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  • A dark and dusky field with a midnight splash of light and shadows illuminates the golden grass and burn orange wildflowers under a raging rolling sky.
    Raging Midnight Field.jpg
  • The concept of Death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood. It is also given the name of the Angel of Death (Malach HaMavet) or Devil of Death or the angel of dark and light stemming from the Bible and Talmudic lore. <br />
<br />
The angel of death reflects man's ambivalent nature toward death, as death is very difficult for many of us to cope with. The angel of death, or grim reaper as he is sometimes called, allows us to embody the concept of death into a tangible creature. The idea of the angel of death is thousands of years old. The angel of death is or has been identified with Satan, and it is said that when Eve touched the tree of knowledge, she perceived the angel of death, and thought: Now I shall die, and God will create another wife for Adam.<br />
<br />
Throughout recorded history, people from various religious perspectives have spoken of an 'Angel of Death' who does just that. Many people from all walks of life who have had near death experiences have reported that they've encountered angels who helped them, and people who have witnessed loved ones die have also reported encountering angels who gave their dying loved ones peace. Sometimes dying people's last words describe the visions they're experiencing. For example, just before famous inventor Thomas Edison died in 1931, he remarked: 'It is very beautiful over there.'
    Angel Of Death.jpg
  • A Sinister 18 Wheeler travels down a forbidding road at a dark midnight hour through ominous skies.
    Midnight Deisel.jpg
  • Was trying for something to fit a mood, a dark piece with a good amount of black and some rich tones from the flowers, and light hues to contrast.
    spring-flowers-A2.jpg
  • A sunflower plant of the genus Helianthus having large flower heads with dark disk florets and showy yellow rays. A very tall plant that has large yellow flowers with a round brown center. Sunflowers produce seeds that are used for making cooking oil.
    Twilight Sunflower.jpg
  • A fun flowering bush with glowing petals contrasted against a dark background with purple, pink and cream florets.
    Poppin Floral Bush.jpg
  • A drive through a back road in New Melle Missouri as the weather starts to take a turn for the worse and looking ahead it feels a bit ominous.
    Something Wicked Ahead.jpg
  • A Shadowed Moody Shot of the Elephant Statue in front of the Saint Louis Zoo. This sculpture is named Reaching Elephant by  Kent Ullberg
    Dusky Elephant.jpg
  • An Eastern Tent Caterpiller Moth crawls down the stem of an unknown plant in midnight light
    Eastern Tent Caterpillar Midnight Cr...jpg
  • Eastern Tent Caterpillar Texture.jpg
  • An Eastern Tent Caterpiller Moth crawls down the stem of an unknown plant in midnight light
    Moody Red Tent Caterpillar.jpg
  • Taken at the Friedens-Peace United Church of Christ. Friedens Peace United Church of Christ seeks to be a transformative community where following Christ finds expression in both word and deed. <br />
<br />
Friedens (Peace) United Church of Christ was started by a group of residents who broke off from the St. Paul 's Lutheran Church . In 1858, there were two Lutheran Churches in New Melle ? St. Peter's and St. Paul 's.  St. Paul 's congregation joined the Missouri Synod.  That same year the St. Peter's Congregation built a new church of native stone (the building that is now St. Paul 's).  The two churches were originally united, but had split over doctrinal issues. In 1868, they reunited and became St. Paul 's Missouri Synod Lutheran Church .<br />
<br />
Some members continued to be unhappy and according to St. Paul 's records, the dissent was over doctrine.  The first records of Friedens begin in 1904.  Some family names appear in both the St. Paul and Friedens (Peace) records.  Included in both records were the families of Henry Schewede, John Nienheuser, Jacob Boehm, Ernst Brakensiek, and John Doermann.  Fourteen voting members had a dream of starting a new church by accepting the doctrinal statement of the German Evangelical Church Society of the West.  This new church would eventually become the Friedens (Peace) United Church of Christ we know today.<br />
<br />
The first minister was Rev. Stroetker, resident Pastor of St. John's Church in Cappeln.  This was the beginning of a long history of sharing a minister with St. John's .  The first service was held in German on August 28, 1904 , in the Peniel Methodist Church on Schutzen Street (now part of a private residence).<br />
<br />
The property on which Friedens church is located was purchased from John and Laura Koelling in 1905 for $2,400.  The building on the property had been used as a grocery store/saloon.  Ernest Sudbrock was chosen as carpenter to do the remodeling, along with a lot of volunteer help.
