Back to Crex Meadows looking for chicks. (Baby birds)

The spring season seems to have a number of sub-seasons which are determined by what species is nesting and which already have been through the hatch. Being a little naive about the timing of these blessed events, I opted for an impromptu trip to Crex Meadows to see what was happening.

Pam and I got to Crex last Tuesday and photographed the wildlife that afternoon and then again on Wednesday between the rain showers. The rain was annoying but did present more lighting situations to deal with in trying to capture the wonderful creatures at the Meadows.

After arriving, our first stop is always at the Visitor Information Center so we can get an idea of what is happening with the wildlife at Crex Meadows. On this visit we were greeted by a smiling Heidi. ( I hope I got her name correct) She updated us on what was happening at Crex and gave us a number of things to look for related to wildlife and the nesting progress of some of the different species. She was very helpful and gave us a good idea of what we could expect to find.

Then we were off to explore Crex Meadows. There were some Canadian Geese Goslings, one family of Trumpeter Swans with Cygnets, some Duck chicks and a Bald Eagle Eaglet. The Loons were also present and gave me the opportunity to capture some images I never imagined getting.

Please enjoy the images. Remember to click on them to enlarge them. These images are not always posted on my other sites so please contact me if you are interested in aquiring any of them.

We found this Trumpeter Swan nesting on what appears to be a Muskrat
 house. Out of focus Sandhill Cranes were feeding in the background.

This Bald Eagle eaglet seemed oblivious to us as he moved around the
nest occasionally letting out a muted squeek. His voice did not match
his ferocious appearance.

This was the only sighting of Cygnets we had while at Crex. I guess the rest
of the Trumpeter Swans were still nesting.

We saw quite a few White-tail Deer on this trip including this one that was
feeding in the marsh in the late afternoon.

These two Loon images were a nice surprise when I was able to see them after
we returned home. I will admit it was a little bit lucky, but that is part of the
wildlife photography experience. Sometimes the lighting conditions change
so rapidly you don't have the time to make camera setting changes.

As common as they are, these Canadian Geese Goslings are always a
pleasure to photograph and watch.

My biggest thrill on this trip was finding a nesting Loon that was close enough
to reach with my long telephoto lens. The nest was normally occupied by one
adult bird. The next photo was taken on one of those rare occasions when both
adults were at the nest.

We did get close to a few Sandhill Cranes but did none of them had any
babies with them. They are still really cool birds.