Blog Archives
Hawk Eye
Friends, this sharp-shinned hawk is looking for prey as he cruises above. Actually this image is the result of a little Photoshop magic. His bright yellow eyes tell us that he was a baby this spring and is a hatch year bird. When he is grown, his eye color will shift to orange and then to red. His beautiful chocolate coloring will shift to gray, oooo I could use some chocolate for breakfast, til Tomorrow MJ
The Smallest Falcon
Friends, this amazing little bird is our smallest falcon, the Kestrel. This female was captured and banded at Hawk Ridge, then released back into the wild on a windy cloudy day. til Tomorrow MJ
Swan Portrait
Friends, this swan is close up and personal, i love their curves; This image was shot in the very early spring in the brown of the reeds and grasses as background, I was able to sit in my car and shoot out the window. They are eating in water that is full of iron, so their neck feathers stain red. By this time of year they are molting into pretty white again, til Tomorrow MJ
Peace and Love
Friends, this morning i am reflecting on peace and love, my new mantra. These swans stopped their attack mode to briefly bond again as a couple. Their way of kissing and hugging. Dedicate this one to Jim, the love of my life, til Tomorrow MJ
Attack Mode
Friends, these Trumpeter Swans are attacking three other swans who have occupied the favorite preening and bathing spot on Phantom Lake in Crex Meadows. I always think of these birds as floating peacefully on the lake, but this image shows the territorial nature of the adults that persists even into fall. The red stained feathers will soon be replaced by fresh white feathers and they will head south. til Tomorrow MJ
Swan Reflection
Friends, another trumpeter swan, landing in the water, creating quite a stir. Our Photo club has a monthly theme of reflections, I like the reflection in this image. til Tomorrow MJ
Peace
Friends, Sunday morning and all is peaceful and quiet on the Crex Meadows. This morning the fog lifted to reveal the Trumpeter Swans sitting (actually standing) on a mirror of water. In the foreground you can see white feathers floating on the water. The swans are doing a lot of grooming, shedding the red stained feathers and regaining their more white appearance. My new mantra is peace and love, peace and love, peace and love, repeated three times to calm my raging spirit, a new day dawns, til Tomorrow MJ
Strange Blossoms
Friends, hopping around the tall grass prairie remnant in Iowa last week, we found bottle gentian in a beautiful shade of blue. I photographed from several different angles but liked this one the best because it includes the leaves. These are not buds but are blossoms that are closed on top, Is the grass behind, distracting? til Tomorrow MJ
Pleasing Blur??
Friends, a photo contest that i like to enter has a category for pleasing blurs, so i camped by the water and watched this magnificent trumpeter swan stretch his wings. He must have stretched 10 times in the hour that i sat there. I started at shutter speed 1/640 then to 1/500, 1/400 and finally 1/100 to blur the wings but keep the bird head and body sharply focused, does this image work for you? til Tomorrow MJ
Dead Head
Friends, a recent trip to the tall grass prairie was a great source of flowers, but also flowers that were past their prime. I liked the details in this macro shot of a dead head. If this were on one of my mom’s plants she would pull it off, but out here under the clear blue sky of impending fall, this looked as beautiful as the fresher flowers. til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 