    Intrepid Faith.jpg
  • Orchis mascula, the early purple orchid, is a species of orchid in the genus Orchis.
    Steeped Orchid Jive.jpg
  • A macro shot of my forearm and some goofing with Topaz Labs - Topaz Glow
    Hairy Zombie Skin.jpg
  • A Bald Eagle's Majesty Shines From The Shadows
    Majesty On Black.jpg
  • A female Northern Cardinal perched atop an old, decaying tree stump basking in what little light is left in the day, just out of reach from the shadows of the woods behind her.
    Female Cardinal From The Shadows.jpg
  • Taken at the Friedens-Peace United Church of Christ. Friedens Peace United Church of Christ seeks to be a transformative community where following Christ finds expression in both word and deed.<br />
<br />
Friedens (Peace) United Church of Christ was started by a group of residents who broke off from the St. Paul 's Lutheran Church . In 1858, there were two Lutheran Churches in New Melle - St. Peter's and St. Paul 's. St. Paul 's congregation joined the Missouri Synod. That same year the St. Peter's Congregation built a new church of native stone (the building that is now St. Paul 's). The two churches were originally united, but had split over doctrinal issues. In 1868, they reunited and became St. Paul 's Missouri Synod Lutheran Church .<br />
<br />
Some members continued to be unhappy and according to St. Paul 's records, the dissent was over doctrine. The first records of Friedens begin in 1904. Some family names appear in both the St. Paul and Friedens (Peace) records. Included in both records were the families of Henry Schewede, John Nienheuser, Jacob Boehm, Ernst Brakensiek, and John Doermann. Fourteen voting members had a dream of starting a new church by accepting the doctrinal statement of the German Evangelical Church Society of the West. This new church would eventually become the Friedens (Peace) United Church of Christ we know today.<br />
<br />
The first minister was Rev. Stroetker, resident Pastor of St. John's Church in Cappeln. This was the beginning of a long history of sharing a minister with St. John's . The first service was held in German on August 28, 1904 , in the Peniel Methodist Church on Schutzen Street (now part of a private residence).<br />
<br />
The property on which Friedens church is located was purchased from John and Laura Koelling in 1905 for $2,400. The building on the property had been used as a grocery store/saloon. Ernest Sudbrock was chosen as carpenter to do the remodeling, along with a lot of volunteer help.
    Winter Worship.jpg
  • Terminator Teddy Bear has turned to desperate measures to defend himself.
    TeddyNator.jpg
  • A Field of Electric Petal Silver Lilies in Black and White
    Starving Floral Color.jpg
  • Just outside New Melle Missouri.<br />
4 shot sequence total<br />
3 shot Exposure stack over 7 minutes.<br />
Photomatix used to de-ghost clouds and moon flare<br />
Toning via NIK Color Efex<br />
4th shot composite merge from a larger focal length
    Lunar Light Turn.jpg
  • Peruvian Lily Dance.jpg
  • Shire-B.jpg
  • high-key-rose-B.jpg
  • high-key-rose-A.jpg
  • A moody midnight shot with a slightly ominous feel at Mel's Drive-In in Universal Studios Florida.
    Mels Drive-In BW.jpg
  • Whispering Wishes - The Closer You Are To The Stars, The Better Chance You're Wish Will Be Granted..
    In The Sky With Diamonds.jpg
  • A Pink Flaming Searches For Food In The Shadows
    Flamingo In The Shadows.jpg
  • The flowers in this arrangement were starting to wilt, and the petals were beginning to show signs of the last days coming. I wanted to get a descent shot of them, without conveying the age and wilted petals. My approach was to process the image to highlight these areas to covey some character and detail, instead of the appearance of decay.
