Today I went out looking for a needle in a haystack. Seriously. I was told via a friend on Facebook that a snowy owl had been spotted at the Kalamazoo Airport!! I couldn’t get out the door fast enough this morning hoping to get a picture!
The Kalamazoo Airport is a small, yet international, airport. It’s full name is Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport. All of the runway area, where the snowy owl was reportedly hanging out, is surrounded by tall fences. The best pictures I could even hope to get would be taken through a cyclone fence. I thought it was still worth a try.
As I trudged through the snow along the fence line looking for a white owl against a white background, I worried about what I might look like—a lone figure with a very long lens (not unlike a gun, perhaps) aimed directly at the runway. Hmmm. Surprisingly, no one came out to ask me what the heck I was doing!
After an hour or so, I was inclined to ask myself that very same question. I was looking for a small white bird against a very white background in a very indeterminate location. It wasn’t like the bird was going to hold up a big sign saying “Here I am”! Reluctantly, I decided to cut my losses and headed out to a different location, one that held more of a promise of birds.
Today’s bird ‘count’ includes a red tailed hawk (on the way to the airport), starlings, sparrows and seagulls (at the airport), mallards and mergansers (at the Portage bike trail)—but no snowy owls!
On the way to the airport to find the snowy owl, I spotted this red tailed hawk high in a tree so I pulled over and tried to get a picture. As I got closer and closer to the tree, he flew off, but I still got a picture!There were starlings all over the place near the airport. I think they’re beautiful birds!Two more starlingsWhen I didn’t have any luck finding the snowy owl at the airport, I looked for other birds–even sparrows made the cut!The mallards and the mergansers were all hanging out together.Female merganser with quite the hairdo!Male and female mergansers along the Portage Bike Trail
I am a 76 year old retired teacher with an avid interest in hiking and photography. I am not a professional photographer, but spend almost every day exploring the natural world, taking pictures and honing my skills. When I review the pictures I have taken, I love researching information about the things I have found-- and then sharing my results with others. The time I have spent walking in the woods (including 4 months on the Appalachian Trail at 68) has always been somewhat therapeutic. When I added photography to the mix a few years ago, it quadrupled the therapeutic effect! Opening pictures on my computer at the end of the day is like opening presents. There are always surprises! It allows me to see so many details that were not visible to my naked eye! I have learned so many new things about birds and bugs, reptiles and mammals that I never knew before--and I have also found, that when I share with others, I invariably learn something new!
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Reads like a beautiful picture book, Jeanne!
Thanks, Jane. Glad you enjoyed ‘walking’ with me!
Thanks, Jane. Glad you enjoyed ‘walking’ with me!