No Birds, but a Great Pair of Cattails

This shot was taken at Loew Lake, in the Loew Lake Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forrest (Wisconsin) this past weekend. The lake is next to impossible to get to. The hiking trails don't go near the lake because it is surrounded mostly by thickets and brush and rotting trees in a marsh. But from the bluff near the lake, I heard very loud and clear duck/goose noises coming from the lake, which was barely visible. I wanted to see what they were, and what they were doing, for some possible good pictures. I decided to just do it, and made my way through the mess with only getting a little wet. When I got to the lake, I found the bird noises were coming from 4 duck hunters who had a boat and blind set up. Well, no wildlife to take pictures of, but the cattails with the fall colors behind them looked really nice to me.

Fall in Delafield, Wisconsin

I was out looking to see what was happening today, and found a nice spot for a "car-shot" in a nearby State Park. My intention was to pose next to it, an updated self portrait, I guess, but I didn't have all the components for my tripod with me. Oops. Then I headed to Delafield (WI), to the Bark River, and to Nagawicka Lake. I spotted some Cedar Waxwings picking at a berry bush, and then I saw 4 swans quite a ways out on the Lake (where the Bark River flows out of it). The swans were too far away for a good shot, so I drove around the Lake and found a home-owner who allowed me access to the Lake, and then I saw them, 2 parents and 2 juveniles, Mute Swans. The home-owner said they'd been there all summer, raising their young.

Fall Colors in Baraboo, Wisconsin

This past weekend, I had an enjoyable time helping to chaperon a group of Middle School students, a Science Club, to Devils Lake State Park, near Baraboo, Wisconsin. It was a bit cold at first, but with the hiking trail that we chose, one of the more difficult ones, I got warm in a hurry. The fall colors were really nice, though I suspect they will peak in about one more week. The kids had a great time, and no one got hurt or lost, but my knee has been acting up ever since the "climb"

Cedar Waxwing Birds - Feeding Time!

This past weekend, my Brother-in-Law mentioned that he had seen Cedar Waxwing birds feeding off the nearby trees. I went over to investigate, but they were not there at the time, so I headed out of town to a State Park, and sure enough, I found a dozen or more of them, feeding off the cedar tree's berries. I've updated my web site with my favorites from the weekend (JHillmer.com) and here is a link to a slide-show with about 10 bird shots feeding.

Cedar Waxwings

Full Moon, Over Historic Waukesha

A few times each year (quarterly?), Waukesha Wisconsin holds an Art Crawl along Main Street in the Downtown area. This evening, I spent a little over an hour walking through the art studios and enjoying the nice autumn weather. It was nearly a full moon, but a bit cloudy. However, as I walked past one of the older historic buildings (that houses Martha Merrell's Books and Cuddles) I saw the chance for a nice shot. I drove home and got my cameras and tripod, and when I got back, here's the result (shot with a Canon 40D using a Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens, with the shutter open for 3.2 seconds, f/4.6, ISO-100, zoomed to 28mm).