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Wednesday, November 6th, 2024

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Wednesday, November 6th, 2024

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Stan Tekiela

Nature Smart: Pumpkins… much more than just decor

I would like to tell you about something so common and ubiquitous in our American culture that I’m sure you don’t think about it as being very special. It’s something that has been around for a long time, and you see these things every year. And no doubt you might even eat them or at least taste the flavor, especially at this time of year. I’m talking about pumpkins.

Nature Smart: Pumpkins… much more than just decor Read More »

Nature Smart: Get to know the amazing black bear

We could see it moving through the tall, dull green grass of late summer, moving in our direction. I told our photography group to move back and prepare cameras. The bear was a big one. Next, I told the group: “For this image to work, we will need to get down low and switch from horizontal to vertical format.”
A minute later, my prediction was correct; it was walking straight at us. Using a long lens so we could keep a distance, our group captured some impressive images of a male American black bear. This specimen was well over 500 pounds and preparing for hibernation.

Nature Smart: Get to know the amazing black bear Read More »

Nature Smart: Backyard hummingbirds

I spend a lot of time improving the habitat on my 30-acre lake property. The goal is to provide nesting opportunities for as many bird species as possible. For example, I have a great horned owl nesting platform and, lo and behold, I’ve had a pair of great horned owls nesting on the platform twice in the past three years.

Nature Smart: Backyard hummingbirds Read More »

Nature Smart: Photographing condors

It has been 17 years since I last wrote about the largest bird in North America. This is a species being brought back from the brink of extinction via some heroic captive breeding and reintroduction efforts.
The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is a New World vulture, which means it isn’t closely related to the vultures found in Africa and Europe. It’s the only surviving member of the genus Gymnogyps.

Nature Smart: Photographing condors Read More »

Nature Smart: A rare elegant trogon in Arizona

Visiting Arizona in the middle of summer doesn’t seem like a smart idea.
The heat can be stifling, and it pushes any wildlife to be active only during the early mornings before the sun rises or late in the day at sunset. During the middle of the day, most wildlife lay low and try to avoid the heat.

Nature Smart: A rare elegant trogon in Arizona Read More »

Nature Smart: Digging deep into the double-crested cormorant

There are a number of species that people don’t seem to like much, based on nothing other than our desire to assign blame. The double-crested cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) is a classic example of a species of bird upon which people have piled a heap of blame.

Nature Smart: Digging deep into the double-crested cormorant Read More »

Nature Smart: A tough-to-classify bird

People love to group, label, and pigeon-hole what we see and experience around us in nature.
I believe it helps us to understand and organize in our brains the vast number of species with which we share the planet. But like most things, we often take labeling and grouping a little too far from time to time.

Nature Smart: A tough-to-classify bird Read More »

Nature Smart: Stylized loon ‘gliding’

There are many things we don’t understand in nature. We often make assumptions about the kinds of behaviors we see or witness in nature, and we often incorrectly attribute a specific animal behavior based on what we humans would think in a given situation.
I was considering this one evening while leading a group of photographers to capture images of the common loon.

Nature Smart: Stylized loon ‘gliding’ Read More »

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