    Peruvian Lily Grain.jpg
  • Shire-A.jpg
  • A buck trots out from the woods and catches enough light for a photo stop
    A Buck From The Shadows.jpg
  • A wood duck swims in a sea of blue as the sun sets and rays illuminate the waterfowl.
    Darkwing Ducky.jpg
  • An Abstraction of a Queen Annes Lace with a Vibrant Artistic Flare. A pattern of interlacing lines from the plant are contrasted against a deep and ominous backdrop
    Reticulated Corruption.jpg
  • A Water Lily and Lily Pads on a Pond of Midnight Black Water with Radiating Energy
    Lilypads on Midnight Black.jpg
  • Electric Pink Petals of a Gerber Daisy Against a Black Backdrop
    Pink Gerber Press.jpg
  • An Eastern Tent Caterpillar atop a round pointy flowering weed
    Shaggin On.jpg
  • Dusky Isolation.jpg
  • Tufted in Lavender.jpg
  • I was feeling in a bit of a romantic mood on New Years Eve when putting this shot together, hopefully it translated.
    Daisy Mates.jpg
  • Hallow Shire.jpg
  • Old Grange.jpg
  • A Splash of Contrast.jpg
  • high-key-rose-C.jpg
  • Branched Trepidation.jpg
  • Casting Tree.jpg
  • A Dark-Eyed Junco Foraged for seeds on the ground and a late fall afternoon
    Dark-Eyed Junco Foraging.jpg
  • A long dark road in black and white stretches through a rural landscape in Wentzville, Missouri
    A Long Dark Road.jpg
  • A Female Dark-Eyed Junco Foraging For Food in the Snow During A Cold Blue Winter Day.<br />
<br />
Females and juvenile birds are generally paler and show a greater mixture of brown in the plumage. Generally, there is less white on the outer tail feathers in juvenile and female birds. There is, however, much individual variation.<br />
<br />
The Dark-eyed Junco is the best-known species of the juncos, a genus of small grayish American sparrows. This bird is common across much of temperate North America and in summer ranges far into the Arctic. Dark-eyed Juncos are neat, even flashy little sparrows that flit about forest floors of the western mountains and Canada, then flood the rest of North America for winter. They're easy to recognize by their crisp (though extremely variable) markings and the bright white tail feathers they habitually flash in flight. One of the most abundant forest birds of North America, you'll see juncos on woodland walks as well as in flocks at your feeders or on the ground beneath them. <br />
<br />
Juncos are the "snowbirds" of the middle latitudes. Over most of the eastern United States, they appear as winter sets in and then retreat northward each spring. Some juncos in the Appalachian Mountains remain there all year round, breeding at the higher elevations. These residents have shorter wings than the migrants that join them each winter. Longer wings are better suited to flying long distances, a pattern commonly noted among other studies of migratory vs. resident species.
    Blue Christmas Junco.jpg
  • A Dark-Eyed Junco Sitting On A Tree Branch Masked In The Shadows
    Junco Tree Perch.jpg
  • A Dark-Eyed Junco Perched On A Tree Branch
    DE Junco on Branch.jpg
  • A Dark-Eyed Junco Enjoying Some Flurries As The Snow Piles Up Around The Fallen Tree
    Winter Junco On Stump.jpg
  • Miss Junco Enjoying Her Winter Perch
    Junco Winter Bokeh.jpg
  • A Junco out catching snowflakes on a cold winter afternoon
    Chilly Junco On Her Perch.jpg
  • This Moody Junco Was Perched On A Dead Tree At The End Of Fall As The Cool Weather Settled In
    Junco On Perch.jpg
  • Well the Junco's are officially taking over the yard, so Winter must be in full effect
    Snowy Winter Junco.jpg
  • Lonesome Junco Nest.jpg
  • A Vanessa Atalanta (Red Admiral) Butterfly perched atop a vibrant pink flowering thistle. This large butterfly is identified by its striking dark brown, red, and black wing pattern. More specifically, the dark wings possess orange bands that cross the fore wings and on the outer edge of the hind wings; white spots on the dorsal fore wings near the front margin; reddish bars on dorsal surface of all four wings.
