Search

Sometimes you get to see something in nature so heartwarming it gives you a feeling of euphoria. This rare piping plover chick and two of its siblings had flown the coop and were missing in action. Well actually, the rare chicks couldn’t fly yet so they hopped away with their parents from the shelter erected by humans to protect the endangered species from predators and human footsteps. They hopped so far from their dune valley nest site that it was a couple hours before we spotted them by a pond over the next dune ridge. We were greatly relieved they were all alive and well. Being able to capture this parenting moment added to the euphoria.

After putting on a slide show in Fremont yesterday as part of a United Way fundraiser, my dad, my daughter Julia, and I drove to the Waste Water Treatment Plant in Muskegon. We got our permits and then drove around the property looking for snowy owls. My dad's keen eye spotted this one out in a large field near a utility road. We pulled over and I got my cold weather gear on and my giant lens and tripod, and slowly walked towards the beautiful bird. This was the first snowy owl that Julia has ever seen.

Something about the way these wild turkeys blended with their environment compelled me to get out of my truck and make this image.

After photographing this owl up close, it flew about 40 yards away and landed in a tree. The close-up shot was unique, but I love this environmental portrait a lot more.

For nearly a century, people have been enjoying the five-and-a-half-mile Toonerville Trolley wilderness train ride. Today Brad and I are aboard the narrow-gauge train that starts out near Soo Junction in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. From my vantage point in the front car, I am getting an up-close view of a pair of sandhill cranes. From the rear car, Brad has already seen a black bear at a distance.

I have made a lot of close-up shots of eagles but Brad and I also love to make environmental portraits of wildlife that are sometimes as much or more about their surroundings. There is something about the position of this eagle in a lone tree overlooking a large field near East Jordan that I think makes the eagle, and the tree, a perfect complement to each other.

I have been learning more about birds lately, so I know what I am looking at when they frequent the bird feeders in our yard. This white breasted nuthatch was hanging out today and let me get pretty close with my camera.

Even though I see these red-winged black birds quite frequently, I am always in awe of their beauty.

Ludington State Park Vertical

Ludington State Park

While driving down Bryant Road today I spotted a large hawk sitting on top of a telephone pole. I pulled over and grabbed my camera and telephoto lens. A few minutes after I was in position to shoot and had my camera set the way I wanted with a super-fast shutter speed and a high ISO, the hawk flew in the perfect direction for me.

Ludington State Park

Brad was graced with a photo of a hawk yesterday. Today, miles apart from where he made his image, a hawk flew over the heads of the kids and me during a picnic on the farm.

Legends Ranch Presidential Invitation

Legends Ranch Presidential Invitation

Loon

Barn Birds Berries Audobon

Wednesday May

Our new 600 mm telephoto lens has been fun to experiment with. Large telephoto lenses have a very shallow depth of focus and only show a narrow degree of the horizon. This allows the photographer to isolate specific parts of a scene. In this photo, the big lens allowed me to capture the seagull as it flew over the prettiest section of the light show. F5.6 at 1/1250, ISO 500, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

Swan Carring Baby on Back