The lone fox walked across Eighty Acres and left his footprints in the snow. I don't know from where he came or where he went, but he left his mark upon the land. Likewise my own steps speak to my journey across Eighty Acres. At times I ran. At times I danced. At times I fell. Soon the snow will melt, new grass will grow and my footprints and paths will slowly disappear. There will be no remorse or sadness as my footprints fade away. In the days ahead others will walk the la

Folklore has it that I am not supposed to be able to fly. It's something about my weight, wing size, air resistance and number of wing beats per second. But I am here to tell you that I fly just fine! My wings beat 200 times per second and I will travel over a mile just to find a sweet nectar source. Oh by the way, did you know the Earth Mother didn't give me any ears? But maybe that's a good thing. If I had been able to listen to the naysayers and all my critics I may have

Over the past several years, the birds of Eighty Acres have gifted me their feathers. I kept many of them in a paper bag not really sure why I was even saving them. While cleaning my garage this week I discovered the bag of feathers and decided to create a feather bouquet. Pictured above is the colorful feather bouquet that now sits on my kitchen table. There are two big benefits of a feather bouquet. The first is simply the beautiful colors. The second is no watering req

I was born in May and weighed 15 pounds. Since that time I have really grown, but mom continues to keep me stashed away in some tick infested brush pile. I've been so bored I even counted the number of spots on my back. Around 300 if you need to know. But today I escaped from mom. On my own. Running. Jumping. Don't know where I'm going but who cares! But..... I am feeling a bit hungry and Mom does feed me 4-6 times each day. I'm going back. I need to find mom. Maybe I'll

Once upon a time there lived a very handsome green toad on Eighty Acres. But he was a lonely toad, and had often heard the story of a beautiful princess who kissed the toad and a miracle happened. Then one day a beautiful princess came walking down the trail on Eighty Acres. Their eyes met....they softly kissed...and the princess suddenly turned into beautiful green toad. Ah yes. They fell in love and were married by the toad's cousin, Kermit the Frog. And so, I am told by

Hi!. I'm Tom the turkey. Take a good look at me. Come November and Thanksgiving, I'll be hiding and you won't find me strutting across your yard. #travelwisconsin #SeasonsonEightyAcres #Eightyacresphotography #TravelWI #EarthMother #Wisconsin #Winter #Midwest #DunnCounty #NaturePhotography #Discoverwisconsin #wildlife #photography #Bird #Turkey #Menomonie

The early morning sun highlights the wings of an adult bald eagle visiting Eighty Acres. In 1963 the bald eagle was on the Endangered Species list with fewer than 500 nesting pairs in the 48 contiguous states. Since the 1972 banning of the pesticide DDT, the bald eagle population has made a remarkable comeback. Today the US Park Service estimates the population to be over 10,000 pairs of nesting eagles in these states. A great comeback for this magnificent bird. #travelwi

During my daily walk on Eighty Acres I was fortunate enough to encounter this doe. We both froze in our tracks. I was downwind of her, so she was not able to locate my position. But she knew something was not right and during our 15 minute encounter, I was able to observe several unique signals coming from her tail. Wildlife biologists believe deer will use their tails to send eight distinct messages. This deer is using the "flare" signal. The deer's long rump hairs flare o

An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail stopped by Eighty Acres to sip sweet nectar from the garden phlox. #EarthMotherssecrets #wildlife #Naturephotography #Butterflies #SwallowtailButterfly #dunncounty #Discoverwisconsin #TravelWI #Midwest #Wisconsin #EightyAcresPhotography

Just after midnight on September 1st, my friend's trail camera snapped this photo of a black bear on Eighty Acres. It looks to be an adult male and perhaps stopped by Eighty Acres for a drink of water and to nibble on a few berries. The strength of the bear is evident in its powerful legs and shoulders, and its curved claws and sharp teeth. A beautiful and fascinating animal. A rare midnight visitor to Eighty Acres. #EarthMotherssecrets #Eightyacresphotography #wildlife #Nat

Bees, butterflies, birds and deer all feasted on the sweet and fragrant alfalfa blossoms on Eighty Acres. This deer quickly recognized my presence and as our eyes met, I captured this photo using my 400mm lens. Sensing no danger, he shook his velvet antlers and went back to his lunch. #TravelWI #Discoverwisconsin #DunnCounty #Wisconsin #NaturePhotography #EarthMother #WhiteTailedDeer #wildlife #Midwest #Naturephotography

This week a bald eagle visited Eighty Acres. Native Americans believe eagles represent wisdom, strength, spirituality and good fortune. Note the beautiful pale yellow eye. Eagles possess amazing eyes which are 4-8 times stronger than a.humans and are capable of spotting a rabbit two miles away! With a wing span of over eight feet they are capable of diving at speeds of 75-100 mph. An amazing and majestic bird. Yes...good fortune came to Eighty Acres this past week. #Natu

The Earth Mother sent a monarch butterfly to Eighty Acres this week. The monarch was dressed in black and orange with white spots and spoke to me in a language I understand, but am often afraid to utter. Birth, change, and sometime in the future making way for a new generation are all a part of my life's journey. Just as the monarch, I hope that each day of my life can be filled with the joy, excitement, courage, and beauty the monarch shared with me today. #Eightyacresphot

While enjoying the recent Olympic games on television, I noticed this tree frog on my patio door watching the games with me. I grabbed my camera and was able to capture my night visitor before he decided to move on in search of his dinner. Of all the Olympic events that took place that night, the frog seemed to be most interested in the long jump competition. Go figure! #Naturephotography #EightyAcres #wisconsin #wildlife #photography #TreeFrog

The powerful diesel tractor and combine swept through the alfalfa and clover hay field rumbling the ground all around the mother turkey and her egg filled nest. The mother turkey had kept her eggs warm and protected from harm for over three weeks, but now her world shook with an unfamiliar sound and vibration. Not wanting to abandon the nest, she and the eggs were swept up into the hay binders razor sharp blades and rollers. The Crows were the first to discover the shatt

The Ruffed Grouse makes it's home on Eighty Acres and is often heard beating it's wings making a drumming like sound. If threatened it will rely on its perfectly camouflage coloring and hope the danger will pass by. While walking Eighty Acres trails this Spring this Ruffed Grouse and I surprised each other. We both remained still and cautiously looked into each others eyes for several minutes. After ever so slowly raising my camera and snapping this photo, we then continued

With tottering legs, the fawns arrive on Eighty Acres in early May. Beautifully camouflaged and weighing only 6-8 pounds at birth, discovering one in their natural surroundings is a rare gift. They soon learn that their long legs can be used for escaping predators or just jumping because it's fun! While I was looking for trillium, this fawn was unexpectedly spotted and its instinct told it to freeze; hoping I would pass by. After several photos, I slowly and quietly backed

When I see the shy Pileated Woodpecker on Eighty Acres I often have flashbacks to my1950's Saturday morning cartoon shows of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and the screwball Woody Woodpecker. The Pileated Woodpecker is one of the largest woodpeckers in North America with a wingspan of nearly 30 inches. It makes it's home on Eighty Acres due to the large number of dead Elm trees. The Pileated Woodpecker is a real "head banger" and seems never to worry about headaches or following conc

Over the past 25 years I have seen only a fleeting glimpse of a Red Fox on Eighty Acres. Until last week! While overlooking the valley from my house windows I saw this Red Fox moving slowly and cautiously across the field. Grabbing my Canon camera I raced out, dressed only in my robe and slippers, and quietly tiptoed to the ridge of the hill. Fortunately the wind was blowing in the perfect direction so that the fox was unaware that I stood only forty yards away on the hill