Keeping Expectations Low

Wednesday I was driving out to Prophetstown and I realized that I had way too high of expectations. I lucked into some very cool things the day before and for some reason I thought that I would have the same luck two days in a row. I quickly went to the places where I had both of my cool finds the day before, but with no luck. The day could have ended badly, but instead it ended on a high note. As I was leaving I came across this ring-necked pheasant on the side of the road. Of course this rookie switched the autofocus to manual trying to make a photo, but I switched it back before it moved too far away from me. This was my first time ever seeing this bird, and I hope that it is not the last. I went out to the park to find two things. I found neither. I did have a good walk though. In wildlife photography as well as life it is always good to go in with realistic expectations.

The Pileated Woodpecker

This is a bird that I can’t get enough of. I rarely see it in good light and perched nicely. Here the light wasn’t the best. The cloudy sky just turns white when exposed properly. The bird was in an interesting spot though so I knew that I had an interesting photograph. I liked the way that the bird was framed here. This was one of two birds in this spot so maybe it will bring me luck the next time that I go out there on a blue sky day as well.

The Killdeer

I know a lot of birders that do not like this bird. When it spots you it will go around the area letting everyone know that you are there. It can be annoying for sure. On my walk back to the car though this bird and a few of its friends seemed to be daring me to make a photo of them. They kept getting closer and closer until I finally made this photo.

Can You Spot The Difference?

These were the first two photos that I made on my walk. The first photo is of a red shouldered hawk and the second is a red tailed hawk. The tails will help you tell the difference between the two birds. I thought that it would be a good thing to post about as it took a visual for me to realize how easy it is to tell these birds apart.

More Photos From My Walk

I had another good walk out at Prophetstown. I walk much farther out there than I do at the Celery Bog. If I want to drop a few pounds this would definitely be the place to go. I always seem to come away with something that I don’t normally see as well. Below are a few bonus photos from my Wednesday walk.