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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Friends, this red-tailed hawk posed for a short moment on his evening journey, i took a few quick shots and away he went on silent white wings back into the dark of the forest. A free spirit of the northland with sharp yellow eyes to see into the soul and inspire my spirit. Need to keep photographing and seeing what is there. The fall is coming and my inspiration is fading like the leaves. I am fighting back but feel that i am losing the battle, til Tomorrow MJ
Friends, this pretty butterfly is called the painted lady, i think she is quite beautiful and she loves the blooming fall asters. These butteflies are quite common and are found all over North America in the summer months. Unlike the monarch who may migrate both north and south, these ladies only migrate one way. The image below shows the underside of the wing with small eyespots that are characteristic of this specie. They even have a feminine specie name, Vanessa. til Tomorrow MJ
Friends, trying to post from my iPad, my computer got left behind yesterday when I visited my mom in the city (ninety miles away). I was in a hurry to collect my framed canvases from an art venue and totally forgot to pack up my computer, mom had a hair appt yesterday so things were a bit disorganized. This fox was photographed earlier this summer, enjoy. Til tomorrow, Mj
MJ Springett 