A Perfect Spring Morning

I spent several wonderful hours in the Fontenelle Forest wetlands on the morning of May 5th.  The temperature was perfect.  The mosquitoes were manageable.  It had rained recently but the trails were not too muddy.  Best of all, I nearly had the place to myself for several hours.

My strategy is to try to spot wildlife before it notices me as I walk the trail.  Nearby areas are hunted nearly year round so many species have a reason to remain wary.  I'm interested in shots that show how wildlife interacts with each other and their environment  I could rush down the trails.  I would see many more species that way.  I would also miss many changes to make quality  photographs.

This Song Sparrow posed for a couple of seconds.

Catbirds have returned.

A solitary Great Egret surveyed the pond.

The Great Egret decided it was safe enough to fish nearby.  It is extremely difficult to get this close to an Egret in Nebraska.  I knew my time with it was limited.  The next person walking down the trail would only see it's tail as it flew off.

Fishing was good today.

A Little Blue Heron noticed the Great Egret and decided this was a safe place to fish.  This is the first Little Blue Heron I've ever seen in the ten years I have been photographing the Fontenelle Forest wetlands.  I've mentioned Nature Search before - It is an extremely useful site that shows every type of plant and animal ever photographed in Fontenelle Forest.  This Little Blue Heron will be added to the site. 

I saw quite a few Baltimore Orioles.  Except for this female, they were too interested in attracting the opposite sex to than to pose for a photograph.  

Bullfrogs  lined the stream.  I expected this guy to make a snack out of the water strider.  He didn't.  My depth of field wasn't sufficient to focus on the frog and insect at the same time.  I quickly made one shot and then refocused for the next.  The two images were merged in Photo Shop.

A Lesser Yellowlegs strolled along the side of the stream eating insects.  

A couple of painted turtles sunned themselves.