Máistir Nádúraí: Beautiful Places

5.18.2008

Beautiful Places

Baxter's Hollow

I spent most of Saturday and Sunday birding with Sylvia, Dottie and Mark at natural areas in Dane, Sauk, Iowa and Rock Counties. Though I do the majority of my birding at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, there are places in Wisconsin within an hour's drive of Waunakee that are simply too beautiful to miss this time of year. Though we found 100 bird species, the only digiscoping I did was a video of a Hooded Warbler at Baxter's Hollow - it was a real treat to watch. With so many birds, wildflowers, insects, scenic vistas, creeks and waterfalls; it's difficult to know what to write and I'm too tired to put much energy into this rather diminutive post.

Spring Green Prairie

Governor Dodge State Park

Hooded Warbler

Bio:

Mike McDowell has been documenting southern Wisconsin’s flora and fauna since 1987 and began leading field trips in 2002. Prolific at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, other highlighted natural areas include Pope Farm Conservancy, Spring Green Preserve, and the Baraboo Hills. His nature photography has appeared in various publications, newspapers, magazines and was even featured on a Wisconsin Endangered Resources license plate, a Capital Brewery beer label, and a National Geographic publication. He began journaling nature observations on this blog in 2005. He's the recipient of the 2012 Bronze Passenger Pigeon Award from the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions in their local communities or state to promote the field of ornithology. He was a finalist in Swarovski’s Digiscoper of the Year photography contest several times. His other interests include insect macro-photography (especially tiger beetles, treehoppers, and robber flies), fossil collecting, amateur astronomy, botany, natural history, and marksmanship with long-range rifles. Once a gigging musician, collecting Fender Stratocasters is a recently revived interest—most prized being a 1957 Vintage Custom Shop 'Mary Kaye' White Blonde. A former IT Professional, he's spent the last 24 years employed in the sport optics industry.