Frozen Abstracts

Another Wisconsin morning without sunshine, no birds in sight, and I'm standing by the Thiensville dam, freezing. Ice is starting to form sporadically along much of the river banks but it is thin and irregular. 

 

One of the things I love about photography is that a seemingly plain subject can look totally different if you zoom in and redefine your composition in an unfamiliar way. All of the following photos are of patches of ice in a small stream that feeds into the river.

 

Disclaimer: Some of the photos were edited to change the exposures or tones in order to give them an abstract quality. 

 

 

 

 
 

            



 

        

     















 
    

Note: The photo on the left was edited to change image orientation from positive to negative.

                                                                

Hosta Luego! Goodbye, Autumn!

This has been a beautiful fall in Wisconsin, but sometimes we overlook the last stages of color in our gardens and landscapes. These photos were taken in gardens and landscapes just before the rain and wind accelerated their disappearance.

The camera doesn't capture the scene quite as faithfully as the human eye, but it can transform a common field into an impressionist display.


Behold the lowly hosta plants!

                                        

 

  

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

 

~Albert Camus

 

 

 

You can still find spots in autumn that remind us of spring. 

 

“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale."

 

~Lauren DeStefano

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red-Tailed Hawk



Sometimes you needn't look beyond your own backyard for excellent photo ops. This was the case last week when I spotted a Red-Tailed Hawk in the yard of a nearby neighbor. I was able to get this shot and considered myself lucky---hawks seldom stroll around the yard.

The next day, I saw the hawk in a tree a few hundred feet away, so I pulled into a neighbor's driveway for a better visual vantage point. The hawk seemed to be staring at me (or the lens) and, again, I felt very fortunate to have another chance at some good pics.

All of a sudden Red-Tail left the tree and flew directly toward me, finally landing atop the roof of the condo where I was parked! I couldn't believe my good luck, so I slowly lowered my window and got some of the best hawk photos ever.

After a few minutes, Red-Tail flew away, almost as though he/she finally decided that I wasn't lunch and that smaller prey would be easier to carry away than the voyeur with the camera.

 

A few in black & white:

 



 

Ospreys Redux

My friend Allan and I made another trip to Green Lake to check on the progress of the nesting ospreys there.  This was precipitated by a visit to the Green Lake Association Osprey Cam (http://www.greenlakeassociation.com/glaw/index.php/what-we-do/watershed-education/green-lake-osprey-cam/ ) where we noted that the two fledglings in the nest were quickly reaching a size where they would have a solo flight and then leave the nest for good.

Only one of the fledglings was visible from the ground.

Mama osprey began circling above us, sending out a distress call to hubby who, as usual, was nowhere around.

After about 30 minutes, Papa osprey appeared with lunch, a rather large fish, but he saw us and flew away, fish in talons.  Note the size of the fish.

 

 

After a few minutes, Papa returned with a slightly smaller fish. The bum had been snacking while he waited for us to leave! Once again, he flew off to his quiet corner somewhere.

 

The next time that he came back and refused to land, we deduced that if the fledglings were to be fed we would have to leave the area, so we moved a short distance away.








Success! He finally landed with what was left of the meal. (Photo taken from afar.)

If you think you might want to see the nesting ospreys, just go to the center of the city of Green Lake and find the high school baseball field; it won't be difficult to locate. But you'd better act quickly---the fledglings look as though they'll be taking off soon.

Birds in Flight--Part 1




Birds in flight are always beautiful and sometimes scary.  From the lowly Black Tern to the awesome Bald Eagle, to the intimidating Osprey, there's nothing more spectacular than to see a bird in flight. Here are my favorites.

These graceful Ibises look like they're attached and choreographed but it's just business as usual when they fly.

 The snowy owl on right has feathers that give the owl a silent, stealthy approach to its prey, which hears nothing until it's too late.

No comment necessary.

The hawk on the right took off immediately when I invaded its personal space.

Kaukana, Wisconsin, Bald Eagle

                                                                                        

 

Herons are stately when quietly wading in water but are also agile and graceful in flight.

 
 
 



These Canada Geese made a fast escape from our condo pond when I approached.

 

The Black Tern photos were taken a few weeks ago at Horicon Marsh.  They are quick and accurate as they dive for their food, but when they hover like this there's a good chance to get a decent photo. 

 

This Osprey photo was taken on May 28th in Green Lake, where a pair of Ospreys returned to a nest they built last year on top of a light fixture at the local baseball field.

As you can see, the Osprey can be very scary looking (but perfectly beautiful!)

BTW, there's a Green Lake Association Osprey Cam available on the net. Just Google for it and watch as they sit on their eggs.

Bald Eagles

The Bald Eagle, sometimes called the American Bald Eagle, is not really bald, and so does not resort to the dreaded "bird comb-over."  Apparently, the word "bald" used to mean "white" in earlier times and the adult Bald Eagle more accurately has white feathers on its head and tail.

Eagles weigh an average of about 12 pounds, have a life span of about 25 to 30 years, mate for life and can fly at altitudes reaching over 9,000 feet.  The nest (aerie) built by an eagle pair can weigh up to one ton.

The following photos were taken this month on two trips to Prairie Du Sac, Wisconsin at the Alliant Energy dam.  All photos were taken with a  300 mm fixed lens hand-held in my car.  (It was too cold to man a tripod outside.)

The eagles perch in nearby trees and when they spot a fish they circle above the water, hover, and then grasp the fish.



(Note the fish held in the talons.)

This juvenile eagle has not quite reached the adult stage (note the mottled feathers and not quite white tail.) But it definitely knew how to fish!

A better photo of a juvenile.

 

 

 

Eagles will fight over territorial rights or to try to steal another eagle's lunch.  They also sometimes grasp each other's talons and do a tail-spin, often while mating.

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

I cropped this from the above photo and converted it to black and white.

 

Is it any wonder that the Bald Eagle was selected to be our National Bird?

 

 

Humpback Whales

January and February in Maui, Hawaii are peak times to view the enormous Humpback whale, there to take advantage of the warmer water for flirting, breeding, and calving. Competition among the males creates some of the best whale-watching as they gather in pods of 3 to 10 whales surrounding a female like closing time at the local bar.

Humpback adult whales average 40-50 feet in length and weigh between 70,000 to 90,000 lbs.  The average weight of the heart of a Humpback is about 430 lbs. Think of the Humpback as a school bus with flippers.

The above photo (rare) is of a Humpback "spy-hopping," a term used to describe the behavior of the whale as it treads water and sticks a portion of its head out of water in order to observe the surroundings, in this case a raft containing amazed and gawking tourists.  The eyes of this whale are below the surface of the water; whales see equally well in both air and water. This curious whale stayed for about 10-15 seconds before submerging.

 "Breaching" is when the whale projects itself high out of the water and noisily slaps the water with its body and fins as it lands. It is speculated that it does this to attract attention or simply because it is fun. (It's also very difficult---I tried in the bathtub but failed.)

When the Humpback dives, its enormous fins are the last image you see as it goes down into the ocean.  Note the barnacles beginning to form.

 

The Humpbacks usually migrate from Hawaii back to Alaska, returning there in late summer to feed on krill and other food sources. By this time, there are many calves accompanying the Humpbacks.  After a gestation period of about one year, calves are born (tail first) weighing about 4,500 lbs. and the length of about 14 feet.

 

We were in Alaska's inside passage years ago and observed Humpback calves slapping their fins and breaching for long periods without stopping, much like playful children. (see photo below)

 

 

 

I encourage you to see these beautiful creatures in their environment---it is an everlasting memory.