Lake Ilsanjo is a man-made 26 acre lake that sets in the center of my Annadel State Park which is conveniently located next door to where I live. There is no easy way to get to the lake. The shortest route is over 2 miles and all 5 trails require at least a 400 foot elevation gain. I rode my bike in last week just to see if any waterfowl had come in and if it would worth lugging in my tripod and long lens.
As usual, nothing. There are always a couple of American Coot, maybe a pair of Mallards, the occasional few Canada Goose and sometimes a Great Blue Heron or Great Egret. For some reason I have never seen large groups of any type of migratory fowl on the lake. With virtually no human disturbance, one would think they would like to stop by.
I took these pictures with my Canon point & click while sitting on the dam eating my apple.
This shot I thought I might use for a Weekend Reflections photo but too many ripples in the water.
Any of the birds I see in the woods for the most part frequent my backyard so it really isn't worth the effort to haul all the camera gear in except for in spring when the wildflowers are out.
But I know the day will come I will see coyote or better still a bobcat and not have my telephoto with me.
I don't even want to think of seeing a mountain lion and not having any camera with me!
9 comments:
you on a bike staring down a cougar with nada to prove it. ha ha! love those coots! not exactly my kind of 'backyard bird'. :)
You're so lucky, I'd love to live close to a beautiful place like this!
Hahaha, I know what you mean, I wouldn't forgive myself if I saw a bobcat and didn't have my camera with me (well, there are no bobcats around here...)! ;-)
Oh I know what you mean ... must must must always have a camera even if a point and shoot ... just never know what may come along (as long as it can't eat me!)
Very nice photos!
It's a pretty spot but I suspect you are correct that your point and click would capture most of what you want to capture with your lens.
A wonderful post to read John. Beautiful images from your little point and shoot as well..
It's always worth having a camera in your shirt pocket for moments like this.
my guess is that water depth plays a roll in why you are not seeing large congregations of wintering waterfowl. Too deep for the dabbling ducks? Are there fish in this lake? Although low human disturbance, perhaps there is little food to offer hungry ducks.
I really like the reeds and the reflection in the last shot!
I'm left wondering about what you wrote - no large flocks of migratory birds there. That's a bit unusual, no? At any rate, you're really blessed to live next to this lovely spot. When I initially looked at these I wondered why you didn't use for Weekend Reflections; even with the ripples, the water reflections are better than any I've ever gotten! I actually like the ripple effect, it's like a painting. The reeds really add something, and I love each one of these. Now I think I saw a horse's eye in another post, gotta go check that out!
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