I’m up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for a couple nights, hoping for a clear sky to practice Milky Way photography. On my drive up I stopped for a break at Otsego State Park.
I had just made it through a driving rainstorm, the kind where everyone slows down and turns on their emergency blinkers because you can’t see anything. It was stressful, so I figured I’d look at a state park I have never camped at and get a little walk in too.
Though it wasn’t raining, the sky didn’t look promising for night sky photography. I didn’t stay long, wanting to get to the UP and my destination camp site.
But once over the bridge, the sky turned even more ominous.
It was sprinkling when I got to my camp site, so I waited in the car for the sun to come out. And it did.
But then, halfway through my tent set up, the sky suddenly and with no warning let loose with a downpour. I managed to get the rainfly up over the exposed tent and then I dashed for the car.
And hoped.
Would the rainfly keep the inside of my tent dry?
Would I ever get a clear night to try to find the Milky Way?
So when I left you last I had backed away from a crane scuffle and had resigned myself to photographing plants. But I really wanted to get great shots of birds.
I was feeling discouraged.
Bee balm and…well…bee.
I moved slowly through the wetlands, enjoying the wildflowers but keeping my ears open for bird calls. Eventually I made my way back into the woods where the light was dim but a few birds were happily fliting around.
The light was gentle under the old trees.
I felt a bit of hope. I decided that every trip out to this park taught me more about photography and even if I didn’t get my dream shot, the experience of just being in the woods was worth all the blurry bird images I was likely to capture.
Robins aren’t interested in oilers or peanuts but they are curious about what you’re doing in their woods.
I walked slowly, and didn’t offer any birds seed from my hand unless they were obviously asking for something. It was late morning and most of them would have finished their breakfasts long before I showed up.
In fact everything seemed pretty quiet.
Cleaning up after breakfast.
I used the Merlin app on my phone to listen for any interesting birds. I wasn’t hearing very much.
Hey! You’re not going to put that on Facebook, are you?
Then I remembered that I was going to try and stand still and wait while I was out in the woods. That moving around, even slowly, made most of the animals and birds skitter away.
A camouflaged titmouse asks for a treat.
So I stood.
And very soon, flying fast up the path at the level of my head, was a male red-bellied woodpecker.
Just toss me a peanut and nobody gets hurt.
I offered him something from my hand, but he wasn’t having it. He was, however, obviously wanting something to eat. So I tossed a peanut onto the trail behind me and immediately, even before the peanut hit the ground, he was on it.
Nom, nom, nom. Thanks dad!
And so was his youngster, waiting to be fed. They were in the shadows so the image of him feeding the young one is grainy. But it was so cool I wanted you to see it anyway.
Then they both flew up into the tree, dad on the front to ask for more food, and junior on the backside waiting for his free meal.
Come on dad, pour on the angst, she’ll give us a suet ball if you act pathetic!
Poor dad worked so hard. He’d grab something from the trail where I tossed it and fly to a tree where two young woodpeckers noisily followed him. I don’t think he got anything to eat himself.
Here you go, son. But pretty soon you’re going to have to do this for yourself!
The trio followed me for a good quarter mile. He’d zoom past my head and land on a tree trunk, and I’d toss him something that he’d take to his two freeloading kids.
The two youngsters were tag teaming dad.
Meanwhile other birds were gathering to watch. There was a young nuthatch who would have enjoyed an oiler, but was afraid to enter the fray.
Hey buddy! Some of the rest of us would like some attention (and food) too!
And a disgruntled blue jay.
This is ridiculous. Some birds just think they are all that.
And overseeing it all, strangely quiet, was the neighborhood blackbird.
So much ruckus. It’s not seemly at all.
Eventually I got away from the family of woodpeckers and started seeing other little birds.
Thanks lady! It’s always good to have a snack before our morning nap!
It was getting toward noon, the sun directly overhead, and most of the birds were settling down.
Nope, don’t want anything more to eat, lady. Time to rest.
They weren’t hungry, but if I was still I could see them tucked in among the branches.
A fluffy titmouse settles in for a snooze.
I figured it was time to head back to car. I could use a snack myself.
Everybody seemed ready for a nap.
But on my way back to the car my Merlin app said there was a common yellowthroat nearby. And guess what? I found him!
Way back in the shadows, such a cool looking bird!
And just up the trail, hopping around in a cedar tree was a female common yellowthroat! I’ve never seen one before, it was so exciting!
Everybody overlooks me, but I’m just as pretty and I don’t need to wear a mask to be cool!
But what about the yawning cardinal, you ask? Oh yes, he was settling down for a nap in a bush when I walked by.