    Vanessa Atalanta on Flowering Thistl...jpg
  • The Halloween Pennant has been described as looking very similar to a butterfly. Its wings are orange-yellow in color, though its markings are dark brown, not black as is commonly believed; the entirely orange-yellow wings with dark brown bands are what has given it its Halloween common name and its typical position of being perched at the tip of a weed stalk, waving in the breeze like a pennant contributes to the remainder of its common name. The young has yellow markings, including a stripe on its back, and adult males develop pale red markings, particularly on the face, though females will occasionally get these red markings too. Halloween Pennants are normally between 38 and 42 mm (approx. 1.5 inches) in size. They feed on other insects, and they are able to fly in rain and strong wind. On hot days, it will often shade its thorax using its wings.
    Female Calico Pennant 6.jpg
  • The double-crested cormorant is a little more than two feet long with a wingspan of about four feet. It has dark brown to black feathers, a long hooked bill with an orange throat pouch, a long tail, and webbed black feet. Adults have tufts of feathers over their eyes. Males and females look alike.<br />
<br />
The double-crested cormorant nests in colonies. Both the male and female will build a nest of sticks, twigs and seaweed. Nests are built in trees and shrubs and on the ground of rocky cliffs and islands. The female lays three to five eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs for about a month. Both parents also feed and take care of the chicks. The chicks fledge in 35-40 days.<br />
<br />
The double-crested cormorant breeds from the coast of Alaska and Nova Scotia south to Mexico and the Bahamas. It winters on both coasts north to southern Alaska and southern New England.<br />
<br />
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae or the cormorants is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.
    Cormorant Peek.jpg
  • A Wood Duck Hen Preens Along The Shore of the Lake.<br />
<br />
Wood ducks pair up in late winter and they begin breeding in early spring. The males attract females with their call and attractive, colorful breeding plumage. <br />
<br />
Female wood ducks have grayish-brown bodies. The back is dark gray-brown and the sides are a lighter shade. The most noticeable characteristics of the females are found on the head. The head is gray with a white eye-ring around each eye. The head also has a crest of feathers at the back and white feathers on the throat and chin. <br />
<br />
Wood ducks will 'tip up' and dip their heads under the water to find the standard wetland fare to eat like wild rice, smartweed, pondweed, bulrush, and lotus seeds, but they love to eat "out," of the water that is. They love fruits and nuts found in the woods like beechnuts, wild acorns grapes, and one of their favorites, acorns.
    Preening Wood Duck Hen.jpg
  • The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle.<br />
<br />
Though their numbers have grown in much of their range, bald eagles remain most abundant in Alaska and Canada. These powerful birds of prey use their talons to fish, but they get many of their meals by scavenging carrion or stealing the kills of other animals. (Such thievery famously prompted Ben Franklin to argue against the bird's nomination as the United State's national symbol.) They live near water and favor coasts and lakes where fish are plentiful, though they will also snare and eat small mammals.<br />
<br />
Bald eagles are believed to mate for life. A pair constructs an enormous stick nest�one of the bird-world's biggest�high above the ground and tends to a pair of eggs each year. Immature eagles are dark, and until they are about five years old, they lack the distinctive white markings that make their parents so easy to identify. Young eagles roam great distances. Florida birds have been spotted in Michigan, and California eagles have traveled all the way to Alaska.
