Steven Helmer Publications

After some uncomfortably hot weather the past several days, we are back to some cooler temps. This made my walk at lunch a bit more enjoyable because I didn't end up drenched in sweat.  The city recently did some landscape work at the park, opening up some areas that were previously difficult to get to because of high grass. This did lead to me getting some photos, like the one of the sandhill cranes below that I probably wouldn't have gotten.  Here are some of the photos I took: _____________________________________________________________________________ Here are some of my previous nature photos: Lunchtime Walk Photos (7/6/2026) Lunchtime Walk Photos (7/21/2026) Morning Walk Photos 4/27/2018 Some Heron Photos

I wasn't sure if I would get an opportunity to get a walk in at lunch today because of a surprisingly busy Tuesday. However, there was enough of a lull for me to get out for a short while and that's all I needed to get some great photo opportunities, including making eye contact with the deer I thought had moved out of the park weeks ago as I was walking past one of the ponds. Here are some of the photos: ____________________________________________________________________ Here are some of my previous nature photos: Lunchtime Walk Photos 4/30/2018 Lunchtime Walk Photos 8/14/2017 Lunchtime Walk Photos 3/18/2019 Lunchtime Walk Photos 5/15/2019

I debated going for a walk today, both because I knew the trails would be muddy after the rain we got and because of a pain in one of my hamstrings that likely is either from a pull or old age. Ultimately, I decided to go mostly because I realized the latter feels better if I move around and, as it turned out, it was a good day for photos too. The first discovery was the baby turtles that are finally hatching. I was able to get photos of two, including one with my cell phone for scale. The second discovery was the deer that is hiding out in the wooded area in the middle of the park. I figured there was one in there again because I heard something moving around last week but it finally made enough of an appearance for me to get some photos. I made sure to thank the deer for being ultra cooperative as I had to change positions multiple times to keep my camera from focusing solely on the trees and grass around it. Here are some of the photos: ______________________________________________...

  I wasn't sure if I was going to go for a walk today because I (correctly) assumed the park would be muddy/wet after all the rain we got earlier in the week. However, wanting to get some sun, I gave it a try and while it was slow going, managed to get my full walk in. From a photography standpoint, it was a little bit of a disappointment because I didn't see a whole lot. I was, however, lucky enough to have my camera ready when I walked around a corner and saw this resident watching me. It even was nice enough to remain still just long enough for me to get the photo before running away.

It was a bit windy but otherwise nice today, so I went out with my camera at lunch to see if I could spot anything. I had some difficulty with some of the photos because the camera seems to want to focus on everything except what I want in focus but still managed to get a few, including a well-hidden park occupant I almost didn't spot.

The weather finally cooperated enough for me to get out for a walk at lunch with my camera today and, even though it was a bit cool and cloudy, I did end up seeing quite a bit, including another deer hanging out in the middle of the park (I ended up changing my route so I wouldn't scare it).  Here are some of the photos: __________________________________________________ Lunchtime Walk Photos 8/14/2017 Lunchtime Walk Photos 5/15/2019 Lunchtime Walk Photos (9/10/2024)

I haven't been able to get out the past couple of days because of the rainy weather and when I went today, I spent a lot of my walk trying to get around large quantities of standing water. However, I still managed to get a few photos while I was at it. Here are some of them.

I nearly walked right past this lady today. In fact, when I saw the brown fur, I thought I was imagining things until I zoomed in then found a slightly better angle. Fortunately, she must have thought I couldn't see her at all because she remained perfectly still the whole time.

A few days after coming across a woodchuck hanging out in a tree, I rounded the corner at lunch today and spotted this critter staring out at me from the woods. It's not the first time I've seen a deer there, but it's not a common thing and it's usually during hunting season, when they are trying to avoid getting shot. Took me a surprisingly high number of tries to get it in focus considering how cooperative it was (probably because my hands were shaking from excitement) but I managed to get one good photo at least.

 Some photos from our regular summer trip to Mackenzie Environmental Center in Poynette, WI.

My daughters had a school outing at Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bend, WI today. Here are some of the photos I was able to take: