Blog Archives
Rusty Heron
Friends, this great blue heron doesn’ t look very blue, more brown, but he was sitting still so i took his picture. i think he is an adult bird cause he has the little black feather off the back of his head, and maybe he is brown because the iron-rich water stains the big birds by late summer. The feathers of sandhill cranes and trumpeter swans in Crex are also rust colored from the water this time of year. til Tomorrow MJ
Grebe
Friends, this adult grebe was hanging out in the sunshine where his beautiful colors were showing. This is a bird who photographs better in the bright sunshine than on a cloudy day. He looks kind of gray without the sun, and a beautiful shade of bronze with the sun. He is called the pied-billed grebe cause his bill is multicolored in the early spring with a dark ring that fades in the late summer. When they sit in the lily pads they are difficult to see unless they move and give away their position. til Tomorrow MJ
Among the Lily Pads
Friends, this baby mallard is hiding among the lily pads, when i first approached he was sitting in the middle of the lily patch, but when he saw me he headed for water. The bottom image shows his struggle as he fought his way through the pads to reach the water. Safe on the water, til Tomorrow MJ
Baby Ring-bills
Friends, on a hot july day, these baby ring-necked ducks are going for a swim with mom, some call these ring-necked and some call these ring-bills, but this time of the year both the rings are fading away into a summer plummage. The rings are still there but very faint like they have been bleached by the harsh sunshine this time of year. I prefer the name ring-billed cause ring-neck in this part of the country usually refers to a pheasant. Another 95 degree day in the northland. til Tomorrow MJ
one more loon
Friends, this loon chick is now ten weeks old and starting to get some flight feathers, they can dive after some of their food, but the adults are still feeding them to supplement their diet. they are starting to look like loons, have lost most of their chick down and now have a smoother head. They are almost as long as the adults. til Tomorrow MJ
me and my brother
Friends, these chicks are about 11 weeks old now and getting lots of new feathers. I love their brown eyes and wonder how soon their eyes will turn red like the adults. It was a rough day on Phantom Lake and they love the big waves. Below image shows the feathers at 11 weeks, they may start to fly any day now. til Tomorrow MJ
Loony at 5 weeks
Friends, this loon chick is about 5 weeks of age and spends most of his day floating on the water waiting for one of his parents to feed him. He is still covered with lots of fuzz but has started to shed his fuzz on his head. He is starting to look like a real loon. The tiny bubbles in the foreground are all that is left of the parent who brought the chick food and then dove out of sight. til Tomorrow MJ
Mother and Child Reunion
Friends, sometimes the mother and child reunion is over lunch right here on earth. A sweet scene reenacted over and over again this summer in an effort to raise this bird to adulthood. It is a long journey, longer than most birds, the bald eagle baby has already flown from his nest and is hunting on the marsh. This loon is still being fed by his parents. must have a thing for old songs this week. I will see my own mother this morning after driving 90 miles one way, twice a week come rain (today) or shine. she will probably want to feed me lunch 🙂 til Tomorrow MJ
Sandhills-Fall Migration
Friends, this image is to remind me to get ready for the fall migration of Sandhill Cranes. only sixty days and whirlwind activity again in Crex. 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
MJ Springett 
