Welcome to My Michigan (The Mitten)
I took a fifteen year break from photography to spend as much time as possible with my family. Now that the kids are out of school and I find myself with more free time I have decided to join the digital age and pick up where I left off.
For me photography is a labor of love. It helps me see everything in a new light and a new way. Everyday events become forever memories. Insects, flowers, animals and birds become magical and mystical. My eyes see a whole new world around me, sometimes alien but always beautiful. This is what I love to do, winter, spring, summer and fall, immersed in the great out of doors with a camera in my hand.
Come and join me on my expeditions. And just maybe, like many others, you will come away "Smitten by the Mitten".
Thank you for stopping by.
Jim
If you enjoy this blog then visit "like" Cerulean Sky Photography on Facebook.
Hazy, Lazy Days of Summer
Yesterday a rainbow, today fog and clouds. Ya gotta love Michigan weather.
Beautiful Ending
It rained on and off all day today but we were still able to get in plenty of outdoor time. It ended perfectly with this beautiful rainbow. There was just a tad bit of a double which shows better in the second pic.
A New Look at the World
Earlier this year I developed a fast growing cataract in my right eye. Two weeks ago I had the lens (cataract) removed and replaced with a new intraocular lens implant. I had not realized how much the cataract had affected my vision. Just a few days after the surgery I was looking at a new world. Suddenly I was immersed in bright, crisp, saturated images. In celebration I made a visit to the MSU Children's Garden to take some macro photographs of the flowers and insects. Here are a couple of my favorites. Click here to see more photos from the day. Oh Happy Day!
Burke Lake Banding Station
Saturday morning we drove to the Burke Lake Banding Station to learn first hand what banding birds is all about. Here is a Canada Warbler that was caught in the nets during our visit. Here are more pics that I took on Saturday.
Here is a link to the Burke Lake Banding Station Facebook page
Afternoon Hummer
I took a short break today and drove over to Harris Nature Center. The hummers at the trumpet vine caught my attention. Of coarse as soon as I got close they all decided to go some place else. Here is best I could come up with.
Blue Grosbeak
Last Sunday a friend and I took a drive over to Kalamazoo to look for a Blue Grosbeak that had been seen along the river walk. We spent a good share of the day there and was lucky to come away with a photograph of the male and female. The last time a Blue Grosbeak was seen in Kalamazoo was 57 years ago!
Piping Plover
All summer I have been trying to get up to Tawas Point to see the Piping Plover and Nayanquing Point to see the Yellow-headed Blackbird. Well last Saturday I finally made the trip and was not disappointed. I saw a juvenile Yellow-headed Blackbird but did not get a pic. Here is a pic of the Piping Plover and here are some more pics from the trip. Every week there is a new place to explore.
Harris NC Hawk
I stopped by the Harris Nature Center on Sunday before the storms rolled through and took this photo of one of the resident Red-tailed Hawks. I believe this is Aztec.
Home Sweet Home
Every time I see an old worn down house I can't help but think that this used to be someones home. And I think of all the memories, happy and sad, that are held within the crumbling walls. Just imagine the stories it could tell!
Morning Stretches
I had to laugh when I saw this Marsh Wren. It must be frustrating living in a cattail marsh and trying to perch on the moving, bendable leaves.
Least Bitterns
Yesterday I stopped by Maple River SGA and was lucky to see and photograph two Least Bitterns in the East end of Unit C. I wasn't sure that was what they were until I got home and looked at the pics. I had some help ID'ing them from birders on the Michigan Birders Facebook site.
Female and Juvenile Bobolinks
I took a short trip up to Mount Pleasant to look for some Clay-colored Sparrows. I did not get a photo of them but there were several Female and Juvenile Bobolink's that were just begging to have their photo taken.
Something Different
I saw this Dragonfly at Rose Lake while looking for a Sedge Wren and Hooded Warbler. I believe it is a Widow Skimmer.
Hooded Warbler
A friend and I went to Rose Lake SGA early Saturday morning in search of Hooded Warblers. We had some help from another birder that had seen a couple of them the previous weekend. We walked about four miles searching for Sedge Wrens in a bog along the way. No Sedge Wrens but we did find the Hooded. It was a lifer for him and a first of year for me. What a great way to spend a warm summer morning in July.
Doe and Fawn
Quite often when I drive places I take the back roads in hopes of finding a new bird or something interesting to photograph. Last Sunday I was lucky enough to see three deer families feeding in the fields along the edge of a woods. The mothers are always on the guard looking out for danger. This mother was about an eighth of a mile away but still kept her eye on my every move.
