A Hike before the Storm

Yesterday it was surprisingly hot and very humid as it was today also, and by time we got indoors again, you'd think we were out in a rainstorm! But it was a good walk, plus we weren't bitten by too many bugs. We are trying to avoid all the water spots, but as western Michigan has been getting some type of shower or storms almost everyday since we arrived, it's hard to keep away from the standing water everywhere. 

Here's a few more unedited nor uncropped smartphone pictures snapped during a few of our most recent walks.

It takes just a second to admire Nature's Beauty

Sunset over the trees BUT can you see the crescent moon?

We don't really have a schedule, nor do we know where we'll go or even be sometimes, but often it's too late to be anywhere! We do know that eventually we'll be outside no matter how humid it is, or how many bugs will be out with us, dining on whatever's available (most of the time it'll be them dining on us!). 

What a pleasant spot for a rest during a humid walk!

I've been abandoning my cameras more often these past few months, and using my dumbphone (right now my samsung s5 is just about so useless it can't do anything correct without an annoying reset every few minutes), and though I know I'll regret it later, I still am able to get some very nice pictures!

It's Saturday morning outside

......and there's about an inch or so of the white stuff on the ground after a few hours of snowfall during the night. The Fall colors are still very apparent in some spots, and we are hoping these scenes will still be available by time we get out on the streets later today, or tomorrow. I usually do not get these chances of seeing such wondrous scenes, and now that we are here, we might as well try to see the sights, when not surrounded by the grandchildren! The change in the hour now puts the time of sunset as we are still with the kids, so we are missing a lot of sunsets since the time-change last weekend!

On the other hand, while in Michigan, I have been continuously checking for online sightings of Snowy Owls! Last winter, though we departed for two months in Spain, before we departed in December 2017, and after returning from Spain in late February 2018, we were darn lucky to see and snap a few pictures of Snowy Owls! Last winter's record was in seeing a total of eight Snowys!!!

Please click to see a collection of my Snowy Owl images posted at ebird

Interestingly enough, according to ebird.com, there have been Snowys reported all this summer throughout the Great Lakes areas! I am also surprised to see there have already been sightings of this gorgeous snow-white Arctic bird recently, both in western New York (WNY) area we call home, and within a few miles of where we are in SW Michigan!

We have been very fortunate recently in seeing Bald Eagles too!! Granted, those grand birds have been more than a mile usually, but we have been lucky to see some seemingly just a hair closer! As always in these situations, even though you think you have the longest lens around, oftentimes while shooting wildlife, it seems that even with what we have is way too short and inadequate! We are still hoping to see more of these majestic birds, and our last sighting was a week ago in a local park! 

Here's two memories from months previous when we were at a favorite WNY spot, and suddenly the perched eagles we were observing, suddenly went active and passed much closer! These images are cropped, but it still is a great moment for us!!!