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Thursday, February 23, 2012

Coyotes on the beach

As I was leaving St. George Island I saw two mature eagles diving in an aggressive manner. I thought I might be able to get some decent pictures even though it was foggy and cloudy. When I got the window down and my camera out of the truck I saw what they were harassing.

Here's what I saw through a 400MM lens. 




At this range and low light level, I couldn't be certain if the was coyote or coydog. After some serious cropping and brightening, here's what the eagles were chasing.




It's a fine, obviously well fed, black coyote! I don't know if it walked across the bridge (6 miles) or swam over, but it appears to have adapted well.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Trout lilies and trilliums


I first heard about  Wolf Creek last year. It's an oasis that harbors a myriad of flowering lilies far from their "native habitat". It consists of 140 acres of rolling hardwoods that has an area of 15-20 acres that is blanketed by dimpled trout lilies, with spotted trillium interspersed among them.

Spotted trillium




Hillside covered in dimpled trout lilies.



This is a beautiful area that is unique for this part of the country. For additional information go to their brochure or their web site . The trout lilies have probably peaked, but it is still a worth while trip to see what conservation of our natural resources is all about.