Bill’s Pond -- June 1, 2018:  Although serious photographers hate to admit it, many of their favorite wildlife shots have absolutely nothing to do with skill but are the result of completely unplanned and uncontrolled circumstance otherwise known as “being in the right place at the right time”.  The photo above is my latest example. Hoping
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   Magnolia Warbler    American Redstart   For Iowa birding enthusiasts, there’s no better time than late May; the grand finale of the spring migration. Yellowthroat Spring migrants come in all colors, shapes and sizes. But of the more than 200 bird species that will nest in or migrate through our state, perhaps no single group is more uniquely secretive or
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  By now, it had become obvious that the gobbler was getting plenty cranked up. Couldn’t blame him. I was getting plenty revved myself. The turkey and I had been playing an ebb and flow, high stakes game of hide and seek for more than two hours now. Patience was growing thin on both sides. From the
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  Ventura Heights wildlife enthusiasts have found reason to celebrate. Following weeks of mixed speculation, the female Canada goose which serves as the Height's unofficial mascot has been successful at hatching her eggs. Located near the far west end of Cerro Gordo County’s Clear Lake, the goose nest was located atop an abandoned muskrat lodge at the
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  There is no sound in nature that stirs my blood like the daybreak call of the wild turkey. No wild chorus incites more anticipation, produces more goose bumps, or penetrates deeper to my core than the ancient, staccato rattle of a mature spring gobbler. The closer you can get to spring gobbling, the louder and more
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  It’s the 23rd of April. For today at least, it appears as if spring has finally arrived in Northern Iowa. With sunny skies and temperatures soaring into the lower 60s, we’ve melted a foot of snow during the last day and a half. About all that’s left now are a few scattered patches along the
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For those of us living in Northern Iowa, it’s been a spring to remember. Or perhaps I should say, a spring to forget. Our extreme weather has been so over the top that most of us can’t even remember how many late season storms or how many inches of wet snow we’ve received since the
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  Iowans are used to dealing with extreme weather. We take it in stride. But you have to admit that at 19-degrees, winds gusting to 26 mph, and several inches of bright snow on the ground, that the Opening Day of the 2018 Iowa turkey season was a bit out of the ordinary. We really hated to
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  Early April is not only a good time to put the finishing touches on spring turkey scouting; it’s also a great time to hone your calling skills.  Nothing sounds more like a hen turkey than, well, a hen turkey.  Spring hens will never be more vocal than they are right now.  If a hunter really
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    The redhead is one of my favorite ducks. I know. I say that about a lot of ducks. But when it comes to redheads; I really mean it. All things considered, there’s really nothing not to like about these incredible heavy bodied, broad breasted, monster-webbed, red headed deep divers. They’re big. They’re beautiful. And they readily
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When Pursuing the World’s Ficklest Fowl, You Just Never Know What’s Going to Happen The phone didn’t ring until late afternoon. It was my friend, Curt Stille calling with the latest, most up to date snow goose report. Surrounded by a spread of white wind socks, Curt was currently perched atop a prominent North Iowa hillside
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