The mother oriole has been busy the last few days as is evident from her tireless and repeated flights back and forth with food. I’m not sure how soon they will be big enough to start their maiden flights but I hope to be there when they do. I’ve included a few other shots from a recent trip to NE Wisconsin as well as a heron in flight from Lake Como.
In the last two weeks there have been a lot of birds passing through, as well as new birds taking up residence. The most colorful is the Baltimore Oriole building its nest on the shore of Lake Como. The shots of the warblers in flight aren’t the sharpest (I’m hand holding the camera and panning while trying to focus manually) but I feel the wonder and grace of their flight still comes through.
I continue to take the camera along on morning walks with the dog and continue to be amazed at what shows up in the neighborhood. The heron and white-throated sparrow are from around Lake Como – the Blue-gray gnatcatcher is from a trip with a friend to the Minnesota River bottoms.
Last week I stopped in at the conservatory at Como Park to check out the spring flower show – here are a couple I liked…
Literally. We’re all anxiously waiting for green to show up. Regardless of the late arrival of spring and all appearances of it, the birds still make their welcome presence be known both in song and bright plumage. With brown and white still dominating the landscape, they provide a colorful break. Following are some of the birds I’ve encountered this spring and in the days to come I’ll be publishing a new page on the website devoted to birds.
With the coming of warmer weather and the ensuing melt, one can’t help but get excited for the coming of spring – I know, we still have to get through March but the sight of running water (even if it’s only on the roads) still makes me hopeful. Here’s a couple of new images celebrating running water – the first one from Bond Falls in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the other of the St. Louis River in Jay Cooke State Park (both from autumn 2010).
Here are a couple of new images – one from nearby Como Park and the other from Banning State Park -
I wasn’t able this season to make my annual fall trip to Isle Royale, so I’ve been compensating by making brief forays out and about locally. One such trip was up to Jay Cooke State Park and Banning SP with friends yesterday. Here are a couple of images with more to follow…
Here are some new additions from now and then…
Lake of the Clouds – Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Beach stones on the North Shore of Lake Superior
Feldtman Ridge on Isle Royale
Badlands after rain
Last Saturday the kids and I traveled with a friend for the day to his tree farm in Amery, Wisconsin. After tending to chores and lunch, there was a couple of hours left for roaming – collectively, we gathered a few dozen ticks as well as a few pics.
I’ve been fortunate through the years to have had so many opportunities to travel. While my main emphasis in photography has been on wilderness areas throughout the midwest, I have gathered perhaps as many images from Alaska, Europe, the Northwest US and the Southwest US. As time permits, I hope to bring more of these images to light and I thought I’d begin with a few from travels in Norway. A more complete Norway gallery is underway on the website – eight images for now with more to follow.
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL The Monumental Landscape of Clyde Butcher
If you have a couple hours to spare in your schedule, take a trip to the James J. Hill Library in downtown St. Paul – it is well worth the time. To quote from the exhibit’s brochure:
“The beauty of Clyde Butcher’s photographs is enhanced by the epic scale of his stunning black and white works. The exceptional size of his compositions – the largest being 5 by 9 feet – allows the viewer to experience the beauty of the site from an almost first-hand perspective. Their large dimensions, combined with their strong sense of fluidity and movement, allow his work to transcend the static nature of the photographic medium.”
If you have any extra time, take in the video presentation about his partnership with his wife in searching out, setting up, and waiting for that perfect light.
Sunday afternoon we decided to take a break and walk up to the Como Park Conservatory (along with several hundred other people with the same idea). Lilies were the dominant flower on display and while I took a good number of flower “portraits,” it was the abstracts I was most drawn to . I’ve created my own version of a Lens Baby that has about a millimeter of depth-of-field but I enjoy the results – it’s a whole new way of seeing for me.
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