Willow Warbler
Friends, this tiny warbler is a palm warbler and he is an old bird on my life bird list, in the past all the images that i tried to get of this bird was blurred cause they are so quick , but this day he sat quietly in the willows and i was able to capture this quiet moment, I liked how the backlit pussy willows framed him, we are on the road to the badlands til Tomorrow MJ
Mother’s Day Warbler
Friends, this cheery little guy is wishing you all a Happy Mother’s day, This is a yellow rumped Warbler and his movements are very quick and darting while hunting insects on the sandy road . You can see his yellow id tags, one on his head, two on each side of his chest and a hint of his yellow butt patch from whence he gets his name. I love his black mask and always ask, who is that masked man?? this bird does not travel alone this time of year, there were hundreds hunting on the road right after the road grader had stirred up the sand. Getting them to hold still for a picture was the challenge, just like a room full of kindergarten kids,Mothers know what i mean, so I dedicate this post to my mom, who raised five little live wires, til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge:Patterns
Friends, the feather patterns of the sharp tail grouse are stunning when you can see them up close and personal. Most are white triangles edged in brown, and serves as great camouflage against the brown brush of spring. If the birds are not dancing and just sitting still, they can be very hard to spot especially in the light before dawn. til Tomorrow MJ
A Secret Moment
Friends, this pair of wood ducks are enjoying a peaceful evening on the small pond near our house, the female is almost hidden in the grasses of the lower left corner of the image, while the male is standing guard. These ducks arrive in the early spring and nest in the wetlands of Crex. They are extremely secretive and shy, flying at the slightest disturbance. til Tomorrow MJ
Grouse Attitude
Friends, an early morning in the grouse blind with male Sharptail Grouse dancing around us makes getting up before the sun very worthwhile, when they are tired from dancing, two males will lie down in the grasses face to face and stare at each other, these two rose up and this confrontation was apparent, the grouse on the left was all pumped up and full of himself, the right bird was giving a lecture, an attitude adjustment no doubt, I love when the birds and animals reveal their personalities and let me into their world, til Tomorrow MJ
The First Loon
Friends, The loons returned to Crex in the last week in April and just as the last of the ice was melting. The last of the ice is visible in the upper part of this image. The male and female were cruising the icy edge searching for tidbits and tasty morsels embedded in nature’s deep freeze. Soon they will start calling and doing their mating flights. Spring has finally arrived. til Tomorrow MJ
Ms Belted Kingfisher
Friends, This is a young or adult female Belted Kingfisher. The controversy arises because of the incomplete brown on her chest, if she was an adult female, the brown band would be complete. Since the band appears to have a gap in the middle, perhaps she is a youngster just arriving in the northland. The water is now open and she has found a fishing hole below this high line wire. She complained bitterly when I stepped out to take her picture, sorry I disturbed her, love her hairdo, til Tomorrow MJ
Another Bittern
Friends, this bittern is trying to hide in the cattails and sedges in Crex Meadows but the water background is betraying him, when a threat is near, he will stand with his beak raised like this so the stripes down his long neck appear like a pile of rushes, sometimes if the wind is blowing he will wave back and forth to more closely resemble his grassy background, these birds are intriguing and soon when they nest, you will not find them easily, below is a higher magnification of his head, til Tomorrow MJ
One More Grebe
Friends, one more horned grebe for your enjoyment, there are a few of these around Crex. Maybe Crex is a stopover on their migration, will be curious to see if they nest here. til Tomorrow MJ
Birds of a Feather?
Friends, A solitary bird will often try to hide when a car approaches. This Horned Grebe was splashing around inside a massive flock of Coots that was trying to stay out of the wind. No discrimination among the birds, the coots seemed to accept this grebe as one of their own, maybe because they all have red eyes, til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 