Return to Deer Haven

After scrapping for photography subjects at winter's end, spring has brought so many new opportunities for shooting that I hardly know where to begin.  Trillium, cherry blossoms (coming next), marsh marigolds, sunrises, sunsets, and spring babies all beckon my camera and energies.  But the deer have returned to the woody knoll at the back of my property and I could not resist photographing them and sharing the images.

I almost missed her, so well did she blend into the surroundings.  The remains of her mottled winter coat perfectly matched the dead leaves on the forest floor.

My movement with the camera at the window caused her to turn my way.  What a beauty!  I couldn't yet see her markings to tell if this was one of my regular visitors.

As I approached with a new feed block and a bag of apples I had leftover from making apple crisp, the deer got up and backed off while I opened and set out the food.  Before I'd reached the house, I turned and saw that she'd moved back in to begin eating. 

Was she bellowing out a thank you or just chewing with her mouth wide open?  From the markings on her flank, I could see it was the deer I call Lucy.  Her coat was shaggy and uneven as she had begun dropping her heavy winter coat.  She looked thick around the middle and I wondered whether she was carrying babies this spring too.

Packing her mouth with several apples all at once, I laughed at the expression on her face which said, "Caught in the act."  Perhaps she didn't want to share with others who might come along.

It's good to have the deer return to my safe haven and I look forward to watching them over the spring and summer months.  I'm hoping that fawns will come visiting soon also.

Trillium Blooms Carpet the Forest Floor

Spring Clouds and Seascapes

If one word had to sum up this spring (in addition to cold and wet), it would be waiting.  Waiting for the temperatures to warm.  Waiting for the snow to disappear.  (Did you know there are still some patches of snow remaining on the ridge just north of the Bight?)  Waiting for the trillium fields to mature.  Waiting for the cherry blossoms to pop.  But a quiet drive along the bay returned me to the present as I watched cloud formations and light change throughout the afternoon. 

Spring Emerges....Ever So Slowly

 

Spring Sunset Over a Lingering Ice Field

I hadn't captured a good sunset in all of 2014.  The Saturday forecast indicated there might be a break from the rainy, gray skies we'd been having for days.  So watching the short-term weather reports, I thought I might get the opportunity for photography during the evening hours.  And I was in luck.  Shortly after 6 pm the sun broke through the thick cloud cover and warmed us all.  I figured the conditions just might hold through the predicted sunset at 8:49 p.m.

I left the house around 8 pm and drove from Christmas Cove to Island View Drive, Peterson Park,  Foxview Drive and finally back to Christmas Cove, which seemed to give me the vantage point I was seeking.  The sun was still high above the horizon so I had plenty of time to watch the ice floes which heavily populated the cold Lake Michigan waters.  As the sun sank in the sky, the colors shifted from golds to reds.  It was a sunset that was worth the wait.  Enjoy!