Worse than the Loch Ness Monster...

While on our lake, I am always excited to see birds and ducks. This year, we saw a bird we did not know. I was thrilled and took a bunch of photos of it. Then, when I got back to my computer and then looked up what the bird was....I lost my enthusiasm.

Here is the first shot I got of it. Hmmmm....what is it?

The Loch Ness Monster?:

A side profile told me it might be much worse...

It was confirmed.

It was a Cormorant!:

Named after the latin name for "glutton":

Why was I disappointed?

Because they eat fish.

A. Lot. of. Fish!:

And there were TWO!

Which means they probably had babies this year.

We noticed that our rock bass were harder to catch this year.

Now we know why.

They were eating them. A lot of them.

Here is another shot of the little piggy:

I swear he knew that I love birds and wanted his picture.

But then he got wind of my changing emotions.

Because, you see..I like Rock Bass more.

In my fry pan.

So here he is glancing right:

Before flying off:

And so did his partner:

And I gotta tell you.

I wasn't sad to see them leave.

Its the one water bird that I won't hang a welcome mat out for next spring on our lake.

You say you want mushrooms with that???

Over the last two weeks, our front yard has sprouted amazing mushrooms. According to our neighbor, some have been called Shaggy Manes. Since we do not know the names of any of the kinds of mushrooms we have, we do not eat any of them.

One group in particular are pretty striking in that they are black and white and very textured. They look like they have a lace overlay on them.

So, I decided to dedicate a blogpost to some photos I took of them. Enjoy!:

Two varieties...the "pancake" shaped one and the capped one:

They come up so fast, they still have the dirt from where they sprouted within their caps:

A grouping of them:

A fly is interested in the inside on one of the caps:

I really liked the white and the black patterns and textures of them:

These are a different variety. A long, bell shaped, capped one:

Experimenting with black and white:

They really show up against our yard of entirely weeds green lawn:
One neighbor, who said he knew what he was doing, picked the edible ones from our lawn, after asking.

I was fine with that.

I sure as heck don't want to try eating any.

Dang, come to think of it, I should have had him sign a disclaimer or waiver or something.

Never mind. Forget what I said above. What I MEANT to say is that I ALLEGEDLY told him he could possibly pick them........

Wait. What is that siren noise?

Is that an ambulance I am hearing?

This and That: Loving Nature

Throughout the last few weeks, I have collected some various photos of things I have photographed in nature that really don't form a theme. They are just things I find interesting or beautiful.

So it is time once again to post "This and That" photographs for you.

We still have a bunch of bluejays that visit us every day:

This little guy is in our birdfeeders more than the birds!

He frequently sits on my garden watering can, so I finally captured him on film:

I have been happy to get several sunset pictures over our lake this summer:

I love tree mushrooms!

Here is another one:

What's better than a sunset picture over the lake?

A sunset picture with clouds over the lake!:

This year, we planted pumpkins in our garden. I don't think we will get any to grow big enough for us to use, but the blossoms are pretty:

A cloudy day over our lake:

September moon:

Color is beginning to show itself on our shores:

Soon, I will be going out in the woods to capture as many autumn color shots as I can get before the leaves fall off.

So, if I don't comment as often as normal on your blogs, you will know that I am spending my days outdoors getting as many pictures as I can before all the leaves are gone.

Stay tuned!

Eagle Scout

As I have commented on many of your blogs, we have really been outside a lot over the last few weeks, enjoying the last bit of warm weather here in the U.P. before the cool days of autumn really get here.

We have tried to go out on our lake on our boat every day, at least for a little while.

We have 2 or 3 eagles that live on our lake. Two immature eagles and one bald headed eagle adult.

Through riding around so much, we have found some of their favorite perching sites and I am thrilled to take as many pictures of them as I can.

I think the adult bald eagle is getting pretty used to me by now. He usually stays perched in the tree and waits for me to click off many pictures and doesn't fly away anymore. He even whistled a bit at us the last time we came by him, as if to say hello.

