Appropriate post for World Frog Day. Luckily they were out in force the other day. For certain species, like the peepers, this is the only time of year where I feel like I can even see them. Always love frogs, but it’s cool to see some of the less commonly seen species.

Salamander season is here, and I couldn’t be more amped about it! In late winter to early spring, on rainy nights, many salamander species emerge from their underground hideouts and make the journey to vernal pools to breed. These here are Ambystoma maculatum, the spotted salamander.

You know it’s a good day when you accidentally blunder into the resident barred owl at work and, for whatever reason, you decided to bring in your camera with you that day. I don’t know what I did or which deity it pleased, but I’ll take it.

Mute swans may be beautiful, but they’re an invasive species in North America. They push out and outcompete native waterfowl and also hybridize with our native swan species, yet little is done to control them. Charismatic invasive are often the hardest to manage. #WildlifePhotography #MuteSwan

Maybe I should take a lesson from these mallards, clearly they figured out how to get their ducks in a row…

I’ll see myself out…
#mallardduck #ducks #wildlifephotography #wildlife

With their huge, spoon-shaped bills, northern shovelers are an odd looking duck. These huge bills are filled with hundreds of tiny tooth-like structures that allow them to filter tiny food from the water (think baleen whale). #northernshoveler #duck #wildlifephotography #photography

Beginning of March and signs of life are emerging! This eastern painted turtle is a glimpse of what’s to come. Excited for warmer days and the return of herp photography in the months ahead! #easternpaintedturtle #turtle #wildlifephotography #photography

American black ducks often are mistaken for mallards, though they have a darker body, a more muted face, and an olive-yellow bill. However, one of these ducks has an orange bill. When the 2 species come in contact they often hybridize, meaning this may be sign of mallard ancestry in this bird.

On a harsh winter day back in January I set out hoping to find a Snowy Owl (and turned out there was in fact a snowy owl in that area at that time), but instead, I stumbled upon this sleepy Barred Owl, tucked away in the thickets hiding from the cold.

Little American kestrel who we released yesterday after a stay at our center following a window collision. Happy to see him back out in the wild!
#americankestrel #kestrel #wildlifephotography

When I go out looking for grassland birds over the winter (and fail miserably) I can usually at least count on bluebirds showing up. Not a meadowlark or a short-eared owl, but I’ll take it.

#easternbluebird #bluebird #birdphotography #wildlifephotography

Cardinals are objectively one of the more difficult photography targets for me… you’d think such a common backyard bird would be easier to get good photos of.

#northerncardinal #cardinal #birdphotography #wildlifephotography

No idea what I’m doing, but anyways, here’s a heron who I assumed was chasing and trying to catch fish through the ice… and getting very confused in the process.

#bird #greatblueheron #heron #wildlifephotography