Surviving Iowa (Original Photography)
Howdy!
The weekend camping trip has come to an end and, now that I have access to electrical outlets and the internet, it's past time to share a few photos of the weekend.
Unlike some top United States politicians, I don't use Twitter. Neither does this red-winged blackbird, but that didn't stop him from a flurry of angry teets when I walked past his next! These birds are very territorial and will swoop at invaders, sometimes even making physical contact. This guy seemed a bit leery of my 70-200mm club of a lens, though, so he didn't get much closer than five feet to me.
Retreating Red-Wing
I tried to get a few photos of him hovering in front of me, but they're quick. I did get a slightly blurry shot, but it wasn't up to my standards. Besides, showing his retreating backside seems like getting the last laugh, somehow.
Algae River
The man-made lake at the campsite has been drained to add some water processing measures. As you can see by the algae-covered river, it is very much needed. The lake is a favored swimming area for locals.
Half-Birthday Decorations
My sister decided to celebrate her half-birthday, since her real birthday fell during the frigid winter months. I snapped a few fun photos at the celebration. Other entertainment included weathering a sever thunderstorm with a deluge so strong I thought the tent would collapse under the weight of it and swatting mosquitos.
On the way to Iowa City, we found a fascinating 19th-century grain mill, but I'm saving those photos for tomorrow!
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@fotosdenada
I do half birthdays too sometimes because mine is in December. Looks like it was a lot of fun.
Great photographs @fotosdenada. Not sure I'd like to be around all those mosquitos though. They find me very tasty! 😊
Thanks! The mosquitos and nasty little biting gnats were a little painful, but smoke from the fire and bug spray sort of helped. A little.
It was a brutal winter, this year and hers is in January. It was really nasty-cold and snowy. It was fun, but I've decided I'm not a fan of camping.
I like camping but only in the right conditions @fotosdenada. Not too hot and not too cold. And definitely not lots of bugs! 😁
Looks like a fun place to camp. I'm not a fan of sleeping outside but it is nice to go out in nature to decompress. I like blackbirds. I prefer animals with black coats. Very pretty. That's a good idea to celebrate a birthday much earlier when it's cold during a real birthday. Cute pinata. ;)
Camping has its place, but I'm not much of a fan, either. If you want to see remote places, sometimes it's the only option. I much prefer to be clean and get restful sleep... Still, the weekend was somewhat enjoyable, and I got to see the cool old mill on the way :-)
Jeez, I was giggling with my last comment warning you of bears, fire ants...but NEVER thought of torrential rain!! I bet it was fun with the thunderstorm though! Beautiful shot of the blackbird, but if you make those birds vacate, the pretty songbirds will come back, at least in my yard:)
I got up to see if the dog was dead, during the thunderstorm. He was seriously just sleeping through it. He did look up, once, to see what was going on, but then just went back to sleep. I've never seen a dog that unperturbed by crazy lightning and thunder!
The blackbirds have a beautiful song! Too bad about the whole attacking people thing... lol
Oh too funny! We are looking after an old dog and like the Pope, we have to Ask the dog 3 times if he’s dead! Mind you the old dog moves like a young pup when we shoot fireworks at the Canadian geese that crap evvverywhere :).
I had no idea blackbirds where songbirds, I just assumed if they were black, they would squawk like a crow (Crow’s are the birds we make go away, my mistake :) next time get someone to take a photo of you ducking the attacking blackbird!!
I thot the bird was a crow. In Toronto, there is an actual swooping map so that people can avoid certain areas because it's fledgling time - and these babies hang out on the ground with giant crows watching from a distance. One lady actually ended up needing stitches from a swooping episode!! lol
The lake looks like a mosquito breeding ground! Can you tell I like the outdoors?? So many concerns ....and I'll bet that algae stank. That and severe weather. I like a storm but not while camping.
Sounds like a fun weekend :) lol
PS - I don't tweet either.
Hahaha... a swooping map?! There must be a lot of them to watch out for. If I were that lady, I'd go back with a good, solid tennis racket and get some revenge!
The algae-covered river was very much a mosquito breeding ground. They plan on damming it up again next summer, when the water treatment equipment is working. There was a very eerie popping sound coming from the algae-covered areas, and I have no idea what would have caused it.
Yes....I found one for Vancouver....maybe that's what I was thinking....you know it it when you're online too long? But this is funny....crabby crows map. http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/crow-map-vancouver-2018
The popping sound could be from the fish ....they suck the weeds or lily pads. How do I know such trivia?