More Eagle Photos!! YEAH!!!!!

Good Monday to you!  

It is sunny and freezing here today but that's ok cause I am so excited!!

Yesterday I went for a ride to the lake and was so bummed because there were about 20+ Bald Eagles, both adults and adolescents sitting on the ice in the middle of Lake Mac (the small lake that flows into Lake Michigan) and I didn't have my camera!!!!!  GRRRR!!!!!

BUT!

Fear not!

I went out this morning with camera in hand and as I turned the corner towards the lake I could see in the distant that they were there again!! 

I was so excited I about peed my pants!

It was another gorgeous sunny morning so I went clicking away at all the wonderful wildlife that visits us each winter.

We get quite a few varieties of birds including Loons, Swans, mergansers, bufflehead and of course Bald Eagles.  I have only seen the Loons on occasion and while some of the birds stay for the summer, most head farther north away from the more populated areas. 

Anyway, here are my photos, they are a little blurry because I don't have a telephoto lens, but you get the idea. :)

These are mostly adolescent eagles just hanging out, possibly warming themselves

or waiting for some of the adults to come back

with breakfast.

It is so amazing that they feel safe to come here to breed and raise their young.

  Over the years they have increased their population quite a bit.

I spotted the adults across the channel high in the trees

and flying around looking for that perfect fish.

I also caught one even higher up in the hills.

(he is at the top of the photo)

and he was sitting above this gorgeous house/cottage.

This was my perspective, they were in the trees on the other side there.

Had to get a close up of the seagulls. :)

I love seagulls or as my mom calls them 'Jonathon Livingston'

 or rats with wings.

The swans were in close this morning so I was able to get a few photos of them as well.

 I love swans too. :)

This is Big Red and the channel that leads out to Lake Michigan.

The ducks like to hang out in there but I was getting cold and being already sick I didn't venture any further.

Mallards flying around.

There was so much activity going on it was so fun to see.

Nature is really incredible and I am so lucky to live in an area where it is only a short drive away.

I hope one day that it is right at my doorstep, I could sit on a deck or dock all day and watch everything that goes on. 

 And speaking of watching nature,

these little snots have figured out the squirrel-proof bird feeder. 

I should probable get a latch for that. :)

 Thank you for letting me indulge in more photos.

I truly love the water and all that comes with it.

I am feeling much better today, thank you for the well wishes.  

My voice is almost back and the cold is on its way out.

I hope to show you some more of my paintings that I have been doing later this week.

Until then, have a wonderful start to your week!!

I Got Him, I Got Him!!!!

Hello!

Sorry I haven't been around lately, I am nursing a cold that we seem to keep passing around the house. 

 I feel a bit better today but still stuffed up and now my voice is gone.

I wanted to share my joy with you today.

On my morning drive out to the lake, I spotted that elusive Bald Eagle that I have been trying to get decent photos of.

I turned into a little parking lot, quickly grabbed my camera and to my delight, he landed in one of the trees that surrounded the parking area.

They are so magnificent and just amazing.

Everything about them is so majestic.

The sun was out this morning 

and I think that he was fishing

from high atop the trees,

a great view of the waters all around him.

I think he picked a pretty good spot.

He could see the Lake Michigan, the channel and the smaller lake, a perfect place where all the fish seem to congregate.

I love watching them and I could have sat there all day I think.

Although my sneezing and blowing of my nose might have been a bit distracting. :)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I will see you next week!

Pure Michigan Part 2

I title these "Pure Michigan" because if you have ever seen or heard the commercials for Michigan narrated by Tim Allen, Northern Michigan and Glen Lake alway run through my mind. So, I thought that I would share some of those images with you that I captured on our vacation this year!

The water up there is crystal clear! I am not exaggerating when I tell you that you can see the bottom in about 13 feet of water. This is a channel into the Fishers Lakes that is only about 3 feet but you see how clear the water really is. We love going through and seeing how many fish we can find and also seeing what other wildlife that may show up on that particular day.

A group of turtles are usually basking in the warm sun.

A family of Mallard ducks swim by. The babies were so cute!!

Beautiful swans nest on the nearby banks. This shot was taken as the male (in the foreground) puffs itself up because there were nearby kayakers that were getting a little too close! Swans are as mean as they are beautiful!

When we came out of the channel these big puffy storm clouds were starting to form over the hills. They were so beautiful and this picture shows so much natural beauty!

The most amazing thing that I have seen is a Bald Eagle in the wild. I am so amazed at how beautiful and majestic they are in their element. I was lucky enough to capture this shot of an eagle swooping down to get some lunch. I was sitting on the deck and saw it and had to run over children and parents to go get my camera! No one was hurt and I got my shot!

My daughter would take the paddle board and paddle out to a raft that was about 50 yards from our cottage. This shot was on a morning that was so peaceful and the sun sparkled on the water!

Something that is not so "Pure Michigan" is swimmers itch!!

'Swimmer's itch is a dermatities that develops on parts of the body that have been exposed to lake water containing certain larval forms of flatworms. Reddened spots, called papules, form on the body within hours after exposure and may itch intensely for several days before subsiding. After approximately one week, the symptoms usually disappear. In severe cases, a person can develop a fever, become nauseated and spend several sleepless nights suffering from intense itching.'

They are NOT kidding when they say intense itching!!!

The poor boy got it one morning because his mommy forgot to put sunscreen on him. Sunscreen helps to put a barrier between the skin the worm. Good thing that they have special cream now! :)

However, he managed to get a little nap in while we were boating that day. Actually he fell asleep almost every time we went on the boat! It was great!!

The sunsets were so amazing there! Our cottage faced east so we would see the reflection off the clouds and all the beautiful colors that were painted onto the clouds and water. One night my daughter and I took the paddle board to a spot were we could see the sun set behind Sleeping Bear Dunes. It was gorgeous! Couldn't find a way to bring the camera though :(

The wildlife was amazing out of the water too. We saw deer, porcupines, fox, and raccoons. We actually see all of those at home as well but there is something special about them up north. There are more open fields, woods, and hills there to see them in there natural habitat.

I wish that I could show you in person how beautiful that area is. Trying to describe it does not do it justice! It tugs at my heart and soul like a long-lost friend and I cry every time I leave. It is like my second home and I hope to maybe one day, just maybe, make it my home.

I hope everyone has a special place like this, full of memories and feelings. A place that is so embedded into your soul that you can sometimes feel and breathe the essence of it!