Before we were so beautifully interrupted by the cardinal seige, I was conteplating the continuation of an eagle search. I’d already been to the Great Lakes National Cemetary where I’d seen, from far away, the resident eagle and his nest. But it was still early and a beautiful day, maybe another eagle was waiting to be discovered at my favorite park.
What is this, you ask?
Should I go look for it? Well of course I should.
So after some more mental arguing about other things I could be doing, mostly involving housework, I jumped back in the car and headed south to Kensington where eagles had been sighted at the heron rookery.
“Don’t bug me lady, some nice people left me some lunch and I’m hungry!”
Not that I thought I’d be so lucky to find one there in the early afternoon. But it’s my favorite park and how could I go wrong, I knew I’d find something!
“I don’t know why you people get so excited over an eagle. I’ve got much better colors.”
I took my time driving through the park, pulled up leisurely in a parking spot at the nature center. Even sat there awhile and looked at the eagle pictures I already had in my camera.
Then I looked up and spotted a big bump in the top of a tree. And me quite a ways away, with the wrong lens on the camera. Talk about unprepared.
“Geeze lady, an experienced photographer pays better attention to the details!”
I hustled over there, stopped at the first bench on the boardwalk and switched my lens, hoping he’d stick around long enough for me to get a shot, even if it wasn’t optimum.
“Ahem. Were you looking for ME?”
He did. And he watched me the whole time too.
“You do realize your camera is focused on the branches, not me…right?”
And apparently, when I took too long, he decided he’d had enough and he flew away…
“I’m outta here.”
…way over to a dead tree on the other side of the lake. With his back to those of us still photographing from the boardwalk.
“There’s more privacy over here and the light is better anyway.”
I stayed and talked with another photographer while we waited to see where he’d go next. We hoped he’d come back to the rookery, but he decided to take a trip over to the back side of the lake where he was a tiny spot in the sky, lazily circling, checking out lunch prospects.
Hey lady! Pay attention! I’m being especially adorable down here!”
So I walked a bit on the trails, but they were covered in slippery ice and I was wearing old sneakers, so I didn’t stay long. I did manage to get some shots of some other, very cute, birds while I was there, and I’m sharing most of them here.
“People overlook us doves all the time, their loss, I always say.”
But..wait…did I show you the blue jays? Or the swans? No? Well, you have to see those. I guess another birdy type post is in order.
You can’t see too many birds…right?
Right.
“I did my head feathers special for this photo shoot too…darn people always want to take pictures of the big birds…”
I interrupt my eagle search to bring you this morning’s craziness right here at home. We’re getting a light snow. It’s cold. Katie and I were napping as the early morning light began to invade our dreams.
“Come on over, there’s plenty for everybody!”
I glanced outside and was both amazed and guilty as I saw birds all over the empty feeders, searching frantically for something, anything, to eat.
“Hey! Can we get a little water over here?”
Stuffing my naked feet into an old pair of sneakers, and throwing on a sweatshirt, not slowing for a coat, gloves or boots, I ran outside. Katie waited in the comfort of her palace, watching me intently.
“I think this lady serves the best oilers in town.”
My freezing fingers fumbled with the seed bin lid. The birds stayed close, not flying to their usual safe places, sitting on the deck, in the honeysuckle bush, the beech tree, hovering around my head.
They were too hungry to be afraid.
“Don’t judge me, I’m having a bad hair day.”
I filled the thistle feeder, the oiler feeders, the suet cage and then spread seed along the railing so that all of them could eat without having to wait their turns.
“I think I’ll head over to the quieter thistle feeder. These cardinals are crazy”
And they did. And in return they let me take their pictures.
“Yep, she puts on a great spread. She was a little late today, but it was worth the wait.”
I’d say it was a even exchange.
“I heard there was a ‘one shot, one treat’ rule around here. I already gave you my one shot.”
Today, while much of the rest of the United States was under various weather advisories, we had sun. It was cold, but the wind of the past few days has blasted off toward the east coast. Nineteen degrees farhrenheit (-7.22 C) and blue skies just begged for a photography adventure.
And I knew just the place.
Maybe this is the eagle!
Not far from me is a National Cemetary; I’ve taken you there before. But lately I’ve been hearing about an eagle hanging around the acres and acres of gleaming white headstones. I’ve been out there a couple times hoping to find him, but couldn’t find the nest and never saw the magnificent bird.
