by mj on 10/28/2008 7:16:33 AM
Sandhill Cranes leaving the roost at sunrise
These cranes are leaving en mass from the roost site just after sunrise, light is very cool and birds are very gray, kind of like the weather these days, lots of clouds and the only real color from the golden tamarack trees in the bogs, they seem to glow at sunset, i look for reflections of tamaracks in water especially in early morning when the light is illuminating the trees but hasn't yet reached the water, i like the contrast between warm and cold light, reminding me that a lot of cold is ahead of us, would like to follow the cranes south, but alas grounded here for this time, later Marge
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by on 10/27/2008 9:12:11 AM
Under his wing
NEW work, As I watched the cranes lifting off from their roosting site last week, a family of Trumpeter Swans sat behind me on a small pond not over 20 feet from where I was standing. They had raised five cygnets and were getting ready to migrate to warmer weather. This scene reminded me of an image taken earlier in the year when this same swan pair had seven babies following them. As the adult swan stretched I caught this image that reminds me of the protective nature of the adults toward their young, and the vulnerability of the fluffy babies when they were very young.
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by MJ on 10/22/2008 9:40:44 AM
Cranes Line up at sunrise
October 22,2008
Yesterday was a very frosty morning and I spent about an
hour watching the cranes leavc their night roost. When the sunlight starts to creep over the marshland, the
birds calling to each other is a festive sound, the trilling call never stops. They are feeding in the water and
suddenly as if drawn by an invisible magnet, they all stop and line up facing
the same direction. This image shows the lineup just before they lift off to
find the nearby cornfields. Many
of them flew directly over my head and I was glad that I wore my hat. The half moon was also directly
overhead and my goal was to get the moon and the cranes in the same image frame. No luck with a planned image, I need to rely on divine intervention
to provide the image of the day.
by on 10/20/2008 8:49:53 AM
Male sharptail grouse dancing in the snow
Those of you who know me personally can probably skip this blog entry, it is about the sharptail grouse that we photographed in spring of 2007 and was published in Nature Photographer magazine in spring 2008. The staff at Crex Meadows set up blinds on an open field for photographers or bird lovers to watch the grouse dance in the spring of the year. We arrived on the lek site before the sun was even thinking about rising over the horizon and i find that i have forgotten the tripod. But we have internal stabilization in our lenses so all is not lost. After settling into the tiny blind, we heard the first bird as the first light crept across the field. The wind at 30-40 mph was a negative factor that morning and the wind chill was below zero. Our fingers were frozen before the light was sufficient to get a photo. Then two birds started calling and the dancing began. Only the male birds dance and they dance for each other while the female sits calmly by contemplating who she will pick. When the males dance they raise their orange eyebrows, lower their heads, spread their wings and cup them downward and their feet stutter against the frozen ground. The purple air sac is used to produce a hooling sound and when the two males come face to face while dancing, one or both of them jump into the air. When the dancing is done, the males lie quietly facing each other until they are rested and another bout of dancing begins. We saw several rounds of dancing and took hundreds of images. This image is my favorite and this morning i share it with you. Til we meet again Marge
by on 10/13/2008 8:18:35 PM
Sandhill Cranes at sunrise
October 13,2008 Today we are back in Wisconsin where the Sandhill Cranes are
taking over the harvested corn fields.
The staff at Crex Meadows had a field trip on Sat afternoon to watch the
cranes come into the roost site just before dark. The weather cooperated and we watched wave after wave of
crane groups come in over our heads and land in front of us. A little sunset color in the sky helped
to make the crane silhouettes more dramatic. I have shown one of my better shots here to tease you into
tuning into my portfolio when I have finished processing these new images. Jim and I have been up at sunrise to
watch the cranes leave their roosting site and have been rewarded by great
images in our brains if we don’t get them in the camera.
by mj on 10/9/2008 10:06:22 AM
Potrait of Mystery, Black stallion of the badlands
October 9, 2008 With yesterdays story of the freedom enjoyed when I visit
the badlands, comes another story about two people we met while watching the
wild horses in TRNP. They are from
Bismarck and write a great blog about the wild horses, their blog address is www.wildhorsesoftrnp.blogspot.com tune them
in for great stories. They have
kept track of what stallion is running with what mares and have taken the reins
from an older rancher who loved the wild herd and spent his elder years keeping
track of the herd. He was raised in the badlands and spent his younger years
riding rodeo, his life story would probably make a great movie. My mom remembers his great sense of humor and with his
passing this last week, he will be missed by many. It is nice to know that
someone has taken his work seriously and dedicated time and effort to carry
on. Thanks Marge
by MJ on 10/8/2008 3:41:04 PM
Running the ridgeline
We recently returned from a vacation trip to Western North
Dakota and the badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I always feel like I am home when I get
to the “hills”. My grandparents
lived in Medora when I was young and I think the love of grandparents is more
satisfying than any other kind of love.
Because they can afford to give a child more freedom than a parent can,
the love feels better to a child.
So with this freedom in mind I bring you this image of a wild horse
named Mystery, who after being chased off another hilltop by a stallion named “Copper,
has gathered his mare and youngster and fled. Running the ridgeline above the badlands, his mane and tail
flowing in the wind, he is truly an image of freedom.
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