Weekly Photo Challenge:Reflections
Friends, the reflections in this Cooper Hawk’s eye show off his brilliant yellow eye. He is a juvenile and when he is one year old, this eye color will shift to an orange, then to red as he ages further. The shadow from the supraorbital ridge above his eye makes him look very fierce. I love the feathering patterns around that reflected highlight in his eye, a reflection of the sky. til Tomorrow MJ
Another Sparrow
Friends, this chipping sparrow ( i think) also comes to you from Hawk Ridge. The migration of the passerines is also monitored from Hawk Ridge The smaller birds are counted and some are banded as they pass through and get some seed at the feeders. This bird was busy munching on sunflower seeds as I crept close enough for a portrait. I love their tiny feathers around the face. til Tomorrow MJ
Red Pine Sunset
Friends, the end of a perfect winter day, this red pine grove is halfway home from Crex Meadows and I often see it at sunset. Spending the day at Crex is a passion even when the summer birds have gone south. The only birds remaining are natives and those that migrate from the far northern regions. Currently there are Rough-legged hawks, bald eagles, a harrier, osprey and an occasional red-tailed hawk, I am chasing otters, timber wolves, white tail deer and other illusive ghosts thru the 30,000 acres of marsh and woodlands that is Crex. Finding tracks but nothing else so now i have to resort to some sunset images to be able to show you the wonders of Crex. til Tomorrow MJ
Ice Cracks
Friends, this ice is still black ice, meaning very thin and easily cracked. These cracks were started by an otter crawling over the surface leaving a concave path which has expanded due to warmer water underneath. When i see this kind of ice, i remember my father loving to skate on this kind of clear sheet before the snow made the ice surface rough. He would skate and skate until he was tired while we children would stick to the shallows. I don’t swim well and did not enjoy watching the fish swimming below me, but he loved it. I think most of his childhood memories came from skating away the winter with his friends and siblings. Most of my skating memories stem from chasing my father while he skated backwards, taunting us to catch him. We never did. til Tomorrow MJ
Sparrow Ridge?
Friends, this tiny bird is a white-throated sparrow visiting Hawk Ridge sometime in October. I love the little yellow spot in front of his eye, the image below is a close-up of his head. You can see the new bracelet that the banders have given him . Some of these little birds are captured more than once cause they tend to hang around the bird feeders. Lots of birds follow Hawk Ridge on their migration routes, so maybe Hawk Ridge should be called Bird Ridge. Just kidding of course, the more spectacular birds always bring the crowds. til Tomorrow MJ
COLD !!
Friends, i saw this at Crex when the full moon rose in the late afternoon, but it took two layers to show it to you. The Bald Eagle was the bottom layer with the moon added on top. This is a photograph of the feelings that at times inspire a artful approach. The moon and the eagle are in a very cold light against the pure blue sky and the temperature outside was also cold.So this morning a cold start to your day. til Tomorrow MJ
Hardy Snipe
Friends, this hardy Snipe is still hanging around on the icy edges of a pond that has not closed up yet, but the temperature this morning was only 9 degrees above zero Fahrenheit, so the water will soon close. Hope he gets his breakfast and hurries on his way south, it is not healthy to stay too long. Below is another image of him enjoying the bitter cold sunshine, he was holding up his foot trying to warm it under his body. Enjoy the sun while you can, til Tomorrow MJ
Notched tail- Redtail
Friends, this is a red tail from a large female Redtailed Hawk. While examining her in hand, she had two missing feathers on the left side of her tail, and two new feathers are growing back. These new feathers are a little fresher looking than the other older feathers. A weathered veteran of the wilderness wars, this image demonstrates that hawks are also in peril and often are the hunted ones as well as being the hunter. Below is an image of her release back, the shorter feathers were not slowing her flight back to the wildness. An account of two eagles pursuing a redtail is included in this link: redtail pursued by golden eagles
Weekly Photo Challenge:Thankful
Friends, I am very Thankful for the birds of Hawk Ridge and Crex Meadows, who keep me busy photographing the wildness. So back to Hawk Ridge for another Hawk lesson, or in this case, a Falcon lesson. The portrait of the Merlin below shows an open beak and the notches in the cutting edge of the beak that fit together when the bird is killing his prey. These interlocking notches are the tomial tooth of the falcons. Hawks may have the upper notch but do not have the corresponding notch on the lower edge. The higher magnification image shows this region to dramatize the tomial tooth. til Tomorrow MJ
Food in the Mud
Friends, these two Greater Sandhill Cranes have been digging in the mud for food. They use those very long sharp beaks to root for grubs, frogs, seeds, and other muddy food. Crex mud must be rich in food elements as everywhere in the mud flats, small humps of mud are signs that the cranes have been tearing up the scenery and when their heads pop up the mud is still stuck to their beaks. The bird in front is an adult and the one in the rear is a juvenile. This morning we have heavy wet snow, so the cranes will probably be on their way to warmer weather and softer mud. I will miss them when they are gone, they entertain us from September thru November but disappear around Thanksgiving time. til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 