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Wednesday ~ February 24, 2016

Posted by Dave Updegraff on February 24, 2016
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: 16th Street Basin, Deep-Seated Friendships, Eagle Photography, Photography, Wildlife Photography.

February-21-2016-C

Happy Wednesday!

A short post today with only one image.  I had one “decent” image of an eagle at the 16th Street Basin on Sunday.  I like it because it shows the fish he caught or stole.  I didn’t actually see this one get the fish and as my friend Andreas noted they often times will buzz a gull who has a fish and scare them into dropping it.

Even though the photography wasn’t all that great I had a lot of fun watching the gulls and eagles interact.  It is so much fun to just sit and watch wildlife doing their thing.  You can click on the image to make it larger if you like.

Thank you all for your kind words of support yesterday.  They are greatly appreciated.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for stopping by the blog.  Enjoy your day and be careful.

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Tuesday ~ February 23, 2016

Posted by Dave Updegraff on February 23, 2016
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: Bittersweet Memories, Family, Full Moon, Hospice, Transition.

February-22-2016

Happy Tuesday!

Bittersweet day yesterday.  Good in that I got to spend most of the day with my wonderful daughter Angie and her youngest son Austin.  Sad that we made the trip to Ames to say good-bye to Jeanne’s Mother Jay who is in Hospice.  It was a day of reflection, respect, admiration, love, and sadness.  There was also joy in that we brought a smile and some comfort to a great lady who has been a wonderful daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

After dropping me off at home Angie texted me and told me I needed to go outside and see the beautiful moon.  I share that with you today.

Reflect, count your blessings and be careful…

 

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Monday ~ February 22, 2016

Posted by Dave Updegraff on February 22, 2016
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: 16th Street Basin, Bald Eagles, Dubuque, Iowa, Photography, Ring Billed Gulls, Wildlife Photography.

February-21-2016

Happy Monday!

Relax, I’m not going to show you a bunch of eagle images.  🙂

I was out and about yesterday and as is my habit I always drive by the 16th Street Basin.  In years past it has been robust with wildlife, but for some reason it has been absent of wildlife this year.

Yesterday was the exception.  I was delighted to see more than a half-dozen eagles sitting on the ice and in the trees.  Lots of ring-billed gulls and even a few geese.  The eagles were out in the middle of the basin, too far away to get a good shot of them.  Besides I have thousands of images of eagles sitting on the ice.  🙂

But then an eagle took off and did a dive (which I missed) into the open water and came up with a small fish.  I had trouble following the action but you can see the juvenile eagle in hot pursuit of the adult eagle.  Since the juveniles are still learning how to fish they often times try to steal the food of the more accomplished adults.

February-21-2016-A

I was busy photographing gulls because they were much closer to me then the eagles.    I was enjoying watching this little guy walk toward me.  When I first arrived at my spot he flew away and landed several yards away.   He took his time but eventually walked back to where he originally had been.

February-21-2016-B

Somewhere in the tussle between the eagles the fish was dropped and guess who took advantage of that.  🙂

I don’t think it is the same gull that I had been photographing (that would have made a better story) but when opportunity knocks you have to be ready to seize it.  🙂

That’s it for today.  Thanks for stopping by the blog.  Enjoy your day and be careful.

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Friday ~ February 19, 2016

Posted by Dave Updegraff on February 19, 2016
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: Hawks, Photographing Hawks, Photography, Wildlife Photography.

February-13-2016-02B

Happy Friday!

I have three images for you that I shot last Saturday.  It was the day of the Hawk.  I think all told I saw 5 hawks on the short drive I took.  I was actually looking for farm structures to photograph and not birds but you take what nature gives you.  🙂

February-13-2016-02A

There were two trees essentially growing out of the same spot making a big V.  These birds had congregated on the right side of the tree and sitting all alone on the left side was a mature eagle.  I shot several images of him but his eye was obstructed by a large branch and when I moved to get a better shot of him he of course flew away.  I had the long lens in my hand so I couldn’t get both trees in the same frame.

