Al Larson Photography

After a light snowfall yesterday I ventured outside with the camera. One never knows what may get in front of the lens. We have five wild turkey toms that visit us nearly every day. They have found where I scatter seeds for the smaller birds. On this day just enough snow had fallen on the wet frozen ground to record the passing of various wildlife. The soft white snow gave way to the dark ground below giving contrast to the tracks of our passing toms.

We’ve had freezing weather for several months and snow is predicted this week. Even though Winter is only half gone I’m looking foreward to Spring. This photo of blue camas was taken in May of last year just a few miles north of Ola in Gem county. May is the ideal time to take a trip to Sagehen Reservoir to see birds and wildflowers. I have been on field trips to this area nearly every year for the last forty. I have never grown tired of Nature in full bloom.

No, I didn’t stop at a hippy joint!  I thought I’d post this abstract to show what can happen by accident. Inadvertantly I pressd the sutter button while sitting in my vehicle after dark. The car motor was running and the lights were on. The camera happened to be pointed at the dashboard. The camera settings were: 28 mm wide angle, shutter speed 2 sec., F-stop f/3.4, and ISO 800.  I don’t think I have enough camera savvy to ever duplicate this on purpose. An important reminder here: When using slow shutter speeds use a tripod or a bean bag, keep the camera steady.

Hilda does such a wonderful job as an artist. Here she used a slab of petrified bog as a canvas. This scene shows a mournful Black Bear cub looking longingly at its mother. The cub is about to strike out on its own after being weaned and abandoned by its mother. A weasel (ermine) in winter coat looks on.

I never paid much attention to this plant before except to identify it at our home in Boise, ID. It apparently came by way of the irrigation ditch or was transported by a bird. I have discovered a lot of these plants along Daggett Creek on our ranch.

Notice the unique notched leaves and the red berries. The flowers are lavender with a yellow center. Do not be tempted to eat the berries. They are deadly poison as are the leaves.

The lawn under the maple tree was a mess with leaves so I got the rake and rounded them up. Maple leaves are one of my favorites. Their cleft edges are a sight to behold. In the fall after the first freeze their colour turns to yellow, red and brown. I gave Nature a helping hand here and arranged this display.

I thought it was time to once again show some of Hilda’s artwork.  Here she put oils on a cross-cut blade. The elk and eagle seem right at home here by the lake, as do the fishermen and their camp. Notice how the crowns of the trees blend into the teeth. I think that this could grace almost any outdoor person’s mantel.

On November 2nd I took a trip to my Sage Hen Bluebird Trail. I had to clean the nest boxes out before winter should arrive. After leaving Squaw Creek and heading up the Second Fork road I came across this Autumn scene. A lot of the shrubs had shed their leaves but I thought this scene warrented a picture.

I returned to the beaver pond below the house on Daggett Creek today in hopes of seeing the beaver(s). Some fall colors still linger on the trees, bushes and shrubs. There was not a ripple in the water. I noticed the long ice crystals floating on the surface. I did not observe a pathway through the crystals so I presume the beaver must come out of its hut in the evenings or during the night. There seems to be fresh evidence of recent activity, fallen stems of willow.

I have yet to see the engineer but the evidence is here. I don’t know if an individual is responsible or if a pair of beaver is working here.  Last year a dam was built and then aparently abandoned and washed out during high water last winter and spring. The old hut has been refurbished. There is also a hole (tunnel) leading into the bank on the right side of the pond. Our son stepped through the roof of the tunnel about fifteen feet from the water. The beaver promptly set to work covering this unwanted hole with grass and weeds. I must quietly sneak down there and see if I can observe this fellow at work.