JIM
MORDACQ

Shootin' Whitetails

Birds and Bucks

Sun, May 06, 2012

Birds are returning from their wintering grounds and migration should be peaking soon. This past week I’ve spotted Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at my feeders.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting and Northern Cardinal

The woods have also been full of migrating warblers. Thanks to the early spring, trees are leafed out much more than normal for the time of year.  The foliage makes it difficult to spot and photograph these little birds as they dart through the shadows chasing insects.

Common Yellowthroat Warbler

American Redstart

Palm Warbler

Another small bird I was able to pick out of the foliage was this Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. I finally had some luck getting him to sit still in good light while I snapped a few shots.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

I also ran across a few other birds like this Eastern Kingbird and a Lesser Yellowlegs that were present near Lake Springfield.

Eastern Kingbird

Lesser Yellowlegs

Besides watching all the birds I’m beginning to see bucks moving just before sun down. I will have to start scouting a little more to get a better idea about their movements.

Soon I’ll be heading to Wisconsin to fish the Chippewa Flowage for Crappie and Walleye.  I will be sure to post pictures and a fishing report from “Up North”.

 

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Spring

Mon, April 16, 2012

One thing I love about Illinois is the changing seasons. Sure we all complain about the heat, cold, rain etc… But there is something I love about just every season. So what’s starting to happen now? Antlers are already starting to grow again. I photographed this young buck the other night. Pretty soon the bug will hit me hard again and I will be out looking for this year’s trophy bucks. I have a couple of new found secret locations for this year and I am looking forward to photographing some new bruisers.

Springtime also means migrating birds. I was wondering if the abnormally warm spring would hasten the return of migrating birds. For the most part the bird migration has been about normal. Migration is dictated by photo period, the hours of sunlight in a given day, and not temperature. Here are a few shots of birds I’ve been seeing lately.

Chipping Sparrow

Blue-winged Teal

 

Lesser Yellowlegs

Brown Thrasher

American White Pelicans and Double Crested Cormorant

I’m hoping the next couple of weeks will see a return of my favorite little birds, warblers. Warblers are small colorful birds that migrate through Illinois each year. Many nest as far North as Canada, and winter in Southern locations including Central and South America. I will be posting more shots of our migrating bird friends soon.

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Coyotes

Sun, April 01, 2012

Hey, what the heck did I just see? Are those really Coyotes hunting in plain view, off a busy roadway at 3:30 in the afternoon? Yep sure enough it was. The field they were hunting in had just been mowed, and the coyotes were looking for mice.

People often ask me how I get the pictures I do. The answer is simple; I’m always looking for something. It might be a bird, a deer or even a coyote.  Anything that catches my eye gets examined for a closer look. You never know what you might see, when, or where. It would have been easy to dismiss the coyotes for dogs at a glance, or a peregrine falcon as a hawk. Paying attention to my surrounding and taking the time for a closer look has paid off for me many times.

So, the next time you are out in the timber, or on the water, take the time to actually look at what is going on around you. You might be surprised.

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