February-13-2016-02C

I had just got into position to photograph this smaller hawk when he decided that I was too close.  So I got a few frames of his butt but liked this one as he leaped into the air.

That’s it for today.  Hope you enjoy the warmer weather if you are in our part of the world.  Supposed to be very windy today with a high wind advisory issued for our state.

Thanks for stopping by the blog.  Be careful.

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Thursday ~ February 18, 2016

Posted by Dave Updegraff on February 18, 2016
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: Kelbyone Training, landscape photography, Photography, Scott Kelby, Winter Scenery.

February-15-2016-01-29-16-XA

Happy Thursday!

Some more images from my foggy shoot of last Monday.  I’ve photographed all of these structures before just not under these conditions.

We have a wonderful lady (one of many) who works at one of our banks.  She is one of the friendliest, most caring, and unselfish person I have had the pleasure of meeting.  I have seen people stand in line to have her work with them just because of who she is.  Well yesterday I had a transaction that she handled for me and she said, “David you know that this is national random act of kindness day don’t you?”  To tell the truth I didn’t but she went on to tell me about a lady and three small children who had moved to the community from Chicago with what little possessions they had in their car, which broke down a few days ago.  She continued to tell me how various people from the community stepped up and provided some assistance in one form or another to this woman and her children.

She then asked me if I would be willing to take a family portrait of them and give it to them so they would have something to put on the wall of the mobile home.  Of course I agreed, but the thing that impressed me the most was that I would guess that most of the people she helped that day got asked if they would be willing to help in someway.  Obviously I don’t know that for sure but that is the type of lady she is.  Proud to know her and call her my friend.

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I have followed Scott Kelby for many years and in fact believe that it was some of his photography books that helped motivate me to seek to improve my photography.  I subscribe to his learning center and have taken many lessons from the instructors that work there over the years.  Seeing them on video almost every day for several years you begin to develop a feeling of knowing and liking the individuals.  This week it was announced that most of the instructors that I have come to enjoy were laid off and that the Kelby Company is in the midst of a huge restructuring process.  It was a reminder to me that what things seem like on the outside are certainly not what they are on the inside.

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I hate to be cynical however after reading many of the comments from the people who have worked there (and I know you have to filter out some of the emotion) that there was a lot below the surface that was well hidden.  Let’s just leave it that I won’t be renewing my subscription when it expires later this year.  Very sad.

That’s it for today.  Sorry to leave it on a down note but an occasional jolt of reality isn’t always a bad thing.

Thanks for stopping by the blog.  Enjoy your day and be careful.

 

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Wednesday ~ February 17, 2016

Posted by Dave Updegraff on February 17, 2016
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: Barn Photography, Photography.

February-15-2016-01-29-16-C

Happy Wednesday!

Only one image for you today.  I sort of overslept and now only have time for this quick post.

Enjoy your day and be careful.

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Tuesday ~ February 16, 2016

Posted by Dave Updegraff on February 16, 2016
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: Barns, Bridges, Frozen Gates, landscape photography, Photography.

February-15-2016-01-29-16

Happy Tuesday!

A foggy, snowy day yesterday.  I decided to go out and see if I could find some trees with crystallized ice on their branches.  Never really found what I was looking for but I did find some interesting things to photograph.  The only disappointment was I found a row of trees that had a lot of snow clinging to their branches and in the middle of them sat a beautiful red cardinal.  By the time I got the camera ready to shoot he flew away.  😦

February-15-2016-01-29-16-A

This old bridge is no longer used by vehicle traffic, just wildlife critters.  I hiked about a half mile (well it seemed like a half mile) to grab this image.  There were rabbit tracks and paw prints (I’m assuming fox or coyote.) I suppose it could have been a cat or dog.  I’m not fully trained in the art of reading animal tracks.

February-15-2016-01-29-16-B

Came across this old barn surrounded by the snow.  There used to be a twin barn that set a hundred feet to the side of it but all that I found yesterday was the foundation.  I’m couldn’t tell if it had been torn down or burnt down.  Either way it’s sad to see a wonderful old barn gone forever.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for checking out the blog.  Enjoy your day and be careful.

