Day 214: A Walk in the Park … Turkeys and Doves

When I headed out for my morning bird walk, my expectations were not high. The weather was unsettled with lots of dark storm clouds. However, for the period of about 30 minutes the sun tried to come out, and the birds took that time to make their presence known to me. Both photos are special to me:

  1. I love mourning doves, but they are a hard subject in terms of getting a decent photo. They normally hang out on power lines (boring photo), but today this bird obliged me by flying to the top of a nearby cabin and being caught in the soft morning light.
  2. This turkey family has to be the same chicks I captured back on June 1st  (day #130) when an eagle flew overhead and scared everyone. The location of the pictures almost dictates it is the same group of chicks. It was neat to see them now as juveniles.

Early Morning Mourning Dove
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The Turkey Family Reprise
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Day 213: School is now in Session – Cliff Swallows

Swallows like to sit in groups in wires, but this generally means:

  • The birds are a ways above the photographer
    (and)
  • The only background is the sky

Surprisingly, today I found a power line where I could get on the same level as the cliff swallows, and insert some greenery in the background. I liked the result.

213-Birds-365-Cliff-Swallow-Fight 213-Birds-365-Cliff-Swallow-School

Day 212: Lunch now being served at Hoeg Hollow

Our heavy fog and mist in Duluth continues courtesy of Lake Superior. While we have a hard time getting about 65F, down in Minneapolis St. Paul the temperatures are soaring into the 90’s. I think I’ll stay up here in the Northland. Having said all of that, taking photographs in the fog is difficult due to issues ranging from low light to auto focus difficulties. Thus, today I retreated to using my own yard and bird feeders for photography subjects. It was easier to find the birds, and I could focus upon “motionless” birds (i.e. had to use longer shutter speeds).

American Goldfinch
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Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
212-Birds-365-Ruby-Throated-Hummingbird-Lunch