Another Bras d'Or eagle

BALD EAGLE, BRAS D'OR LAKE OFF BADDECK, CAPE BRETON ISLAND, NOVA SCOTIA, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/1250 sec. f13
ISO 800

Another run at the summer photo archives brought up this almost overlooked shot from a sailboat on Bras d'Or Lake.

House sparrow

HOUSE SPARROW, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 4, 2012

Pentax K20D
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5
1/250 sec. f5.6
ISO 400

A sweep through the archives often yields overlooked gems. The original of this one, taken at the beginning of the year, was too dark, the bird overwhelmed by the sun on the backyard deck railing—but a little work in Lightroom opened up the shadows and squelched the intense highlights.

Still another eagle

BALD EAGLE, ONTONAGON, MICHIGAN, MAY 18, 2012

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5
1/500 sec. f11
ISO 800

I thought I'd found all the good photos from an evening of shooting eagles on the shore of Lake Superior a couple of miles east of Ontonagon, but a review of the summer album yielded one I'd overlooked. It's cropped heavily, but the superb 16.3 megapixel sensor of the K-5 let me get a decent 8 x 10 print even with that.

Lady Redbird

FEMALE NORTHERN CARDINAL, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, OCTOBER 9, 2012

Pentax K20D
Sigma APO 135-400 at 250mm
1/60 sec. f6.7
ISO 800

No sooner had I set up my photo equipment in Debby's office overlooking the back yard after our return the other day from the Upper Peninsula did this cardinal come calling. I'm going to try to rig a perch a couple of feet away from the deck so that my avian targets will have a better background to pose against.

Red maple

RED MAPLE, PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS STATE PARK, MICHIGAN, OCTOBER 3, 2012

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 18-135 at 18mm
1/2000 sec. f9
ISO 800

All over the Upper Peninsula at this time of year, scarlet slashes of red maple stand out brilliantly against the yellows and dull oranges of other deciduous trees. I caught this one along the Union Bay roadside of M-107 in the Porkies today.

Lake of the Clouds 10/02/12

LAKE OF THE CLOUDS, PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS STATE PARK, MICHIGAN, OCTOBER 2, 2012

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 18-135 at 28mm
1/400 sec. f8
ISO 100

Yesterday the fall colors at this much-loved and much-photographed site in Upper Michigan were close to their peak. It was our last visit to the Porkies for 2012; we're heading for winter quarters Saturday.

Stella in her winter coat

WHITETAIL DEER, GREEN, MICHIGAN, SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 18-135 at 135mm
1/125 sec. f8
ISO 1600

For three weeks or so we hadn't seen Stella, our summer resident doe, so we were delighted when she came by at noon today for a free meal at the bird feeders, bringing along her two youngsters (dubbed Thunder and Flora by our grandchildren). She had shed her light brown summer coat for darker winter camo and had filled out quite a bit as well. We hope she survives hunting season.

Nutch with lunch

RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, GREEN, MICHIGAN, SEPTEMBER 29, 2012

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/100 sec. f6.3
ISO 1600

The other day, the local "nutches"—as they are called in these parts—mobbed me while I was refilling the feeders, flashing past my ears as if I were a North Country Tippi Hedren. They and the chickadees showed no patience while stuffing their larders with sunflower seeds, perhaps for a last feast before heading south for the winter.