2011 FSSP Photo Contest - Preliminary Announcement

An announcement has been posted on our public web site and includes a poster Geri created.

https://sites.google.com/site/fsspcamclub/home/2011-photo-contest

We want to wish all of you a very happy and joyous holiday

Second Time Around

On Monday evening, 12-6, we found my favorite buck, Dark, tending a doe. Two other bucks were hanging in the area and Dark was running back and forth keeping them at bay. Unbelievably, their behavior certainly indicated that at least one doe did not breed in Nov. This buck was injured early in Nov. and was not a major player during the rut, but he was putting on the show that evening. DD

After our club meeting a few of us were discussing the use of photoshop to create visual effect. Here is an example of an image created in an attempt to communicate the sense of awe I recently experienced witnessing the flight of tundra swans passing by in the moonlight.

It has been a while since we posted last but as Gordon just said the rut activity has been nothing but great. I have personally been on a deer stand for 50 years now and on Nov 18th I was able to witness a REAL buck fight for the first time. Some of the pics are not what you would call quality, but under the circumstances Mary did a great job. Yours truly was so excited that I got some good video of trees. We posted a short video on our web site @ http://www.wildlifephotographybymhd.com DD

Big Bucks of Pike Island

All,

I've spent several mornings down on Pike Island photographing the deer rut and thought you might like to see some of the shots I've gotten.

The deer were active for the last few weeks, but I've not been in the park for the last several days so don't know if the rut is ending yet or not. Probably will be soon, if not already. Sometimes there is a brief uptick in activity in December as the last of the does come into estrus, but with the high buck to doe ratio on the island and in the park, I doubt any does are not bred at this point.

See the photos on my website at http://www.gordondietzman.com/photos/pikeislanddeer/index.html

Once I found an area where the deer were active (they tended to cluster in different areas of the island each day), I'd just sit down and watch the activity swirl around me. The behavior was fascinating to watch.

Enjoy....

Giving Thanks

Hello everyone!

I want to thank all of you for making the FSSP Camera Club something I look forward to every month. I always did better in school when the classes were educational and fun. I learn something new at our meetings and there are always a lot of laughs.

There are a lot of ideas and plans for the future and I think by the support this group shares - the future is long for the club.

Thanks again and we will see you December 4th.

Geri

Photosynth - Use your camera to stitch the world.

Photosynth - Use your camera to stitch the world.

Note the heading for "National Parks". Is anyone else interested in putting some photos together for Great River?

Microsoft Education Product Center: Photosynth  This might be something to consider for Bridge to Nature or other other educational initiatives of the club.

Amateur Photographer Captures a Grizzly Bear Chasing a Bison Down a Highway in Yellowstone | Field & Stream

Amateur Photographer Captures a Grizzly Bear Chasing a Bison Down a Highway in Yellowstone | Field & Stream

Upper Fort (Nov. 2010) - FSSP Camera Club - Picasa Web Albums

Upper Fort (Nov. 2010) - FSSP Camera Club - Picasa Web Albums .

All Blog members should have access to this Photo Library. If you have not done so already, please add your Fort photo's from our field trip. This will help us to determine how we may use such libraries going forward.

YouTube - AutumnMpls2010

YouTube - AutumnMpls2010 I took many/most of these "fall color" photos in or near the park. It would fun to put the best of club members' collective shots into a show like this for our web site (?)

Shrike

The only times I have seen these birds in this region have been in the late Autumn. This Northern Shrike was coughing up a "hair ball" at the southern end of the park near the Cedar Bridge. They are also known as the 'Butcher Bird", "for their habit of catching insects and small vertebrates and impaling their bodies on thorns. This helps them to tear the flesh into smaller, more conveniently-sized fragments, and serves as a cache so that the shrike can return to the uneaten portions at a later time.." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrike

Before we met for our walk...

Mushroom

Can you identify where this pic was taken... hint... it was on a partially flooded path on Tuesday morn

This was taken a few years ago and if memory serves, this is the back of the old Ft. Snelling Hospital.

Morning shadows

This image is one I took earlier this past summer in Fort Snelling State Park. This was taken in the morning as the sun was just starting to come up from behind the tree line and was casting shadows. Canon EOS 40D 1/15 sec.; F5.6 214mm ISO 100 in manual mode; Tripod.

State Park Closure - Visitor Alert!

Note: The park was still open on Sunday 9/26. Flood crest is expected Tuesday (?).  We will need to watch the situation daily. 

From the official park web site:

Due to anticipated river flooding,park facilities and roads are being closed beginning 9-23 through mid-October. River levels are rapidly approaching spring flood stages and extremely dangerous with fast currents carrying debris. Please call the office for park closure information.

Forgot Ft Snelling golf course was part of State park

How about everyone puts up one of their favorite summer photos. Not any you would put in the photo contest.

I have to admit, like Mary and Dan with deer, my favorite if flowers. I have tons of flower pictures not counting the ones I have deleted. Luckily they are already named but I can't always remember that they are. This is an easy one, wild rose.

