Blog Archives
Bald Eagle in a Tree
Friends, this Bald Eagle is a mature bird and will soon find his mate and settle down to raise a youngster. But for now he is content to sit high in his tree and survey the surroundings. As I ran up and down the road to find the best background for this image, he calmly watched but did not move from his perch. If I returned today to this spot, he is probably still using this perch everyday. We had snow yesterday so branches would probably be covered in snow. I wonder if the sun will shine today. til Tomorrow MJ
Duluth Lighthouse
Friends, this small lighthouse guards the canal entering Duluth Harbor on Lake Superior. This image is a high dynamic range (HDR) from three exposures to better capture the icy lights and darks. The ice and snow have not closed the lake and shipping goes on. The bottom image gives you a scale of the canal, with an ore ship of 800-1000 feet long entering the canal. The canal is a pair of concrete barriers that ships have to navigate to enter the harbor. So the opposite extremes of Lake Superior, cold and warm. til Tomorrow MJ
Drips
Friends, after a few weeks of wintry weather we got a few days of warmup and the snow was rolling off our garage roof. I liked the curly shape of icy snow and the solid wood texture, so i gave this a black and white look. I love January thaws and enjoyed tramping thru the snow in the woods. Also enjoyed a few days of sitting in the lawn chair watching the bird feeders. til Tomorrow MJ
Snow falling
Friends, this is an animated gif of snowfalling at Crex Meadows. I am learning this photoshop technique and soon will have some refinements available. This tutorial is offered at Photography Improvements blog, tune in if you want to see how to do this. 
Winter Birdie
Friends, the appearance of this tiny bird means that winter has arrived, three inches of snow on the ground this morning and more on the way, a steady stream of snowflakes to cover all our pine trees in the yard, makes a beautiful sight, but wet conditions for birding. This birdie is a Redpoll and gets his name from his jaunty cap of red. His food is hanging all around him and he was very busy chomping on these catkins. I will try to get outside today but it is a struggle to keep the camera dry. Oh well work on my book today. til Tomorrow MJ
Scoria Point in the Snow
Friends, this is Scoria Point on a September morning when we had an overnight dusting of snow. The next day it all melted, but the day was perfect for photography. The saturated reds of the rock, golds of fall grasses, and greens of cedar trees as well as the fall foliage made for a delightful day. I have visited these hills at least once a year since I was nine years old, and the landscapes never cease to amaze me. My love for this country is very deep within me, I hope i can share it adequately. 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
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
Pin Feathers
Friends, today we have winter all in one shot, been short of snow all winter, now on leap day, Feb 29th, we have a foot of snow and more coming. This is another macro shot of my favorite bird feathers with the yellow shafts. This time i concentrated on the base of the shaft and the pretty pin feathers. This preparation is dry (no ice) cause a friend requested that i show the through focus technique in a dry situation. well here it is, do you like dry or ice??, I personally think that the ice gives a more saturated colors and i like the bubbles. til Tomorrow MJ
Tetraptych-watching snow melt
Friends, my father was easily bored after a winter of under-snowing, in other words, a winter that did not produce enough snow to ski, but too much snow to go play golf. This winter was such a winter. I remember him looking out the picture window and proclaiming that the season was “as exciting as watching snow melt”. So i made this time-lapse sequence of snow melting on an oak leaf. Since i do not want to upgrade my account to show you the video, I made this panel of four images (tetraptych) to show you the exciting winter up north. til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 