*master gallery

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Peek-a-Boo ~ Sandhill Crane Colt ~ Antigone canadensis ~ Huron River Watershed, Michigan
“Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.” ~ Marc Riboud
Antigone canadensis waterfowl Sandhill Crane oldest Sandhill Crane 36 years old bird crimsoncapped trumpeters known for dancing skills oldest knonwn fossil 2.5 million years old broad wings omnivorous mate for life resident to long distance migrant
Sandhill Crane, Keeping Watch over His Family ~ Antigone canadensis ~ Huron River and Watershed
"Magic birds were dancing in the mystic marsh. The grass swayed with them, and the shallow waters, and the earth fluttered under them. The earth was dancing with the cranes, and the low sun, and the wind and the sky." ~ Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
j van cise photos
Mom Sandhill Crane Teaching Her Adopted Canada Gosling ~ Branta canadensis, Antigone canadensis ~ Kensington Metropark, Michigan
"The Goose that Thought He was a Sandhill Crane"
Canada Gosling Canada Goose Branta.canadensis Sandhill Crane family Kensington Metropark Michigan birds gosling waterfowl bird adopted gosling unlikely pairing on the wing fauna animal nature wildlife Antigone canadensis Huron River Watershed adopted
Adopted Canada Gosling and Mama Sandhill Crane ~ Branta canadensis, Antigone canadensis ~ Kensington Metropark, Michigan
"This Sandhill Crane Couple Adopted Baby Goose"
Canada Gosling Canada Goose Branta.canadensis Sandhill Crane family Kensington Metropark Michigan birds gosling waterfowl bird adopted gosling unlikely pairing on the wing fauna animal nature wildlife Antigone canadensis Huron River Watershed adopted
Adopted Canada Gosling and Mama Sandhill Crane ~ Branta canadensis, Antigone canadensis ~ Kensington Metropark, Michigan
For the dear adopted gosling who touched so many of our lives in his sweet earnestness to keep up with and protect Mama and Papa Sandhill Crane and Brother Colt and for the unwavering and loving devotion of Mama and Papa Sandhill Crane to both of their young ones. "Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again." ~ Mary Oliver
Canada Gosling Canada Goose Branta.canadensis Sandhill Crane family Kensington Metropark Michigan birds gosling waterfowl bird adopted gosling unlikely pairing on the wing fauna animal nature wildlife Antigone canadensis Huron River Watershed adopted
Red-bellied Woodpecker ~ Melanerpes carolinus ~ Huron River and Watershed, Michigan
“Your photography is a record of your living, for anyone who really sees.” ~ Paul Strand
Redbellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus bird Michigan Huron River and Watershed woodpecker
Elusive White Deer ~ Huron River and Watershed
"....keep your eyes out for the elusive white deer. This deer is albino, an animal with a genetic mutation where it is unable to produce melanin ~ a dark pigment which produces the typical coloration of the animal. Albinism in deer is rare, there is a one in 10,000 chance of a parent passing the gene to its offspring.... Please allow them to enjoy their beautiful home by respecting their space." ~ Danielle Mauter
white deer albino Huron River and Watershed fauna animal white nature Michigan
Spring ~ Huron River and Watershed
"Just living is not enough...one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower." ~ Hans Christian Anderson
spring springtime Huron River flowers pink flora blooms
Great Blue Heron ~ Ardea herodias ~ Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables, Florida
Great Blue Heron in flight river Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens Coral Gardens Florida bird Ardea herodias slow deep wingbeats bluegray plumage tucked in neck long legs powder down night vision oldest24 years massive silhouette long orangish bill black crown head plumes largest North American heron wild black stripe over eye daggerlike bill water rocks reflections
Great Blue Heron ~ Ardea herodias ~ Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables, Florida
Great Blue Heron in flight river Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens Coral Gardens Florida bird Ardea herodias slow deep wingbeats bluegray plumage tucked in neck long legs powder down night vision oldest24 years massive silhouette long orangish bill black crown head plumes largest North American heron wild black stripe over eye daggerlike bill water rocks reflections
Flying Dragon Waterfall ~ Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens ~ Delray Beach, Florida
waterfall cascade water falls steep incline cataract shower torrent overflowing chute downfall gush stream flow plunge downrush watercourse spout falling stream rush tumble spill Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens Delray Beach Florida nature
Little Blue Heron ~ Egretta caerulea ~ Port St. Lucie, Florida
"i'm very happy being me, although sometimes I'd love to be a bird so that I can fly." ~ Joy Fielding
blue and purple bird Egretta caerulea aigrette plumes white during the first stage of life oldest known 13 years Little Blue Heron Garceta Azul Aigrette bleue daggerlike bill small heron purple maroon head dark blue body bird water Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Seaboard ocean sea seaside rocks yellow eyes stand and wait predator fauna Eastern Seaboard species of High Concern 2016