Note on photo storage and Picasa/your Computer Hard Disk

Recover Deleted Pictures From Picasa and From Computer Hard Disk: "Picasa"

"Picasa is an application that acts as a photo organizer and editor. It does not store the image files, but simply accesses them when the user wishes to either view or edit the file. To put it simply, it means that any task performed on the file in Picasa, is actually done to the original file"... (as stored on your hard drive).

I'm just trying this out. There is nothing special about this picture it was just one I clicked on. Does anyone use Picasa? Do you have your photos saved in a program on your hard drive and in an online program like Picasa?

Now thats a WHOPPER!

Surprise!!! Egret almost fell off his perch, I could not believe that I finally caught that stupid fish after 22 tries. DDD

"Mystery" Bird

After sighting the young hawk last week we had the good fortune of locating the nest and siblings. After conferring with Endel we have decided that our "Mystery" hawk is a Cooper's Hawk

Lawyer: Negatives verified as Ansel Adams' lost work; bought for $45, now worth $200 million | StarTribune.com:

One Incredible Moment

This shot was taken just as we entered the park. Didn't see the plane until it was there.

A "little further" west of the Mendota Bridge

Logan Pass, GNP; June 24th 2010; The day they opened the Road to the Sun. For more photos click here: http://www.pbase.com/mhdreher/glacier_natl_park

Yellow Lotus

 

Located just to the left of the swimming beach......for more pics follows this link:FSSP Great River - eakallas - Picasa Web Albums

What is it?

This young hawk was by Shelter A last night.

A "little" west of the Mendota Bridge

Lake Sherburne, East side of Glacier National Park, June 2010

The Kids

We found these young ones on Picnic Island , they were extremely vocal, so it was easy to locate them. We found them on Sunday and Monday night.

Fire Cloud??

Is this an example of a "Fire Cloud"?

Eagle Nest

During our 2 week absence, we went to Glacier, the Eaglets along Black Dog Rd have really grown. This shot was taken July 1. We posted some pics of Glacier on the Road Trip page on our website.

Finally a BRANCHER

We started keeping tabs on this nesting pair of Barred Owls before the flood and finally were rewarded on the evening of the 3rd of June. Click here

HIDING

Newborn fawn on Picnic Island 5/27/10

Yellow Warbler near the main beach

  Prothonatary Warblers were also seen on Pike Island today.

Courtship?

 

This pair of Pileated woodpeckers put on a show over several hours this morning which included sychronized movement,simultaneous neck craning, hoping up and down on and off tree trunks together, and general thrashing around the branches. Front row seating was available in the woods just off the end of the Interpretive Center parking lot.

Resident Barred Owl

We have been keeping tabs on this owl all spring and hopefully we will get a chance to see the young or find the nest. Anybody have any idea when they, Barred Owls, hatch?

Big Brood near Picnic Island

Critique on composition welcome. Have at it!(Please)

 Today redstarts on Picnic Isalnd joined the yellow warblers in the parade of returning songbirds.

Once Upon a Mound

We spotted these geese sitting atop a mound of dirt under the Cedar Ave. bridge and were very curious if they could hatch their eggs sitting out in the open. Surprise we spotted the empty nest on May 6Th with broken eggs and guessed the goslings were history and then spotted the family just over the hill resting quietly.

Newly hatched duckling , 5-06-10

Here is the first baby duckling we have spotted this season. There were two swimming by themselves with no adults around.

See my picture?

From 2010-04-21

This is a test

Top 40 Nature Photos - Jim Brandenburg honored

The linked/referenced photos are indeed images to behold and ponder. For more background please see the following Mpls Star Tribune article

Jim Brandenburg's photos can be seen on his blog.

All top 40 nature photographs (of all time) can be seen here.

2010 Photo Contest Rules

I just learned from Linda that the rules and dates for the 2010 Photo Contest are set as follows. The Club is free to consider potential improvements for the 2011 Contest. EAK

For this years information please click HERE

The "Rock Guy"

At the end of our April 3rd Photo Walk, we encountered a guy stacking rocks and then taking photos of them. We learned that he was Peter Juhl who does this amazing feat in many places. You can view some of his photos on Flickr here: Peter Juhl





Look closely and you can see the rocks on the camera back.

Apr 3 Photo Walk

The photo club meeting was held outdoors at the park. After a general meeting and discussions, the rest of the morning was spent hiking and photographing around FSSP. Stories and techniques were exchanged. We also stopped at the Visitor's Center to view park photographs.

This photo shows the attendees - excluding me and those that had previously left.



More photos - including candids, landscapes, deer and park scenes can be seen on a PicasaWeb Slideshow

Early Arrivals

Lot's of Phoebes around - several weeks earlier than last year it seems.

Flood or no Flood

Most of the animals may be temporarily disrupted from their usual habits due to flooding, but the eagles at Black Dog Road continue their nesting activities.

Flood Update

 
For more flood photos from a quick walk about the high ground near the Fort click HERE

http://picasaweb.google.com/eakallas/20100324#

HOMELESS

The flood waters have forced this Muskrat out of his dwelling along Black Dog road, leaving them vulnerable to predators. We spotted an eagle and a couple of hawks patrolling the area.

Squab Snack

 

A few CClub members were treated to this surprise near the birdge by the Interpretive Center. The perigrine wasn't going to move from this treat,even for a stretch limo.