Kevin came across a Great Horned Owlet sitting on a tree branch right over the trail. He shares that Great horned owl talons are incredibly strong, with some individuals capable of exerting a gripping pressure of 200 to 500 pounds per square inch. This powerful grip, along with their size, allows them to capture and subdue prey, including those much larger than themselves.
Some gorgeous springtime pics from John along with a reminder to enjoy it while it’s here! See his latest on Facebook or Instagram and for sure view & purchase his work on his website.
Michigan State University Extension shares that the Northern Goshawk:
…is a large forest bird with long broad wings and a long tail which is rounded on the end. Upperparts of the adult are brown-gray to slate gray. The head has a black cap with a pronounced white eyeline. Underparts are light gray with fine horizontal vermiculations and vertical streaks. Undertail coverts are white, showy, and quite fluffy, especially during the breeding season. Immature birds are heavily streaked below and the undertail coverts are spotted. The goshawk may also be identified by its call which is a sharp and repetitive “ki ki ki” or “kak kak kak”.
Click through for lots more including their distribution in the last Michigan bird count. One thing I will add as someone who has had one of these swoop at you is that they can be REALLY fat birds – almost feel like a cartoon!
Sometimes I make draft posts & promptly forget about them. I’m so glad that I remembered this one I’ve had waiting for almost a year from my friend Tyler, who I got to know through his incredible skateboard photography & portraits! For sure follow him on Facebook & Instagram, and head over to his website for many more pics including lots more critters!
Today is the 55th Earth Day, and this holiday that is celebrated across the planet was born right here in Michigan! I hope that you are able to take a little time today or this week to think about how you and your family, friends & neighbors can help create a future where humans live in harmony with the world around us because it really is the only one we’ve got. 🌏✌️💙
Paul took these at the Reid Lake Foot Travel Area near Harrison in the Huron-Manistee National Forest in the northeast Lower Peninsula. The US Forest Service says the 3000-acre area includes 13 miles of gently rolling trail around Reid and Little Trout Lakes, the shoreline of Big Marsh, and views of Fanny’s Marsh and Mossy Bog. There are also 9 designated first-come first-serve campsites available. Check out his photos from last Earth Day & many more in his Reid Lake gallery and for sure follow him on Flickr for more!
In honor of this brutally cold morning with single digit temperatures covering the state, so I couldn’t resist re-sharing probably the toastiest photo ever to grace Michigan in Pictures. Take a stroll through pics from pkHyperfocal’s Metro Parks gallery & for sure check out all their galleries on Flickr.
Linda is one of Michigan in Pictures’ biggest fans and yesterday she dropped the fact that much of Michigan was facing what could be the driest September since we started keeping records in 1877 until recently! mLive shared that although September 2024 remains historically dry, the rain of the last few days is helping to combat the drought.
Also I am of course very happy to add the latest photo the Michigan in Pictures Duckie Project, a decade-spanning chronicle of our feathered, floating friends!
All About Birds says that Common Merganser are large, long-bodied ducks with thin, pointed wings. Their bills are straight and narrow, unlike the wide, flat bill of a “typical” duck, and the females have shaggy crests on the backs of their heads. Although these ducks look pretty punk & cool, the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council reminds us that Merganser ducks are the main culprit in the spread of swimmers itch:
Swimmer’s itch (cercarial dermatitis) is a skin irritation caused by a larval form of certain flatworms from the family Schistosomatidae. Schistosome flatworms are parasites with complex life cycles usually involving certain species of snails and waterfowl. Upon hatching, free swimming Schistosomatidae larvae seek out an intermediary host, usually snails, to continue the life cycle. The larvae, known as cercariae, are only 1/32 of an inch long and generally invisible to the naked eye. Since humans are not the proper host, the larvae soon die upon mistakenly burrowing into the skin. The resulting skin condition and itching sensation is caused by an immune response to the dead larvae under the skin and symptoms vary by person. In many Michigan lakes, the common merganser duck is the primary or sole vertebrate host.
I am for sure NOT calling for the killing of mergansers, but as someone who has spent a lot of time on lakes with swimmers itch, I encourage you to practice safe swimming where you see these ducks:
Don’t swim first thing in the morning
Swim offshore and away from downwind areas
Rinse your body with clean water and towel off thoroughly after swimming!
Mike took these on Bear Lake a couple weeks ago. See more in his Bear Lake 2024 gallery on Flickr.
Michigan in Pictures 