Blog Archives
Why Heron have Long Necks
Friends, this Blue Heron has a very long neck so he can bunch it up and rest his chin when he is resting. The morning was very windy and his head feathers were standing up on end, i love the feather details. I did not like the green detailed background so i tried to minimize its effect, did i succeed??, til Tomorrow MJ
Wing Beats
Friends, i know i do this same image every year and sometimes several times a year, but the takeoff and landing of cranes on their roost site is still a wonder to me. The air from their wingbeats causes a rush of joy as they pass over my head, sometimes so close you feel you could touch those feathers. Crex Meadows this time of year is a paradise for photographers who love nature. til Tomorrow MJ
Wet Day in the Badlands
Friends, a wet summer in the North Dakota badlands leaves saturated colors and a dark sky. A little different than we usually see in August out there. til Tomorrow MJ
The Last of Fall
Friends, the end of fall season and this scene has disappeared as we have snow on the ground this morning. yuch, time to break out the overcoats and boots. But i can enjoy this scene one more time. the leaning trees are real and not an artifact of the wide angle lens, as you can see some straight trees in the background on the right side of the image, til Tomorrow MJ
Sharp Tail portraits
Friends, these male Sharptail Grouse are taking a break from their dancing in the spring. They came very close to the blind and sometimes i even had to back the zoom off from 400 mm to 300 or even 100mm. What a day, started very foggy but with the sunrise came the color. til Tomorrow MJ
Tamron 150-600 mm- More Testing
Friends, this is another test of Tamron 150-600 mm sharpness so those who are not interested can tune out now, this white-throated sparrow was on a bird feeder at Hawk Ridge, I was about ten feet away and the day was beautiful. This would simulate conditions that i usually shoot little birdies, handheld and sitting on a rock. No sharpening on this image just straight out of the camera, the bottom image is an extreme crop to show the head details
This image is pretty sharp and the one below has some minimal sharpness added in photoshop, so til Tomorrow MJ
A Web
Friends, this tiny spider is trying to spin a web in a thistle plant, a prickly job at best. Maybe he will catch a honeybee, til tomorrow MJ
The Harrier Ballet
Friends, this hatch year Northern Harrier is leaping from his perch in response to an attack by a hatch year Bald Eagle. I showed the fray in an earlier post. Yesterday I went to Hawk Ridge in Duluth Minnesota in preparation for the upcoming fall migration of raptors and passerines. Not much to report yet, but found some cedar waxwings and white throated sparrows on the hill top so til Tomorrow MJ
Badlands Macro-Lichens
Friends, i love the little landscapes of the badlands as well as the big landscapes. These lichens challenge my macro skills when i have only the big zoom with me on a hike. They are very colorful if you look closely enough. See what is there. til Tomorrow MJ
Looking Up
Friends, in my heart i am always in the badlands, when i can’t sleep at night, i count the erosion patterns that run down the slopes into the Little Missouri River. Guess that is why this image appeals to me and why i am sitting low and looking up. For my friend, kirk and his family, keep looking up. In the journey ahead keep looking up, til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 