Crex Meadows in Late Summer

Early last week I was able to get to Crex Meadows Wildlife Area for a couple of days. The weather was great and even above normal on one of the days. I had hoped to get more landscape types of images along with getting more wildlife shots. That meant getting up early and staying out late at the Wildlife Area. It was truly a worthwhile experience and I have included more of my landscape shots in this post. Shortly after arriving, I presented a copy of my new book to Kim for the Friends Of Crex. She said it would be available for viewing at the reception desk.

I also want to mention that I have Facebook pages under "Al Mueller" and "Muddy River Photography". I occasionally post a photo and announce new blog posts. Feel free to 'Friend" me and keep up to date on what is happening at Muddy River Photography.

Any of the images in my posts are available to purchase as 5x7 all occasion greeting cards, as enlargements for wall decor or Giclee prints. Just contact me for information and prices.

Please remember to click on the images to enlarge them and see them in better detail.

I am opening the blog today with a sunrise photograph that I took looking east across the north end of the refuge from the observation area off of West Refuge Road. This was an HDR image, for the photographers that are viewing.

Early morning at Crex Meadows

 



 

Based on the facial markings of this Pied-billed Grebe, I am hoping it is one
of the chicks that I photographed this spring. It was taken in the same area
of the Upper North Fork Flowage.

 

I have always enjoyed this view and finally was able
to capture it with a nice blue sky. Taken on
Kylingstad Road.

I photographed these snoozing Trumpeter Swans near the drawdown by
Dike 1.

I noticed that the fall staging of the Sandhill Cranes has started and
 photographed a small group headed into the refuge to roost for the
night.

 One of the joys of photographing and exploring the Crex Meadows Wildlife Area is meeting other Friends Of Crex and local birders that are also enjoying Crex. I met several on this trip that were very helpful in educating me on the happenings at Crex. I met Dick, and avid birder, on the Grettum Dike Road in the Fish Lake Wildlife Area. A couple I had met the previous evening told me about the sea of yellow flowers in the drawdown area of Grettum Flowage. That was enough for me to head a couple miles south of Grantsburg the next day to the Fish Lake Wildlife Area to check it out. Dick met me as I was trying to capture the beauty of the sea of yellow flowers that were present. After a short conversation, we headed down the road to an area where Dick was watching migrating shore birds. I learned a little bit about the birds that were present, but they were to far out to get good photos of. I took several images that day and returned the next day and found the birds closer to shore and easier to photograph.

The sea of yellow flowers in Grettum Flowage.

Canadian Geese flying over Grettum Flowage.

A juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper.

A juvenile American Golden Plover.

 

 

Cool looking flowers growing on a stump by Stolte Road.

 

 

I finally came across a Blanding's Turtle in the wild and not on the road.
Taken by Stolte Road as he shared the sunlight with a Painted Turtle.

  I came across this American Kestrel in the north area of the Crex Meadows Refuge

 

An American Kestrel enjoying it's recent catch.

 

 

An American Kestrel looking for food the next day.

 

 

An Eastern Wood-pewee checking the view from a traffic sign.

 

 

 

I had to do a car portrait while I was photographing the sunrise. This is also
an HDR image.
 

 

 

This was just a cool surprise as I was driving around Crex Meadows. It was so
nice that they stayed in position and allowed me to photograph them.
 

My last image is an HDR sunset looking over the North Refuge area at
Crex Meadows.