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There’s a perch that’s not having a good day!

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I’ve been finding more and more enjoyment in wildlife photography, but I can’t really call this one “wild”.  No, it isn’t a deer park, but this guy lives in a gated community and doesn’t seem to have many reservations about the 2-legged trespassers.  As he was walking across the yard I grabbed my camera and pointed it at the back of his head.  I whistled 3 times when he finally stopped and gave me “the look” before turning back and continuing slowly on his way.

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I’ve previously mentioned that my wife and I like to frequent the Door County peninsula during the summer months and I made a return trip last week to winterize our travel trailer for what is to come. 

After my visit in July I had posted a few images that showed the incredibly low water levels in North Bay.  On my way back home this past week, I drove past the bay again only to find that water levels are even further down from just a few months ago!  Imagine owning a “lake side” property on the largest body of fresh water in the world only to find that you now have a hundred yard commute past the end of your dock before you can get your toes wet!

And it gets worse.  It’s long been believed that these low water levels are the direct result of our “interfering” by continued dredging and erosion on the St. Clair River. 

Soon you’ll be visiting the “Great Ponds” rather than the Great Lakes.

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Trouble. And in my road.

I’ve always wondered why you start to see (and smell) road-killed skunks lining the sides of the roadways this time of year.  Now I have a better understanding.

One evening last week I took a drive through the country to enjoy and photograph some of the fall colors.  As the sun dipped below the horizon I set off for home, but was delayed by this “striped woods kitty”.  I saw it come up out of the ditch and then spend the next 5+ minutes meandering from one edge of the highway to the other.  I was able to pull over into the passing lane and tap my brakes to warn approaching traffic while I rattled off a few frames of my smelly new friend.  While I have no idea what was driving the curious and very indecisive behavior (“I’ve got to go this way. NO. The other way. No that’s not right either. It’s this way.”), it became pretty obvious as to why so many get run over. 

Play in the road and you’re going to get hurt!

If you can explain the curious behavior, please use the comment space below to enlighten the rest of us.  If you have a funny title for the image, you can use the comment section for that too.

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“Come a little closer said the spider.  If I had a macro lens I would, said the photographer”.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a macro so I had to stand back and zoom in instead.  This yellow and black garden spider decided to set up shop on the shed in our backyard and I just couldn’t resist taking it’s photo to send to my arachnophobic little brother. He really appreciated my efforts too!

Where do you stand on the “spider issue”? Love ‘em? Hate ‘em? Tolerate ‘em?  The real question is, do you have any good macro shots I could share with my brother?

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If there were a beauty pageant for birds, this guy would not be my first vote – the Turkey Vulture.

I’ve heard people say that they thought vultures were beautiful creatures.  Yeah, well, to each his own I guess.  To me this is the image conjured by the word “vulture”.  Sinister shadow cast behind it while it’s wing tips drag across the pavement on its way to claim it’s prize – a road killed skunk!  I guess we all have our jobs in life.

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Man’s best friend.  Loyal and trusted companion.  Bringer of surprises!

As a pet owner, how many times has this scenario played out at your house?  Your proud, always aiming to please, furry friend bounces happily to the door with new found treasure that it just KNOWS you're going to be oh so proud and thrilled to receive.  Look what I found, Mom!  It’s for YOU!

Whether it’s the family cat waiting patiently for entrance through the front door with its jaws full of mouse or the family dog bring home the baby rabbit, it’s one of the many joys of pet ownership.

What’s the strangest thing your pet has ever offered up?

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If you read yesterday’s post, you’re probably still recovering from the “cute overload”.  Here’s just one more shot of the little loon trying to prove that maybe its not so little after all.

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Left turn…
He went THAT way…
Row, row, row your loon…
If you don’t get that camera out of my face, I’m gonna smack you!…
Hiya!

Go ahead. Give it your best shot and drop a title for this photo in the comments section below.  You know you want to.

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One of the cool things about kayak photography is it gets you closer to the wildlife, including the under water kind!  This was taken in North Bay after I saw a head surface just in front of me and I was able to swing the camera around in time to capture the rest of it.  I’m already starting to think about outfitting the kayak with a waterproof Go Pro camera for situations like this.

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“Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water…”

Minding it’s own business this great egret suddenly is attacked by a giant black claw from the deeps! Oh, wait. That’s its foot.  Had you going there for a second, didn’t I?

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Who says you can’t be both a pirate and a patriot?  Flying high above a dock on Europe Lake in Door County, these flags and their owner prove that its possible.

Have any interesting title of your own? Use the comments section below and remember to have fun.

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If you’ve been following the blog for the last several weeks, you’ve noticed several references to “North Bay” in Door County.  This photo was taken from the west shore and helps illustrate why I was unsuccessful  at getting close enough to the waterfowl to capture decent photos.  If you look closely, you can see two mute swans just disappearing behind the marsh grass about three quarters of the way toward the top of the frame (click image for larger view).

On the opposite side of the bay next to the public boat launch, you can almost feel the pain of what it must be like to now be mowing where your boat was once tied up!  I’m not exaggerating when  I say you could walk out into the bay from the first photo and continue on until you reached this private dock without even getting your knees wet.  During much of the trip, your ankles would have time to dry.

If there’s an upside for the homeowners it would have to be the fact that it’s cut down on the mosquito population (I know I’m reaching, but there must be some silver lining).

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Last week’s post featured a Green Heron tip-toeing through the marsh grass searching for breakfast.  As the above shot illustrates, and much to the chagrin of the minnow, he found it .

Can anyone tell me why they call these “Green Herons”?  Looks more brown and grey to me.  Maybe it's the light?

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In Monday's post I mentioned my kayak trip on North Bay. Because of the vast expanse of shallow water, ample cover provided by the marsh grass and a plentiful food supply , it’s a favorite location to many waterfowl and shore birds including this Green Heron. "Be vewy, vewy quiet. I'm hunting minnows.".

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This shot won’t win any awards for technical accuracy, but considering I shot it one handed through the bug splattered wind shield of a moving car, I’m happy I got them both in the frame.

This little fawn has to be the smallest I’ve seen personally.  When I first spotted them walking along the road, the fawn was literally walking underneath mom.  Pretty cool.

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He's fine. Really.

You know that feeling you get when you roll onto your back and wiggle in the freshly mown grass?  Yeah, that's what this is :).

Have an interesting title? Use the comment section below and remember to have fun.

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Another shot from the archives, but a common one on area lakes and none-the-less.  All of those little “ugly ducklings” are nearly as large as their parents now.

Use the comments section below to offer up your best title.

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“You might be in the Northwoods if…”

Go ahead and laugh, but have you ever been knocked off your kayak by one of these monsters? There’s a reason they call them “loons” you know .

First comes the attack from above. Then they start to surround you on the water continuing to close in ever so slowly.  Just when you think you know their plan… “BLOOP”… they disappear below the water to begin their attack from below!

You wait in fear expecting that they’re going to all surface beneath you and unthrown you from  your craft… and you wait… and wait… and wait…  Then, suddenly, you hear their maniacal laughter off in the distance.  They’ve pulled one over on you again!

My advice? Don’t let your guard down.  It’s all just a ploy to lure you into a false sense of security and then, “BLAM!”. In you go!

Stay vigilant my friends. Stay vigilant. 

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Does this give you the “creepy crawlies” or “warm fuzzies”?   Use the comments section to offer up your own title and remember to have fun.