Book Tours
“Last Frame” – Kingfisher – This image was literally the last frame I made on a month-long trip to Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands. It was incredibly difficult to get everything lined up just right since I was on the side of a hill and shooting through some branches. But in the end I was able to get this one frame!
“Forest Secrets” – Pileated Woodpecker - The largest woodpecker in North America, this beautiful bird nests in tree cavities in excavates with its sturdy bill. They require forest of at least 150 acres to raise a family. A fact that no doubt has led to the decline of this species throughout much of its historic range.
“Beautiful Puffball” – American Kestrel – North America’s smallest Falcon the beautiful Kestrel is surprisingly common. They can often be seen sitting on power lines alongside meadows as they hunt for mice, grasshoppers and such. This guy is all puffed up because it was a cold winter day, and he is trying to maximize the insulation value of his plumage. CC
“A Brother from Another Mother” – Sandhill Family with Gosling – This unique family came about when a goose dumped an egg in a sandhill crane’s nest. The cranes incubated the egg and subsequently it hatched. The trick was teaching the normally vegetarian gosling to eat a diet of worms and insects. In this image he is just starting to get the hang of it though.
“Out on the Front Porch” – Eastern Screech Owl – In the later afternoons on warm days screech owls will often sit in the openings to their nest cavities to warm themselves in the afternoon sun. I have witnessed this behavior many times at different nests. Without a doubt though this stunning Sycamore provided the most photogenic nest ever!
“Beautiful Undertaker” – King Vulture – I like to tell people that in Costa Rica even the vultures are beautiful. This incredible looking bird makes its living like all vultures cleaning up the carrion that it finds. Somone once told me that if it were not for vultures, life would likely cease to exist due to all the disease that would happen.
“Tiny but Mighty” – Pygmy Owl – This amazing owl from Costa Rica is very tiny, he could easily sit in a teacup. I love the ant on the branch next to it, the ant really gives the viewer a sense of scale for this little guy.
“Riders on the Wind” – Black-capped Chickadee – One of our most beloved backyard birds the inquisitive Chickadee is always the first to return to the feeders after I fill them to see what new treats I have delivered!
“Sounds of Spring” – One of the sure signs of Spring being in full swing here in Michigan is when the wetlands come alive with the lovely song of the Yellow Warbler. These beautiful birds fill the air with their exuberant calls
“Water Dance” – Western Grebes – This amazing dance is the courtship ritual of the Western Grebe. They have an entire ritual which includes head bobbing and seaweed gifts and culminates in this amazing sprint across the water
“A Quick Bath” – Verreaux’s Eagle Owl – At over 2 feet tall this is the largest owl in Africa. One of the more unique things about this bird are its pink eyelids which you can clearly see in this image.
“Cold Feet” – Female Northern Cardinal – On a bitterly cold winter morning here in Michigan this female struck a wonderful pose on this pine bough covered with heavy frost. Maybe I will make this a Christmas card?
“Northern Waxwing” – Cedar Waxwing – One of the better tailored birds in the bird world. You never see a scruffy Cedar Waxwing they are almost always “feather perfect” without a single plume out of place.
“Flight of Fancy – Drake Wood Duck – Certainly in the top three of my most beautiful duck list. This bird was photographed from my floating blind, which is a crazy boat/blind that I use to get a unique low angle perspective of waterfowl.
“Sushi Anyone?” – American Bald Eagle – This is one of my very favorite Eagle images, I made it in Alaska. You can see the fish it is about to grab just in front of its outstretched talons. And yes… it did get the fish!
“A Splash of Color” - Resplendent Quetzal - Arguably one of the most beautiful birds in the world the Quetzal is surely a thing to behold! This endangered bird is found in Central America and southern Mexico. We usually see them while in Costa Rica. That 20-inch tail sure makes getting a clean shot of one a difficult task!
“Testing the Waters” – American Bald Eagle - So often nature photography comes down to moments. This was certainly one of those special moments as this Bald Eagle flew low over a pond and then unbelievably dipped a wingtip in as if trying to decide whether the water was a good temperature for a refreshing dip - CC
“Winter Prince” – Snowy Owl – These owls live up in the arctic, lucky for us they often like to winter in the northern US and Canada. When the vole population crashes up north, they come South in search of food. CC
“Room Freshener” – Atlantic Puffin – Surprisingly Puffins nest in a burrow they dig into the rock coastlines. These burrows can be as much as three feet long with different chambers. They will often bring flowers back to the burrow, one theory is that they are doing this to mask the scent in the burrow.