The gulls were providing free entertainment today. This one looks bored... but this one must be angry or upset. He's squawking about something. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the really frightening gull encounter I saw this morning...frightening for the gulls, not for me. A small hawk of some kind zipped across the path …
Wonderful wings
Have you ever thought about how wonderful wings would be? With wings, you would be instantly transformed into a beautiful, graceful airborne creature. With wings, you could fly off to places earthbound creatures like squirrels could only dream of. With wings, you could magically escape dangerous situations; lions, and tigers, and bears would cease to be a threat. And …
Blackbird Ballet
This morning in Chagrin River Park I made a surprising discovery: Blackbirds do ballet! I was privileged to capture on camera a private dance recital performed by one artistically-gifted redwing blackbird. Take a look: Who would have guessed? Certainly not I! After Mr. RWB was finished with his technically superior performance, he settled down for …
Another tale from the trail
Uh-oh! Mr. RBW and Mrs. Cardinal have simultaneously landed on the old tree stump next to a cache of bark butter bits. This could lead to disaster unless one of them backs down. As you can see from the picture above, Mr. RBW doesn't look like he is considering a retreat. Check out those claws …
Still practicing!
Not the birds. They don't need practice, but I definitely do! Today has been another cool and cloudy day on the south shore of Lake Erie, so instead of heading out on the trail in search of more photo opps, I am taking this opportunity to post the rest of yesterday's cloudy day B.I.A. photos. …
My current challenge
To achieve my goal of improving as a photographer I like to set challenges for myself, and currently I have challenged myself to capture sharp, well-composed, and exposed pictures of the birds I photograph...not when they are sitting still, but when they are in action, grabbing a bark butter bit and making their escape so …
A battle for the bark butter bits
Mr. Red-bellied woodpecker thought he had possession of the old fence post and had deluded himself into thinking the bark butter bits would all be his. Suddenly, to his shock, another RBW, this one a female, came swooping onto the scene to challenge him. His total control of the post was only temporary! Facing him across …
Adversaries!
I watched in amazement as a drama unfolded in the bog this afternoon. I was too far away to capture good quality pictures, but decided to share the action anyway. Sitting peaceably on a branch high in a tree, the red-tailed hawk wondered what hit him... ...and then hit him again. And a few more times for good …
I never know…
Fabulous Friday Faces You can find other F.F.F. blog posts here and my original gallery here. I never know what I'll see or who I'll meet when I set out on a trail walk with my camera. I don't actually plan these blog posts, they're usually just centered around the things I see and the people I meet along the trail. While …
Life along the trail
A little mystery and a near altercation This morning when I headed down the trail to check out the nesting boxes for signs of new life, I think I detected a chorus of little chirping sounds from inside one of the boxes. As I watched, a swallow flashed out of the box, way too fast …
SEEN ALONG THE TRAIL 