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Thursday ~ February 11, 2016

Posted by Dave Updegraff on February 11, 2016
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: Eagle Photography, Photography, Wildlife on the Mississippi, Wildlife Photography.

February-11-2016-01-29-16-A

Happy Thursday!

I have three eagle images for you today. I said I wouldn’t show all 1,500 of them and I won’t but right now they are all I have in my photo inventory.  I hope to get out this weekend and capture some different images. 🙂

February-11-2016-01-29-16

Busy week at work.  I am learning a new program that I will use almost every day in the future.  It has a lot of advantages over what I’ve been using for years but right now, as I struggle with learning it, I have been frustrated.  For example it took me 45 minutes to do a simple task that would have taken 3 minutes with the old program.  That won’t happen as I get more familiar with the program but I said many bad words yesterday (to myself.)  🙂

February-11-2016-01-29-16-B

This was not a planned shot but I like how the eagle cuts across the path of a jet many thousands of feet above him.

That Friday was a wonderful day for me.  The best eagle photographing day I’ve ever had.  Probably won’t be going back this year as my hard drive is full of eagle images and I have other commitments in the coming weeks.  By that time the season will be over.  So it was a fun day and way more than I had hoped for.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for checking out the blog.  Really cold weather for the next few days in our part of the world.

Enjoy your day and be careful.

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Tuesday ~ February 09, 2016

Posted by Dave Updegraff on February 9, 2016
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: Lock & Dam #14, Mississippi River, Photographing Eagles, Photography, Wildlife Photography.

February-09-2016-01-29-16

Happy Tuesday!

I didn’t get any photography in this weekend.  Never really seemed that busy but just didn’t get around to it.  The weather wasn’t all that great and on the one day we had sunshine I was a little under the weather.  So I’ll show you some behind the scenes, as it were, of the shooting at Lock & Dam # 14.

I believe these guys are Common Mergansers.  I may be wrong so feel free to correct me if I am.  When the action is slow you either photograph things in front of you or you visit with those around you.  I did a lot of both.  I have a lot of shots of these guys, some geese, and some ducks.  The ducks were really too far away to photograph.  I will also practice panning on the ubiquitous gulls flying by.

February-09-2016-01-29-16-C

I got this guy on the way down but couldn’t keep up with him when he snatched the fish.

February-09-2016-01-29-16-D

The result is he has a nice lunch and a bunch of photographers had some nice images on their memory cards.

That’s it for today.   Remember you can click on the image to enlarge if.

Thank you for all the wonderful Birthday greetings and sentiments yesterday.  Really makes me feel good.  Thank you.

Thanks for stopping by the blog.  Enjoy your day and be careful.

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Monday ~ February 08, 2016

Posted by Dave Updegraff on February 8, 2016
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: Barn Photography, Dubuque, Eagle Photography, Iowa, landscape photography, Lock & Dam 11, Mississppi River, Photography.

February-07-2016-02-05-16

Happy Monday!

Hey something besides eagles.  🙂

Okay I’ll admit there have been a lot of eagles on this blog of late but I have 1,500 images of them so I’m going to show a few more over the next weeks.  But last Friday I did go looking for other things to photograph.

I photographed this barn several years ago in the Spring of the year.  I had forgotten about it but when I went by it I knew I had to photograph it again.

February-07-2016-02-05-16-A

One lone fishing boat on the river by the lock and dam.  There was a pretty good expanse of open water below the dam, which allowed these fishermen to put their boat in the water.  I would suspect they probably put it in on the Wisconsin side of the river.

Although I wasn’t particularly looking for eagles at the dam there were none to be found.  Normally at Winter time they will sit on the ice near open water and fish from there.  This year I have not seen one eagle at the lock and dam.  The 16th Street Basin is completely frozen over so there is no wildlife there either.

Three years ago there were a lot of blue herons fishing at the Basin and I got a lot of great images of them fishing from the ice.  I haven’t seen a heron at the Basin in a long time.

February-07-2016-01-31-16

I’m sorry I couldn’t go a whole post without throwing in one eagle image.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for checking out the blog.  Enjoy your day and be careful.

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