I enjoy watching and photographing flocks of starlings flying together as a unit. That natural phenomenon is known as a murmuration. They swoop to the sky, move around together, dive to the ground, and then repeat the process all over again, often making beautiful patterns as they do. If you’re interested in seeing a video of a murmuration in action, check out this link on YouTube: Flight of the Starlings: https://youtu.be/V4f_1_r80RY?si=q9OWohehXw4qkNMo
I love this time of year when the corn is so tall it obscures the sides of the roads and two-tracks. The cornfields make for beautiful scenes too with their straight lines and golden tassels. But I’m not the only one enjoying the corn. Every time I was out taking pictures, I spooked deer having a meal among the stalks.
I hadn’t seen a great blue heron this summer until one evening last week when I spotted one at the edge of a farmland pond. It’d started to rain so I didn’t last long but it’s always a thrill seeing this elegant wading bird.
Whether in fields of gold, clumps of open-faced blossoms, or tightly-closed buds, sunflowers always make me smile.
I’ve learned to appreciate sunsets over land almost as much as those over water. With the Olympics done and no Tigers’ game scheduled Monday evening, I headed to farm country. I was mindful that the sun would set at 8:52 pm and watched for an open place to photograph it. While I got some nice shots along the way, I missed the actual sunset. Too many hills and trees. But the beautiful afterglow sky and first quarter moon scene made the effort worthwhile.
I began attracting more cardinals and fewer nuisance birds when I switched to safflower seed. Then I bought a new feeder that cardinals love. It’s a Brome Tube Solution 200 which allows cardinals, grosbeaks and other birds to face forward as they eat, which they prefer. It’s paying off as the juveniles in their variegated feathers are sticking around too.
Rose of Sharon shrubs are currently in full bloom. With their many varieties, I like the hibiscus-type flower the best, but the doubles are pretty too. They’re striking from a distance and close up.
From hilly Leelanau, I watched the golden hour turn into a sunset that reflected the hot humid weather we’ve been having.
As I traveled both peninsulas, I found several farms growing this fragrant shrub. Others were using it as accents in gardens. Both were striking.
