Category Archives: Birding

nature photography

Nature Photography – Michigan Flicker

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Nature Photography – Michigan Flicker

Flicker the Bird – Speckled, Multi-Colored, Michigan Wetland – Brown, White, Red, Black and Tan
Colaptes auratus

Michigan Northern Flicker – Gold Finger

The Michigan Flicker is a true multi-colored, patterned bird. The Norther Flicker has a dash of red on the back of the head, a swatch of black patch on it’s upper chest. Speckled front with black dots all over, with a splash of white on the end top of the tail. With sandy brown color near the upper crown, a strip of sportsman black just beneath the eyes.

 

Northern Flicker Michigan

Michigan Flicker  – Gold Fingers

 

Michigan Flicker – But the most attractive color of this bird is the gold underside covering the entire mantle and tertials from the tip of it’s wingtip to the primary tip projection of it’s tail. Golden under tail coverts, gold colored greater coverts on the edge of the wings, median coverts where a golden slate colored shade of glitter, the greater primary coverts, the marginal, lesser, median, and greater coverts all different shades of gold, gold, gold.

Michigan Flicker in Flight

Michigan Flicker in Flight

 

The Northern Flicker is a summer Michigan wetland bird. This Flicker is mildly photographed bird. It is most recognized because of it’s speckled plumage and rather loud chitter chatty mating call early in the spring.

Michigan Northern Flicker

One hot early July summer afternoon I spotted a Northern Flicker darting across a wetland to eventually land on an extended tree branch. The day was clear and sun shinning bright; a great condition for capturing vivid elements of bird plumage color. During the early spring the Michigan Flicker will perform a series of loud mating calls followed by a rather rhythmical mating dance. This ritual will continue for several days with other male Flickers competing for the females attention. One one occasion I saw two Flickers locking talons as they spun around in a brief aerial dance. The Flicker will carve out a rather large hollow nest within an old dying tree. This is a very active bird that must remain ever vigilant, because the more numerous European Startling is in abundance and will try to steal the Flickers nest every chance it gets.

Northern Flicker Michigan

Michigan Flicker  – Wetland

Michigan Flicker Younglings

The Female Flicker, works in cooperation with the male. Both birds engage in house hold choirs and parenting the young. The birds take turns gathering food and returning to the nest. I was also fortunate to capture a shot of three young Flickers being feed by regurgutation. The three younglings still have about a couple more weeks before they are ready to fledge.

Northern Flicker Nesting

Michigan Flicker Younglings

 

 Michigan Flicker Parenting

I was able to get a couple of good shots that clearly displayed what look like a rather stylish red t-bone located on the back of the Flicker’s head. I had to quickly decide and go-ahead and snap some close shots (something is better than nothing) before the bird fly off.

Northern Flicker - Woodpecker Michigan -

Michigan Flicker – Birds of Michigan – I am Flicker

Michigan Flicker in Flight

The above shot of a Northern Michigan Flicker may not be the best photo, but I did manage to capture the bird in one of it’s many house cleaning flights.

Northern Flicker - House Cleaning

Northern Flicker – House Cleaning

Lessons Learned From Birds of Nature

The Michigan Flicker is a very vigilant bird, it has to be, the bird is under constant threat from other birds that are relentless in stealing the Flickers nest. During the feeding season, the Flicker is busy house cleaning, you can see the bird carrying numerous carefully wrapped waste sacks from the nest. What is most interesting, the Michigan Flicker will not just throw the waste out the nest to the ground. It is apparent that this birds has enough intelligence to is aware or possible threats; the bird seem to realize the presents of excrement might signal a hostile predator that a nest is occupying this particular tree. So, interestingly enough, this excrement is carried a considerable distance from the nesting location.  View more photo here…

Northern Flicker Wetland

Northern Flicker – Carrying egg.

 

View other Michigan Birds Here… Michigan Birds.

About the Michigan Flicker
Nature Photography – Michigan Bird Identification
Photo Taken: Kensington Metro Park
Group: Wood Pecker
Name: Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus

Appearance:
The Michigan Flicker is a 12-13 inch bird with, black speckled plumage front and back, the male is distinguished with a war paint black eye strip just below the pupil., or what might be considered the malar stripe area of the birds face.
Adult:
Color is majority beige and black, female is same color..
Flight Characteristics:
Jittery quick wing beats, several flaps then pause and a slip dip when in flight. The Northern Flicker is an average flier in terms of in flight speed.
Habitat: The Michigan Northern Flicker prefers parks, lakes and wetland areas.
Nesting: Flicker will construct or hew an open cavity nest inside old dead trees. A large cavity is created in preparation to contain several offspring.
Nest Location:
Nests are located 10-40 feet above the ground.
Incubates 5-8 (several white perfectly shaped round eggs for appx 12-14 days (2 weeks).
Mating Habits: The Michigan Flickers mates for extended periods.
Feeding: Seeds, insects (mainly ants), berries and some nuts.
Call:
Mating season; a s series of elongated rhythmical squeaks, which includes an bobbing up and down head motion.
Regular Season: A quick rapid series of chirps.

This Weeks Honorable Mention
Associations that we feel provide real value to the birding community.

Detroit Audobon Society Website
Purpose: To promote awareness and protection of the environment through education, research and advocacy Mission Statement and Code of Ethics… Read More Here… Detroit Audubon Society (link)
Membership Required: Y, $Donation/yr.
Informative Website Information: Y
Year Long Events: Y
Active Birder Blog(s): Y
Dialogue With Nature Informative Rating: 8

Michigan Bird Atlas
Michigan Flicker: Research and statistics, abundance and population. Read more here…

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

nature photography - michigan

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

Michigan Birds

 

National Geographic

2011 Editors Choice Winning Photo

Birds Photography Night Heron

National Geographic 2011
View Entry on NG website… NG Contest Winners
To purchase Photo Art… DayStarBooks Gallery
To Purchase the I can Make It Fine Art Print… Dialog With Nature

 

 

 

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

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.