It's raining so I am going back and working on photos that I took a while back. This is another pic of the Wood Duck that I posted March 31.

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I love this flowering tree. The flower is huge, about eight inches across. It is a Magnolia tree.

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I just finished processing another photo of the Red Bellied Woodpecker. Here the mom is returning to feed the babies. I shot the photo from my Kayak. It took me an hour to reach this tree paddling upstream on the Grand River. Then I sat very quietly  for two plus hours to get just the right shots.  _MG_3773

I was very lucy to stumble across this Red Bellied Woodpecker "tree house". This is a female that is getting ready to leave after feeding the little ones. To me it looked like she was sticking her head out to answer the door bell. Lucky me!

Update: This photo tied for third place in Fred Miranda Weekly Assignment competition.

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The first time I saw a Prothonotary I was around 14 years old. I was on a camping trip to Point Pelee, Ontario with my Family and Uncle and Aunt to go bird watching. My father had bought me a brand new pair of binoculars, which I still have and cherish. The second day of the trip was rainy and cold and I decided to go out walking on my own. I was looking out over a swampy area when I saw a little yellow flash. I focused on the bird with my new binoculars and couldn't believe how beautiful it was. This is far and away my favorite bird and the most beautiful. I had not seen another Protonotary until last year. Now I know where to go and what to look for. I will be able to see them every year. Thank you Mother Nature!

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When you take a long walk in the woods early in May after a rain when the days are warm you might find treasure. And the morel of the story is:

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Here is the tail end of the first line of storms that went through East Lansing this eveining . This is on the south campus of MSU looking north toward Mt. Hope.

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I was on a lunchtime walk Monday and found this Clemantis. A black and white conversion seems to really highlight the texture of the petals.

When I was young my mom used to sing this song. The words were not always right but the way she sang it was the loveliest thing I have ever heard. As I watched the sun set tonight I could hear her soft voice singing.

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Day is dying in the west;
heaven is touching earth with rest;
wait and worship while the night
sets the evening lamps alight
through all the sky.

I was paddling on the Grand River yesterday and heard some peeping overhead. I looked up and this is what I saw. Could this be a new species, a Solitary Sandpecker?

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I have a couple of days off work so I was out early this morning, just after the rain, poking around in the woods. This violet caught my eye.

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And this Wild Geranium, Geranium maculatum 

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Last night I went over to Legg Park to catch a glimpse of the northern lights. I had been standing in an open field for about an hour when I heard some noise behind me and took this photo. Any ideas what it might be? Kudos to my sister Deb for the creative title.

I was hanging around outside last night waiting to see if the northern lights would put on a show. No northern lights so somewhere around 10:30 I snapped this photo of the crescent moon. The constellation on the bottom right that looks like a small dipper is Pleiades. It sure is mesmerizing to watch the crescent moon set. 

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The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon

There is an inn, a merry old inn
beneath an old grey hill,
And there they brew a beer so brown
That the Man in the Moon himself came down
one night to drink his fill.

The ostler has a tipsy cat
that plays a five-stringed fiddle;
And up and down he runs his bow,
Now squeaking high, now purring low,
now sawing in the middle.

The landlord keeps a little dog
that is mighty fond of jokes;
When there's good cheer among the guests,
He cocks an ear at all the jests
and laughs until he chokes.

They also keep a horned cow
as proud as any queen;
But music turns her head like ale,
And makes her wave her tufted tail
and dance upon the green.

And O! the rows of silver dishes
and the store of silver spoons!
For Sunday there's a special pair,
And these they polish up with care
on Saturday afternoons.

The Man in the Moon was drinking deep,
and the cat began to wail;
A dish and a spoon on the table danced,
The cow in the garden madly pranced,
and the little dog chased his tail.

The Man in the Moon took another mug,
and then rolled beneath his chair;
And there he dozed and dreamed of ale,
Till in the sky the stars were pale,
and dawn was in the air.

Then the ostler said to his tipsy cat:
"The white horses of the moon,
They neigh and champ their silver bits;
But their master's been and drowned his wits,
and the Sun'll be rising soon!"

So the cat on his fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle,
a jig that would wake the dead:
He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,
While the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:
"It's after three!" he said

They rolled the Man slowly up the hill
and bundled him into the Moon,
While his horses galloped up in rear,
And the cow came capering like a deer,
and a dish ran up with the spoon.

Now quicker the fiddle went deedle-dum-diddle;
the dog began to roar,
The cow and the horses stood on their heads;
The guests all bounded from their beds
and danced upon the floor.

With a ping and a pong the fiddle-strings broke!
the cow jumped over the Moon, 
And the little dog laughed to see such fun,
And the Saturday dish went off at a run
with the silver Sunday spoon.

The round Moon rolled behind the hill,
as the Sun raised up her head.
She hardly believed her fiery eyes;
For though it was day, to her surprise
they all went back to bed!

-- J. R. R. Tolkien