When the visitors are away, the turkeys party

It is the end of the season and there are few visitors to the state park early in the morning. So the turkeys are out en mass.  Some are concerned about us and are on the fence.

They decide to flee.

Green Heron

A heron visited the pond today. I think it is a juvenile green heron. It really enjoyed a meal of frogs and tadpoles. I decided to settle in and stalk it with a camera while it stalked its prey. My camera was my usual Lumix DMC-ZS50. This has the small viewfinder in addition to the rear LCD screen. Shooting across the pond while handheld is a bit of a challenge.

The heron is a very skillful, patient hunter.

The Return of the Swallows

With mild weather the swallows have returned to the shores of Lake Michigan. They are working hard to pair up and to build those nests. Some find these birds to be pests; I prefer to share and discourage building over my RT. They do eat a lot of bugs and that is beneficial to me.

We went to the lake for a sunset and an opportunity to see the planet Mars. We were very entertained by the swallows. Some swooped very close as they grabbed the insects flying directly above.

Meanwhile, others were at the water's edge getting the final rays of the sun.

And out on the water, birds were settling down for the night.

Here's what the swallows are building and feeding:

Warren Dunes May 2015

This year, we plan on spending some time along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. To that end, we visited the Warren Dunes last week. Of course, where we go this summer will be determined in part by the time available. Currently the schedule is busy.

The dunes is a fun spot. It's popular with hikers, bathers and youth groups. According to the Michigan DNR "The rugged dune formation rises 260 feet above the lake and offers spectacular views and excellent for hang gliding. The park has three miles of shoreline, six miles of hiking trails and is open year-round."  Entry via motor vehicle requires a "Recreation Passport" which is $9 daily and $31 annually for non-Michigan vehicles. 

In the Spring there are the swallows. During the fall, there is the migration of Monarch butterflies. Here are two videos. One was made a week ago, the other last fall. 

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Tucson - The Desert Museum

This is another in a continuing series. The mornings are cool but as the day progresses the temperature increases. Layering is the standard approach, and we peel clothes as the morning progresses and then put on the vest, etc. in the evening.

There is a lot of wildlife in and around the museum. We spent an entire day there.

More Tucson Outdoor Photos

More photos from our Tucson area trek:

There's a busy bee in this photo:

Tucson Raptors

The Arizona-Sonoma Desert Museum has a wonderful raptors in flight exhibit. No cages, just free-flying birds and amazed onlookers. The raptors include a variety of owls and hawks:

This hawk flew just above my head; I was standing about three feet behind the handler. The photo was taken with a wide-angle lens and so this bird was much closer than it appears in the photo. She settled on a saguaro directly behind me.

One of the hawks took a treat to a nearby saguaro before returning soaring. At one time there were four hawks pirouetting and dazzling the crowd. On the day we attended the museum there were two raptor in flight shows. One in the morning and another in the afternoon. The morning had several owls and a red-tailed hawk. The afternoon had four hawks.