Not singing, no sound at all, just a big yawn.
I guess I was boring. Or maybe he was just too sleepy to be polite.
Oh, and on the drive out of the park I stopped to watch the osprey and her 3 young.
There was much wing flapping, they’ll be out of the house soon.
It turned out to be a spectacular day. And I learned more about photographing birds. I can’t wait to get out there to try again.
One morning last week I gave in to my itchy shutter finger and went out to Kensington to try to photograph birds who aren’t the regular suspects.
A flicker hides from me.
I’ve been watching, on a Facebook group, nature photographers capturing some stunning images of birds from my favorite park. I asked one of the photographers if he was finding these birds on the nature trails there.
I stalked this yellow ‘bird’ until I realized it wasn’t one.
He said he was wandering around other areas of the park, and that made sense to me. Sure the titmice and chickadees and nuthatches were hanging around looking for a treat, making them easier to photograph. But what about other birds, those that aren’t into landing on hands or snacking on oilers?
While I was waiting for a bird to show up I noticed this pretty pink flower.
So I went out to the park and stopped at a picnic area quite a ways from the nature center. It had a picnic pavilion and a swing set and quite a large open area, surrounded by large, mature woods. I was the only person there. I used my Merlin app to find out what birds were near.
A very fluffy robin was preening.
The place was overrun with robins. But there was also a flicker singing right at the tree line. I followed him for quite awhile…but didn’t have the right settings when he flew up from a branch.
He was in decent light, but I needed to up the shutter speed.
Still, I sort of like the image. It would have been stunning if the wings were sharp.
I adjusted my settings.
I found a bluebird who agreed to sit still for me, though he was a long way away and cropping the image shows the noise. Still, he’s cute, and everyone loves a bluebird.
Hey lady! Get your shot quick, I’ve got to go pick up lunch for the Mrs.
Mostly I chased the flicker around, and never got a better shot of him. Eventually I gave up and drove over to the nature trails where I found myself walking behind this couple.
Just going for a walk.
They were in no hurry, so neither was I.
But then there arose a loud screeching of another crane pair coming in for a landing.
What’s that noise over there?
The original cranes were less than happy and much squawking and wing flapping ensured. The woman at the other end of the trail and I stood still, not wanting to get involved.
I was busy backing away so I missed the most exciting parts of the greeting between the two couples.
Eventually I backed up and headed down another trail where I found beautiful things to photograph that don’t move around so much.
The last of the spring irises.
It’s so much easier to photograph plants.
Joe Pye is just beginning to bloom.
And they make me smile too.
I don’t know what this is, but it sure was pretty!
So I wonder….did I ever find any more birds to photograph? Was I successful at getting any good shots?
A long time ago in a place far far away I was once a volunteer with Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly. The nonprofit was founded in France, then came to the US and has chapters in Chicago, Minneapolis and Boston as well as a rural chapter in the Keweenaw of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. They opened that chapter in the early 80s and I was a volunteer and board member until I moved back to lower Michigan in 1985.
Quincy Mine near Hancock, MI
Their mission is to provide friendship and support to isolated elderly. There are plenty of isolated elderly in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
This month I read a newsletter which focused on the need for medical transportation volunteers by telling the story of Bill who was once a volunteer and has now transitioned to being one of the organizations Forever Friends.
The lighthouse in Marquette, Michigan
Think about it. What if you lived somewhere a long way from your doctor and medical facilities, and you didn’t drive? What if you couldn’t afford a cab or an Uber? What if you were already isolated and lonely? Think how wonderful it would be to have someone come pick you up and drive you to your appointment, someone you could talk to on the ride, someone who would wait for you while you were in with the doctor and who would then cheerfully drive you home again.
What a gift.
Little Brothers provides 800 no-cost, uniquely door-through-door roundtrips rides every year. But they project the demand will increase by 43% in just two years! They are located in Hancock Michigan, up in the Keewenaw, and in Marquette, but they serve many other neighboring communities. If you live anywhere near them and have a little free time, consider driving someone to their doctor appointment.
The lift bridge from Hancock one cold winter morning.
Contact Little Brothers to find out more about the Medical Transportation Program, and all the other opportunities to bring joy into someone’s life. I guarantee you’ll feel joyful too.
And if you don’t happen to be lucky enough to live in Michigan’s UP, take a moment and look around your community. Chances are there’s an elderly person nearby that would love to become your Forever Friend. Or maybe would just appreciate a lift to the grocery store or the dentist.
Cherry picking is a long standing tradition in my family.
As far back as I can remember the six of us would drive to an orchard and pick tart pie cherries, buckets and buckets of them, then schlep them all home and sit around the kitchen table pitting them and measuring them into freezer bags for future pies.
