Whitetail Buck -Summer
Friends, this is a male Whitetail deer in July, his antlers are growing and covered with a vascular tissue that promotes the bone growth. They hide in the very dense brush and only the black flies drive them from their cover to the water. They can be seen this time of year taking a swim to wash off the pesky flies. I wish the flies would go away now so I can again travel in Crex with my windows down. Thank goodness for air conditioning for our temps have exceeded 100 degrees F for the last week. Well back to work, til Tomorrow MJ
Osprey Hunting
Friends, this beautiful bird is a mature Osprey, as large as an eagle but much prettier in his white markings. Like the Bald Eagle, they eat primarily fish so he has dived talons first into the water but missed his fish. I was watching to see if he would dive on my baby loons who have drifted away from the adults, but he was more interested in what was under the surface. My loons were safe for another afternoon. In the image below you can see his detail and empty talons. til Tomorrow MJ
A Truly Handsome Bird
Friends, this common loon is sitting high on the water, they can regulate how their body sits in the water, when they are feeding the chicks, they sit very low and sometimes all you see is their heads speeding toward the chicks with a small fish in their bills. Most of the time they dive to go underwater, but sometimes they just slip away under water. Sink or dive that is the option for fish hunting, this bird can stay underwater for up to five minutes before returning to the surface. til Tomorrow MJ
Baby Grebe
Friends, among the lily pads three small chicks swim quietly, you can barely see them, but they are baby chicks of the pied billed grebe. Pretty striping on their heads will disappear as they get older and turn into a solid colored adult. Below is an image of mama grebe feeding her babies, love the spring and summer season. til Tomorrow MJ
Summer Wood Duck
Friends, this is a male wood duck in his drab summer coat, far different than his beautiful spring duds. But the red eye and whiet chin strap remain so we know this is a male in disguise. He will molt again in August into his winter finery and retain that plumage through next spring. I like his head reflection in the water and he is motoring away from me as fast as he is able. Below is an image of a spring wood duck pair in their finery. til Tomorrow MJ
Bald Eagle chick-Eye to eye
Friends, this is the young Bald eagle chick that i have been following all spring. He is about 10 weeks old and took his first flight on 6-28-12. When i came back on the 30th, i fully expected that i would not see him at all, but he was sitting lower in the same tree about 20 feet away from my camera and on eye level. He is truly a magnificent bird and showing signs of being a fierce warrior and excellent hunter. After our stare down, he again flew away, til Tomorrow MJ
Wild LIlies in Motion
Friends, another experiment with multiple exposures, these lilies were moving in the wind so i have shown them in a high key image with multiple exposures. Photography is an expressive art despite what some think and this expresses what i saw and felt in the Namekagon barrens on a windy hot day in June. Having fun with Photoshop. til Tomorrow MJ
Fisherwoman
Friends, This Kingfisher is a girl and probably has a nest full of youngsters. She caught this bullhead and is carrying it back to her nest. How do i know that it is a girl fisher, cause she has a brown belly band on her underside, but that photo was not as good as this one. I am practicing panning and photographing my flying bird photos when i can find an obliging bird. Now that the young birds are getting flight feathers, it won’t be long before the sky is full of flying birds. Yeah! Lots to practice on. til Tomorrow MJ
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Eagle Has Flown
Friends, I have been visiting the Bald Eagle nest in Crex Meadows since April, today the chick was twenty feet down from the nest and when i was taking his portrait he decided to fly away. Straight down the waterway and away from my camera. I know it is not the best shot but it is a documentary shot to mark his freedom from the nest. He was getting pretty bored up there and needs to learn to hunt for himself. He was sitting on this branch and checking out the activity in the water below. Won’t be long before he is bringing home his own bacon. til Tomorrow MJ
Namekagon Pine Barrens-Wilderness
Friends, In the early morning light, the Wood Lilies are so nice with backlighting. With this bloom I got a bonus, a yellow butterfly also liked this bloom that I was photographing. I like that you can see his circular proboscis and antenna on his head. Sometimes the unsuspected details make the image more compelling. These Lilies are common on the sandy pine barrens of the Namekagon Barrens Wildlife Area, a new area for my photography. The Namekagon River runs into the St. Croix River and they are both part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers network. A real wilderness area where canoes rule!, til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 