Juvie Eagle: "Look what I caught Uncle Baldy!" Uncle Baldy: "That's a mighty nice catch you have there young'un, thanks for all the fish!"

It's that time of year when mated pairs of eagles begin their nestoration and do that thing that results in little eaglets. This pair enjoys a quiet moment at their nest during a recent sunset. Wishing them the best for a successful nesting season . . .

Rough-legged Hawk banks to the west after kiting over the prairie in the cold, blustery winter winds. The 2nd image (pano) illustrates well how this hawk acquired its moniker. The name "Rough-legged" refers to the feathered legs . . .

Trumpeter Swans glide with grace across the sky during the golden hour. These are the largest native waterfowl here in North America, can stretch up to 6 feet in length and weigh more than 25 pounds. Such a delight to observe and experience. Learn more about these swans at the website of The Trumpeter Swan Society.

The Buck Stops Here . . . A White-tailed Buck checks out the does in the distance on a relatively mild late December afternoon. You can see that he's recently been rubbing trees with his antlers as there are wood remnants at the base of his antlers. He's quite the handsome buck, for sure.

This Great Blue Heron from a couple of days ago is probably wishing that it had continued flying south instead of stickin' a landing on the log. We'll be getting up to 8 inches of snow around here today, and with upcoming temps dipping below zero, hoping it will find warmer waters soon.

With the Sandhill Cranes in full migration mode, how about some Sandhill Cranes against the sun? These are Sandhill Cranes captured in southern Wisconsin as they were gathering and flying on their journey this fall, and the hazy, dusty, smoky sunset is from the same location taken in the summer . . .

The goldfinches now have their winter colors, but it wasn't that long ago they were brilliant yellow, just beautiful. Here's a goldfinch lifting off from a sunflower. And a little while before he took off, a big ol' bumblebee winged its way up to look the goldfinch in the eye before heading off to the less crowded flower field.

"Do I know you . . . ?"

A Ruby hovers over to a Spotted touch-me-not (aka Jewelweed) in the morning light for a little fuel for flying.