Yesterday was a gorgeous clear sunny day, if just a tiny bit chilly (I had to put a sweatshirt on under my mesh riding gear,) so I got on the bike and headed east on US 98, which curves south along the coast of the panhandle. At the end of that bump in the middle of the panhandle is a cape and peninsula that wraps around back northward, and forms St. Joseph Bay.

Along the road I saw this bird dive across the highway and swoop up to the top of a utility pole. Ever curious, I parked the bike and unpacked the camera. Turned out to be a Red-shouldered Hawk:


My trustee steed. My camera bag exactly fits the left side case, the right side case holds rain gear and warmer jacket liners, and I pack my riding gear into the top trunk when I'm walking around.


Ring-billed gull. Now where did they come up with that name???


Reddish bill and black legs makes this a laughing gull. I think.


A little fisheye fun with the Rokinon 8mm. The camera is about 5 inches from the headlight.


Cormorant (double-crested cormorant, I think)


and in flight:


Juvenile Common Loons:




Brown Pelican passing by. Could've done with a faster shutter speed (this was 1/400) but that would have shown the overly shallow depth of field.


Now I've gone into the state park at the end of the peninsula, and started hiking a nature trail.
This one puzzled me. I couldn't see it very well, and couldn't get any closer. Hawk? Osprey? Dunno.
I just snapped what I saw to figure out later. This is the full frame at 300mm to show how far away this was.


So I got home and blew it up on the computer, and it's just a stinking piece of wood!!!


White-tail deer...




Blue-gray Gnatcatcher:


Nikon D7000, 70-300 ED VR lens, ISO 200, shutter-priority ranging from 1/400 to 1/1000.