Several days ago I managed to stop at Bong State Rec. Area here in Wisconsin and take a peek at how the spring bird migration is developing.  As is usual at Bong the Red-winged Blackbirds ruled the roost.  So to speak.  Tons of Robins, Grackles and Killdeer as well.  What surprised me was the four or five Eastern Meadowlarks that were in the prairie and singing up a storm.  Seems to be two or three weeks early for that. 

We also witnessed a fly over of a pair of Sandhill Cranes.  I included the two old courtship pictures below just to celebrate that fact.

I guess all of the local wildlife photographers in this area will have to accept that images like those below, are a thing of the past.  At least in that great location. The past couple years the pair of local Great-horned Owls that always would nest in the old tree cavity in a Kenosha cemetery had abandon the location.  Now I see that the cemetery has cut the tree down.  I guess nothing lasts forever.  I do miss these guys.

I often write about those special moments at special places and the special morning below high in the Rocky Mts. fits that bill.  I drove through the darkness (always scary in the mts.) literally enveloped in clouds.  One of the awesome things about being on a road ten thousand feet in the sky is that you are often in the clouds.  As daylight began to open its eyes,  just enough of those clouds began to clear to show this mountain location.  Most photographers today would make this an HDR image.  Some would do a great job but many would turn this “nature provided art” into a cartoon.  Sometimes witnessing with a camera is more than enough.  I can feel the dampness of the clouds, and the thin mountain air as I look at these images.

Enjoy this glorious day and God Bless