Category Archives: Bird Pictures

nature photography

Michigan’s Blue Heron – Most Photographed Michigan Bird

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Michigan’s Blue Heron
One of the Most Photographed Birds in Michigan 

The Michigan Blue Heron is often photographed as a silhouette, as a main foreground photographic subject, artist painted rendition, residential signage or photographed and submitted as contest entries.  The Michigan Blue Heron in one of the most prolific photographed birds in Michigan, this rather large bird is seen in many Michigan Metro Parks, State Parks, open wetlands, farmlands, near rivers, lakes, even an occasional roadside spotting.

 

Keen Eyesight and the Michigan Blue Heron – Eye of the Heron

Not much is written about the keen eyesight of the Blue Heron.  However, on rare occasions, during my many years of bird observation, I once noticed  a Blue Heron staring almost straight up looking up into the what appeared to be an empty clear blue sky.  I knew the Blue Heron had to be watching something so I really focused and low and behold, their was in fact the tiniest black dot gliding upon the thermal drafts.  I aimed and looked through my 400mm lens and sure enough it was a Michigan Bald Eagle soaring high above.  If I may guess, I think that the eagle was at least a mile high in the sky; it was only a dot to the naked human eye. Much is written about the eagle’s keen eyesight, but after observing the Blue Heron, it wouldn’t surprise me if he is almost equal in bird vision.

 

Vigilance and the Great Blue Heron

Another trait I’ve noticed about the Blue Heron is it’s vigilance.  This bird will fly in, land and remain stationary almost motionless for several minutes. The Blue Heron will observe everything in it’s immediate area just to be sure that no predators are lurking about.  Only after safety is confirmed does the Blue Heron start it’s traditional fishing routine.

 

Michigan Blue Heron

Michigan Blue Heron – Keen EyeSight

 

Nature Photography – Blue Heron, More Photographs

 

nature photography - michigan

Nature Photography by Ike Austin – Birds of Michigan Series
Photography that is Therapy for the Soul 

Birds Photography Night Heron

Nature Photography – Michigan Cooper’s Hawk

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Nature Photography – Michigan Cooper’s Hawk

One Early Morning in one of the Michigan Metro Parks…

I went on my traditional weekend walk in the park several weeks ago. There appeared to be an unusual amount of predatory Cooper’s Hawk activity this Michigan fall season. This particular morning the air was crisp with a stillness that created a relaxing silence. There were many small birds darting about off in the distance as well as near my position. The low muffled sounds of leaves occasionally blown about on the ground with a few dis-colored ones falling, circling in an unpredictable pattern drifting to the ground.

Cooper's Hawk - Michigan Birds

Cooper’s Hawk – Michigan Birds

Darting about, there were, blue jays, wood peckers, Chickadees, and Nuthatches, sparrows-all kinds, red cardinals and grey slated juncos… the forest was teaming with bird activity and profusion. There was also a large Dule of Morning Doves frantically moving about on the ground in search of food. Life is easy for these birds and all is safe and worry free in the forest, or is it?

Cooper’s Hawk in Michigan
Before I could react the doves suddenly burst into flight, in an instant they were all air-born implementing full evasive escape maneuvers. All of the others birds followed suit; within a fracture of a second the quite, peaceful serenity had been disrupted.

A large shape of a bird in flight was bulleting across the wetland heading straight for the panicking flock of different specie of birds. It was the infamous Cooper’s Hawk, this predatory stealth attack was achieved without the Cooper flapping its wings. The hawk’s sneak, rapid approach had startled the landscape of serenity.

He quickly maneuver in and out, swerving and curving around shrubs and trees with blinding agility and speed. As fast as the Cooper’s Hawk arrived he disappeared.

Cooper's Hawk dive, glide, strike

Cooper’s Hawk dive, glide, strike

The scenery now still and barren of activity. After a few moments of searching, I saw him sitting motionless like a statue on top of a small protruding branch sticking about two feet from the ground. He had not caught any prey, by design? perhaps this was just a practice drill of which I have witnessed the Cooper Hawk engaged on other occasions.

Michigan Cooper’s Hawk
Flight of the Michigan Cooper’s Hawk 2012
Cooper’s – Arobatic Bird in Flight

I wondered how the predatory Michigan’s Cooper Hawk glided such a long near linear angle and distance without flapping his wings and arrive at its destination target with such speed and force; this distance traveled had to be at least three hundred feet and the hawk did not start from atop a hundred foot tall tree.

