Friends, this sunset also has the moon rising, I have seen this sight many times when the Sandhill Cranes are gathering on Crex Meadows before they migrate. This image is the only one i have been able to capture showing the cranes moving across the moon. The exposure is difficult to nail precisely, but this one comes close. Focused on the birds so the sky is a little soft but seems to be a colorful shot for Christmas Eve. Happy Holidays to you all. til Tomorrow MJ
Friends, this sunrise on Crex Meadows is a rare event for me, cause i am not a good morning person. I need four cups of coffee before my brain kicks in and this morning it is slowly waking from a great nights sleep. We bought a new bed yesterday for a little more room. We had a queen but the 100 lb dog takes up too much room, so we got a king-size bed to be able to stretch out a little. Maybe if i get a better sleep, i will be better able to rise with the sun. til Tomorrow MJ
Friends, some beautiful Sandhill Cranes flying on a late fall day, warming up their wings for the long trip south. I am still in mourning over their leaving, but in three short months they will return, yahoooo!!, can’t wait but meanwhile back at the bird feeders, we are seeing a few finches and many many chickadees. Maybe plan a trip to Sax Zim bog to track wolves and look for Hawk Owls and if very lucky, maybe spot a Snowy Owl. so back to my Christmas wrapping, til Tomorrow MJ
Friends, this sandhill crane is similarly processed like the top image in yesterday’s post. First a short lesson about shooting jpegs vs raw captures. A jpeg image is processed and sharpened in the camera, while a raw is basically unprocessed by camera software. Since a computer (and photoshop) have a lot more tools to process an image optimally, it makes sense to me, to use the camera for capturing an image (raw) and a computer for processing the image. So this image was captured in raw, converted to psd format and exposure adjusted in photoshop then finished with Color Effex Pro 4- detail extractor. I think that the sharpness achieved in this software program is superior to those results that i can get in Photoshop or in the raw converter in Photoshop. I think, and this is my opinion, capturing a digital image and processing that image are both necessary steps to great photography. Post-processing does not diminishes the skill of the photographer but is necessary to impart the mood of the photo. Just as Ansel Adams developed a print from a camera-captured negative, so we need to post-process from a digitally captured image. What do you think? til Tomorrow MJ
Friends, these two Greater Sandhill Cranes have been digging in the mud for food. They use those very long sharp beaks to root for grubs, frogs, seeds, and other muddy food. Crex mud must be rich in food elements as everywhere in the mud flats, small humps of mud are signs that the cranes have been tearing up the scenery and when their heads pop up the mud is still stuck to their beaks. The bird in front is an adult and the one in the rear is a juvenile. This morning we have heavy wet snow, so the cranes will probably be on their way to warmer weather and softer mud. I will miss them when they are gone, they entertain us from September thru November but disappear around Thanksgiving time. til Tomorrow MJ
Friends, Daylight finds the Sandhills on cornfields adjacent to Crex Meadows. This immature Sandhill Crane is gleaning corn from the field after the picker has gone through. The cranes alternate from the corn fields in the daytime to the marsh in the evening hours, think i am running out of images for this blog. Need to go to Crex today and see what is up, til Tomorrow MJ
Nov 13
This gallery contains 6 photos.
Friends, this is not good photography, but i wanted to show you the mass take-offs of Sandhill Cranes during a Crex sunrise. Yes i can rise early but i don’t make a habit of it. If you click on the large image a slide show will take you through the sequence as the birds lower […]
Friends, these Greater Sandhill Cranes are in flight above the Crex Meadows. The front bird is an immature followed by an adult bird, see the difference in the head coloring. Some Rusty oaks still hold their leaves, but this morning we have a trace of snow, so winter is coming. A sad time for me cause the big birds will have left and we only have the smaller birds left around here. Lots of chickadees, juncos and nuthatches in the bird feeders. The smaller birds are a challenge photographically speaking, but i do love the bigger birds. Maybe we will have some eagles or rough legged hawks to keep us company this winter. I can always go to Sax-Zim bog and look for Snowy Owls, Hawk Owls and Boreal Owls, but that is a two and one half hour drive one way. til Tomorrow MJ
Friends, today this image means that it is the time of year for friends (and relatives) dropping in to visit. This family is dropping from the sky to join a large group of cranes on the ground. In the background you can see that some of the oaks still have some brown, red brush and lots of white birch trees. So I am dropping in for a visit, short and sweet, I am going to the city today to help my mom, til Tomorrow MJ 
Friends, these dancing cranes are busy teaching the baby cranes how to dance. The youngster on the left is imitating his parent who is flying up in the air, with more of a jump than a flight. Imitation teaches the youngster how to dance. Did your parents teach you to dance. til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 