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
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More Sunrise
Here are two photos that show how much a sunrise can change in just a few minutes. The second photo was taken 5 minutes after the first one. It almost looks like different sunrise!
Beal Pics
Several times a week I walk through the Beal Botanical Gardens on my lunch break. Today I decided to stop, take my time and enjoy the flowers that are still in bloom.
Apple of Peru
Pokeweed and Achira
Thorn Apple
Happy Birthday
I just couldn't have asked for a better birthday present than this.
Birthday Sunrise.
Sunrise the day before.
Northern Goshawk
I was finally able to take time to visit the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory on Sunday. It was quite the learning experience. I would like to thank the crew of two for allowing me to observe the migrating birds and helping me with ID's. I saw hundreds of waterfowl, my first Dark-eyed Juncos of the fall, Pipits, Horned Larks, Savannah, White-throated and White-crowned Sparrows, a Paregrine Falcon, Sharp-shined hawk, Black-bellied Plovers, first of year Red-throated Loons and Eared Grebe, but by far my favorite was this Juvenile Northern Goshawk. What a very good great first visit to WPBO.
Itsy Bitsy Spider
I found this tiny backlit spider and web blocking a trail that I was walking down today. It looked kind of neat there in the sunshine so I decided to take a few shots from different angles and here is what I came up with.
Garden Beauties
Fall is here and it won't be long now until these will be a thing of the past. Oh well, next year....
Zinnia
Zinnia and Crocosmia Lucifer
Diamond in the Rough
Today I was driving by a pond when I noticed that there were dozens of swallows flying around the surface and perched in nearby trees. I stopped to get a closer look and discovered that they were Northern Rough-winged Swallows that must have stopped in to refuel on their way south for the winter. I decided to try my luck at getting a photograph or two of them in flight. Such beautiful graceful flyers!
More Flowers From Fenner
Yesterday my friend and I spent the morning at Fenner Arboretum. The wind was from the south which must have slowed down the fall bird migration so I spent some time photographing some more flowers in prairie section.
Butterfly Weed.
Coreopsis.
Butterfly Weed and Bumblebee.
Another Sunflower
Not long now and the fields will be brown and the ground will be covered with snow. So enjoy the flowers while you can. Go for a walk in the great outdoors and soak up the beauty that nature gives to us for free.
Burke Lake Revisited
Last Saturday I dropped in to visit the group at the Burke Lake Banding Station. This Lincoln''s Sparrow was the highlight of the day. More pics can be seen here.
Vireo
Here is a bird that I missed in Spring migration. I didn't think I would see one this year. But on Sunday my wife joined me on a walk at North Meridian Park and she picked out this Philadelphia Vireo flitting around in some bushes along the trail.
Purple-stemmed Aster
I decided my weekend assignment would be to photograph the purple Asters that are so prevalent at this time of year. I have always struggled with how to photograph these flowers. These turned out better than anything I have captured so far.
Legg Park in Okemos.
Harris Nature Center in Okemos.
Abbott Road Park, East Lansing.
After the Storm
Last Friday evening we had some severe weather pass through mid Michigan. Toward the end of the storm I decided to go out and capture some Infrared photographs. This was a first attempt and I am very satisfied with the results.
Harris Nature Center Monarch
Last Saturday afternoon I found this newly emerged male Monarch Butterfly in the Tall Sunflowers next to the Nature Center at Harris. He is just finishing the process of "pumping up" his wings in preparation for his first flight. It is amazing to think that this butterfly that may have traveled less than ten feet as a caterpillar will fly more than 2000 miles to Mexico and spend the winter there.
