Category Archives: Birds
Piggy Back Grebes
Friends, the adult grebes, like the loons, often carry the little grebes on their backs.This baby was hitching a ride for awhile but then the adult shook him off and went back to diving for food. The baby was left with a surprised look on his face. The eggs hatch one day apart so at first there is a wide range of chick sizes. til Tomorrow MJ
Pied Billed Grebes-A Family Portrait
Friends, these two adult pied billed grebes are feeding five youngsters and are working hard to keep up with their appetites. These birds are pretty small weighing less than a pound and getting close to them is a rare occasion. The chicks are very colorful and the adults often leave them perched in among the lily pads while they dive for underwater food. This is a family portrait taken late in the afternoon when i like to visit with them. I spent about two hours sitting by Phantom Lake in Crex Meadows and these images were gleaned from the 400 digital images that i shot, thank goodness it wasn’t film, it would have cost a fortune. til Tomorrow MJ
Feeding the Young
Friends, this mama/papa pied billed grebe is busy feeding five chicks. in these images she has caught a crayfish, crushed the head region and presents it to her largest chick. The smaller chick looks on in amazement while big brother maneuvers the beast to get it head first in the swallowing act. The adult birds feed the babies feathers to line their gut so these hard to digest prey don’t puncture the little ones intestines. Smart huh? til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge:Contrasting Owl Eyes
Friends, the weekly photo challenge this week is contrasts, and this mama great horned owl is a contrast to her baby who is just a few weeks old. I think the old eyes show wisdom and quiet, while the youngster is wide-eyed with wonder at all the new things surrounding him. Especially the crowd of photographers standing beneath his nest tree. til Tomorrow MJ http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/contrasts/
Hair on Fire
Friends, this female hooded merganser is leaving quickly, like her hair is on fire. They always give me a chuckle, with their feathers all in a tizzy. The perfect reproduction of her head feathers was reflected in the quiet waters of early spring I love this portrait of her taken before she built a nest and hatched some youngsters. til Tomorrow MJ
Independence Day Eagles
Friends, here a happy fourth of July to you all, these Bald Eagles are symbols of our country, so from top to bottom, an immature leaving a perch, a first year bird on the first day out of the nest, and a watchful adult teaching his youngster how to hunt. til Tomorrow MJ
Northern Flicker
Friends, this Northern Flicker is looking for a nesting spot before the leaves came out this spring. The underside of his wing is shown in the bottom photo, a macro photo of the yellow feather shafts on his wing encased in ice. so til Tomorrow MJ
Black Tern Catch
Friends, every now and then you catch a shot that you really had to work at, that is prefocus and wait for this bird to get to the pre-arranged site. This black tern was fishing back and forth down the waterway in Crex, He was very quick so i pre-focused on a spot and waited for him to be in focus. I was totally shocked when i saw that he had caught his prey in this image. The image is a little soft and the shutter speed of 1/1000 was not quite enough, but I wish to share so you can understand what i do all day in my retirement. til Tomorrow MJ
Rose Breasted Grosbeak
Friends, this cheery fellow is a rose-breasted grosbeak in his finest plumage. I love getting close up and personal with the pretty songbirds of Crex. This boy sings his heart out all the way through the spring and in early summer, he is still singing every morning. til Tomorrow MJ
Green Heron
Friends, back to Crex meadows this morning to show you yesterdays treasure, this Green Heron was perched on a dead tree above the marsh looking for food. He is called green heron, but i think he looks more blue, but there is already a big blue heron and a little blue so guess the names are taken. The lighting was diffuse yesterday so his colors are a little subdued, enjoy til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 