Photo of the Week: Family of Great Horned Owls

young owl perched on tree branch, blue sky in the background.

It’s not often you get a chance to see a pair of Great Horned Owls raising their young.

I’m feeling very fortunate to have viewed the family through my binoculars, camera, and spotting scope as the young fledglings grew over the past month.

When I watched the birds yesterday, I was impressed with how large the young owls had grown. Continue reading Photo of the Week: Family of Great Horned Owls

Photo of the Week: Cooper’s Hawk on the Prowl

small hawk with copper barring on its breast perches calmly on a tree branch at dusk.

After a long and successful day of birdwatching, I returned home last night just before dusk.

The sun’s golden orb shone so brightly from the west, I could barely see vehicles in front of me.

Let alone the traffic signal lights.

Since I was only a few miles from home, I drove my car into our local furniture store parking lot off the main road to wait for the sun to set.

Turning the corner to park my car in the parking lot I caught a slight movement. Continue reading Photo of the Week: Cooper’s Hawk on the Prowl

Photo of the Week: Signs of Spring

purple bell-shaped blooms rise on long slender stalks from the leaf-covered ground.

With the extreme changes in weather we’ve had in southeast Michigan—from wind chills below zero followed by temperatures in the high-forties, all in the same week—you wonder if spring is ever going to arrive. But when you finally see the beautiful late-winter Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis) in bloom in the garden, you know spring is… Continue reading Photo of the Week: Signs of Spring