Late last summer I came upon a very active prairie pond. Dozens of Leopard Frogs were sunning and catching insects around its perimeter, and by moving slowly I was able to take my seat among them (in the mud, of course). You can see my reflection in this frog's eye.

It seems they "forgot" I was there, as more than once a frog leaped ON me. What was it thinking? Did I look like a fallen tree? A cattail stalk? A lump of mud? A dead guy?

Ah, the things we do for our photo ops. I drove home happy. Hope they all got through the winter, buried and hibernating in the mud, and I hope to get reacquainted with them later this summer.

Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   Northern Leopard Frog Lithobates pipiens wildlife animal amphibian frog green close up macro summer wild prairie Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2023

© All Rights Reserved

Up close and personal with a very small frog, in the grass near a wet place. If you look into its eye, you will see me, once again prone, hand holding the macro lens and trying to find an unobstructed view between blades of grass. It's easy to sneak up on a frog if you move directly toward it very slowly - ask any 10-year old boy (who lives in the country).

This concludes the wildlife potpourri; tomorrow, the start of a small image set, something different.

Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   Northern Leopard Frog Lithobates pipiens wildlife animal amphibian young macro close up wow wild prairie Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2023

© All Rights Reserved

A Black Tern was flying away after plucking this tadpole from the pond when - suddenly - it dropped or released the tadpole... and then made a nearly vertical dive and snatched it out of the air. What was going on? An accidental drop? Did the tern want a different grip, perhaps the better for swallowing? Was it playing? Free fall and a power dive: what a sight!

I imagine the tadpole was briefly in shock and confusion - a state that often precedes death in many species, especially when one is about to be eaten. Drama in the sky above a small wetland in Canada's only national park entirely devoted to prairie ecosystems. I had no idea that this would be my subject; I was just being present, watching, wondering if anything would happen.

Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2020 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   Black Tern Chlidonias niger wildlife bird flying flight power dive sky Northern Leopard Frog Lithobates pipiens tadpole free fall life & death drama wetland pond marsh wild prairie animal amphibian Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page

© All Rights Reserved

An immature Northern Leopard Frog, tail still present, is not going to reach full froghood. Caught by a Black Tern, it will have to settle for a brief existence as a froglet - soon to be transformed into lunch.

Sorry for the lack of comments of late, folks; I am having internet woes. Fixed soon, I hope!

Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2020 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   Black Tern Chlidonias niger wildlife bird Northern Leopard Frog Lithobates pipiens amphibian immature froglet caught pond wetland marsh wild prairie Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page

© All Rights Reserved