Since it’s so close to home, and it was a pretty day, I figured I wouldn’t be disappointed if I failed again. And you know me, I’ll always find something to take a picture of!
What about those globby shapes over in those trees?
Right near the entrance I saw a bird in the top of a dead tree. Could that be the eagle? Naw…just a big crow.
Then toward the back of the cemetary I saw a bunch of blobs high up in the trees, could those be eagles? Naw..just some clumps of leaves, maybe squirrel nests.
I wandered around some more, but saw nothing else that looked promising. Still, I wasn’t sad, it was such a pretty day…
The sun makes everything beautiful.
…and the moon was setting. I always enjoy a late setting moon.
Moon over Michigan.
And then, just as I gave up and turned the car around to go, I saw this out of the corner of my eye. Could it be?
If that’s another squirrel nest, it belongs to a really big squirrel.
I put that car in park fast and was out of it, moving as quickly as I could across the lawn, then creeping into the woods. I had to pass two signs that warned me not to trespass, hoping to get a shot before someone arrested me.
Taking a break from this year’s remodel project.
And I did. But the eagle knew exactly where I was too, walking on all that crunchy snow I sounded like a herd of elephants making my way through the woods. I only got a couple shots before he took off.
He flew in a big wide circle, and then vanished into the trees.
“Tourists! A guy can’t catch a break around here.”
I didn’t have any stellar shots…but I got to see an eagle fly.
“See ya later, lady!”
On the way home I took a different back road, and realized almost right away that it wound along the back of the cemetary. And guess what?
Well, duh. The view, with the morning sun is way better over here.
There’s a much better view of the eagle’s nest from back there!
And on the way I got to see a barn.
Red barn, white snow, blue sky. Perfect.
When I got home I was still excited about seeing the eagle and having such a good time with the camera on such a pretty day. And I’ve heard there’s an eagle out at Kensington, my favorite park.
That’s not so far away either. The sun is still shining.
Too pretty a day to spend inside.
Should I head out there? What are the odds that I’ll find an eagle just sitting around waiting for me to discover him?
What are the odds?
Guess you’ll have to wait and see.
Eagle or no eagle, always good to stop by this place.
After seeing several photographs of eagles and pelicans on Facebook I decided to head up to Midland and see this park for myself.
Nature and industry coexisting.
I could tell from many of the photos that this was not a conventional park filled with hiking trails and wide swaths of woods for wandering.
But I was still surprised to find that it consisted of a parking lot on top of a high hill overlooking ponds which are part of the Dow Chemical complex.
As I drove up the hill I could see an eagle sitting in a tree.
Guarding the park.
The light wasn’t good, a bank of clouds was encroaching on the sunshine I’d left at home, two hours to the south. Still, on occassion when I first arrived, the sun broke through the clouds.
Oh! And a juvinile down below!
And it was windy! Between trying to focus on the eagle who flew out over the water as soon as I arrived, and trying to keep my hair out of the frame, I almost missed the pelicans swimming very close to the edge of the pond, behind the chain link fence.
It was hard shooting through the chain link fence.
While I was trying to catch an image of them, shooting through the fence, I lost track of the eagle until I heard a whole lot of eagle type noises coming from the trees.
Look closely, there are three juviniles here, all landing in a tree.
Turns out there were three juviniles, all landing close together. I’m pretty sure one of them had a fish.
This little diving duck was surprised when he came up right in front of the pelican!
Pretty much the whole time I was there I was pointing the camera either at the water following the pelicans, or the sky trying to get a sharp image of the eagles.
The light felt like it was evening, but it was 9:30 in the morning.
I was facinated how these beautiful wild birds coexisted so well with industry.
Such an unusual place to witness an eagle in flight.
I was unsure if the eagles coexist with each other quite as well.
Looks like the adult has something to say.
Mostly the eagles soared round and round, higher and higher. I never saw any of them dive into the water, though when they were flying closer to the ponds the ducks seemed to scatter.
The sky was interesting, but made shooting the birds so difficult.
It was hard to keep track of the big birds, they were really very far away. Sometimes the only way I knew where they were was their noisy discussion amongst themselves.
The light caught his head and the lead edge of his wing.
