Blog Archives
Hunting for Pasque Flowers
Friends, today i am going hunting for Pasque flowers in Crex Meadows. They are a wild Crocus and typically are the first wildflowers to bloom in the spring. Some years they have to battle the lingering snow and can be found on the south facing slopes of Crex. When I find them blooming, you can find me on my belly and face to flower about 4 inches off the ground. The glow from within is from the bright yellow insides and the blue is only visible when the buds first open. The blooms soon fade in the spring sun to almost white. Wish me luck til Tomorrow MJ
Sunset Landing
Friends, these Sandhill Cranes are landing in the evening on their roosting site in Crex Meadows. Every morning they leave the roost and every evening they return about sunset. As they set their wings for landing, they look like parachutes. Their legs drop and they float on the wind into the sandbar. The sunset is reflected in the clouds and the cranes in silhouette. Hope you like, ti Tomorrow MJ
Green-winged teal
Friends, this sassy fellow is a green winged teal waiting on the ice for spring to begin. They are migratory and appear to be resting up after their long flight to our northland. I love the little detailed feathers along his side and his beautiful green eye stripe. Does this mean that spring is around the corner, no, it means i made this image last spring. :), til Tomorrow MJ
Trumpeter Swan, summer
Friends, this summer Trumpeter Swan is stretching his wings and sports the latest in neck bands. This flapping of wings is thought to be a form of exersize or simply a stretch of his chest muscles. These muscles need to be very strong to propel him back and forth on the migratory route. His pectoral muscles serve to push the wing down, while the supracoracoideus muscles raise the wings. His red band suggests that he was released from Iowa and now makes his summer home in Wisconsin, Crex Meadows. Your anatomy lesson for the day . :), til Tomorrow MJ
Swans on the Ice
Friends, The ice (and snow) are still on the lakes and covering Crex Meadows, but the Trumpeter Swans return anyway cause they know it is nearing time to nest. Last spring, we watched a pair of swans build a nest in Crex, lots of pulling up vegetation and piling it on a muskrat house. When they first return a lot of chasing behavior establishes the area boundaries and eliminating possible competition for mates. This specie was almost extinct and has rebounded well in the last few years. Lead poisoning is still the biggest threat so please make sure your fishing weight is secure and doesn’t land in the bottom of the lake. til Tomorrow MJ
Cranes on the Full Moon
Friends, this is a double exposure of cranes and the full moon, I have seen this many times, but when photographing i am less than successful. Last fall i did get some images with both the moon and cranes. I will show you them tomorrow, but today i love the cranes landing like little dancers on the wind. While this shot is what i wanted to express, it is somewhat mechanical, lacking the romance of the moment and a little on the sterile side. Someday i will capture what i feel while watching the cranes landing in Crex with the full moon rising and the sun setting all in one moment. til Tomorrow MJ
Celebrating
Friends, the state bird of Minnesota is the Loon, the whole name is the Common Loon, but i think the term, Common, is a misnomer. They often do wing flapping and rise out of the water, splashing water on all who venture near. I think they are celebrating life, and dancing for joy. Wish it was summer and the birds were all back and celebrating life. til Tomorrow MJ
Yellow Rumped Warbler
Friends, this handsome fellow is an early spring visitor, the yellow-rumped warbler. We haven’t seen them yet but i think they are probably on the doorstep. When they arrive in Crex Meadows, they cruise the edge of the lakes and eat the mosquitos as they hatch. They will also eat berries and fruit, but prefer the insects. til Tomorrow MJ
Baby Owl
Friends, This baby owl is a young Great Horned Owl with his ears flattened down. When he is an adult bird the feathers on the top of his head will stand erect and give the appearance of horns, hence his name the Horned Owl. This particular bird is a captive owl after being injured or abandoned. His handler brought him to Crex Meadows on a family day where he posed for photos. I loved his big yellow eyes that were watching me intently. Now i know how a field mouse feels when being hunted. til Tomorrow MJ
Feather details in Ice-Part two
Friends, more bird (Northern Flicker) feathers in ice. Using the same technique as in a previous post these feathers were frozen in ice. In a single image, the whole field was not focused as the feathers were on different planes. Multiple images (8) with different focus points were taken and combined as layers in a single photoshop image. Briefly all the layers were selected and the two commands auto-align layers and auto-blend layers were run sequentially from the edit menu. This process combines the images with layer masks that only allow the focused region to be part of the overall image. I love the bright yellow shafts and the small details that show up in the feathers and in the ice.
These feathers were found in Crex Meadows and are from an unfortunate Northern Flicker. The feather identification was facilitated by an online data base at this address http://digitalcollections.ups.edu/slater/ til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 