I saw my coyote friend again at the wetlands this morning. I was in her way, so she just sat down and waited for me to back up. It was like she was saying, “That’s not far enough.” There was a dense fog when I got there, but it was great to be the only human for a while.
If you know me, you know 2023 was quite a year. I had breast cancer, a bilateral mastectomy, and quite a few post-surgery complications. The good news is, I am cancer-free! I haven’t been out in the wild spaces much, but I am getting my strength back and hopeful I will be out more often. I was delighted to see an old coyote friend at the wetlands this morning. One of the nice things about Kansas is we may have some brutal cold, but it’s often followed by weather like this. It was in the 50s this morning. Great weather for a walk, and a lovely sunrise.
I’m finally getting out a bit more and enjoying the new camera! The Canon EOS R is so light and easy to handle. I’m still getting used to the differences between the EOS R and the 5D I used for so long, but I am loving it! The EOS R is excellent for these dark, foggy mornings. Considering just how dark it was on this morning, I am very pleased with these results.
I finally decided to replace my now very old Canon 5D Mark ii. The 5D has been a remarkable camera. It has been reliable in all the Kansas weather extremes, and I’ve dropped it more than once. This camera has been a hard worker for about 12 years. I’m trying out the Canon EOS R. While I have not been able to spend as much time with it as I would like, so far, it takes some pretty sharp pics. I can’t wait to be out more when the weather cools off a bit!
It was a nice mild morning at the wetlands. The moon was beautiful and there are more spring arrivals every day. This morning, I spotted a common yellowthroat (very common at the wetlands!), orchard orioles, and a yellow-breasted chat. The chat was not so accommodating with the photographs. I tried, but he kept moving from the top of one tree to another and always obscured by leaves, so the pictures were not so good. I will keep trying as I’ve seen him in the same place every spring for the past few years. I saw the start of a woven nest—maybe an oriole’s work? The highlight of the morning was watching an osprey fishing!
It didn’t look like they got anything on this dive. They shook off the water and kept at it, still circling around when I left. That is hard work! It amazes me how they can take off from in the water. They must have incredibly strong wings.
Find a field at sunrise on a winter morning and witness thousands of blackbirds heading out for the day.
It seems like getting out to wild spaces would be one of the safest activities in these times, but alas, I have not been out as much as I would like. Some of my favorite spaces are overrun right now with folks who feel like wild spaces are their own personal off-leash dog runs and masking up is unnecessary.
Last week, I was minding my own business taking pictures of a muskrat and this woman came into the space, wearing camo, but no mask. The hilarious part of this was she had this incredibly bright white hair that made her look like a partially hidden light bulb. I’m not sure what she thought the camo would do. Anyway, she got within about ten feet of me, so I pulled my mask up because I had to walk past her to get back to the path. She never attempted to put a mask on or even turn in a different direction. I said, “Good morning,” and she just stared.
The few times I have been to my favorite wetlands space, this has been the case. I don’t wear my mask at all times because I wear glasses and it’s just easier if I don’t have to continually adjust it to keep the glasses from fogging. I pull it up whenever I see people coming. While I have seen some people do the same, for the most part, they do not.
I hope as it gets colder, the people will thin out and I’ll have some space to safely wander. I’m sure the wildlife will appreciate the lack of off-leash dogs as well. If you’re going out, no matter where you’re going out, bring your mask, and wear it when needed. I love dogs, but unless the space is for dogs, leave your dogs at home, or at least keep them leashed (and pick up their shit!).
What a great morning at the wetlands! It was wet and chilly, so I had it to myself, which is always a great time for seeing mammals like this river otter. This is only the second time I’ve been lucky enough to see them at the wetlands. What a gift!
It certainly has been a while since an update. While I have not been able to get to the wetlands as often as I would like, when I have gone, it has been considerably quieter than usual. I meet others walking there who have had the same experience and wonder, “Where are all the birds? Where are all the mammals?” There are likely several reasons–the large number of off-leash dogs, noise from the SLT, more people using it for running and biking, and of course, climate change. I like going when the weather is bad so I can have it to myself for the most part. That’s how I got to see this amazing mink.
One of the best things about cold days at the wetlands is how few humans are around. Fewer humans means I get to see more mammals, and that means coyotes. I love how they watch me from a safe distance. This one was getting ready to turn down the path I was on, saw me, thought better of it, and backed up into some brush. I stopped and waited for her thinking she would come back out and go where she needed to. Sure enough, she came out and ran off in the other direction. It is always a gift to watch them.