Royal Terns (with Laughing Gulls) ~ Thalasseus maximus ~ Port St. Lucie, Florida
Royal Tern Thalasseus maximus greatest sea fisherman Ancient Greek bird redorange bill black cap during breeding season lives on the coast only found near salt water seabird webbed feet more streamlines than gulls black legs patchy in winter Atlantic Ocean Port St. Lucie Florida sand seacoast saside diving bird fiercely defensive of nest and young ocean beach oldest 30 years banded in North Carolina short forked tail inflight fauna
Brown Pelican ~ Pelecanus occidentalis ~ Port St. Lucie, Florida
Pelecanus occidentalis Brown Pelican Port St. Lucie Florida sinuous neck oldest pelican 43 years seaside seabird seashore sea stretch throat pouch masterful fliers strong swimmers Eastern Seaboard Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Seaboard sea coast rocks water tide squadrons echo motions of waves ocean bird nature fauna oversized bill surfs updrafts animal
Leap of Faith ~ Brown Pelican ~ Port St. Lucie, Florida ~ Pelecanus occidentalis
“Wings are like dreams. Before each flight, a bird takes a small jump, a leap of faith, believing that its wings will work.” ~ J.R. Rim
Pelecanus occidentalis Brown Pelican Port St. Lucie Florida oversize bill sinuous neck plunge divers oldest pelican 43 years seabird in flight leap of faith stretchy throat pouch surf updrafts strong swimmers Eastern Seaboard Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Seaboard seaside seacoast rocks water squadrons echo motions of waves sea ocean brd nature fauna animal
Brown Pelican, Juvenile ~ Port St. Lucie, Florida ~ Pelecanus occidentalis
“Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.”
~ Marc Riboud
Pelecanus occidentalis Brown Pelican Port St. Lucie Florida oversized bill sinuous neck squadrons echo motions of the waves plungedivers oldest pelican 43 years seabird inflight stretchy throat pouch surf supdrafts masterful fliers strong swimmers Eastern Seaboard Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Seaboard sea ocean seacoast waves water bird
Pair of Wood Storks in the Rain ~ Mycteria americana
"Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts." ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
wading bird Wood Stork scaly head Mycteria americana bald headed bird Florida Port St. Lucie black and white wings longlegged wetland bird swamp habitat soar on thermals uncommon in U.S.federally threatened primarily not migratory Eastern Seaboard
Little Blue Heron ~ Egretta caerulea ~ Port St. Lucie, Florida
"i'm very happy being me, although sometimes I'd love to be a bird so that I can fly." ~ Joy Fielding
blue and purple bird Egretta caerulea aigrette plumes white during first stage of life oldest known 13 years plus Little Blue Heron Garceta Azul Aigrette bleue daggerlike bill small heron purple maroon head dark blue body bird water yellow eyes stand and wait predator fauna Eastern Seaboard species of High Concern 2 rain
Windswept Snowy Egret ~ Egretta thula ~ New Smyrna Beach, Florida
"It is never too late to go quietly to our lakes, rivers, oceans, even our small streams, and say to the sea gulls, the great blue herons, the bald eagles, the salmon, that we are sorry." ~ Brenda Peterson
windswept snowy egret Egretta thulla elegant heron white plumage yellow feet plumes New Smyrna Beach Florida beach coast water sand shells wings bird black bill beak feathers Atlantic Ocean Eastern Seaboard Atlantic Seaboard sea ocean may run the waves to forage threat is habitat loss
Snowy Egret ~ egretta thula ~ Eastern Seaboard
“Photography is an austere and blazing poetry of the real.” ~ Ansel Adams
Snowy Egret bird Egretta thula beach shore Eastern Seaboard Florida seaside seashore sea coast white plumage black legs yellow feet curvy plumes shorebird oldest17 years heron mediumsized long slender bill spear fish waterbird forager migratory
Snowy Egrets ~ Egretta thula ~ Eastern Seaboard
fauna Snowy.Egrets Egretta.thula New Smyrna Beach Florida Eastern Seaboard Heron white plumage shorebird oldest17yearsl bird
Willets in Winter ~ Tringa semipalmata ~ New Smyrna Beach, Florida
"To stand at the edge of the sea, to sense the ebb and flow of the tides, to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept up and down the surf lines of the continents for untold thousands of years, to see the running of the old eels and the young shad to the sea, is to have knowledge of things that are as nearly eternal as any earthly life can be." ~ Rachel Carson
Tringa semipalmata shorebird Willet Playero Aliblanco Chevalier semipalme feed day and night short to longdistance migrant sandpiper bird fauna. nature on the wing Florida New Smyrna Beach coastline wildlife sea tides
Willets ~ Tringa semipalmata ~ New Smyrna Beach, Florida
"I have a room all to myself; it is nature." ~ Henry David Thoreau
Willet Tringa.semipalmata bird shoreline beach Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Seaboard seashore shells distinctive wing markings shorebird piercing call winter colors longlegged straightbilled coastline coast coastal water sand eggs apparently tasty oldest known willet least 10 years heavy barring on breast heavy motting on back feed day and night short to longdistance migrant sandpiper black and white stripe on each week only during flight
