Grand Haven — Craig Elston

Tag: Grand Haven

Shooting Frost, Snow and Ice

February

Dreamy Beech by The River

As much as I would like to shot winter scenes, the weather in west Michigan doesn’t always cooperate. We get a lot to dark cloudy days in winter which makes for flat lighting without a lot of contrast or definition in the photos. This can especially be problematic for landscapes. Some days it pays to be at a location when there are breaks in the clouds to highlight subjects, like the Grand Have Light house in one of the accompanying photos. The dark sky can make for a more dramatic image or the dark, hazy light might just give or a dreamy, mythical look to the swans flying away from you. If you are shooting ducks for color and identification, good luck. Sometimes this dark, flat light can work for you. Case in point is the image I’ve titled “Dreamy Beech by The River”. This photo was taken late in the day, within an hour or so of sunset while it was snowing quit heavily. The low light works here.

Hoar frost

On a couple of days last week, we had cold nights in the single digits for temperatures and some sun in the mornings. The cold nights made what is known as Hoar Frost. This is beautiful in the mornings when it turns trees and weeds white and the sun shines on them. The problem is getting out early enough to shot before the sun and wind start to take the frost away. I have added a few photos here of the Hoar Frost to show the wonderful crystals that make up this phenomenon. When you photograph with a macro lens or look closely, the ice crystals are actually clear and very detailed geometric shapes. The crystals protrude outward, attached on one edge and protruding like a shelf of delicate ice. Dress warm and be ready to move slowly to get these photos and enjoy the beauty.

Snowy Field

Proper exposure with snow photos can be difficult and results unsatisfactory sometimes at best. While blue snow or blown out snow or ice is a common problem with winter photos, it doesn’t have to be. All of the accompanying photos were shot in full manual mode and white balance set to “Auto White Balance” on the camera. The f stops were in the middle to low ranges, which lets more light into the camera.

Even though it can be along cold winter, we can still shoot photos. It was enjoyable to get the macro lens out and shot ice and frost and then move on to plants as found in winter.

Comment » | Uncategorized

Ice On The Big Lake

January

Grand Haven Pier

Even though it was in the teens along the lakeshore and very cold with a slight northerly breeze, the sun finally came out today. I have been wanting to do some ice and lighthouse photos this winter but it has been almost constantly cloudy here and at the lake. Today was cold but perfect for light and the lake affect clouds stayed out over the lake making for good lighting and contrast, something we don’t always get with snow. You will notice in the photos that the ice extends as far as you can see except for a few small openings here and there. This is because Lake Michigan is frozen almost quit a ways out and with the prolonged arctic blast we are in, it will likely continue to build ice further out. It is predicted that this will be a record year for ice on the great lakes. One benefit from this is that the lake levels will stay up and we should start seeing less lake affect snow as there won’t be the evaporation with the ice cover like there is with open water. If going to the beach, be extremely careful as the ice is not always as safe as it may look.

Lake Ice

As I traveled down the lake to Port Sheldon I say an immature Bald Eagle. In the open water of Pigeon Lake there were good numbers of Buffleheads and Canvasback Ducks. These and other northern breeding species can often be found in open waters of and near the great lakes in winter. The problem this year is that there isn’t much open water since it has been so cold. If you find open water on the rivers or drowned river mouths, you should find plenty of water fowl.

Comment » | Uncategorized

Winter Wonderland

January

Karner Blue Preserve

Now that winter is finally here, get out and enjoy the beauty that comes with the cold. Birds are now easier to see close as the temperatures drop and the snows come. My bird feeders are now very active with a large number of birds. If you are looking for water fowl, try around the piers on Lake Michigan as they are congregating by the dozens or hundreds in the calm open water just past the ice. Be extremely careful as the piers are covered in ice and don’t venture out on the ice piles as they are always to be considered unsafe to be on.

St Joe Light Covered in Ice

The recent days of wind have left some interesting ice formations and covered everything in a layer of ice along the lake shore. The lake effect snows have also blanketed trees in a winter wonderland of snow.

Great-Horned Owls will be beginning to nest at any time now. If you live near a wooded area you may want to listen for them after dark in the evenings. Remember if you feed the birds; don’t stop during the cold snowy weather as they become dependent on the food source once you start. Watch for unusual or rare winter visitors at your feeders. The Redpolls and others are always a welcome site this time of year.

Get and enjoy the beauty before it is gone. Local parks are great places to see the snow covered trees and look of birds or drive to one of the beaches along Lake Michigan to see what the wind and waves can do. If you are extremely brave you could kayak as I saw someone doing in St. Joe. For the rest of us snowshoes or cross country skis are a great way to get out.

And don’t forget to dress warm!

Comment » | Uncategorized

New Year’s Day Birding

January

Bufflehead on the Grand River

Winter is a great time to enjoy our seasonal guests as well as the many resident birds of Michigan. For most of the past 20 plus years I have made my annual birding trip on January first. I have a route from my home to Allendale, then to the west end of the Bass River Recreation Area. From there to the Grand River at four different parks or access points including the boat launch in Grand Haven. Then on to Lake Michigan and down towards Holland for several stops. Many of my favorite stops are at or near open water since water fowl and any wading birds will congregate in the open water surrounded by ice. The basic route has remained the same over the years with a few deviations and changes, adding and eliminating stops to make the trip as productive as possible.

This year some stops did not yield a single bird. Those that would normally be iced in were open and Lake Michigan was calm enough for large flocks of water fowl to be out in the open lake. These included Mergansers and Goldeneyes which needed the spotting scope to view at the Port Sheldon bubbler. I also noticed the trees have grown up considerably over the years, which is why the Bluebirds were not in the usual place or anywhere else along my route this year. With abundance of open water there were no eagles to be found near the openings.

Common Redpoll

The first bird of the day was a Common Redpoll at my feeder as I was preparing to leave. While out the birds on the list began to add up, one, two or three here and there. There was even a cold and slow Great Blue Heron with some Mallard Ducks in a small stream. There were Golden-crowned Kinglets, Tree Sparrows and Chickadees at Bass River and an active Red-bellied Woodpecker along the Grand River. Even with the total numbers of birds down, I still managed to identify 29 different species in the nearly five hour and 100 miles logged.

As I finish this post, a Cooper’s Hawk was just at my bird feeders. I guess that answers the question, where did all the birds go?

Comment » | Uncategorized

↑ Back to top