Blog Archives
Badlands Harrier
Friends, had to take some time away from this blog to visit the North Dakota badlands. Twice in one year is an unusual event, but also attended my 50th high school reunion then it is only another 150 miles to the badlands. This is a Northern Harrier gliding over a hilltop and i was able to grab four focused images, i combined them for this composite image. I would never been able to identify this bird without my experiences on Hawk Ridge last fall. His brownish feathers say he is an immature bird and f you look closely you can see his owl face. til Tomorrow MJ
Storm on the Horizon
Friends,his storm was photographed in May when the girls and i visited the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We are heading there again on Sunday to sit among the hoodoos and maybe a hike into the petrified forest. Hot weather is predicted so maybe we will have a rest and relaxation with photo runs at sunrise and sunset. til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge: Summer Lovin
Friends, i love photographing beauty in nature and especially macro work, so while nosing around the wild lilies,in my childhood we called them tiger lilies, i discovered a small butterfly nectaring inside the cup. He is a hairstreak and these small creatures are easily confused with the Karner Blue, a rare butterfly also found in Crex Meadows. til Tomorrow MJ
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/summer-lovin/ other contributions on this theme can be found at this link
Turn Around
Friends, this is a picture of my friend at sunset, she is also shooting the sunset. We girls went to the badlands in the last week of May and had a glorious trip. When in the North Dakota Badlands you can often have the whole hillside to yourself. I shouted at her to turn around to see what was happening behind her, 🙂 til Tomorrow MJ
Peek a Boo
Friends, this shy fellow is one of the foals of the wild ones in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I love his bald face and his mane standing up on end. He was curious but very shy. til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge:Container
Friends,this red-headed woodpecker adult is leaving his baby in this tree container and removing garbage from the nest. I know this image is a little soft, but i consider myself lucky to have caught him in flight. This was in Necedah National Game Refuge where Jim and i are chasing wild Whooping Cranes and any other birds that fly in front of us. This refuge seems to have a great number of red-headed woodpeckers that are absent from our neck of the woods. til Tomorrow MJ
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/containers/comment-page-9/#comment-403505
Red-Headed
Friends, while visiting the Necedah National Game Refuge in central Wisconsin, we spied this adult red-headed woodpecker feeding a youngster in the nest hole. They are high above me in a red pine that was broken off on the top. The little one is starting to get his red on his head and the next time we went to visit, he had left the nest. This day he was very active and the adult would chatter at him when he tried to venture too far out of the hole. He is out finding his own food now, but we could still hear the adult bird chattering at him. til Tomorrow MJ
Badlands Flicker
Friends, this Northern Flicker is hanging out in the North Dakota badlands on a rock covered with lichens. I was surprised to see him out in the open on the prairie dog town, no trees on the prairie. til tomorrow MJ
Piggy Back Grebes
Friends, the adult grebes, like the loons, often carry the little grebes on their backs.This baby was hitching a ride for awhile but then the adult shook him off and went back to diving for food. The baby was left with a surprised look on his face. The eggs hatch one day apart so at first there is a wide range of chick sizes. til Tomorrow MJ
Pied Billed Grebes-A Family Portrait
Friends, these two adult pied billed grebes are feeding five youngsters and are working hard to keep up with their appetites. These birds are pretty small weighing less than a pound and getting close to them is a rare occasion. The chicks are very colorful and the adults often leave them perched in among the lily pads while they dive for underwater food. This is a family portrait taken late in the afternoon when i like to visit with them. I spent about two hours sitting by Phantom Lake in Crex Meadows and these images were gleaned from the 400 digital images that i shot, thank goodness it wasn’t film, it would have cost a fortune. til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 