Category Archives: Birds
Another short commercial
Friends, I finally figured out how to offer you a pdf version of my recent book, you can purchase a pdf version to be read with Adobe Reader for $7.00 and download to almost any pc or mac that has Adobe Reader. follow the loons, eagles and other birds and flowers in Crex Meadows in the summer months. The order is Instant pdf and is at the top of the order column. the link is , so til Tomorrow MJ
Grocery Shopping
Friends, this trumpeter swan is eating from the bottom of the lake. Now this water is frozen and the swans have moved to southern Minnesota where some of them winter on some open river water. We will go find them after the Christmas rush is over, but this is a Christmas Swan to wish you a Happy Holiday preparation season. Have to go shopping today. til Tomorrow MJ
Sunrise
Friends, this sunrise on Crex Meadows is a rare event for me, cause i am not a good morning person. I need four cups of coffee before my brain kicks in and this morning it is slowly waking from a great nights sleep. We bought a new bed yesterday for a little more room. We had a queen but the 100 lb dog takes up too much room, so we got a king-size bed to be able to stretch out a little. Maybe if i get a better sleep, i will be better able to rise with the sun. til Tomorrow MJ
Gone Gone Gone
Friends, some beautiful Sandhill Cranes flying on a late fall day, warming up their wings for the long trip south. I am still in mourning over their leaving, but in three short months they will return, yahoooo!!, can’t wait but meanwhile back at the bird feeders, we are seeing a few finches and many many chickadees. Maybe plan a trip to Sax Zim bog to track wolves and look for Hawk Owls and if very lucky, maybe spot a Snowy Owl. so back to my Christmas wrapping, til Tomorrow MJ
Mighty Merlin
Friends, I am editing more images for my book on Hawk Ridge, i needed a different image for a Merlin, so here he is, all edited and ready to print. He has a sassy nature and will take on bigger birds than the Kestrel. I have to fly this morning, so til Tomorrow MJ
Monday morning sale
Friends, this morning please tolerate a short commercial message, and just in time for christmas delivery. This blurb book of my summer in Crex Meadows is available in softcover, hardcover and ipad editions for your enjoyment. Maybe you know someone who cannot get outdoors and photograph the loons, eagles and some wildflowers, then this is the perfect gift to give them. The most economical is the ipad edition, for only $4.00 you can enjoy these blogs and images on your ipad at anytime, so i rest my case. The link to this book is: Thanks for listening, til Tomorrow
Winter Birdie
Friends, the appearance of this tiny bird means that winter has arrived, three inches of snow on the ground this morning and more on the way, a steady stream of snowflakes to cover all our pine trees in the yard, makes a beautiful sight, but wet conditions for birding. This birdie is a Redpoll and gets his name from his jaunty cap of red. His food is hanging all around him and he was very busy chomping on these catkins. I will try to get outside today but it is a struggle to keep the camera dry. Oh well work on my book today. til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge:Changing Seasons
Friends, As the seasons change, more birds become visible After the leaves are gone, these Ruffed Grouse blend into their brown surroundings but are more visible cause they seek out the fall berries on leafless bushes. On my way home from Crex I saw some Ruffed Grouse foraging along the roadside. When i pulled over and jumped out of my vehicle, they quickly hid in the brush. I followed for awhile and this one jumped up in a bush and was busy plucking some small berries for his supper. I got within ten feet of him and shot this image. When he realized that i might be a threat, his feathered crest raised and that is why he is called a Ruffed Grouse. This was a difficult image to obtain because of all the little brushy branches that insisted on getting into the picture, blocking various parts of the bird. I worked at it for about 30 minutes, then my hands were too cold to go on. til Tomorrow MJ
Layered Flight
Friends, back to our winter weather now, and while visiting Crex this week, I photographed this rough-legged hawk in flight. I panned him as he flew by and combined the images (6) into one image to show the various wing positions. These images were over-exposed to white-out the background of each then layered on top of a white background and the blending mode of each image layer was set to darken so only the dark pixels are added from each image. Then each bird is moved to a suitable location. The dark wing patch present on the underwing is diagnostic of the roughie and the gray sky is diagnostic of our weather. Hope you enjoy. til Tomorrow MJ
Rough Waters
Friends, these Trumpeter Swans are swimming in the rough waters of Phantom Lake in Crex. I used the detail extractor in Color Efex Pro 4 to bring out the white feather details. These birds have now gone south, but i still have the images in my head and in my hard drive to keep me warm in this cold weather. I went to Crex yesterday and found a few hawks, eagles and redpolls to keep my camera happy.Stay tuned for these birds in the near future. til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 