Pied-billed Grebe & Virginia Rail at Shiawassee NWR on June 28, 2016. Video by Joe Soehnel
Ruddy Turnstone feeding at Tawas Point on June 22, 2016. Video by Doug Jackson
American White Pelicans feeding at Nayanquing Point on June 2, 2016. Video by Doug Jackson
American White Pelicans feeding in the early evening sunlight at Shiawassee NWR on Grefe Pond May 6, 2016. Video by Joe Soehnel
Cooper's Hawk on Mourning Dove by Doug Jackson at Forest Lake, AR on April 7, 2016. (May be difficult to watch for some.)
Bonaparte's Gulls captured by Joe Soehnel along the base of the Saginaw Bay shoreline at Bay City SRA, BA on March 28, 2016
Joe Soehnel captured this video of an adult male Peregrine Falcon feeding on a Mallard while an immature female Peregrine Falcon waited her turn.
Joe Soehnel took this video of one of eight Short-eared Owls at dusk on Jan 14, 2016 at Shiawassee NWR.
Joe Soehnel captured this graphic encounter with a Merlin as it consumed a Savannah Sparrow in the early morning of September 23, 2015 at Shiawassee NWR.
Joe Soehnel shot three video sequences of a Canada Geese lift-off, an injured River Otter, and a Short-eared Owl. The otter may have been clipped by a an outboard motor prop on the Shiawassee River. It was physically fine but exhibited abnormal behavior likely caused from the injury.
Kim LeBlanc shot this video of an immature Bald Eagle on the bank of the Shiawassee River near St. Charles in August 2015. Point blank range and great capture!
I spent this past Thursday on Little Charity Island with U.S. Fish & Wildlife staff to conduct an annual colonial waterbird survey. My main focus was to count nests but I pulled out my Nikon CoolPix once in a while to shoot some video. Here's the link to an iMovie that I YouTubed. Going out there always leaves me feeling like I've been on a National Geographic kind of experience... (Click the 'full screen' icon in the lower right Youtube window.)
Joe Soehnel
Joe Soehnel
Sora, up close and personal (!), taken by Craig Schafer at Tobico Marsh, Bay Co in late April 2015
Mich Out of Doors interviewed Kim LeBlanc, SBA website contributor, about nature photographer and it ran on Feb 5, 2015. Kim shares some great tips and there are many of his quality photos in the presentation. Congrats, Kim!
Common Loon by Joe Soehnel on 10/25/14 at East Tawas State Park, Iosco County
Sandhill Crane pair by Joe Soehnel on 05/27/14 @ Shiawassee NWR, Saginaw Co.
Wilson Phalarope pair by Joe Soehnel on 05/27/14 @ Shiawassee NWR, Saginaw Co.
Flock of Dunlins at the Shiawassee NWR along the Shiawassee River by Joe Soehnel on 05/22/14.
Images of an Iosco County winter tour by Joe Soehnel on 03/03/14,
Joe Soehnel biked into Crow Island from Kochville Rd to witness an overwhelming swarm of swallows. Joe calculated the numbers based on the following conditions: There were swallows (Tree dominated) on seven power line lengths between poles with seven lines between poles. He paced the distance between two poles at over 100 yards so conservatively averaged it to 300 feet. There were therefore 2100 feet of seven lines with swallows on them. He then took pictures in a ten ft span and a 25 ft span of the seven lines and counted 85 & 207, respectively. The lines, for the very most part, were equally lined with swallows. Given those numbers, He calculated 17,388 swallows via one photo. (207 swallows per 25' divided to get 8.28 swallows per foot multiplied by 2100 feet (length) to get 17,388. The second set was calculated with 85 swallows divided by ten feet to get 8.5 swallows per foot multiplied by 2100 feet (length) to get 17,850. The two totals averaged came to 17,619.
He didn't want to bore you with the calculative details but just to give you an idea how he arrived at these estimations. Keep in mind, too, that the lines drooped with their cumulative weight (making the actual distance between poles greater than my paced off 100 yards) along with many that were in trees and many that were flying. The total could have exceeded 20,000 swallows. Needless to say, it was quite a migratory encounter!
He didn't want to bore you with the calculative details but just to give you an idea how he arrived at these estimations. Keep in mind, too, that the lines drooped with their cumulative weight (making the actual distance between poles greater than my paced off 100 yards) along with many that were in trees and many that were flying. The total could have exceeded 20,000 swallows. Needless to say, it was quite a migratory encounter!
