It’s no secret that I enjoy watching and photographing the process of making hay bales. But when I came across a field of square bales, I was puzzled. I googled the topic and learned that square bales are usually straw, not hay. I thought I had the question answered until I came across a truck full of square bales. I asked the farmer whether they were straw, and he told me sometimes first-cut hay bales are square instead of round. Go figure.
The orchards are beautiful this time of year, with trees laden with plump cherries. The unpredictable spring weather, with frosts and sudden warm spells, reduced the yield somewhat, especially the tarts. Still, plenty of sweets are popping up at local farm stands. Delicious!
I call it the Anderson Creek Marsh, because the west branch of the creek flows through it. On maps, though, the wetland is unnamed. It’s an amazing habitat for a wide variety of birds, including an elusive Great Blue Heron I’ve been trying to photograph over the last month. As I would inch forward using my car as a blind, the heron would fly off and I’d only get a distant shot as it took to the air. Finally, on Monday night, I got some close-ups of this beautiful bird as it meandered through the tussock sedge. In the end, it flew to another part of the marsh, but I’m glad I kept trying.
My grandnieces were at their family cottage outside Frankfort again, and I went over to visit. We took the kids to the alpaca farm. Brooklyn watched over Margo and Grace fed one of the young animals. Alpacas are gentle animals, prized for their luxurious fiber, which is harvested by shearing once a year. The grown alpacas were kept in a separate fenced area. Not surprisingly, I liked the huge Great Pyrenees herding dog as much as the alpacas.
They’re abundant right now and brighten up roadsides and yards wherever you drive. I’ve always called them Tiger Lilies but turns out they’re not. Tiger Lilies have drooping flowers and spots. I found a patch of them too.
I don’t know if it was all the patriotic songs played on the Fourth of July at the Detroit Tigers baseball games this weekend or singing the classic folky This Land is Your Land at church. Whatever it was, it sent me to the fields and orchards with my camera. The experience reminded of Wendell Berry’s wisdom: An agrarian mind begins with the love of fields and families in good farming, good cooking & good eating.
Fields of wheat and hay shimmer with the summer breeze. I especially love the hay, currently being mowed, dried, and baled, to be used for animal feed. The hay bales are a favorite scene of mine to photograph.
South of town, I discovered a beautiful tract of land that includes hills, woods, wildflowers, crop fields, and even a quarry. The farmers that own the property told me they bed deer there. After I spotted several ornate blinds, I wondered if it was a hunting ground too. So, I headed there Saturday around six a.m., hoping to photograph some deer. I found two different herds grazing on the hillsides but they quickly ran to the woods as I approached. I was ready to give up when I spotted a doe and her fawn. It made the early morning worthwhile.
Don and Diana Burton, my good friends and photography buddies, had a rough winter. They had bad falls, both breaking their ankles. Unable to drive, they spent the winter convalescing inside their home. Despite the long healing process, their minds were anything but idle. Diana dreamed of spring when she could dig in the garden again. And Don focused on researching backyard waterfalls. When spring arrived, construction began on their waterfall, completed near the end of May. The spot has now become a sanctuary for relaxation and bird watching. My pictures show the waterfall and the beautiful landscaping. But to get the full effect, you’ve got to hear the gurgling water and see the variety of birds the falls attract. Watch the two movies below that Don took with his hidden Blink cameras.
I move in a couple days to my new home on the southwest side of TC. As my bird feed supplies have run out, I’ve taken down my feeders one by one. I’ve enjoyed watching these beauties from my study window in all seasons. Once my new yard is landscaped in early July, I’ll be hanging out my feeders again. I look forward to what I’ll attract in this environment.