Sanderling ~ Calidris alba ~ New Smyrna Beach, Florida
"May your love be firm, and may your dream of life together be a river between two shores - by day bathed in sunlight, and by night illuminated from within. May the heron carry news of you to the heavens, and the salmon bring the sea's blue grace. May your twin thoughts spiral upward like leafy vines, like fiddle strings in the wind, and be as noble as the Douglas fir. May you never find yourselves back to back without love pulling you around into each other's arms." ~ James Bertolino
Sanderling Calidris alba bird New Smyrna Beach Florida sand beach water wings beak bill Atlantic Oceean Atlantic Seaboard sea seaside seashore sea coast coastline coastal beach coast peeps sandpiper obsessive wave chasers extreme longdistance migrants breed on high Arctic tundra usually monogomous widespread shorebird stout black bill populations declining
Snowy Egret ~ Egretta thula ~ New Smyrna Beach, Florida
"It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living." ~ David Attenborough
egret Snowy Egret New Smyrna Beach Florida ocean sea beach bird Atlantic Seaboard Atlantic Ocean heron white plumage black legs yellow feet coast breeding plumes once worth twice the cost of gold white heron sometimes chase prey through the waves water bird forager
Close-Up of a Woodstork ~ Mycteria americana ~ New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Mycteria americana Wood Stork New Smyrna Beach Florida wader bird soars on thermals balheaded bird just over 3 feet tall harbingers of spring and birth in mythology oldest recorded was 20 years massive long heavy curved bill white bird black flight feathers scaly head football shaped body uncommon in U.S.federally threatened tántalo americano tantale d'amérique
Snowy Egret ~ egretta thula ~ Eastern Seaboard
“If you see something that moves you, and then snap it, you keep a moment.” ~ Linda McCartney
on the wing fauna Snowy Egret bird Egretta thula Eastern Seaboard Florida seashore coast white plumage black legs yellow feet curvy plumes shorebird oldest 17 years spearfish water bird forager migratory long slender bill pond grass water
Skies over Canaveral Seas (Panorama)
"Tell me and I will forget, teach me and I will remember, involve me and I will learn." ~ Benjamin Franklin
sky clouds Canaveral National Seashore Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Seaboard water waves tide sand tidal pools white caps blue New Smyrna Beach Florida Eastern Seaboard beach beach flora seaside vista landscape seascape ocean sea
Brown Pelican ~ Pelecanus occidentalis ~ New Smyrna Beach, Florida
"And to lose the chance to see frigatebirds soaring in circles above the storm, or a file of pelicans winging their way homeward across the crimson afterglow of the sunset, or a myriad terns flashing in the bright light of midday as they hover in a shifting maze above the beach -- why, the loss is like the loss of a gallery of the masterpieces of the artists of old time." ~ Theodore Roosevelt
brown pelican Florida Pelecanus occidentalis New Smyrna Beach onthewing Eastern Seaboard Fauna Atlantic Ocean seasde bird sinuous neck flight echoes waves plunge dive comeback thanks to pesticide regulations oldest recorded age 43 years giant bill seabird stocky graygrown yellow head white neck coast bird awkward gait on land masterful flier highly social
No Boundaries
“I like geography best, he said, because your mountains and rivers know the secret. Pay no attention to boundaries.” ~ Brian Andreas
Indian River Florida New Smyrna Beach river water sky clouds dock ripples boundaries
The Patrol ~ Indian River North, Florida
Indian River North Florida Brown Pelicans birds sign patrol fauna onthewing
Big Sky ~ Indian River, Florida
"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all." ~ Emily Dickinson
Indian River Florida clouds weather sunset New Smyrna Beach evening Eastern Seaboard atmosphere meteorological conditions climate
Black Vulture ~ Coragyps atratus ~ Canaveral National Seashore, Florida
black vulture Coragyps.atratus Canaveral National Seashore Florida bird black plumage bare black head poor sense of smell fierce family royalty most numerous vulture in Western Hemisphere 34 million year old fossils silvery patches on underside Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Seaboard follow Turkey Vultures to food monogamous beneficial scavenger
Lovely Florida Evening, with Silhouettes
palms Florida evening sunset tree clouds sky silhouette
Forster's Tern, in non-breeding plumage ~ Sterna forsteri ~ New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri bird birdinflight nonbreeding plumage New Smyrna Beach Florida wings beak shoreline coast seaside seashore tern waves water sky Atlantic Seaboard Eastern Seaboard onthewing fauna mediumsized tern masked bandit commashaped black ear patch in winter plunger Species of Moderate Concern
Reaching for the Moon
Photo shot over Cape Canaveral National Seashore, Florida, on Sunday evening, January 20, 2019.