They usually sit way high, on the highest tree possible in the places they like on the lake. One island in particular has a dead tree they like and the other favorite spot is a tall pine tree by one of our favorite fishing spots.

Here he is in the setting sun one night on the bare tree:

Just look at those piercing eyes and sharp beak!:

Here he is saying: "Oh, you guys AGAIN?":

"Would you like my regal profile this time?":

"I think I will ignore you. Maybe you will go away?":

This night he peeked over the branches at us as we drove by:

It is rare that we are quiet enough to catch him napping:


I don't know why, but on this day, we saw him with fuzzy feathers stuck on his beak and below his beak. Maybe he had a snack of another bird?:

Bored with several pictures in a row, he tucked his beak in his chest and went back to napping again:

I am glad he isn't upset with me taking so many pictures of him.

Because, you know me.

I will be back.

Taking more....

Copper Harbor, Lake Medora and Lake Superior

I mentioned a few blogposts back that I visited my brother's cabin at Lake Medora by Copper Harbor.

If you look at a map of Michigan, the Upper Peninsula is a little strip of land above the "mitten shaped" part of Michigan, and its north shore is Lake Superior. When you look at the map there is a little "finger" part of the peninsula that points out north toward Canada. At the tip of the "finger" lays Copper Harbor.

As you can imagine, it is beautiful and full of views of the jagged rocky coastline of Lake Superior.

Here is a map of the area: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Copper+Harbor&state=MI#a/maps/m::3:47.47326:-87.910154:0:::::1:1:1::/e

Sorry I couldn't link it directly using the link tool on blogpost for some reason, but if you click on the website listed above, you will get to the maps.

We will probably go there again sometime this month to catch the wonderful color season of autumn leaves there.

Here is a photo of the drive up to the end of the "finger" of land.

See how the trees hang over the road?

It is beautiful!

I took it out of our car's windshield so you could see

what it is like driving up there:

Oh, and if you go?

You are going to want to go in the spring, summer or fall. Because it gets the most snow of almost anywhere in Michigan.

Look at this road sign:

THAT is how much snow they got last year in that exact spot.

240.9 inches!

Of course it snows and melts some and snows some more, so the snow isn't that high on the road that is in the picture....but they got that much snow in one season!

Anway, on with my photo show.

Lake Medora is on the way to Copper Harbor and is only about 7 miles from there.

I took this photo from my brother's boat sitting on Lake Medora.

Looming straight ahead is Brockway Mountain.

You can drive your car up there and it has fantastic views.

When the color season comes I will return there and take photos from the top of the mountain.

Across from town was a little point of land that you could hike on that had some really nice places to see the rocky shores of Lake Superior:

Here is another view from the hike:

You can look back over at the tiny town of Copper Harbor.

Next time I go, I will go downtown and take some photos of the cute craft stores and little restaurants along the waterfront.

Before I close this post, I wanted to share some photos that I was lucky to get at my brother's cabin on Lake Medora of the female mallard ducks. Isn't she gorgeous?:

This rock sits right next to my brother's cabin's dock and they are so tame they come and sit here frequently:

She obviously was prissing up for her pictures:

And then her partner said:

"For the LOVE of GOD...are you FINISHED with the photos, yet?"I told her to quit complaining.

Gheesh, it is not every duck that gets to be featured in my blog. She should feel lucky!

Quirky Observations

As my regular Followers/readers know, I do some series now and then amongst all my photography blogposts. I sometimes do Local Police Reports, sometimes I do Useless Facts and Trivia and other times, I do Dumb State Laws.

I don't do them on specific days of the week, I just mix those "regulars" in now and then so that those people who do not like all photographs will get some relief now and then.

So, laying in bed the other night, unable to sleep, I thought of another regular series I might be able to do. Some other bloggers call theirs "Random Thoughts".

Me?

I thought of calling my similar series: Quirky Observations.

I love the word "quirky". (Because that's how I roll).

Webster's Dictionary defines quirk as:

" quick turn or twist. Oddity of character. Having sudden turns, tricky, difficult. (Origin unknown.)"

