. They are incredibly large bird’s weighing up to 16.5 pounds and have a five to six foot wing span.  

They look nearly identical to our slightly larger native Trumpeter Swan. The best way to separate the two species is by their call. The Tundra has a high pitch called and the Trumpeter has a low pitched call. The other is by looking just below their eyes near the base of their bill. The Tundra Swan has a small yellow patch and the Trumpeter doesn’t but this is often very hard to see.

There are two populations of Tundra Swans. Both nest in the arctic of northern Canada and Alaska but the western population migrates to winter mainly in California. The eastern population, which is the majority, migrates diagonally across Canada and the eastern half of the U.S. to the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and along the coast of North Carolina. They fly an incredible 4,200 miles one way to spend the winter.

While migrating, the eastern flock has several major stop-overs sites. One of these is the backwaters of the Mississippi River between southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. In the shallow ponds and slow moving parts of the river, thousands of Tundra Swans gather to feed and rest. The other day I traveled to see these amazing migrating birds along the Mississippi River.

Even though the temperatures have been well below freezing for several weeks now, parts of the water along the Mississippi River is still open. Just off the west shore of the river, in a short one mile stretch of the river, thousands of Tundra Swans were gathered. These are the very swans that flew over my house four or five days before.

I stopped at a curve in the road that gave me a good view over the river. The moment I opened my truck door I could hear my old friends calling. The sweet sound of the Tundra Swans. Thousands of birds were feeding, resting, and calling. The blue sky reflected on the water’s surface made the white swans stand out like a neon lights.

I spent the rest of the afternoon observing and capturing some wonderful images. I was able to watch as families of swans interacted with others. Some swans where flying while others were sleeping or feeding. But all along, they never stopped calling. They will spend perhaps another week or two feeding and resting before one day they will start to take off and continue on their journey to the east coast. In the spring they will fly up the east coast until they hit Canada then they will turn westward and fly across Canada back to their nesting grounds. I won’t see the swans for another year. Until next time…

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com.