Coopers Hawk - Nature Photography

Coopers Hawk – Nature Photography

After a few moments, the Cooper Hawk spun and darted to the right, wings fully spread (just enough to not collide with tight enclosed shrubbery; but expanded enough to speed out into the open, only about one feet above ground with a quick zig and zag he was gone again.)

Cooper's Hawk Michigan Bird

Cooper’s Hawk Michigan Bird

Instantly I began searching the sky and surrounding area, I spotted the Cooper’s Hawk rising from an obscure camouflaged back drop, onto the tip of a tree branch. It now perched, looking about, in meditations of lessons learned about it’s potential prey it had just intimidated. But this is a restless bird, only after a couple of minutes (unlike a Redtailed Hawk that will sit is one spot for hours) the Copper’s Hawk makes another unpredictable left-spin-dive split second dive off the branch and downward toward the ground.

Coopers Hawk inflight 180 Michigan Birds - Photo by Ike Austin

Coopers Hawk inflight 180 Michigan Birds – Photo by Ike Austin

This time when the backdrop of tree branches camouflaged his plumage, he went totally stealth and I could not keep up with his wing flaps, curves, spins, dives… seconds later, where he is now… I could not find.

Cooper's Hawk Michigan

Cooper’s Hawk Michigan Birds

 

Cooper's Hawk In Flight

Cooper’s Hawk In Flight Michigan Bird

Note the more rounded tail in this photo, this is one sure indicator that this is a Cooper’s Hawk vs a Shark Shinned Hawk that has a more square tail as seen in some of the photos on this page. Can you spot the difference?

 

Cooper's Hawk Michigan Nature Photography

Cooper’s Hawk Michigan Nature Photography

The Michigan Cooper’s Hawk is one of the most adverse predators in the Accipiter family. These birds glide through forest trees and grasslands with the ability to often track and snatch prey in mid flight.  Michigan birds and nature photography are capturing wild life in everyone’s backyard.

 

About the Cooper’s Hawk
Nature Photography – Michigan Bird Identification
Photo Taken: Lake Erie MetroPark
Group: Hawks and Eagles

Name: Cooper’s Hawk
Accipiter Cooperii

Appearance:  The Michigan Cooper’s Hawk is a long 3′ to 4′ wingspan, dark brown  plumage on it’s back along the scapular and mantle areas. skinny legs, and long small talons, small beak. typical yellow ring cere found on most hawks; but with a rounded tail or primary tip projection and a stronger contrast between the head cap and crown (it is this rounded tail feather that mostly distinguished the Cooper from the Shark Shinned Hawk.)

Adult: Color is dark brown with spotted front of orange and white plummage.

Juvenile: More tan-ish brown in color.

Flight Characteristics:  Quick flapping wings in flight and typically extended glide attributed with most raptors. The Cooper will fly from tree to tree over a large area until it spots an appropriate target to hunt

Habitat:  The Michigan Cooper’s Hawk prefers open grasslands, lakes and wetlands.

Nesting: Cooper’s will construct nests made of branches and twigs of various sizes. They can be spotted high in the tops of trees located about 25-60 feet above the ground. Incubates 3-5 bluish eggs for appx 36 days. Younglings go in flight in about 50 days from day of birth.

Mating Habits: The Michigan Cooper do not mate for life as the Osprey does, Cooper’s will raise one brood per season.
Off Spring: (Juvenile) as with most larger birds.

Feeding: Songbirds, doves, and small rodents.

Call: Series of low elongated whine like sounds.
About the Photography

About the Photography

nature photography - michigan
Nature Photography – Michigan by Ike Austin

Nature Photography by Ike Austin – Birds of Michigan Series
Photography that is Therapy for the Soul 

Michigan Bird by Ike Austin
Michigan Bird photo by Ike Austin

National Geographic
Editors’ favorite submissions to the 2011 photo contest

 

ThirdSon and the River’s Sky
images of birds
ThirdSon and the River’s Sky

 

Lessons Learned – Dialogues in the Forest of Jimme’

Nature Speaks – Nature Photography, Therapy for the Soul – Everyone can Hear

Nature Speaks  – Through Birds – Therapy for the Soul

Michigan Bird – Mallard Duck – Sun and Darkness Dialogue

Michigan Bird – SandHill Crane Ancient Feet Dialogue

Birds of Michigan – Great Horned Owl Dialogue

Birds of Michigan – Great White Egret Dialogue

Birds of Michigan – Green Heron Dialogue – One Strange Sunset in Jimmie’

– ThirdSon and the River’s Sky

Photography by Ike Austin – Birds of Michigan

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Birds of Michigan – Birds Eye View

There is a sense that he who rules the skies, rule the land.

