Other Birds

A mourning dove catches my eye as I hike near the Kensington Metro Park Nature Center. I think quickly but move slowly to frame the bird cleanly against a backdrop of trees beginning to turn color. The subtly beautiful creature stays still long enough for me to finish making a picture that feels good. F9 at 1/500, ISO 3200, 300mm lens at 300mm

Wild turkeys file down a trail at the Kensington Metro Park nature preserve. They seem unbothered by my intrusion into their habitat. I am impressed by how wild it is at Kensington even though the southeast Michigan park borders one of Michigan's busiest freeways and is within a short distance of big cities. F9 at 1/500, ISO 1600, 300mm lens at 300mm

A great blue heron stands motionless, waiting for lunch to swim his way on a pond at Kensington Metro Park between Brighton and Milford, Michigan. I love the elegant posture, self-control, and patience of these keen hunters. F22 at 1/500, ISO 1600, 300mm lens at 300mm

I have chased these birds and a hundred others for several blocks, taking pictures periodically, but knowing I was not making a strong picture. Now I finally have a handful of them right where I want them. F5.0 at 1/500, ISO 800, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

A great blue heron stands as motionless as a lawn ornament in the yard of a cottage on Bass Lake near Pentwater, Michigan. I have to look twice to make certain the bird is real rather than plastic. F3.5 at 1/2500, ISO 1600, 300mm lens at 300mm

Our friend, Don Nelson, notified my dad and me about a wild ruffed grouse that had befriended him during the last two weeks. Wherever Don went around his yard, the gorgeous bird would follow. After a week, the bird would even climb onto Don's shoulder. Right after I made this photograph, Herkimer (the bird) climbed up onto my camera and posed for an iPhone photo. F2.8 at 1/320, ISO 800, 300mm lens at 300mm

This wild ruffed grouse befriended our friend, Don Nelson, last week and I couldn't wait to photograph the beautiful animal. After I made the photograph I had imagined of the bird in some brown ferns, I asked Don if he could get the bird to land on my 300mm telephoto lens. With surprising ease, Don had Herkimer posing on my lens in no time. F8 at 1/125, ISO 800, iPhone

Is it Thanksgiving yet? Turkey sounds really good right now. F4 at 1/2000, ISO 3200, 600mm lens at 600mm

The sweet little songs of chickadees and other small songbirds always brighten my day. By using my 600mm lens, I am able to bring the birds closer to me visually. This beautiful chickadee was singing in the sunlight this evening at Thundering Aspens Sportsman Club near Mesick, Michigan. F4 at 1/1000, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 600mm

A pair of crows seems to be watching with curiosity as another crow takes flight from atop a birch tree. Their pose makes me think the lingering pair are wondering why the third bird is departing instead of continuing to bask in the sun on their lofty perch. F3.2 at 1/1000, ISO 100, 300mm lens at 300mm

This blue jay certainly thought he was the king of the hill while keeping a close eye on my in-laws' bird feeder. Every time another bird would land on the feeder or the ground below, this blue jay would get very loud and swoop over to scare the other birds away. Blue jays might be bossy, but they sure are pretty. F4 at 1/4000, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 600mm

I never tire of watching and photographing seagulls soaring through the air. Seagulls rarely get the credit they deserve for being one of Michigan's most beautiful and graceful birds. F4 at 1/2000, ISO 1600, 600mm lens at 600mm