Quiet Time
Friends, this wolf is taking a nap on the snow, his coat is very thick and protects him from the cold. He may look sleepy but his yellow eyes followed our every move. We have timber wolves in Crex Meadows but we rarely see them, they prefer the cover of darkness to hunt deer and teach their young how to hunt. At night, we hear the howling at our house, the wolf pack that stalks the Clam River sometimes passes our place closely. When we visited these wolves at The Wildlife Science Center, the chorus of howling was probably the only wildness left in these captive animals, but they sang of green forests and bogs where their relatives still roam free. til Tomorrow MJ
Testing the Wind
Friends, this wolf is testing the wind, trying to detect whether us humans are well-intentioned. Humans to these wolves are the bearers of food and so they cannot be allowed to run again in the wild. I think the yellow eyes still speak of wild places and lifestyle, I empathize. More wolves tomorrow, til Tomorrow MJ
Cougar eye
Friends, this beautiful female cougar is a captive animal, two siblings (both female) were orphaned when they were very young. We traveled to Forest Lake Minnesota (60 miles) to photograph the wolves as my husband needed new images for his wildlife painting. The cats were a surprise and they looked surprised when all the wolves started howling. I had a hard time working around all the fences, but this image succeeded so had to share it with you. til Tomorrow MJ
Happy Jay
Friends, this friendly blue jay was questioning my presence near his bird feeder. I love the jays in winter when their colors are one of the bright spots in the woods. We visited a wildlife center yesterday and listened to the wolves howling, they are entering their breeding season and our dog is doing a lot of sniffing on his morning walk. We took a few images of wild wolves in captivity and a pair of cougar sisters(for future posts). A hard place to take good images with all the fencing but we had fun trying. These animals were orphaned as babies and would not have been able to survive in the wild, so they educate school children and adults about their wildness that they have managed to retain. til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge: Home
Friends, Home is where the heart is, so I am always at home when with my husband. He is my life. When I was young the hills of North Dakota Badlands were my cherished home, where my mother had been raised and my grandparents lived. When I visited them I was allowed to be a child, and alone I would scour the hills and river bottom for pretty rocks, flowers, and fill my pockets with tiny trinkets. My grandfather had ridden horses all over the badlands chasing cows and wild horses. Now his homestead is part of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park and this place, Scoria point is by far the prettiest place in the park. I captured this image when wet with a rare overnight snow when the red rock is very saturated. No photoshop was needed to saturate the red rock as nature was at work. I am at home when in the badlands. til Tomorrow MJ
Roughies
Friends, I went to Crex Meadows yesterday, the temperatures reached 27 degrees above zero Fahrenheit, almost balmy but with the wind I still needed my jacket. The meadow is full of Rough-Legged Hawks and i saw at least 10 of them in my trip. They like to sit in the top of dead tree snags and when I get near they almost always fly away immediately. So this image is a hawk taking off. The outline around their wings and the dark patches at the wrist are id marks for this specie. If you look closely you can see the feathers that cover their legs, helps to keep them warm. The image below is also a take off from another twig in a treetop. til Tomorrow MJ
Bald Eagle in a Tree
Friends, this Bald Eagle is a mature bird and will soon find his mate and settle down to raise a youngster. But for now he is content to sit high in his tree and survey the surroundings. As I ran up and down the road to find the best background for this image, he calmly watched but did not move from his perch. If I returned today to this spot, he is probably still using this perch everyday. We had snow yesterday so branches would probably be covered in snow. I wonder if the sun will shine today. til Tomorrow MJ
Red poll
Friends, this tiny redpoll is peeking around at me and is showing off her stripey sides and wings. These redpolls are very common in our winter season especially near the bird feeders, they love sunflower seeds. In the spring they fly north again. The tiny red patch on top of the head gives the name red poll, this is a common redpoll, but there is also a hoary red poll without the striping on the sides and a frosty appearance overall.I don’t have any images of the hoary—-yet. til Tomorrow MJ
Otter tracks
Friends, these tracks in the snow were made by some North American River otters that live in Crex. These members of the weasel family have made a comeback from the hunting and trapping decreases of the past. Two women were bitten last summer by otters and they can be fierce adversaries. Jim and I spent our weekend birding in Crex. The temperatures have warmed to above zero Fahrenheit so it was more comfortable to be outside. The dog loved it, he had us all to himself. til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge:Unique
Friends, This bird is not unique to the Crex area, but the male in breeding plumage is unique as it is the only time I have seen the American Bittern male in his full regalia. The white epaulets and the feathery fringe under his chin are decorations that persist for only a short period in the spring. I think the gray mane feathers are also part of this costume. til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 