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Brad and I are floating a stretch of the Pere Marquette River in avid fly fisherman Larry VonDrasek's drift boat when I spot an osprey perched in a treetop as we round a bend. Fortunately, I have my camera settings ready for "jump shots" because within seconds the osprey dives off the perch and soars right over our heads. I find the fast-flying bird in my viewfinder, swing with it like a duck hunter, and pull the trigger. My digital playback shows I was right on target.

This tom turkey displays its full regalia while strutting amongst a flock of turkeys in the morning light. How can a bird that often looks ugly look so magnificent looking when it wants to? I was glad to have shot him (with my camera) during turkey hunting season. F5.0 at 1/125, ISO 250, 80-200 mm lens at 165 mm

Dotties Delight

This is my first good photo of a Caspian tern. I have not seen many of these birds around West Michigan until recent years. They are beautiful, agile and incredibly nimble in the air. Just after I made this photo, the tern dove head first into the water and came out with a nice treat for dinner in its beak. F5.0 at 1/2000, ISO 640, 70-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Do you see them? Look closely. Do you see them now? Two fawns lying in the wet leaves. I made this image in my Uncle Rod’s backyard. He had spotted them while standing on his deck. He called me and I came out and stood in the rain to make this image.

My kids aren’t afraid of anything! Often, I must ask what is in their hand before they open their “surprise” to show me. Today it was a salamander. It brought back many memories of when I was little, and always squealed with delight at finding them, and I too rushed to show my mom and dad.

Have you ever seen a pelican in Michigan? I had only ever seen one in the past. Today we had over a dozen of them hanging out in the Ludington harbor. These fishermen got an up-close view of them as they took flight off the south pier in Ludington.

Ludington Loon

Ludington State Park June

A redheaded woodpecker stands out in golden evening light in the front yard of John and Susan Persson's home along the Lake Michigan shoreline north of Summit Park. I was looking for wildflowers to photograph when someone else spotted several woodpeckers. F4.0 at 1/250, ISO 800, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

Marching with Mom

A chipping sparrow chirps away while basking in the morning sun near the top of a pine tree in southern Oceana County. The bird seems as excited as I am that the sun has finally come out on this April day. F4.5 at 1/4000, ISO 800, 500mm lens at 500mm

The dandelions are in full bloom and the bees are buzzing with excitement! I put on my macro lens and got on my hands and knees. I crawled around the yard until I was able to find a bee distracted enough by the pollen that I was able to get super close. These creatures are small but powerful and very important.

This chipping sparrow came to say hello to my dad and me today and it sang us the most beautiful little song. The warm sunshine made all three of us feel joyous and in the mood to sing. Unfortunately, nobody wants to ever listen to my dad and me sing. F7.1 at 1/3200, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 840mm

Morning Stroll

No matter the weather, the bison often pastured along the highway south of Traverse City seem oblivious to the elements. I always enjoy seeing them but especially enjoy the winter views when the white landscape makes them stand out even more.

This might be my favorite photograph so far of the entire Tuesdays Project. Flies in general kind of freak me out and they are gross, but when this one landed on the giant glass window of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids today, I was glad that my wide-angle lens is also a macro lens. The macro lens allowed me to show all the detail of the fly and its shadow. F11 at 1/125, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 46mm

This huge tree in my Aunt Mary’s yard is always so stunning. The green buds were alive with magic light today.

The pond at Bespop’s is filled with wildlife. Growing up we would take the rowboat out for rides quite often, making sure to bang the upside-down boat first to scare away the snakes! Today, I didn’t see any snakes, thankfully, but I did find these turtles sunning themselves.

No lifeguards are on duty; the ice-cold water is still keeping all but the hardiest swimmers away. On this evening the shapes of the lifeguard tower on the Ludington beach look interesting to me empty, framed against sand, lake and sky. F8.0 at 1/250, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 14 mm