Pen Macro, Get the point?, photo by cfoxtrot.
Be sure to check this out bigger.
Everybody’s heard about the Bird
1954-2009, photo by Boston Wolverine.
Detroit Tiger rookie phenom Mark “The Bird” Fidrych died yesterday in an accident. There’s lots more (including a great interview) at Remembering Mark “The Bird” Fidrych on Absolute Michigan.
Samara took this photo at a Red Sox/Tigers game in Boston. It’s part of her baseball miscellany set (slideshow). She also wrote RIP, Mark ‘the Bird’ Fidrych which you should read if at all possible.
Got Rut? Chillin’ with Michigan’s Elk Herd
Got Rut?, photo by lonewolv / William A. LaCrosse III.
When I saw this picture (shot in Hillman, MI in 2004) I figured “elk farm.” However, as I looked into the subject I discovered that Michigan has a significant wild elk population. Michigan Elk: Past and Present from the Michigan DNR says:
Michigan’s native elk disappeared around 1875. Today’s elk herd dates back to 1918, when seven western animals were released near Wolverine. From that reintroduction, the number of animals grew steadily to about 1,500 elk in the early 1960s. They reached the point where limited hunting was possible in 1964 and 1965.
… Reduced poaching losses, habitat improvement and successful management of hydrocarbon development resulted in an increase in elk numbers to 850 by 1984.
As the herd grew, problems also increased with forest and agricultural damage. To bring the herd in better balance with its natural food supplies and with the needs of landowners, elk hunting resumed in 1984. Biologists estimated the January 2006 population to be between 800-900 animals. This goal is a winter herd of 800 to 900 elk.
The village of Atlanta claims the title of Elk Capital of Michigan and holds an Elk Festival every September (September 25-27, 2009). You can read more about the second largest species of deer (following only the moose) in Wikipedia’s Elk entry which has this to say about rut:
Adult elk usually stay in single-sex groups for most of the year. During the mating period known as the rut, mature bulls compete for the attentions of the cows and will try to defend females in their harem. Rival bulls challenge opponents by bellowing and by paralleling each other, walking back and forth. This allows potential combatants to assess the others antlers, body size and fighting prowess. If neither bull backs down, they engage in antler wrestling, and bulls sometimes sustain serious injuries.
Find even more elk info and photos under Cervus elaphus, elk (also: red deer; wapiti) from the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology’s Animal Diversity Web.
See this larger in William’s slideshow.
Ring-necked Pheasant
Ring-necked Pheasant, photo by palofmine2.
The All About Birds page on the Ring-necked Pheasant and Wikipedia’s Common Pheasant entry both note that the pheasant is native to Asia and is one of the most hunted birds in the world. If you’re interested, the Michigan DNR has information about Pheasant season and gamebird preserves.
You can see this photo larger in Renee’s excellent Birds slideshow.
Photos of Michigan Central Station
Michigan Central Station, photo by Grant Zoschnick Photography.
On Tuesday the Detroit City Council passed a resolution for expedited demolition of Michigan Central Station alias Michigan Central Depot alias MCS alias Detroit’s largest ruin.
David Kohrman’s Forgotten Detroit has tons of historical photos and a detailed history of Michigan Central Depot that begins:
When the old Michigan Central Depot burned on December 26, 1913 the still unfinished structure off of Michigan Ave. was called into service. Designed by noted hotel architects Warren & Wetmore and engineers Reed and Stem, the MCS was an exceptionally beautiful building. The style of choice was beaux-arts neoclassical. Flanking massive arched windows were pairs of Corinthian columns, a hallmark of the style. Inside the rooms were modeled after an ancient Roman bathhouse, particularly the massive main waiting room. With an impressive vaulted ceiling this room was the most imposing in the building.
All Aboard: A Retrospective of the M.C.S. is a fantastic look at Michigan Central Station as it was in 1973 and as it is now. Be sure to check this one out.
Michigan Central Station on Wikipedia notes that the building was designed by the Warren & Wetmore and Reed and Stem firms who also designed New York City’s Grand Central Terminal.
Here’s the Michigan Central Station slideshow on Flickr. In Exposure Detroit, many of the photographers whose work is featured in that slideshow are discussing the city council’s vote and how to save MCS and the Save Michigan Central Station Group.
You might also like Detroit’s Michigan Central Station from Michigan in Pictures and watch this great old video on YouTube.
Be sure to check Grant’s photo out bigger and see more of his shots from Michigan Central Station (slideshow).
UPDATE (April 14): Heather Pennington has cool post titled Save Michigan Central Station in which she has some photos and eloquently wonders:
There is much debate on what should be done with this amazing structure. What cannot be debated is the fact that there are countless other structures that are “dangerous, open to the elements, and open to trespassers”. There are so many houses, and former businesses that are abandoned and burned that should be torn down for the safey of the city. The Detroit Fire Department lost one of its own last year when Walter Harris died after the roof of a charred vacant house collapsed on him (read article from Fire Rescue 1 here). Why???
Wouldn’t it cost less than $3.6M (that the city does not have) to demolish vacant and burned homes?
Let’s take some time to clean up the rest of the city; make it safe for all that live, work, and play here. And in the meantime, let’s try to find a reasonable fate for Michigan Central Station.
Alone in the Crowd
Let’s go fishing…
Roll Cast II, photo by chrisd1332.
Roll through many more in the Michigan fishing slideshow from the Absolute Michigan group.
It’s the little things…
Untitled, photo by Brooke Pennington
Check it out bigger in Brooke’s slideshow and see more of Brooke’s incredible work on Michigan in Pictures.
Big Air at the Midwest Super Park
Midwest Super Park, photo by Hometown Invasion Tour.
This is one of a number of photos from Nick Baumgartner’s cool Big Air Competition slideshow.
You can also see them at 2009 Midwest Super Park – Marquette Mountain at Yooper Steez, where Nick explains that every year some of the Midwest’s best snowboarders and skiers take to Marquette Mountain and showcase some of the best talent around.
The Big Dance
The Big Dance, photo by A Dubs
The Motor City hosts the Final Four this weekend – tune in to what’s happening via Detroit Final Four on Flickr and at the 2009 Final Four web site. This is part of Alan’s Faded Detroit – City Wide set (slideshow).
Have a great weekend and Go State!*
*sorry for the double dose of Spartan fandom, but you have to support your alma mater.
Michigan in Pictures 