Beak
Sandhill in a Farm Field
This Sandhill Crane was foraging through a northeast Wisconsin farm field, with its companion. This photo was taken in the fall, when their plumage is mostly gray. In the spring an summer, they appear more brown.
Sandhill cranes became regular inhabitants in our area of rural Wisconsin. I took this photo while walking along the road near my house. It was common in the fall to have dozens flocking and foraging in the fields around our house. Very shy birds in that setting. They were hard to photograph because they would take to flight if I tried to get close. I caught these two with a 300mm lens and had to enlarge the digital image quite a bit to be able to see any detail.
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Mona Lisa Smile
On a recent trip to the Columbus Zoo, in Ohio, I snapped this image of a flamingo. I titled it, “Mona Lisa Smile,” because the bird seemed to have a look in the eye and crook in the smile that reminded me of a much more famous work or art.
This is an American Flamingo. These birds were found in southern Florida by early European explorers but their populations declined until they were gone by the early 1900s. However, in the 1950s they were added as a decorative addition to the Hialeah Park race track in Hialeah, Florida. The current wild populations of flamingos in southern Florida are believed to be the result of escapees from the race track.
The elements of this photo that I like most are, of course, the vibrant color, the detail in the plumage and the unusual shape and symmetry of the bird and its plumage.
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All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.