Blog Archives
Juvenile Cranes-Talking While Flying
Friends, whenever i am feeling down, i just look at one of my images of the Sandhill Cranes, especially flying shots like this one and i am cheered immediately. Sometimes i think one of my major purposes in life is to photograph the cranes as they fly overhead. These birds are juveniles, their crowns are rusty instead of bright red, and as all young ones do, they are busy talking as they fly. I have recorded their sounds and play them back often to remind me of the beauty of Crex Meadows in the fall. Now i am feeling much better, til Tomorrow MJ
Dysfunctional Swan Behavior
Friends, not the pretty swan picture that you are accustomed to seeing, but normal behavior during the breeding season, chasing away the competitors, and this takes place in Crex Meadows before the ice melts on the lakes, i like to think of them chasing away the cold weather and ushering in the warm, no Pasque flowers yet but 66 degrees F yesterday so warmer times are coming 🙂 I am ready, til Tomorrow MJ
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
US Brig Niagara
Friends, time for a commercial message, this is the US Brig Niagara as she entered the Duluth harbor in 2011. In 2010, 9 tall ships came into the harbor for a tall ship festival. I photographed madly for five days and then my soul mate and i went for a 3 hour cruise aboard the Pride of Baltimore. I published a photo book with those photos and mounted 2 shows with aluminum prints. You may still order a copy of this book, titled”Tall Ships and Other Lifeboats”, from Blurb.com. The link is http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2149251, a preview of the book is available and thanks, til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge:Contrasts
Friends, the contrasting textures of the brick wall and closed door to 451 made me wonder what was behind this door. Closed doors hold a fascination for me, to know what is beyond, a mystery to be solved. The tall grass outside serves to add to the abandoned motif, but the patched cracks suggest that someone cares what is inside and that the entire building does not collapse around the bolted door. til 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
MJ Springett 