Mark’s journal of photographic projects, thoughts, and commentary.
I’ll grant you that there are many birds that can serve as a sign of spring. Robins might be the most notable for many people, but Orioles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Grey Catbirds…are certainly contenders in my mind. But I think for me, these days, the diminutive Hummingbird would take the prize as the primary sign that … Read more
The mink is a small but amazing predator. And I’m not sure if there’s anything that it won’t try to hunt that would be in it’s general size range. I know for a fact it’s not above going after birds, up in the trees, at night…confirmed by a raucous sound coming from the backyard one … Read more
Bald Eagles around the Midwest are now either on eggs or actually have some young in the nest right now. Look around and you might just spot an eagle nest…they are popping up in a lot of places and they are usually BIG. You can see them from quite a distance away. I watched an … Read more
Before dawn is the best time to find the maximum number of cranes on the Platte river. At various points along an 80 mile stretch starting around Grand Island and going westward, there are places where you’d think you could never fit another bird in…these are popular hangouts with numerous shallow water sandbars. It’s a … Read more
It’s a special day in the spring when you see the first Oriole arrive. Nothing quite compares to their orange coloring and to be honest, I love the black and orange together. That’s for the Baltimore Oriole. The Orchards have a deeper, richer, rust colored breast which is also very pretty. If you see one … Read more
I must have gone several years without a decent heron picture. I would see them around but never close and never accessible. Then finally things seemed to take a turn for the better. A few times I would get one flying by pretty close, and in other instances, like this one, they would actually come … Read more