Blog Archives
Badlands Harrier
Friends, had to take some time away from this blog to visit the North Dakota badlands. Twice in one year is an unusual event, but also attended my 50th high school reunion then it is only another 150 miles to the badlands. This is a Northern Harrier gliding over a hilltop and i was able to grab four focused images, i combined them for this composite image. I would never been able to identify this bird without my experiences on Hawk Ridge last fall. His brownish feathers say he is an immature bird and f you look closely you can see his owl face. til Tomorrow MJ
Feeding the Young
Friends, this mama/papa pied billed grebe is busy feeding five chicks. in these images she has caught a crayfish, crushed the head region and presents it to her largest chick. The smaller chick looks on in amazement while big brother maneuvers the beast to get it head first in the swallowing act. The adult birds feed the babies feathers to line their gut so these hard to digest prey don’t puncture the little ones intestines. Smart huh? til Tomorrow MJ
Hair on Fire
Friends, this female hooded merganser is leaving quickly, like her hair is on fire. They always give me a chuckle, with their feathers all in a tizzy. The perfect reproduction of her head feathers was reflected in the quiet waters of early spring I love this portrait of her taken before she built a nest and hatched some youngsters. til Tomorrow MJ
Northern Flicker
Friends, this Northern Flicker is looking for a nesting spot before the leaves came out this spring. The underside of his wing is shown in the bottom photo, a macro photo of the yellow feather shafts on his wing encased in ice. so til Tomorrow MJ
Sora with Green Legs
Friends, this curious looking bird is a Sora (i think), and I love the Green feet. Never had seen one myself so was quite a thrill to see one so closely. He provided a break from the Warblers who have been haunting my lens lately. From his coloring you can see why he can hide in the old cat tails and sedges around Phantom Lake in Crex Meadows. til Tomorrow MJ
Yellow Rumped Warbler
Friends, this little warbler (yellow-rump) is showing off his three patches of yellow feathers, one on each side of his chest, one on top of his head and one on his rump. There were hundreds of yellow-rumps in Crex Meadows this spring, but now that it has turned to summer (85 degrees F) they have gone further north. til Tomorrow MJ
Cape May Warbler
Friends, this bird was found on a colder day and he was fluffed up to keep warm, today was 85 degrees F so birdies are not fluffed up today. This is a male Cape May Warbler and i love his feathering. Below is a frontal view of his streaked chest. til Tomorrow MJ
Wilson Warbler
Friends, this Wilson Warbler is known for his black cap and is hiding in the brush, The bokeh is not good but wanted to share with WordPress friends. I have been busy this spring chasing the migration, first the ducks, then the dancing sharptail grouse and now the tiny little warblers. Wild life photography is work, and if you don’t love it, you wont do it. Yesterday started at 3am and a sunrise visit to Namekagon Barrens to shoot the Sharptail Grouse, then onto Crex for midmorning and afternoon, Finally home at 5PM, supper, but when the feathers grow sharp in my viewfinder and the light is just right, my clock is ticking til Tomorrow MJ
Horned Grebe
Friends, this is a friendly horned grebe on Phantom Lake, the afternoon light was just right for a closeup portrait. Those yellow feathers on each side of her head are the “horns”. I don’t always get this close but he didn’t mind my vehicle. til Tomorrow MJ
Treasures Found
Friends, this baby pied bill grebe is starting to get some real feathers on his wing and celebrating by stretching them out for all the world to see. He is kind of a drab color but i love when the natural history of the wild comes thru in an image, and i caught it for just an moment in time, however with all the images i shot last summer, i did not recognize the value in this image, but now that life has slowed and it is snowing outside again today, i now have time to peruse and process images of the past. til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 