Category Archives: Nature
Merlin – first year
Friends, this tiny hawk is a first year Merlin, but technically he is a falcon due to his pointed wings. He was captured and banded at Hawk Ridge yesterday, a misty morning turned into a partly cloudy day by 1pm. The hawks are just starting their migration and the smaller hawks come first. This Merlin is about the same size as a sharp-shinned hawk but the first year bird has brown eyes, and the sharp-shinned hawk has yellow eyes. They both have the vertical striping on the front. Below is an image of the first year sharp-shinned for comparison, stay tuned for second year and mature sharp shinned tomorrow, til Tomorrow MJ
Friends, This Bald Eagle is a mature adult and was hunting dinner on Fish Lake. They do a lot of gliding while hunting and are easier to photograph due to the lack of wing flapping. The shutter speed only has to freeze the glide and not all the wing flap motion so a slower shutter speed is adequate, slower in 1/1000 not the 1/1600 that i have to use on the wing flapping, a small difference but a whole aperture stop. More practicing shooting the flying birds. Today i will visit Hawk Ridge again and try for more raptor flying shots. til Tomorrow MJ
Hop Skip and Jump
Friends, The blue heron of yesterday was revisited after his meal had been digested (see yesterday’s post) and now he is light enough to fly away. He didn’t fly far just a hop, skip and jump to another fishing place. I love the slightly blurred wings and the lovely chest feathers that seem to curl around the bottom of his neck, also i like the splash. so til Tomorrow MJ
Talking Back
Friends, this Great Blue Heron is talking back and telling me that he didn’t like the heat of the day, actually he was panting in the 100 degree heat. A panting bird like a panting dog is trying to dissipate heat, he probably could get into the water to help cool his jets. His swollen neck suggests that he just had a rather large lunch and it is still lodged in his crop located in the neck region. The food is stored there and gradually fed into the stomach. He is perched on a rock so you can see his very large feet, good for traveling in mucky muddy footings of his everyday swamp. til Tomorrow MJ
Northern Harrier
Friends, this large hawk is a Northern Harrier, the first one i have photographed, maybe we will see more at Hawk Ridge in Duluth, this one was seen at Crex Meadows, lots of noise, sorry, but pushing the telephoto lens a bit and still practicing my flying shots, til Tomorrow MJ
The Asters-Ortonized
Friends, when trying to decide on what the subject of this image, i realized that it was both the perfect and the imperfect that told the aster story, At first i wanted to return to the meadows of Crex and reshoot for the perfect rendition, but then this image spoke and said that the imperfect also have their place in the world and can be objects of beauty. Venturing into the world of philosophy is hazardous so for the photographic world, I used the Orton Effect to soften the overall effect. In short this technique is two layers blended with the multiply filter. The bottom image layer is sharpened and lightened to 2.00 with levels, then the top layer is blurred with the Gausian blur tool and lightened to 1.5 with levels, the top layer is then blended with the multiply filter. til Tomorrow MJ
On a Wing and a Prayer
Friends, this pair of Greater Sandhill Cranes were very near the road and i was too close and working too hard for them to tolerate. They are on the wing and fleeing. I love their graceful wings and all their beautiful feathering. The migration has started and soon there will be thousands on the meadows of Crex, calling and dancing til the winter snows start to cool us off. til Tomorrow MJ
Stepping Out
Friends, this tiny sandpiper is stepping out. He is always on the move unless his bill is buried in the mud. What do they find in the mud that is edible? I am being entertained by the small shore birds at Crex. Below is another stepping out image til Tomorrow MJ
Tree Abstract
Friends, this abstract is actually the woods at Amicon Falls State Park. I am experimenting with a broken lens and moving the camera during the 1 second exposure. Most of what i shot was junk, but i liked this shot. so i am sharing it with you. I am always fighting with freezing the motion, so in this photo i was accentuating the motion as others on the blogs are doing. I am learning that i like the strong verticals as long as they are not overexposed and the green accents. Can’t wait to try this technique on fall foliage, coming soon the maples are already starting to turn, til Tomorrow MJ
Hawk Ridge- Sharp Shinned Hawk
Friends, A visit today and yesterday to Hawk Ridge in Duluth Minnesota, a place about an hours drive from our home. In the fall the hawks and other large birds migrate southward along the west shore of Lake Superior and often soar over Hawk Ridge. The observatory group there counts the birds every year and they band many birds . They also educate the public about these wonderful birds that are often not seen close up and personal like this bird. An educator is holding this bird and after a chat with us, the birds are turned loose to return to their migration. This bird is a female sharp shined hawk and i was surprised by the small size. When she matures, her chest feathers will get horizontal banding, her eye will go orange then red, and her back feather will get more of a gray than the chocolate brown that she has now. til Tomorrow MJ
