Blog Archives
Green Heron
Friends, yesterday was a white sky day so the background for this image was blah and featureless, blanking it out to white and leaving the bird with colored details was an artistic choice. He is called the green heron, but to me he has a blue slate color in the light in Crex. He was hunting for fish from a small tree branch along the lake, i know he has a nest nearby, but have not been able to find his/her babies. til Tomorrow MJ
Swan bath
Friends,This Trumpeter Swan is splashing about taking her morning bath, she is quite active and needs a large bathtub. Splish splash and the second verse to the song. She looks like she is having a party all by herself 🙂 til Tomorrow MJ
And then a-splish, splash
I jumped back in the bath
Well, how was I to know
There was a party goin’ on?
Weekly Photo Challenge:Movement
Friends, this osprey is moving slightly between each shot and i combined the multiple images into a single image to show movement. Yes a blurred image is commonly used, but i prefer the multiple image approach. I tend to photograph birds and animals in burst mode so combining several images into one say movement to me. til Tomorrow MJ
Turks Head Lily
Friends, this beautiful wildflower is native to this region but somewhat rare to find in Crex except in areas that have been burned and not mowed. The biggest threats to its survival are people picking wildflowers and the whitetail deer who think this lily and the wood lily make a delicious snack. So don’t pick and scare away any deer you see eating these pretty flowers :), til Tomorrow MJ
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
MJ Springett 