This chapter examines the “empty days” of Thomas Sandler Roberts, a period when he was away from his work and would go to study birds. He used these periods to work towards his goal of assembling a definitive account of Minnesota bird life. The field seasons of 1898 to 1902 where defining moments for Roberts as he took advantage of the new field of wildlife photography. He liked the camera as it enhanced his appreciation for nature’s beauty, and he liked the fact that he could“shoot” a bird without bloodshed. Roberts collected from each of the state’s major ecosystems: Heron Lake, Lake Vermillion, the aspen parklands of Marshall County, the mixed woods of Itasca, and the oak savannah and Big Woods remnants skirting Minneapolis and St. Paul. Some of his photographs were admired, and eventually published in the magazine Bird-Lore, the official organ of Audubon societies.