Catching some Swans

I saw some swans down at Ottawa but they were too far out or obscured by the weeds, so I couldn't get a good picture.  As I was catching the Calumet, a flock of them passed by.

I love the way the sunset light hit them.  Gives them a nice pink color.

One more shot as they flew off.
 

A Stop at Fish Point

On Saturday I decided that I wanted to attempt to catch the Snowy Owls at Fish Point.  Got up early and ended up picking up my aunt in Saginaw.  I was thinking that I didn't have too many more opportunities to get one this year as it is starting to get warmer.  It was also a pretty nice day, so I had that going for me too.

 I didn't see any snowy owls but I did see these guys.

 I'm not sure if they are trumpeter swans or tundra swans.  I'm leaning more towards trumpeter swans because I think tundra swans have a little yellow near the beaks.

 At any rate, this is a sign of spring.

 And I will have to say they look pretty neat.

 I think I was more happy to see this guy.  I don't normally see Sandhill cranes at Fish Point.  I usually see them at Kensington or further up north.

 A flock of Canada geese flying by.

 I'm not sure about this picture.

 A pair of Sandhill cranes.

 I think I got a little too close.

The pair of them of flying away.

As we were leaving Fish Point, I saw an eagle flying around.  Unfortunately, I couldn't stop in a good spot to get a picture of him.

Amongst the Eagles at Magee and Ottawa

So I went to Magee and Ottawa last Saturday.  It has been a while since I've been down there.  I wasn't sure if part of it would be under water because of all the rain we've been getting.  Fortunately it wasn't.

 Before going to Magee, I stopped at Ottawa National Wildlife Preserve.  I saw this heron as I was heading in.

 I'm not sure what kind of flowers these were.

 Another shot of the heron.

 As I was taking some pictures of other birds, I caught this eagle as he flew over.

 A Canada goose family.

 This family of swans was crossing the road.  I was reminded of "Make Way for Ducklings".  Apparently that was my favorite book as I was little.

 An egret.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get a better picture.

 the swan family in the water.

 A butterfly.

 And then I headed over to Magee and saw these eagles in the nest.

 I think they were waiting for their parents.

 As the winds started to pick up, this eagle started to kite.

 Occasionally, he would take a brief flight.  It mostly amounted to hopping up in the air and hovering for a bit.

 Kiting again.

 I kind of liked this shot.

 I think he was kiting again.

 And then I went to the other eagle's nest and saw this guy flying around it.

 There is something about an eagle in the wild.

One more shot of the eagle.

Some Swans off Belle Isle

I had one more ship to catch but I wasn't sure if I would get her before the day light left. 

 While I was waiting for the next ship, there was some swans near where I was waiting.  The light was just about perfect for them.

 I like the soft orange glow cast by the setting sun.  It seems like it is even better in the late fall and winter.

 It makes for some nice lighting.

And a pair of swans.

A Brief Stop at Magee Marsh

I decided to take the more scenic route to Cleveland.  This involves taking Ohio Route 2 over there.  This also meant a brief stop at Magee Marsh.

I didn't see any eagles, but I did see a few swans.

Return to Magee Marsh

This is from last Sunday, so slowly but surely I'm catching up to where I should be.  Unfortunately, I don't know what many of these birds are, so enjoy.

 I think this is a black and white flycatcher.

 This is definitely a robin.

 A black and yellow warbler.

 I'm not sure what kind of bird this is.

 I loved the opportunity as this dragonfly landed just right for me.

 I think I like this shot a little better.

 Even though I see many of these, the red-winged blackbird is pretty cool.

 I think this is called a Velocity and is a kit built aircraft.  I'm not sure which company builds the parts though.

 An immature eagle.

 A heron in flight,.

 An immature eagle looking for a meal.

 A flock of geese take flight.

 A heron stands in front of some arrowroot.

 A brown eyed susan.

 I think this is butterfly weed.

 A wild sunflower.

 I'm going to go out on a limb and call this white indigo.

 Another wild sunflower.

 I'm not sure what this is.

 Or this is.

 Wild garlic.

 A waterlily.

 I loved the reflections in this picture.

 and of course, a bald eagle.

 A cygnet.

 and the proud parents.

 I really like the way this picture turned out.  The reflections were just about perfect.  For some reason, it reminds me of a lotus blossom.

And one more shot.