When the sun slid out for a moment it was easier to find the adult, with his bright white head…
Sometimes the tail was the give away.
…and tail.
The whole time I was there, sitting in the car until an eagle took off from a tree, then popping out to try to get an image, I didn’t think I got anything worth looking at.
He turned into a painting.
I was shooting pretty much into the light, what light there was. And the birds were so darn far away. These were all shot with my longest lens, and they are still cropped a whole lot. Hence the painterly looking images.
I think I’ll go back some day when the sun is shining brighter, and perhaps later in the day to get the sun behind me rather than shining in my eyes.
The best part of the day was just sitting and watching them fly.
I felt lucky today that they were so active. I didn’t get the perfect eagle (or pelican for that matter) shot, but I got to see them flying, so much more fun than watching them watch me while they sit still on a branch.
Landing gear down, more pelicans arrive.
None of these images are great, but I had fun, and I figured you’d have fun looking at them too.
Soar like an eagle….
If you’re a birder, this would be a fun place to visit with powerful binoculars. You can sit in the car and watch some amazing birds. Can’t beat it! (You might want to look at these pictures on something bigger than your phone!)
So where did I leave you? Ah yes….at the viewing platform overlooking the wetlands, about two miles from the car.
An excellent place to watch the birds.
Since we’ve been lugging the camera backpack filled with lenses and spare batteries all this way, this would be a good time to change to the long lens. Don’t you think? And perhaps take a sip from the water bottle that’s been adding weight to the bag for the long trek out here.
I loved the stripes of color.
There, that’s better.
So, out here in the open marsh you can here sandhill cranes and Canadian geese as they fly in and out. A few trumpeter swans too. No pelicans this time, and that’s disappointing, but I’m too late in the season for much of a variety.
These guys decided to move on to a place less habited by nosey humans.
The other people on the viewing platform have high powered binoculars, and they are watching a northern harrier harrass a young bald eagle. I can’t see any of that of course, but I enjoy listening to them talk about it.
Yep way over there is a tree that often hosts eagles. In fact that might be one to the left, or that might be the harrier.
Mostly I watch the geese that were nearest to me and enjoy the sun and the sitting down for a bit.
And then I decide I’ll head back, but take a path I’ve never chosen before, out past the tree where, on a previous visit, I’d seen so many eagles, out along the edge of the wetlands, because you just never know what you’ll find.
It was a beautiful day, even if I didn’t get any great shots of an eagle.
And I do find the juvinile eagle, I think, though I can’t get a close enough view of him to be sure. I have a longer lens than I had last year, but he was still a long ways away. For all I know, this is the harrier, rather than the eagle. He (or she) is fun to watch either way, soaring high above the grasses, searching for a meal.
A super cropped image of a bird. Might be an eagle. But I think it’s the harrier. Cool either way.
I come across a passel of cranes, standing around out there in a clump. No noise, just hanging out. When they see me noticing them they begin to walk away at a fast clip, so I move on, not wanting to upset them.
Moving quietly back into the grass so as not to attract any more attention.
And then I begin the long wander back to the car. It is a beautiful day and I’m not at all disappointed that I don’t have anything spectacular to shoot. But wait! There’s an eagle’s nest! Wow, that thing is huge! Now I know which way I’ll walk next spring when there might be some activity there, maybe early in the season before leaves obscure the view.
This won’t be easy to see once the tree leafs out.
It’s not far from the tree where I’ve seen eagles, adult and juviniles…and it’s in the direction I always see them flying from out there. Now it all makes sense. I’m excited for next season!
But other than that my walk back is just filled with beautiful fall sights. I am walking on a path less traveled, and mostly not mowed, so I am glad for my waterproof hiking shoes keeping my feet dry.
Even though I am on the lookout for birds of any size, and though I hear a few, I don’t see any. I probably need to sit in one place, as I’ve considered on other visits to this park, and wait for something to come by in stead of tromping noisily through the woods.
But I am hungry, and tired, and still a long way from the car, so I trek on.
I like the spunkiness of the little tree growing in the remains of it’s ancestor.
The views don’t disappoint. Just about any direction I look there is something pretty.
Another dyke flanked by leaning trees. These always remind me of Marines at a wedding, with their swords forming a tunnel for the bride and groom. Actually, a wedding woud be amazing here.
