1. Great Blue Heron
at sunrise. It pays to wake up early! I had to take this picture through the window because I knew if I
opened our squeaky screen door the heron would be gone. The great thing about herons is that they can stand as still
as a stone for what seems like hours. You might think they're posing, but no. . .they're really looking to kill
and eat something.
2. Sandhill Cranes flocking in a field. Just a few years ago we were thrilled to see
even one of them. Now they come by the hundreds, migrating to a spot somewhere north of us. But some of them do
stay all summer, and every now and then we catch a glimpse of them flying overhead. Their calls are so loud, we can
hear them long before we see them.
Cranes and herons are about the same size, but you can tell the difference when they're flying by the
shape of their necks. A crane flies with it's neck straight out; a heron's neck is crooked or bent.
3. A small albino deer grazing near the road. Her fur looks pretty
motley, but I think she was molting, getting ready to show off a fine new coat .
4. Indigo Bunting ground-feeding
near the feeders. This is the first one we've seen in all the years we've been here. A rare glimpse of
another spring migrant.
5. Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. We broke numerous snowfall records this winter
(2007-08) so the spring runoff was spectacular. Tannin from the cedar swamp upstream causes the water to turn a rich,
copper color.
6. Hummingbird on my geraniums. I had to take this through a window and while my camera
was madly trying to focus, this little darling stayed quite still for the photo. Did he know I was taking his picture?
7. These fawn twins loved splashing in the water. They came back day after day just to play.
8. There are some people who think deer don't like water, but our deer do. When the black flies get bad
they'll swim just to get away from them.
9. No matter what the day has brought, the water almost always
calms at twilight. Early April, 2008, and the ice was finally melting at the shoreline. The last of the
ice left our bay on April 23.
