Category Archives: Nature
Swan Cygnets
Friends, these babies of the Trumpeter Swan are having a friendly conversation on the water. I love the pink beaks that are present on these cygnets all summer as they grow up. Mom and dad are close by and being protective, The family was headed for the weeds where mom and dad stomp around and loosen little critters for the babies to pluck off the water surface. til Tomorrow MJ
Joyous Day
Friends, lots of folks around Crex Meadows have been watching this red-neck grebe’s nest this spring, wondering when will the little ones hatch. Yesterday was the day, in the morning I watched against the sun and saw three little heads riding on the adults, when i visited again in the evening when the light was better, I only saw these two riding on mom, but a third might be hidden somewhere in her feathers. A soft comfy bed to take a nap, I will visit again today to see how they fare in Phantom Lake, this image is a little fuzzy but I had to push my telephoto to get any image at all, enjoy, I know I will til Tomorrow MJ
Prairie Smoke
Friends, this tiny flower is commonly called prairie smoke and when the flowers are in this red phase, the name is not appropriate, but when the prairie is covered with the exploded seed head as in the image below, one can see the resemblance to smoke rising from the grasses. til Tomorrow MJ
Badlands Flicker
Friends, back to the badlands today with this Northern Flicker singing in the cottonwoods of the Cottonwood Campground. This site was once my grandfather and grandmothers ranch where they raised five children on the banks of the Little Missouri River. Today campers and birds and an occasional bison that wanders thru are the inhabitants. til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge:The World Through Your Eyes
Friends, this pair of Trumpeter Swans are in my world and photographing them is a thrill when the cygnets first arrive in the spring. I like to think that the male is combing his feathers and the female is watching the babies very closely but these roles could be reversed as it is difficult to tell the male from the female as they look alike. This is my world, sitting in my vehicle blind and watching the wildlife of Crex and photographing those stories that are often untold but only present in photos. til Tomorrow MJ
Fresh Phlox
Friends, we are journeying back to Crex Meadows today to show you this pretty little flower, this is wild prairie phlox that is blooming all over Crex this month. I like the color, wild violet will fade to a pink as the flower is exposed to the sunshine. But when it first blooms it is a lovely deep shade, enjoy til Tomorrow MJ
Vetch
Friends, this little vetch is greeting the morning with a purple glow, I am experimenting with a foggy blurred attitude, but the sun is shining so I guess i will venture outdoors and go look for some birdies, til Tomorrow MJ
Badger Digs
Friends, you may ask yourself while traveling thru Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the North Dakota Badlands, why are all these prairie dog towns here? Well to feed the badgers and coyotes. This little badger was digging furiously into a prairie dog hole, but the dogs were running out the back door as he was digging into the front door. The joke is on him, see the dirt on his nose, til Tomorrow MJ
Blue as in Flowers
Friends, my personal theme today is blue, as in tiny blue flowers, these penstemon grow right out of red rock and are a challenge for a photographer with bad knees, til Tomorrow MJ
Redstart
Friends, this tiny bird is new to me, had to travel to North Dakota to find him. He is an American Redstart, and he is showing an attitude in this image. Actually he is waiting for some insects to buzz by so he can catch them. He has three spots of orange on his black, one on the tail, one on the wing and the inside shoulder spots shown in the top image, the image below shows his spots used to id him. At first i thought this was an oriole, but he is much smaller. til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 