Category: birdwatcher

  • A year of birds: August 2023

    While driving past Isaacson’s Bay on August 2nd, I saw a young eagle in the marsh. He turned and looked at me. I am so glad to see more eagles each year; these majestic birds have really made a comeback in our area. The next weekend, I saw a female ruby-throated hummingbird in the garden.…

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  • A Year of Birds: July 2023

    July is starting out warm, and very green. The marshes are beautiful, and during a recent hike I saw a blue heron flying overhead on its way to another bay. A few days later, while  driving into town, I saw what looked like a falcon on a telephone wire. I believe it could be a…

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  • A Year of Birds 2023

    A Year of Birds 2023

    June, Part 2 Today, while out by Birdsong Bay, I saw something amazing. At first, I thought it was a woodcock flying, but when I got home, I was able to identify it as a Wilson’s Snipe; this beautifully marked bird flew out of the grassy areas surrounding the marshes. On the way home, I…

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  • A Year of Birds 2023

    June Part 1 PART 1 June this year had so many lovely birds, that I have broken this bird watching diary into two parts this month. June has come in cool and rainy, and also extremely busy as I travel to another state with my friend to support her as she seeks treatment for a…

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  • Osprey Resting

    I think ospreys are beautiful, and wanted to paint one that I saw near Houghton Lake in Michigan a few weeks ago. I watched while he ate a fish he had caught, and then continued resting for a bit in a tree near the water. “Osprey Resting on a Log” acrylic 16 X 20 inches.

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  • A Year of Birds 2023: May

    May is coming in windy and cool, but with sunlight sparkling on the water when it peeks through the clouds. The egrets are back in the marshes across from Misery Bay, and I watched one as it hunted frogs and preened in between. They are beautiful with their lovely plumes of feathers this time of…

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  • A Year of Birds: April 2023

    While still cold, with occasional flurries of snow, the days are finally getting a bit warmer, with temperatures creeping into the mid- to upper-30s at times. While snow is still on the ground, it is gradually melting, and the mornings are misty with the evaporation in the air. The ice is nearly melted on the…

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  • A Year of Birds: March 2023

    March has come in cold and blustery, with several inches of snow falling, as if to make up for the warmer weather at the end of February.  Ice has formed on the bay again, and it is bitter cold. One early morning during this cold spell, I saw a group of juvenile eagles out on…

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  • A Year of Birds: February 2023

    The warm spell at the January didn’t last. It is, after all, winter in northeast Michigan. The temperatures dropped to a chilly -5 degrees F in the early morning, and I am feeding the birds twice a day now (and the deer, too! They come by regularly for snacks). The ground has turned from a…

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  • A Year of Birds: January 2023

    January has come in cold for a few days after a warm spell (if you consider 35 degrees F warm, that is!). But it has snowed, the temperatures have dropped, and today I saw a mute swan swimming on the bay near the snow-covered beach. It glided silently along, beautiful. A couple of days later,…

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  • Favorite Photos of 2022: Part 2

    Here are some of my favorite photos from 2022 that I took. June: Ruffed Grouse July: Mute Swan July: Two Kingfishers July: Sandhill Crane mother and baby August: Hawk August: Tern with fish September: Blue Heron September: Sandhill Cranes October: Bald Eagles October: Yellow Legs migrating November: Young Eagle flying November: Golden eye ducks migrating…

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  • Favorite Photos 2022 Part 1

    This year, I took many photos, and want to share my favorites during this review of the year. January: rough legged hawk February: snowy owl March: Great Blue Heron April: Golden Eye May: Wood Ducks May: Phoebe May: Great Egret

    Read more: Favorite Photos 2022 Part 1