Hummingbirds

As I was sitting at my desk I looked up when a movement caught my eye - I reached for my camera - there was the little hummingbird again. This time I got some good shots of him. He was very busy flitting about.

Mountains and Planes

On the way back from Wisconsin we had cloudy skies most of the way, but the clouds cleared as we were approaching Bellingham for landing. Off to one side I could see Mt. Adams - it was spectacular but went by fairly fast - then up loomed Mt. Ranier - it seemed so close - and even though the pilot had already announced that we were to have all carry-on luggage stowed beneath the seat in front of us, I whipped out my camera and began taking pictures.

Now this was more difficult than usual, because I was in an aisle seat and had to aim the camera out the window - hoping to get the mountains and not the passengers' heads.

Mt. Ranier was majestic . . .
A lot farther away we could see the Olympic Mountains, but even my camera has its limits - so I was happy with Mt. Ranier, and hoped that Mt. Baker would appear on the other side of the plane.

And there she was. Her little cap of clouds - a glorious welcome home sight!

I have no idea what this mountain is - but it was beautiful too. I was taking these out of the opposite side of the plane - across the aisle and there was a mother and two young children in the seats so I had to time the photos so I got them when everyone was not leaning forward in their seats.

And once again Mt. Baker came into view - I guess we must have been circling - I took pictures until the pilot announced that the flight attendants must take their seats and prepare for landing - and I stowed my camera under the seat in front of me, like a good passenger, after entertaining the other passengers with my camera.

Weekly Top Shot - Heron in Wisconsin

While on vacation in Wisconsin for Don's 50th class reunion we visited some favorite spots of his from his childhood. One was Kashena falls. As we watched the falls we saw a heron land off in the distance. I got a couple shots off before he flew on - this is the best one.

I'm linking to Weekly Top Shot - with Madge, thanks Madge for doing this.

Oh - Mrs.BrownDirt

When last we visited with Mrs. BrownDirt, she was at a lodge, enjoying herself on vacation. That same vacation she had a few other adventures. Let's check in and see what she was up to on her vacation to Plain, WA.

In the last post we watched the Sandhill Cranes in hay fields, and then they lined up and started walking - look where they went.

They started across the road . . .

Follow the leader . . .

Very neighborly . . .

They decided to pay a visit to the farmer who so graciously cut his hay so they could find something yummy to eat. We didn't follow them into the farmer's yard.

Sandhill Cranes in Wisconsin

We just got back from Wisconsin, where we had a nice visit with Don's cousins and their families in Waukesha, and went to Northern Wisconsin for Don's 50th class reunion.

The first day there, on the way to breakfast with cousin Bob, we spotted a Sandhill Crane in a small park along the Fox River, right in town. Everyone assured us that the cranes were everywhere, but just in case, I had to stop and get some pictures. This was the first Sandhill Crane that I have seen up close - such excitement.

Then when we were in Northern Wisconsin we saw a lot more Sandhill Cranes. Mostly they were in fields of hay that had been recently cut - looking for food. They would sometimes be close, and sometimes far, but with my 140x zoom on my camera I got some great shots. It was so exciting to listen to them and watch as they walked about, finding tasty tidbits in the hay. Those birds can move fast, with those long legs. I often had to focus the camera ahead of them to catch them as they moved forward.





In the nature preserve we saw a big flock of the Sandhill Cranes in hay fields. We counted over 45 in the flock - but were only close enough to get a picture of these.

This crane seems to be eating something off the plants - berries I suppose.

This is the only picture I got of them flying - their wingspan can reach up to 6.9 feet.

Their beaks are so big they look like swords. I was told that they are vicious and will attack if you get too close - we stayed a good distance away.

Wait until you see what these cranes do next!