Sunday, March 29, 2009

Moonlight on the Manistee

Last month when the moon was just past full and the moonset was after sunrise I did something that I have not done before. I took a morning hike by moonlight!! I hit the trail at approximately 6:30 a.m., which in early March it is still quite dark. On snowshoes I hiked about a mile to the overlook on the Manistee River. What a great experience it was. I was thinking of the Van Morrison song "Moondance" as I hiked through the snow lit by the moonlight. As I arrived the scene was of the moon reflected in the Manistee River from the overlooking bluffs. As the only access here in the winter is via snowshoes, skis or snowmobile, and being very early in the day when most are still sleeping, I had it all to myself. It was quiet and peaceful and really not all that cold. I took many photos as the sun rose to the east and the moon set to the west. I would like to say that I got great images from the trip, but this was more of an experiment and adventure. However, the adventure was the best part. I hiked out to bright sunlight glistening on the winter snow, feeling energized and excited by the morning adventure. Hungry too from the good workout.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

March Newsletter Online

My March Newsletter is now available online at http://www.tomhaxbyphotos.com/Newsletter/March_2009_Newsletter.htm As an extra here is something new for me. The image below is a panorama of 4 photos stitched together from the Three Rivers Petroglyphs area in New Mexico. This is the Tularosa Basin just north of Alamogordo New Mexico. Click on the image to see the larger version.

Spring is hopefully just around the corner.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Hawk Identification


I need an ID on this hawk. Maybe some type of broad winged hawk. This was taken on the Wacissa River in Florida several years ago.

Anyone know let me know at thaxby02@yahoo.com

Back in Michigan


Meanwhile, back in Michigan it is still freezing cold. So, I am back to doing bird photos. Here is a red poll from just off of my back deck. I did a little more manipulation in photoshop than I might normally do to tone down the clutter in the background. Oh well, it is what it is. Anybody that is good at bird identification. Is this a Hoary Red Poll?