Now that I’m the only one still living in Michigan it’s mostly my job to go get the family cherries. It’s not a bad job. Last weekend the weather was perfect and I went out early Sunday morning to the orchard we used to visit as a family more than fifty years ago.
Lots has changed since then. What was once a simple fruit orchard now has a gift store and a winery and farm animals and a wagon ride out to the picking locations.
For many years when I’d visit I’d consciously look for families that looked like mine. Sometimes I’d see someone that looked like my dad, or like the four little blond kids that used to fill their buckets with the shiny red fruit.
Sunday I was there pretty early and the picking was outstanding. I was able to pick fourteen pounds in less than an hour, so I was back in my car before things got really busy.
But I got to watch a few families as they picked. One little boy kept exclaiming how beautiful the cherries were. (He was right.)
Another child was focused on finding the perfect tree. And another child in a different family was having deep conversations about tractors and cars with his dad, all the time picking away.
These are adventures they’ll remember forever. And maybe someday when they’re senior citizens they’ll pick cherries in this orchard and watch a new crop of families and smile just like I did.
Margo, over at her blog, That Little Voice, posted a black and white photo for a challenge. It reminded me how much I enjoy black and white photography, and I said as much. We both mentioned that we don’t do many these days, and I suggested this week we each try to post one black and white image.
So I went out with Penny looking for an opportunity.
For me the thing about black and white is finding simplicity. I like images that aren’t busy, trending toward modern art.
I didn’t exactly find that on this search. But as soon as I took this shot I knew it could be interesting in black and white.
This is Penny exploring a boat ramp at a local lake when the lake was mirror smooth. I was letting her decide if she wanted to get her feet wet. She wasn’t excited about the chance, the only one with wet feet at the end of the day was me. She was curious about the water, hence the ripples around her nose.
I think I’ll keep an eye out for another black and white image when Penny and I are exploring. You never know when you’ll spot something cool. Thanks to Margo for inspiring me to go out and look for black and white!
Mom says I talk too much. You should hear me talk when she’s emptying the dishwasher or opening the tinfoil drawer! But I just had to tell you about mom making me march walk down a park path for a whole mile!
This was the beginning of my 1 mile walk!
OK, maybe she chose the time and day to go to the park because she figured not many other people with dogs would be out there. We have a lot of Canadian wildfire smoke right now and mostly people are staying inside.
Ok, let’s get this party started!
We have been staying in too, but when you stay inside too long certain doggies get slightly insane impatient. At least that’s what mom says.
Look mom, I found you some flowers!
I have no idea who she is referring to.
Mom says it’s important to look both ways before you cross the road.
Mom was going to take me to a different park, but it was further away and I started complaining as soon as we were in the car. Mom and dad took me to the vet this week and I was certain she was taking me back there, so I told her I was not happy.
Ok, I’ll sit pretty mom, but don’t expect me to do it again!
She decided we’d go somewhere closer and prove to me that not all car rides end in a vet visit.
Mom’s artsy-fartsy image from this walk. Boring, mom.
This was was my very first time walking on a bike path! Good thing hardly anybody was around cause I did not stay on my side of the path. At all. But I had fun.
I am NOT sitting on this bench, mom!
We only went to the half mile mark and then turned around. Mom didn’t want to overdo, she’s old you know. Plus it was warm and smoggy.
I’m not sitting at the turn around mark either, mom!
On the way back I decided it would be fun to play with the leash and leap around a lot and generally get in trouble.
I don’t know why mom doesn’t think this is a fun game.
Cause I’m a puppy, and that’s what puppies do. So I’m told anyway.
I got all tangled up in my leash. We took a break in the shade.
We had fun, mom got some pictures and I got to see some things I’ve never seen before. The teacher in my puppy class says it’s mom and dad’s responsibility to introduce me to 3 new things a week.
There were great chewing sticks under the bench!
Let’s see. I saw a lawnmower, a guy on bike, and a bench! Not to mention the crosswalk and a lady driving a golf cart. I think mom’s homework this week is done!
What the heck is that thing, mom?
I hope next week’s homework assignment includes more wonderful treats experiences!
Not sitting near these yellow flowers either, mom!
I’m going to help mom plan more trips. I think I like checking out new places.
Well OK, if I get to eat some I’ll sit here.
But since I’m just a little puppy, I need ideas. Where do you think we should go this year?
One more artsy-fartsy image. Sigh.
I’ll get mom to make a list. I’d do it myself, but she doesn’t let me on the laptop very often. Something about getting dog hair in the keyboard.
Change Is Hard 