Friends, this tiny bird is a white-throated sparrow visiting Hawk Ridge sometime in October. I love the little yellow spot in front of his eye, the image below is a close-up of his head. You can see the new bracelet that the banders have given him . Some of these little birds are captured more than once cause they tend to hang around the bird feeders. Lots of birds follow Hawk Ridge on their migration routes, so maybe Hawk Ridge should be called Bird Ridge. Just kidding of course, the more spectacular birds always bring the crowds. til Tomorrow MJ
Friends, this is a red tail from a large female Redtailed Hawk. While examining her in hand, she had two missing feathers on the left side of her tail, and two new feathers are growing back. These new feathers are a little fresher looking than the other older feathers. A weathered veteran of the wilderness wars, this image demonstrates that hawks are also in peril and often are the hunted ones as well as being the hunter. Below is an image of her release back, the shorter feathers were not slowing her flight back to the wildness. An account of two eagles pursuing a redtail is included in this link: redtail pursued by golden eagles
Friends, I was chasing cranes and trumpeter swans at Crex, these chickadees called to me to come watch their antics while eating some knap weed seeds. Some were hanging upside down and other right side up, but all were having a thanksgiving feast in the weed patch. you may click on each image to see a full resolution image. Love their feather details til Tomorrow MJ
Friends, this beautiful duck is a blue-winged teal in Crex Meadows. His blue wing is hidden deep in the feathers, but his head shows a little blue cast. This was a cloudy day but his white was a beacon on the dull colored water. This time of year, lots of cloudy weather gets people down and we have to look far and wide for some color to photograph. Some say to photograph in black and white, but I see in color so I long for any shade of color to brighten my day. Today I am going to Crex, maybe I will find color as the Meadows are full of Greater Sandhill Cranes gathering for the migration south. Or maybe I will find the mature Northern Harrier that i saw last week, that would make a great photo for my hawk book. One can dream and previsualize, but divine intervention is necessary for this to occur. til Tomorrow MJ
Oct 30
This gallery contains 3 photos.
Friends, these images illustrate differences in individual Northern Goshawks. Both birds are first year hatch birds, both males but the white content varies from white in the right hand bird to a cream color in the left hand image. Both images were balanced with the white in the bird and the backgrounds are very different, […]
Friends, this beautiful bird is visiting this winter having migrated from somewhere up near the Arctic circle. This snow bunting is in non-breeding plumage and note the feathers around the top part of the legs that protect them from ice and snow. He is walking along the edge of Phantom Lake in Crex Meadows on a beautiful sunny Sunday. til Tomorrow MJ
Friends, I know I cheated a little by leaving some details in my silhouettes, but when totally dark against a light background they lose that flying delicate feathery look. These are Greater Sandhill Cranes that are gathered by the thousands on the marshes and corn fields around Crex Meadows. They are feeding and resting for a while before another push to southern climes, the snow will eventually drive them from Wisconsin. They keep me outside, hiking, photographing and waiting for the snow, BAH Humbug, til Tomorrow MJ
Friends, this Northern Harrier has been released back into the wild with a new bracelet on her leg, yesterday we showed her portrait and what she will look like in two to three years with adult eyes and plummage. Below is an image of her wing detail, facinating to me. 
Friends, this smallest of the falcons is an American Kestrel. This is a male bird having blue-gray wing feathers and a brownish back, the female has a totally brown back and lovely brown wings as seen in the image below. The female kestrel has the remains from her breakfast on her beak. Yes, I could edit it away with Photoshop, but I choose to leave it as a reminder of their struggle for food and survival. Often they will hunt from overhead wires and hover over their prey, then dive to capture a small bird or mouse. The two black slashes on their face are called the sideburns and mustache :), til Tomorrow MJ
Friends, this Great Egret is huge compared to yesterday’s sandpiper, so i am again practicing my flying shots.He looks like he is carved from white alabaster, white and a bit translucent, a different look than the sharply focused feathers, probably too slow a shutter speed, but i like the different feel. There was a flock of about twenty birds on the marsh so lots of squabbling and flying, an antithesis of the serene solitary flying bird, the next day they were gone, flew south to better weather, til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 