Hello 2010!
January 1, 2010
molly in snow 006, photo by northern_latitudes.
Happy New Year everyone! I hope you’re waking up relatively unharmed and eager to dive into 2010.
In no particular order, I’m hoping for snow, sun, a lot of trips to Michigan’s parks, more time on my bike, a championship by the Pistons, Tigers, Red Wings or (hold your laughter please) Lions, more pictures of ducks, continuing rebirth in Detroit and other Michigan cities and many, many more amazing pictures of the Great Lakes State.
How about you?
Check this out bigger in Tim’s Harbor Springs slideshow.
Where is Home?
August 25, 2009
Crystal Lake, Michigan, photo by *ojoyous1*.
On Joy’s blog she has a post (with more photos) titled Where is Home? where she says:
I arrived here in Northern Michigan late yesterday afternoon.
I felt all the stress of the city just slip away, and I felt like I had come home. I think Maggie (her dog) sensed it, too!
And I realized this time, just how much of this place & my Michigan friends I carry with me everyday when I’m back in Ohio.
I thought I would take you with me on my morning walk with Maggie along beautiful Crystal Lake….
What spot makes your heart sing?
Where do you feel most at “home”?
Check this out bigger in her Up North slideshow.
…and yes, this too is part of the ever-expanding Michigan Duckie Photo Collection!
Return of the Duckies: Ann Arbor Summertime 2009
August 18, 2009
Ann Arbor Summertime 2009, photo by RichardD72.
Check this out bigger in Richard’s Summertime slideshow and remember that Michigan in Pictures is your source for Michigan duckie photos – accept no substitutes!
Seney National Wildlife Refuge
September 26, 2008
Seney, MI, photo by lilrhgerl.
lilrhgerl took this Holga photo – do yourself a favor and check out her Holga slideshow. She writes that Seney is the most amazing place, and anyone who has spent time there would probably agree.
The Seney National Wildlife Refuge encompasses nearly 100,000 acres in the central Upper Peninsula. Seney was established in 1935 for the protection and production of migratory birds and other wildlife. It supports a variety of wildlife including a profusion of birds: bald eagles, common loons, trumpeter swans, Canada geese, hooded mergansers, mallards, black ducks, ring-necked ducks, wood ducks and sandhill cranes. Animals include black bear, white-tailed deer, coyote, river otter and beaver. There’s also black flies, deer flies, and mosquitoes during warmer months.
The wetlands, which are also known as the Great Manistique Swamp provide a great haven for all these animals and birds have their roots when:
…Over a century ago, lumbering operations altered the landscape of the Upper Peninsula’s great forests. The ring of the lumberman’s axe echoed through the forests as local mills depleted the region’s valuable supply of red and white pine. After the pine forests were cut, mill owners turned their axes and saws to the Refuge’s northern hardwood and swamp conifer communities.Following the lumbering operations, fires were often set to clear away the debris. These fires burned deep into the rich organic soil, damaging its quality and killing the seeds that would have produced a new forest. On many areas of the Refuge, the scars from these lumbering operations remain visible to this day.
After the fires, a land development company dug many miles of drainage ditches throughout Seney. This drained acreage was then sold using extravagant promises of agricultural productivity. But the new owners quickly learned that these promises were unfounded. One by one, the farms were abandoned, and the exploited lands reverted to state ownership.
In 1934, the Michigan Conservation Department recommended to the Federal Government that the Seney area be developed for wildlife. This proposal was accepted and Seney National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1935.
Check out Seney National Wildlife Refuge on the Absolute Michigan map and click for the Seney slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool!
Rubber-Duckies, photo by nichpr
This photo is part of Paul’s Artful set (slideshow). It’s also part of my developing collection of Michigan duck-related phoptography, but the less said about that, the better!
The Exposure.Detroit May Exhibit Opening Party takes place this Friday (May 16) from 7pm – 10pm at the Bean & Leaf Cafe in Royal Oak. The show features five photographers: Paul, Eric, Amy, Nicole and Ross and you can learn more about Exposure.Detroit and the upcoming exhibit from the Exposure.Detroit group on Flickr.
Why Stop To Think Of Weather
April 30, 2008
Why Stop To Think Of Weather, photo by jbnuthatch.
jbnuthatch offers an excerpt from I’m In The Mood For Love that I everyone in Michigan probably needs to hum one day or another.
Why stop to think of whether
This little dream might fade
We’ve put our hearts together
Now we are one, I’m not afraidIf there’s a cloud above
If it should rain, we’ll let it
But, for tonight, forget it
I’m in the mood for love
I think it’s also pretty obvious that I have some sort of thing for ducks
to water
April 19, 2008
Untitled, photo by Brooke Pennington.
I know that I’m supposed to feature different photographers, and that it hasn’t been that long since the last time Brooke made an appearance.
I plead helplessness in the face of photographic awesomeness … and ducks.
Have a lovely weekend folks.
Is this a Paddle, Raft, Plump, Team, Brace or Dopping of Ducks?
February 22, 2008
OtisDude writes:
I was shooting some duck pictures today when all the sudden something startled all the ducks. Calm to chaos in less than a second. I managed to snap off 4-5 pics before I got a little panicked and got out of the way.
We’ve all heard of the many Inuit names for snow. In case anyone was wondering, ducks are pretty much the same. There’s quite a collection of names for a group of ducks including a paddling of ducks or a raft of ducks (when floating along), a plump or team of ducks (in flight overhead), a brace of ducks (post hunting I believe) or a dopping of ducks (when diving).
None of these seemed quite right but fortunately there’s also a flush of ducks, which I’m going to assume covers exactly this scenario.
In the Pigeon River State Forest…
August 15, 2007
2007_0703July40155, photo by JJ Murletti.
I don’t know the name of this lake but was struck by just how peaceful it looks.
There’s a campground in the Pigeon River State Forest and lots and lots of trails. The DNR says that the Pigeon River Pine area has over 100 acres of white pine (most about 100 years old) and that the Dog Lake area is considered to be one of the most remote and wild areas in the region. Nesting loons, bald eagles, and osprey are a few of the many animals using the lakes.
The International Mountain Biking Association is quite taken with:
An awesome ribbon of trail looping through the heart of elk country, the High Country Pathway (HCP) embodies the classic definition of an IMBA Epic Ride. The first IMBA Epic Ride in Michigan will take you far into the backcountry with beautiful lowlands and panoramas in the highlands.
Be sure to outfit for self-support, as you may not see another human on this 80-mile soul searcher. The trail passes through a variety of woodlands and wetlands containing massive groves of silver beech, tamarack swamp and leather leaf bogs. The area is home to beaver, black bear, bobcat, pine martin, snowshoe hare, wood ducks, bald eagles, deer, wild turkey and the largest elk herd east of the Mississippi River.
Happy Valentines Day, Michigan!
February 14, 2007
Duckie Love, photo by suesue2.
This was the first picture that I saw this morning. Then I went wandering around for an hour or so looking for a picture that would somehow capture the essence of Valentines Day as it relates to Michigan.
Then I looked again and realized that all it is really about is having and showing a little more love, whenever and wherever possible.
Happy Valentines Day, Michigan!