moon moonlight astronomical body natural satellite possibly 4.51 billion years old synchronous rotation Cape Canaveral National Seashore Florida volcanic maria ancient crustal highlands impact craters celestial object ocean and body tides Luna selenic terrae Near Side
Low Tide
"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson
low tide seaside sea sea coast seashore seascape Atlantic Ocean water tide plants sea level sealevel fluctuation beach beach front sandy beach New Smyrna Beach Florida coast plants seaside garden shoreline shore flora
Osprey ~ Pandion haliaetus ~ Canaveral National Seashore, Florida
Osprey Canaveral National Seashore Florida Pandion haliaetus bird birdinflight Atlantic Ocean Eastern Seaboard ocean raptor hawk reversible outer toe wings angler bird of prey bone breaker white underparts white head with brown line conservation success story hooked black beak
Bird Flying High ~ Eastern Seaboard
"Bird flyin' high
You know how I feel
Sun in the sky
You know how I feel
Breeze drifting by
You know how I feel...."
~ Songwriters: Gladys Knight, Al Claiborne, G. Garcia, Edesio Alejandro Rodriguez
wings sunlight bird in flight sky clouds bird ocean sea
Over the Ocean
soaring waves tide sea ocean pelicans Atlantic Ocean nature birds brown pelicans seaside birdsinflight water sky journey seacoast
Sea and Sky ~ Southern Outer Banks, North Carolina
"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over."
~ John Masefield
ocean sea pelicans Southern Outer Banks North Carolina water sky waves clouds birds seascape tide Eastern Seaboard
Happy Holidays!
puppets by Dorothy Canfield Kushner
Happy Holidays!
puppets by Dorothy Canfield Kushner
Michigan in Winter
"Hill tops we sled down hill tops
As fast as we can go
Snow man we built a snow man
When came the first snow
Hot chocolate we sip, hot chocolate let it warm our soul
All the lakes are frozen over so ice fishing we go
It's winter time, winter time, winter time in Michigan."
~ Jetty Rae
fallow fields corn corn fields sky clouds snow winter trees
cos-scut-e-nong sebee
"The Huron River is a 130-mile-long (210 km) river in southeastern Michigan, rising out of the Huron Swamp in Springfield Township in northern Oakland County and flowing into Lake Erie on the boundary between Wayne County and Monroe County.... The Huron River is a typical Southeast Michigan stream; mud banks, slow stream flow and a low gradient define this river.... There are 24 major tributaries totaling about 370 miles (600 km) in addition to the mainstream. The Huron River watershed drains 908 square miles (2,350 km2). It is the only state-designated Country-Scenic Natural River in southeast Michigan. This includes 27.5 miles (44.3 km) of the mainstream, plus an additional 10.5 miles (16.9 km) of three tributaries. The river was named after the Huron band of Native Americans who lived in the area. In Native languages, it was called cos-scut-e-nong sebee or Giwitatigweiasibi. It was part of a Native American trade route." ~ Wikipedia
Huron River Michigan cosscuenong sebee river stream Country Scenic Natural River named after Native American tribe Native American trade route water cloudsk sky reflections dock trees Giwitatigweiasibi homes
River in Winter
"My favourite places on earth are the wild waterways where the forest opens its arms and a silver curve of river folds the traveller into its embrace." ~ Rory MacLeanr
clouds blue river trees sky lines reflections nature waterway curve of river water tree serene wood bridge
Mute Swan ~ Cygnus olor ~ Huron River
"To be born in a duck's nest, in a farmyard, is of no consequence to a bird, if it is hatched from a swan's egg." ~ Hans Christian Anderson
Mute Swan Cygnus olor bird Huron River elegant Russian ballets European fairytales imported from Europe form long lasting pair bonds white plumage black knob enormous appetite The Ugly Duckling waterfowl
Early Morning Ripples ~ Huron River
“A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.” ~ Eudora Welty
reflections Huron River ripples water tree fallen tree trees leaves sky blue clouds banks shore river landscape

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