My friends are back

It has been really fun to watch so many of the migratory birds come back to (or through) the area and those that stayed to weather the winter are out and about. Definitely the first signs of spring up here in the northwoods!

Monday was an exciting day for this...although I didn't get very many great shots, I actually wasn't disappointed...I reveled in the feeling of just being in the same space with all of the incredible animals I saw. Between a jaunt out of the house for lunch and a detour on the way home from Birchwood as the sun was going down, I had the opportunity to see all of the following: several pair of hooded mergansers, a couple pair of wood ducks, several Canadian geese (nothing new!), a pair of sandhill cranes (my favs!), a barred owl, an immature bald eagle, a mature bald eagle, 7 deer walking across the ice on the north end of Long Lake, and an otter sitting at the edge of the ice in the same area. Could life get any better?

As I said, the photos aren't great...but here is proof of some of what I saw...

Pussy willow with a pinecone? Is it a fluke? This wasn't the only one...I'm confused! But it looks cool!!!

The ice went off this part of the channel the next day...and instead of it looking pretty and interesting, it looked yucky!

Same here...I thought this was stunning...the next day was UGLY!!!

This is a male wood duck...isn't he stunning? They are flighty...I would need a huge lens to get close to this guy!!!

This was my first sandhill sighting for the year. I had heard them...but had never been this close!!!

Ok...I'd like to say I planned this "pan" of the eagle...but I'd be lying! It was total luck!!! Panning is a technique where you move the camera while the shutter is open...following the action you are trying to capture. If done right, it keeps the main subject in focus but you see the movement in the background...like this...total luck...but I personally love it!!!

This is an immature eagle...

Not a great shot...he only gave me one chance to get it right and I failed...but I'll take it for my first owl shot...I took this while parked on the side of the road and I popped up out of the sunroof!!! This is a barred owl.

You'll have to trust me on this one...the dark "bump" just on the other side of the opening in the ice is the otter.

It is dark...but to the left right above the water opening in the ice is three of the 7 deer that crossed the lake.