Blog Archives
Raven
Friends, a little late this morning, sorry, we visited the wolf enclosure over the weekend and they fed the wolves on Sat evening, so Sunday morning the ravens arrive to clean up the scraps, hard to shoot black birds against the white snow, but i gave it a crack, here is my best bird, til Tomorrow MJ
More Gray Owls
Friends, this Great Gray Owl was one of the many who migrated south in the winter of 2005-2006, they came south looking for food and such a migration is called an irruption. They say the owls are irrupting again this winter and we did see two on the way to Two Harbors Minnesota on Saturday. It was a sunny day so the yellow eyes did not show on our recent images, this owl and the one in the image below were taken on overcast days, so the yellow eyes were visible and the owls were very photogenic. til Tomorrow MJ
The rest of the story
Friends, this Great Gray Owl flew out of a tree directly at me, at the last second he banked away and this image above was the result. I think I ducked and he landed in the snow beside me, the image below was taken as he rested in the snow watching me, I wonder if he had been fed by the banders that in 2005 were roaming the bogs of Minnesota trying to determine the state of health of these birds that irrupted to the south. Maybe he was expecting me to produce a mouse or other small rodent. After a few seconds sitting on the ground, he flew back to his tree. Definitely a close encounter of the wildest kind, til Tomorrow MJ
Great Gray Flight
Friends, yesterday i showed you some Great Gray Owls from 2005, yesterday we saw two on our way to Ely Minnesota to visit the International Wolf Center. Yesterdays birds were facing the sunrise so their eyes were very squinty, but this one flew right at me on a cloudy day, so yellow eyes were dramatic. She flew straight at me and landed in the snow a few feet away, look at me for a few seconds while i leaned on the motordrive, then she flew back to her tree. til Tomorrow the rest of the story MJ
Winter Owls
Friends, this is a Great Gray Owl from the land north of here, they sometimes migrate to the Sax Zim bog in the winter. This image was captured in 2005 when we had an irruption of owls from Canada to the northern Minnesota/Wisconsin area. I am processing with Photoshop with techniques that i have been practicing lately, blurring the background and sharpening the foreground, gives this bird a better isolation as the subject of the photo. I love their bright yellow eyes that appear a bit cross eyed, maybe i was too close for the bird to focus correctly, hence crossed eyes. Great Grays are large by bird standards but they are mostly feathers. The owl in the image below is all fluffed up against the -20 degree day. A few owls migrate every year, but 2005 was special. 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
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
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 