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After cresting the first massive sand dune near the end of the Ridge Trail in the Ludington State Park, my dad and I were blown away by the number of canvasback ducks that congregated on Hamlin Lake below us. As we stood catching our breath, a pair of large geese flew overhead and startled some of the ducks. With a thunderous roar, several hundred birds took to the air at once. The partially frozen lake and the fog amplified the sound and also created a gorgeous backdrop for this photograph.

It looks like anything but winter through my viewfinder as I photograph seagulls basking in the sun on a January morning along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Ludington State Park

Breath of Life

Like a 747 dwarfing the smaller planes at an airport, a mute swan makes a big impact as it touches down near smaller waterfowl on the Sauble River at Ludington State Park.

While several of our photography workshop students were working to create strong, unique images at a sunflower field along M-22 near Onekama, a surprise visitor completed my composition.

O.K. It's really a Baltimore Oriole. But since it was residing in Ludington State Park, and since my three sons and I were Ludington Orioles during high school, I have taken some editorial license. The colorful songbird had probably recently returned from the south when I came upon him in mid-May on the Island Trail.

An immature bald eagle soars directly overhead as I hike a trail through the dunes near the Sable River at Ludington State Park. The bird circles over me, seemingly checking me out, or is it just searching for breakfast? Either way, I am grateful for the close-up view.

I love viewing wildlife through natural vignettes. It gives me the feeling of looking through a peep sight and provides framing and layers to my pictures. I have to be careful not to crowd the deer with the framing as I "shoot" her with my camera at the Sable River Outlet at the Ludington State Park.

Old enough to explore, a fawn pauses to check out a potential threat at the edge of its still small world in a swale between dunes near the Sable River. Hundreds of park visitors swimming, fishing, or just sitting on the beach have no idea the nearby swale is the fawn’s first home.

It’s comical to watch geese trying to walk on land, especially when they are only a few days old. This particular group of goslings seemed to be quite fond of the game leapfrog. As they passed by my camera, they clumsily hopped over each other while trying to keep up with the rest of the family.

Kingfishers are incredible in their ability to dive down and grab fish out of the water. The hunt appears effortless and amazingly graceful. I wonder if this kingfisher chuckled to see that a human angler obviously needed more practice with his or her casting skills, thus the fishing line stuck in the tree.

Having multiple camera lenses is a blessing and a curse. After a long snowy hike back from Big Point Sable Lighthouse, I spotted six bald eagles in a row of tall white pines about a quarter mile ahead. Of course, I had my wide-angle lens on my camera, and I scrambled for my telephoto as each bird took flight and soared overhead. Once I had the proper equipment ready, a seventh bird, an immature bald eagle, came into view.

Mink live all along the Sable River at the Ludington State Park. This adult mink was busy finding food for its young. I watched this family of five hunt crayfish and chase each other for over an hour before making this photograph.

O.K. It’s really a Baltimore Oriole. But since it was residing in Ludington State Park, and since my three sons and I were Ludington Orioles during high school, I have taken some editorial license. The colorful songbird had probably recently returned from the south when I came upon him in mid-May on the Island Trail.

I spotted this loon on Hamlin Lake during a June hike in the Ludington State Park. Photographing it was a personal highlight in a photographic journey that spanned more than a year. I dreamed of reencountering the loon “twice as close” or “twice as close again.” But in six more months of hiking and boating in the park, I never saw a loon again. I am grateful for the opportunity to see this one.

Deep within the forest in the northern part of Ludington State Park lies a pond that my son Brad and I have discovered to be a delightful place. We watched this male wood duck and several others for more than an hour on a late September morning. We waited patiently for them to come closer and then looked for those magic moments when the splendid ducks fit in perfectly with their marshy home.

Attention on deck! A family of Canada geese appears at full alert along the north bank of the Sable River on a summer afternoon. Perhaps they are watching for the fox that lives just around the bend, or perhaps they have already spotted the sly predator.

A three-day-old piping plover is dwarfed by dune grass near a pond in the dunes north of Big Point Sable Lighthouse. The tiny bird has no idea it is a rare endangered species. Michigan Department of Natural Resources piping plover steward Katrina Hernandez and I have spent a couple hours this morning finding the plover and rest of its family after they fled from the cage and fencing designed to keep people and predators away, yet not to restrict the birds from leaving.