Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Some Favorite Wisconsinites: Bald Eagle, Blue Jay, and Red-Winged Blackbird


It's breathtaking to look up and see an American Bald Eagle flying low overhead. Taking pictures was difficult because of the overcast sky, but I did my best. The Eagle above was flying over the swamp behind The Beacons. There's one that has a nest in the Norwegian Red Pines right next to mom and dad's condo. Boy, do I wish I'd had my camera when we were swimming in Lake Minocqua and that Eagle swooped down right next to us and grabbed a fish out of the water. It was actually a little scary because, for a second, I thought he/she was going to dive-bomb us.



This pair of Bald Eagles (above) perched in a Birch tree just down the lake shore a bit from the Four Seasons restaurant in Arbor Vitae. We went for the Friday night fish fry as well as lovely views of Big Arbor Vitae Lake. The seagull-like sounds of Eagles while we ate was an added bonus. Below: mom and dad at our table at Four Seasons. (Note to self: Above and below, Minolta.)


I've always loved Blue Jays. Here in Los Angeles County, we see a lot of Western Scrub Jays, who are absolute freaks for peanuts. Seeing Blue Jays, though, took me back. A sucker for complementary colors, I was particularly interested in taking a picture of a Jay in the one dead pine with burnt orange needles. Below: Blue Jay (times three) at The Beacons in Minocqua.




I used to see a lot of super-glossy Red-Winged Blackbirds on roadside fenceposts in Iowa City when I was in grad school at UI. My favorite bike ride was south of town down Sand Road (I think that was the name), where I got to see all kinds of roadside birds in addition to sheep, goats, and of course, hogs. Oh, Memory Lane...

Below: This Red-Winged Blackbird stood on a small stump (or part of a submerged log) on the seemingly unnamed swamp near Huber Bay of Lake Minocqua (and near the less beautiful Save More parking lot).


P.S. My pond is jealous of the prolific wild water lilies all about Northern Wisconsin.

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