I can’t stop taking pictures, but that’s no surprise to anyone. Right?
Such great colors and shapes, it’s impossible to resist taking just one more shot.
But eventually I put the lens cap back on, resolving to move faster toward the car and the banana waiting for me. I even pass up the opportunity to sit on a bench, because I know I am only half a mile away from the parking lot.
A tempting bench. If I’d had my lunch with me I might have stopped.
I promise myself I’m not taking any more images. Just going to forge ahead, eyes front, no stopping. Really.
Hmmmm….what’s making all that noise over there?
But I can’t ignore the huge ruckus coming up from a field just beyond the trees to my right. When I come to an opening I see what must be the party room for cranes. Because they are dancing up a storm. So I had to take the lens cap back off. You would have too, I’m sure.
And then I hear this little guy, and since he is the only little bird I’ve seen clearly all day, well, the lens cap comes off again.
It’s not even a good shot, but he is the only one that cooperated, so he gets to be in the blog.
And then, finally, I make it back to the car. My 4+ mile walk through the woods is over, and I know I wouldn’t be back until spring. Unless I decide a winter hike is in order. I guess I’ll put that idea into the ‘things to ponder’ file drawer and see what the winter weather is like this year.
Always notice the light.
More likely I’ll be back in the spring, when northern migration is happening and there will be more activity to wittness. I’ll be sure to bring you along whenever I go back. Maybe I’ll even carry a banana with me so I can stay out there longer.
Come along with me, the walking is marvelous!
You’ll be responsible for your own snacks. And your waterproof shoes.
Last week I ran up to the post office on my way out to Katie’s park. Katie was in the back seat. My camera was on the passenger seat. I dropped off the letters that needed to be mailed and was headed to Katie’s park when I noticed these two having an intense conversation.
Or something.
“I’m tired of discussing it.”“We haven’t solved anything yet.”“But I don’t WANT to talk about it anymore!”“We should be able to talk about it like rational adults.”“But I don’t WANT to!”“I swear, you never let anything just go!”“OMG, you are just too much!”“Whatever.”
As usual I had grand plans for Walktober. A place a couple of hours away was calling my name, but also as usual life got in the way and I can’t find a day when I can spend four hours to travel plus a couple hours of exploration.
So that adventure will have to wait for another time.
Pretty quiet at the heron rookery.
Meanwhile, it’s not that I haven’t had mini adventures right around here. Katie and I have wandered in plenty of parks this month. Any one of them would be a wonderful Walktober. But she already got to do her Walktober, and I wanted one of my own.
“Hey mama! I should be included in EVERY adventure!”
So I’ll share an adventure I recently had with a college friend I haven’t seen in many, many years. Since she retired from her career she’s become interested in birds; she’s joined birding groups online and is learning all kinds of cool things.
It was quiet enough to take a nap.
She’s seen my posts about the birds out at Kensington, and has never had a bird land on her hand before. She, like so many of you, wanted to experience that for herself. So we met out there on Wednesday.
So many choices.
I get such a kick, every time I take someone new out there, watching their face the first time a little bird lands on their hand. Every single person grins with such a quiet but intense joy.
Double the joy.
The little birds weigh next to nothing, they rest so lightly on the fingertips, you’re not sure they stopped there at all. It’s magic.
Grab and go.
So, we wandered the trails in the woods, stopping every time we heard the little ones chripping overhead, offering them special treats of peanuts and suet balls and black oilers.
I spent some time with the birds too.
Some of the birds were quite decisive, others took their time to select the perfect morsel.
“I think this seed will do.”
It was a wonderful walk in the woods, on a beautiful, perfect day. We even saw a bird new to both of us, a juvinile red headed woodpecker! We didn’t get a close look, but we saw him (or her?) flit through the trees several times.
Did you know a juvinile red headed woodpecker has a brown head? Me either.
What an extraordinary bird, so beautiful when it flies, with slashes of bright white across the back of it’s wings.
So even though I didn’t get to travel to the far-off park this time, I promise I’ll share it with you when I do. Maybe it will be in November. Maybe it will be in 2022.
The regulars were still in residence, even this late in the season.
It’s nice to have something to look forward to.
Thanks, Robin, for hosting this Walktober for all of us. It was wonderful to get out into the world and enjoy everything that October has to share.
Change Is Hard 