Blog Archives
Broad Wings
Friends, a recent visitor to my site asked me why i was practicing bird flight photos, this image is a result of lots of practicing at Hawk Ridge. This is truly the first good flight shot of a broadwing hawk that was released back into the wild after being banded. You can see his new bracelet on his right leg. Below is a portrait taken while the bird was in hands of a educator on the ridge. you don’t want to be a frog or lizard that this bird can see. til Tomorrow MJ
MY Goshawk
Friends, this is my goshawk that i adopted on Hawk ridge yesterday, actually my husband adopted him for me. What a thrill to hold her in my hands and release her back to her element. The banders had captured two juveniles at the same time and since there is always a competition for food in the nest, the hawks were objecting to being so close together again. This is how they plead for food from the adults, lots of screaming. When i held her she was quiet, and patiently awaited being released above the cliff over Lake Superior and flying off to hunt her own food. Below is an image of me with my bird, thanks Jimmy, til Tomorrow MJ
Young Harrier
Friends, this close-up shows the juvenile Northern Harrier facial structure. He was captured at Hawk Ridge in Duluth Minnesota and banded. While the educator had him in hand, i shot his portrait. This bird has a facial disc that helps to concentrate the sounds of prey very similar to owls. His rusty coloring will change to gray as he ages. His antics around the Crex Meadows are especially evident in the fall as he hunts the migrating birds and ducks. He circles low over the cattails looking below for prey, then dives down to catch them in his talons. Below is a Harrier hunting over Crex. til Tomorrow MJ
Alabaster Bird
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
Weekly Photo Challenge:Merge
Friends, on a lovely day in late August, Crex Meadows is at its best. This is a landscape shot of the marshes of Crex. These wetlands are merged with the drier prairie as shown by the image below. These two photos were taken on one spot on the road, one facing west and the other facing east. They merge seamlessly in the sandy pine barrens of Northwestern Wisconsin. I usually take photos of the wildlife and especially the birds, but today was such a lovely sunny day that i backed out the telephoto to show you more of the surroundings. The waterlilies are still blooming and the Trumpeter Swans are still pulling roots from the water. Below is a less attractive image taken on the other side of the same road but shows the Big Blue Stem grasses. Behind the grasses is a row of trees, mostly oaks. Crex houses many different environments and merged together they make up the sandy pine barrens of Northwestern Wisconsin. enjoy til Tomorrow MJ
Alarmed Green Heron
Friends, this green heron was alarmed by my presence, and i was alarmed when i got a closer look at this image, long after the bird had flown away, it was then that i noticed the feathers on the top of his head standing straight up on end. Usually when i see this green heron, his head feathers are slicked back (like Elvis) and he is peacefully hunting the shoreline for aquatic food. But when he discovered me, his feathers pointed the way and up he went. Live and learn til Tomorrow MJ
Whitetail buck
Friends, this was taken in our back woods, behind the house by a trail camera. This monster buck is not very big bodied but certainly sports a rack. He was checking out our girls and got caught by the trail camera. This camera is mounted on a tree where the females and fawns come to eat some corn, and the shutter is triggered by movement. I cannot claim that i took this photo but i change the batteries and the memory cards. How do you like, Jack?, til Tomorrow MJ
Loony at 5 weeks
Friends, this loon chick is about 5 weeks of age and spends most of his day floating on the water waiting for one of his parents to feed him. He is still covered with lots of fuzz but has started to shed his fuzz on his head. He is starting to look like a real loon. The tiny bubbles in the foreground are all that is left of the parent who brought the chick food and then dove out of sight. til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge:Today
Friends, Today i was chasing birds at Crex Meadows, a good day to get some great images and to play with Photoshop. This Eastern Kingbird was an attitude shot and the background was just plain water, so i changed it to white to emphasize the bird pose. Using the Digital Basics Tutorial from Arthur Morris, Birdsasart, i am constantly learning new things to enhance my photography. Maybe this image needs a frame??, til Tomorrow MJ
Not a duck- grebe
Friends, this small bird is not a duck, but a pied-billed grebe. I love this image not for the bird, but the lovely patterns on the water. Reflections of a partly cloudy sky or partly sunny, how do they differentiate between partly cloudy and partly sunny, guess it depends on whether the weather person is a pessimist or optimist 🙂 I myself prefer partly sunny , til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 