That is it!

My random thoughts are definitely going to be quirky to others.

So, lucky you...here is the first in my series of "Quirky Observations".

What was I thinking of in bed when I couldn't sleep that was quirky?:

(Slow drum roll..please....................pa dum ta dum dum):

Liverwurst!

"WHAT??", you say???

You heard me! (Don't pretend you didn't, I KNOW you did!).

Yep.

Liverwurst.

What in the hell IS it?

Well, Webster defines it as:

"a sausage containing ground pork liver".

My next quirky thoughts were: Who on earth EATS LIVERWURST??

From what I remember, it is this grey mystery meat wrapped in a casing. It is soft and is an oozy spread inside the casing, that has the consistency of toejams and smells about as awful.

Well, I remember my mom eating some. With MUSTARD on bread. Quite frequently.

Are you gagging yet??

I'll wait.

There.

Are you SURE you are done gagging yet?

Ok, I will wait some more....

But to tell you the truth, I have not seen anyone else eat it in my entire life except my mom (and I think my Dad did too).

Ever.

Nor have I seen any in a store lately.

(Not that I have looked.)

I could have walked right by it in the supermarket and subliminally avoided it altogether.

Because my parents ate it and it totally grossed me out.

Did I mention that my parents ate it yet?

Maybe they kissed me goodnight and accidently burped and a little of the mustardy liverwurst smell escaped at the wrong moment, scarring me forever. I don't know.

But I have decided, that It HAS to be THE reason why I need therapy and haven't pursued it yet....

Yup. Liverwurst is the culprit.

Now, what do you think the Therapist will make of THAT one???

Perhaps they will chart: "Patient reveals traumatic event related to quirky liverwurst incident in childhood." "This one is going to be a challenge." "Note to self: schedule frequent sessions with this one."

If you don't return to my blog, EVER..after reading this first of my series of my personal quirky thoughts, I would understand perfectly.

Really I would.

But if you DO return. Just don't say the "L" word.

I haven't had enough sessions yet.....

Hawks and Hares and Oh My!...

Over the last month, we have been very lucky spotting ducks, eagles and other birds on our lake and around the U.P.

This weekend, we spied our first hawk, right on the side of the highway. I didn't think he would stay long enough for me to get a photo, but he just stood in the tree:

Here is a close up of him!

Isn't he pretty?

The sun was shining very bright on him, so the picture quality isn't too great with it reflecting it off all of his white chest:

In addition to seeing my first hawk to photograph,

about a month ago, when we were in the middle of the woods, we rounded a corner with the truck, and there was a rabbit nibbling on some grass.

He didn't seem to notice us at first:

But then the "lightbulb" went off.

He seemed to notice quickly that he wasn't alone:

But he played coy. He just slowwwwwly turned around

so that his body was facing me and my camera.

As soon as this photo was taken he quickly jumped off into the woods:

I couldn' t believe I caught him on camera.

Because rabbits in the woods are not tame like in neighborhoods where they nibble on people's gardens. They are pretty shy, and rarely seen. Many people up here hunt them with dogs to track their scent. I always feel bad for the rabbits when this occurs.


And then besides Hawks and Hares, I got another surprise this past weekend.

We went up to Lake Medora, near Copper Harbor to my brother's cabin.

He took us for a great boat ride on his beautiful lake (I will post those pictures on a future date) and while out on the water, we saw THIS:

I was so thrilled to see ANOTHER loon.

If you remember my posts on Arflin Lake about a week ago, you know that it was my hope to catch a loon someday on camera and finally got the chance there.

Now, to see another LOON within such a short timeframe on Medora Lake??

Let's just say...it MADE my day!

Here is another shot of the beautiful loon:

We didn't want to bother him very long while he was diving for fish.

He was the only lone loon we saw while out there.

My brother said he has seen a few this summer while out fishing on his lake.

Bet you can't guess where I will be revisiting again soon????

Because I am feeling a little looney.