In visiting the many Michigan Metro Parks over the past thirty-five years, and walking the many off the-beaten-path nature trails, I witnessed some of my most interesting sightings of nature and a plethora of birds of Michigan.

The birds of Michigan and nature has not disappointed, even against the onslaught and wholesale destruction of over seventy-five percent of Michigan wetlands, nature rises above the occasion delivers a visual spectacle for all who visit her and wish to be enlightened.

The birds still dart, sore and glide across the skies keeping a watchful eye upon the earth and it’s less than faithful stewards below, and to some, with a slight tip of their wing, and looking at me with the eyes of a man, they covertly signal their sign of approval… I quickly snap a shot to freeze the precious moment of this rare invitation of acceptance to later gain deeper insight into the many mysteries of birds and nature.

One early morning deep in one of the hidden forests I visit, one gigantic bird glided pass my position where I stood at the edge of steep drop-off, this birded looked to be hundreds of years old an big and long as a the box car of a train forty to fify feet in length.  He passed me in total silence, we made eye contact, I heard him speaking…

“Whomever destroys his own habitat and that of others… What is man?” —ThirdSon and the River’s Sky

Birds of Michigan

Whomever destroys his own habitat and that of others... What is man?

Nature Photograpy That Brings Therapy to the Soul – I hope these photos serve your health the same.

Visit the photo gallery to request prints, photos or screen savers you feel you particularly enjoy.
Nature Photography By Ike Austin

 

 

Nature Photography – Nature Speaks Through Birds

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Nature Photography – Nature Speaks

There is a peculiar emotion that can swell up inside you sometimes when you are walking among the animals of the wild. This emotion can cast a feeling of deep appreciation for the earth, water,  and even sounds of nature. The precious moment of emotion may last for an extended period of time or, it might be fleeting, leaving you with an incessant urge to try an recapture the feeling.

Nature Photography

Nature Photography - Bee Wasp

You will find yourself a loss for words to explain the experience. How does one describe when there are no words within the half-million or so words in the English language. You could say, I felt lofty, I felt as though an invisible weight I never knew was there, suddenly lifted from my shoulder. You might try describing a sublime serenity that eased over your mind as you causally  stood and became mesmerized by the flicking, shimmering thousand tiny reflections of light that bounced off the waters surface into your eyes. Before you knew it, as you slowly returned to reality from this transcendental state, a considerable amount of time has passed and you were momentarily disconnected from the cares of the world.

Your only hope might be nature photography.  A quick snap shot from a camera has the potential to capture the moment, or at least the physical aspects of scenery which can sometimes rekindle emotions you felt during the period.

Nature Photography

Nature Photography - Ancient Feet

Nature photography can be simple as using any off-the shelf, point and shoot store bought camera.

Taking photos of birds, animals and a scenery’s of nature is therapy for the soul. Whether you walk alone, with your spouse or your entire family, the walk among the open elements teaming with life and profusion will mentor the soul and mind of all who will be patient enough to let nature speak.

Ancient Feet

“I share the Earth, the Sun acknowledge my presents by casting my shadow upon the face of the Earth. The space the earth has granted my feet, is a covenant between me and earth, not man.”

“The silence of nature has the effect to clean the mind of constant noise pollution. Pure sounds and images of nature alter the soul, when you  come close to nature, stress is transformed to calm, when you leave behind the noisy hustle and bustle, you are now amongst the truly civilized.”
—ThirdSon and the River’s Sky

My walks with nature has truly been, therapy for the soul.

I wish everyone who view these nature photos, benefit in a way that nature intends you to. Visit the ThirdSon Nature Photography.

“Go, take your walk, give your undivided attention and listen to nature to learn what you must learn.” —ThirdSon

Michigan Bird Photographer – Ike Austin

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Michigan Bird Photographer – Ike Austin

Beautiful birds and images of birds captured throughout various Metro Parks in Michigan. This is a collection of Michigan Birds photographed by Ike Austin.

I have met many photographers and wonderful staff members at the Metro Parks. I encourage all to visit and enjoy what therapy that much needed silence of Michigan parks can provide to the human spirit.