Ludington State Park Queen of the North

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.

The moon is an extremely difficult subject to photograph. If you set your exposure according to the camera meter, then you get some detail in the night sky and foreground, but the moon is a solid white circle with no detail. If you underexpose by three or four stops, then you get the "cheese" of the moon, but no detail in the sky or foreground. The moon also moves so quickly that it requires a relatively fast shutter speed. When it's dark outside, the only way to get a fast shutter speed is to raise your ISO or film speed. However, high film speeds are grainy or noisy. The choice is yours.

Oh, to experience another winter morning as stunning as this. I love below-zero mornings; the sky is usually crystal-clear and the morning light brilliant. But I never imagined the beauty that would await me at the Sable River Outlet this February morning. Steam coming off the water at sunrise had turned the grass to shimmering white shafts on the dune south of the outlet.

I yearn for the dramatic light and the winds that come to the Lake Michigan shoreline in the fall. This perfect combination creates a world of beautifully lit patterns of grasses, waves and clouds. The carferry S.S. Badger, steaming back to Ludington from Wisconsin, provided an added ingredient to the scene on this October day.

For most of us, following dune paths to Lake Michigan brings anticipation of great times and great views. On some days though, the view is unforgettable.

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.

Looking like waves rushing ashore on an autumn evening, a ridge of sand dunes stops short

The northwest wind sandblasts me and nearly blows me off the top of the high dune I have run up with the heart but not the body of a 20-year-old. The uphill sprint, the wind and the view leave me breathless. The thought occurs, I might pass out trying to make this Lake Michigan shoreline picture before the fleeting magic light disappears; thank God I don't.

Time marches on, and so does sand. I look at this beautiful dune and the grass and forest land adjacent to it and know it will look very different the next summer. I wonder how much wind and water will change this beautiful area between Lake Michigan and Piney Ridge in ten years, hundred years, a thousand years. Our lives are such a miniscule segment of time gone by and time to come.

When the Lake Michigan shoreline builds up with snow and ice it becomes a playground for thrill-seeking photographers. I love seeing and hearing the waves slam themselves into the ice and explode into a furious spray, as though the waves and ice are at war with each other.

I have always been fascinated by pointillism and how colors can be blended to make something larger and more fantastic. While photographing the rocks in front of Big Point Sable Lighthouse at Ludington State Park, I was impressed by the small "points" of color on the water, rocks, and ice and how the colors blended to create a wonderful image.

It is exhilarating to watch the white canvas of snow being painted by the bright colors of a Lake Michigan sunset. A snow-covered, wind-blown sand dune along the west edge of M-116 was my canvas of choice on this January evening.

Seagulls along Lake Michigan have a reputation for being less than desirable. They seem to have pinpoint accuracy when it comes to leaving their marks on car windshields. I have also seen many seagulls pester Ludington tourists for a taste of their House of Flavors ice cream, or help themselves to picnic lunches while beachgoers enjoy a swim. All that aside, I think seagulls are beautiful creatures and they are a joy to photograph.

The skill and determination of the anglers who surf fish along the Lake Michigan shoreline is inspiring. Wind, waves, rain, and even lightning do not appear to deter the fishing desire of the most aggressive anglers.

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.

Perhaps calling out to attract a springtime mate, a red-winged blackbird perches along a marsh near Hamlin Lake. As common as red-winged blackbirds are in Michigan, I never tire of seeing them and never take their beauty for granted.