    Baldy On Lookout.jpg
  • A Dark and Moody Backyard in Nichole Park in Black and White
    Moody Backyard.jpg
  • Watching huge flocks of Snow Geese swirl down from the sky, amid a cacophony of honking, is a little like standing inside a snow globe. These loud, white-and-black geese can cover the ground in a snowy blanket as they eat their way across fallow cornfields or wetlands. Among them, you might see a dark form with a white head?a color variant called the ?Blue Goose.? Snow Geese have skyrocketed in numbers and are now among the most abundant waterfowl on the continent. <br />
<br />
The Snow Goose, also known as the Blue Goose, is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed. Snow Geese don't like to travel without the company of another couple dozen geese and can form flocks of several hundred thousand. Family groups forage together on wintering grounds, digging up roots and tubers from muddy fields and marshes. In flight, they are steady on the wing with even wingbeats.
    Snow Geese Over New Melle.jpg
  • A Double-Crested Cormorant casts a shadow against textured peeling paint at the Saint Louis Zoo. The Double-crested Cormorant is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It occurs along inland waterways as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America. he Double-crested Cormorant is a large waterbird with a stocky body, long neck, medium-sized tail, webbed feet and a medium sized hooked bill.<br />
<br />
Recently the population of Double-crested Cormorants has increased. Some studies have concluded that the recovery was allowed by the decrease of contaminants, particularly the discontinued use of DDT. The population may have also increased because of aquaculture ponds in its southern wintering grounds. The ponds favor good over-winter survival and growth.<br />
<br />
Adult Double-crested Cormorants are black or dark brown and have an orange-yellow patch of skin at the base of their bills. In breeding plumage, adults have two whitish tufts behind their eyes, hence the description 'double-crested.' First-year birds are pale on the upper breast and darker on the belly. Double-crested Cormorants have slender, hook-tipped bills that are often tipped up at an angle as they swim. They can be distinguished from the other two Washington cormorant species by their thicker bills and by the pronounced kink in their long necks in flight.
    Cormorant By Cracked Paint.jpg
  • The Common Starling, also known as the European Starling or in the British Isles just the Starling, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family Sturnidae.<br />
<br />
First brought to North America by Shakespeare enthusiasts in the nineteenth century, European Starlings are now among the continent?s most numerous songbirds. They are stocky black birds with short tails, triangular wings, and long, pointed bills. Though they?re sometimes resented for their abundance and aggressiveness, they?re still dazzling birds when you get a good look. Covered in white spots during winter, they turn dark and glossy in summer. For much of the year, they wheel through the sky and mob lawns in big, noisy flocks.
    Starling On Lime Grass.jpg
  • A member of the tribe of 'stiff-tailed ducks', the Ruddy Duck has a spiky tail that it often holds straight up in display. Female ruddy ducks have grayish-brown neck and body plumage. The sides of the head and neck are dull buff-brown with a single dusky horizontal stripe crossing a pale-gray cheek patch. The bill is dark gray and the legs and feet are grayish. Females are relatively silent.
    Adult Female Ruddy Duck.jpg
  • The Wood Duck or Carolina Duck is a species of duck found in North America. It is one of the most colourful North American waterfowl. Males are iridescent chestnut and green, with ornate patterns on nearly every feather; the elegant females have a distinctive profile and delicate white pattern around the eye. These birds live in wooded swamps, where they nest in holes in trees or in nest boxes put up around lake margins. They are one of the few duck species equipped with strong claws that can grip bark and perch on branches.<br />
<br />
In good light, males have a glossy green head cut with white stripes, a chestnut breast and buffy sides. In low or harsh light, they'll look dark overall with paler sides. Females are gray-brown with white-speckled breast. In eclipse plumage (late summer), males lose their pale sides and bold stripes, but retain their bright eye and bill.<br />
<br />
Wood ducks breed across most of the central and eastern United States, southeastern Canada and along the Pacific coast from California to British Columbia. The highest breeding densities occur in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. In recent decades, the breeding range has expanded westward into the Great Plains region following development of wooded riparian corridors. Wood ducks prefer riparian habitats, wooded swamps and freshwater marshes.
    Wood Duck Flap.jpg
  • Females and juveniles are mottled brown with orange-and-brown bills. Both sexes have a white-bordered, blue 'speculum' patch in the wing. Large dabbling duck Streaked brown and tan overall Dark blue patch on wing Dull orange and black bill
    Female Mallard Duck.jpg
  • Immature bald eagles have mostly dark heads and tails; their brown wings and bodies are mottled with white in varying amounts. Young birds attain adult plumage in about five years.
