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Had another sweet encounter with a Great Grey Owl at a friend's acreage today. We saw the owl fly past while hiking in their spruce woods, then when we got back to the yard, I was searching the treeline along the edge of the yard for the bird, only to realize it was in a small spruce not 30 feet from me!
A few photos I did not upload from the May 10/11 storm. That was an incredible storm. The yellow/orange colors in these corona shots are not a result of any photoshopping. My typical workflow does involve some contrast and highlight/shadow adjustments, but I rarely even saturate the colors. If anything, I will lower the saturation at times when the contrast adjustments oversaturate it.
All that to say, these colors are real.
From what I have read, oranges and yellows are the results of overlaps of the typical greens and pinks. Still, these yellows are intense.
I had recently reworked this stack with a new workflow and wanted to upload it again.
This stack is a stack of nearly identical images (only a couple degrees of rotation of the heavens difference between each consecutive shot taken one after the other). It is not a composite of different images.
Knowing that, if you are paying attention, you may find yourself scratching your head as to how I got this shot.
Enjoyed a night out with my kids as we watched Northern Lights and looked for Perseid Meteors.
Not the best display I have seen, but certainly a very nice one.
Took a trip up to the North Shore of Lake Superior to photograph Northern Lights with a friend tonight. Worth the trip. Not the best show by far, but a great photo-shoot nonetheless.
A nice way to close the year.
After arrived home from our Christmas vacation travels yesterday, I decided to go hiking up the Gandy Dancer Trail this morning to reflect on the year and to pray. The reflection was nice. Been a busy and blessed year.
As I was hiking back home, I found myself in a particularly intense state of hungering for more of God and His righteousness in my life. As always, I had my camera at my side, and even was trying out the new camouflage covering for my lens that my son gave me. But especially at that moment, any hopes or desires for wildlife to photograph faded into insignificance for the burdens of my heart as I asked God to create in me a clean heart and renew a right Spirit within me. How I long to be so much more than I am for Him.
Just then, I glanced downward to the side of the trail as I was 30 feet above the lake beside me, only to find myself staring eye-to-eye with this Barred Owl. With camera in hand, I snapped this shot of a bird that wasn’t interested in moving.
A quote I have known for years came to mind, “Remain before God until unutterable longings are begotten within you for salvation, and the sweet evidence is obtained of pardoned sin.”
Like has happened so very many times in the past in similar situations, I walked away in peace. How many times has God drawn near through nature to let me know He hears these prayers? How many times has it been a Barred Owl.
This is why I take my camera with me on hikes while I am out praying, to capture these hugs from God.
I am often looking up for things to photograph (mainly birds). I happened to look down and had a fun photoshoot with this snail on his morning rush across the trail.
I had a great shot of a male Black-throated Green Warbler years ago, but with an upgraded camera and lens, I have been hoping for another shot at it. I got my chance here.
After moving south to Wisconsin 3 years ago, I have enjoyed better northern lights displays that much of the 12 years I lived in Canada. This weekend was no exception. lights filled the sky and gave some magnificent colors, columns, and curtains.
Hiking along along the Gandy Dancer Trail this morning when this porcupine waddled out onto the trail not 20 feet in front of me.
In less than a minute (thought it felt like a lot longer), I got more than a dozen varied and wonderful shots, and he was gone.
So Stinking Cute!
SM7_8134a Blackburnian Warbler Wtrmk
These are the sort of shots I have been wanting to get for years now. Such a sweet shoot!
Had an awesome encounter with a Scarlet Tanager last week which afforded me the dream shots I have been hoping for for many yaars.
While visiting a friend in Tennessee, I watched numerous bluebirds in their backyard. Eventually had to get my camera out for a few shots.
The water beads on this shelf mushroom are called Guttation. Not exactly sure which species of shelf mushroom it is though.
Tis the season for Bald Eagles. My count for the year (before March is out) is over 380!
The irony is that I drove 2 hours to see them on the Mississippi a month or more ago, and did see some, but a friend called me this afternoon to tell me that they were congregating 10 miles north of me.
On a recent backpacking trip, my number 1 target species to photograph was this Black-throated Blue Warbler. I have heard him along this hike on a number of times in the past, but this was the first time I got nice shots of him.
Nearly kicked this fella this morning as I was hiking the Ice Age Trail. I was looking down (at my steps) and failed to see him on the trail until I was within 6 feet of him. He startled, which startled me. He stepped to the edge of the trail as I watched him for a bit before he slowly worked back into the underbrush, watching me as he went.
A sweet find as I had spent a good bit of time in prayer while hiking and this encounter brought such a smile to my face.
This beautiful fox is a wild fox, but obviously not skittish. It climbed up on this stump and curled up to watch the world go by, just 15 feet from my car (and myself standing behind my car).