    Immature Bald Eagle Square.jpg
  • Not exactly a place you want to encounter alone on a dark night
    Skull Collector.jpg
  • With its long, earlike tufts, intimidating yellow-eyed stare, and deep hooting voice, the Great Horned Owl is the quintessential owl of storybooks. This powerful predator can take down birds and mammals even larger than itself, but it also dines on daintier fare such as tiny scorpions, mice, and frogs. It's one of the most common owls in North America, equally at home in deserts, wetlands, forests, grasslands, backyards, cities, and almost any other semi-open habitat between the Arctic and the tropics.<br />
<br />
Great Horned Owls are fierce predators that can take large prey, including raptors such as Ospreys, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, and other owls. They also eat much smaller items such as rodents, frogs, and scorpions. Great Horned Owls have large eyes, pupils that open widely in the dark, and retinas containing many rod cells for excellent night vision. Their eyes don't move in their sockets, but they can swivel their heads more than 180 degrees to look in any direction. They also have sensitive hearing, thanks in part to facial disc feathers that direct sound waves to their ears.
    Great Horned Owl.jpg
  • This Blue Hyacinth Macaw Strikes A Funny Pose.<br />
<br />
The large Hyacinth Macaw Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus is a majestic beauty. Visually it appears to be the largest parrot in the world. But that is not quite so. The elongated body of the Hyacinth reaches about 37' (95 cm) in length and it has an impressive wingspan up to about 42 inches across, which is the most expansive parrot in the world. But the Hyacinth is not all that hefty, it only weighs up to about 3.7 lb.<br />
<br />
The worlds largest parrot is actually a flightless, ground-dwelling bird. It is the species Strigops habroptila, commonly called Kakapo which means night parrot. This hefty bird only extends to 24' (61 cm) in length, but in weight a mature adult can be up to 9 pounds (4 kg)! The Kakapo is endemic to New Zealand and is quite a pretty bird in its own right. Rather than being blue like the Hyacinth, it is a yellowish green color mottled with dark stripes and spots giving it an owlish appearance. Its scientific name actually means 'owl-faced soft feathers'.<br />
<br />
The beautiful Hyacinth is pretty much an all blue large Macaw. The rich cobalt blue of its coloring is what influenced its name. It is a calm Macaw and known to make an excellent pet. Hyacinth Macaws have a very even temperament. They are sweet, extremely gentle, and are not inclined to make a great deal of noise. They are affectionate and playful, and become quite attached to their human families.
    Hyacinth Pose.jpg
  • Angel came to the National Eagle Center in 2000.  She had been found on the ground with a broken wing near Grantsburg, WI in 1999. She was just a fledgling and had been surviving on scraps of fish from nearby herons' nests.<br />
<br />
Angel was treated at the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center in St. Paul, where she underwent surgery and realignment of the broken bone in her wing. Though repair of the bone was successful, the damage to the musculature could not be repaired. Angel is unable to sustain flight as she would need to survive in the wild.<br />
<br />
Angel seems to have adjusted quite well as an eagle ambassador. She has matured from a dark headed juvenile to a fully mature, white-headed female bald eagle. Angel's loud vocalizations can be heard when a wild eagle passes by the windows of the National Eagle Center. Angel got her name in a naming contest by a 4th grade student from St. Felix School in Wabasha.<br />
<br />
Angel's regal appearance has made her a favorite guest at many Native American ceremonies and countless educational events for schools, scout troops and communities.
    Columbia in B and W.jpg
  • The East African Crowned Crane (Grey Crowned Crane) gets its name from the distinctive golden crown of feathers on its head. The Grey Crowned Crane is a bird in the crane family Gruidae. It occurs in dry savannah in Africa south of the Sahara, although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats.They can also be found in marshes. This photo was taken at the Saint Louis Zoo<br />
<br />
This species and the closely related Black Crowned Crane are the only cranes that can roost in trees, because of a long hind toe that can grasp branches. This habit, amongst other things, is a reason why the relatively small Balearica cranes are believed to closely resemble the ancestral members of the Gruidae.<br />
<br />
The body of the Grey Crowned Crane is mainly gray. The wings are predominantly white, but contain feathers with colors ranging from white to brown to gold. The head is topped with a crown of stiff golden feathers. Cheek patches are white, and a red gular sack is present under the chin. The gular sack is similar to a wattle, except that it can be inflated. Legs and toes are black. The bill is short and dark gray. <br />
<br />
West African crowned cranes are monogamous birds that form pairs for life. Pairs can be seen together even in the middle of a large flock, which suggests an exceptionally strong pair bond. Adult cranes reinforce their pair bond by dancing for and with each other. They perform ritualistic dance displays that include bows, leaps, runs, wing flapping, short flights, jerky bouncing, running, and stick tossing. Cranes of all ages dance. Among younger birds, dancing may serve to reduce aggression with other cranes, provide physical exercise, and possibly relieve anxiety.
    Crowned Crane Consistency.jpg
  • An early morning bite on the fishing line while boating in Lake Superior just after sunrise while the sun was peeking through the dark billowing clouds.
    Early Morning Bite.jpg
  • The spicebush swallowtail butterfly is a large, dark swallowtail. It is one of our most beautiful and interesting swallowtails. All developmental stages are great examples of adaptive coloration. The wingspread range is 4.1 to 5.6 cm. The upper surface of the fore wings is black with a narrow marginal row and a broader submarginal row of light yellow row spots. The upper surfaces of the hind wings also have the rows of spots, but they are light green in color. The median areas of the hind wings are dusted with blue in females and blue-green to green in males.
    Spicebush In Wildflowers.jpg
  • The Calico Pennant or Elisa Pennant (Celithemis elisa) is a dragonfly found in North America, in the Pennant genus of dragonflies. With Distinctive wing pattern; dark subterminal wing marking small and restricted to leading edge of wing.<br />
Male has pink wing veins and red heart-shaped abdominal spots; female has yellow wing veins and bright yellow abdominal spots.
    Dragonfly Sparkles.jpg
  • The female Mallard is predominantly mottled with each individual feather showing sharp contrast from buff to very dark brown, a coloration shared by most female dabbling ducks, and has buff cheeks, eyebrow, throat and neck with a darker crown and eye-stripe
    Flying Female Mallard.jpg
  • An Eagle grabs a fishy snack to cure a powerful appetite. The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle.<br />
<br />
The Bald Eagle is an opportunistic feeder which subsists mainly on fish, which it swoops down and snatches from the water with its talons. It builds the largest nest of any North American bird and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species.<br />
<br />
The plumage of an adult Bald Eagle is evenly dark brown with a white head and tail. The tail is moderately long and slightly wedge-shaped. Males and females are identical in plumage coloration, but sexual dimorphism is evident in the species in that females are 25 percent larger than males. The beak, feet and irides are bright yellow.<br />
<br />
There are two subspecies of bald eagles. The "southern" bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus, is found in the Gulf States from Texas and Baja California across to South Carolina and Florida, south of 40 degrees north latitude. The "northern" bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascanus, is found north of 40 degrees north latitude across the entire continent. The largest numbers of northern bald eagles are in the Northwest, especially in Alaska. The "northern" bald eagle is slightly larger than the "southern" bald eagle. Studies have shown that "northern" bald eagles fly into the southern states and Mexico, and the "southern" bald eagles fly north into Canada. Because of these finding, the subspecies of "northern" and "southern" bald eagles has been discontinued in recent literature.
    Bald Eagle Snacks.jpg
  • A Dark-Eyed Junco in harsh light gives me a pose
    Spring Dark-Eyed Junco.jpg
  • A lonely Dark-eyed Junco Forages For Food In The Snow
    Lonely Junco In Snow.jpg