Photography by Charlie DeWitt
Canada Geese at the Todd Farm, Allegan State Game Area, March 2007:
On October 12, 2005, Charlie clicked these three snapshots of birds on the DeWitt property:
This was one of four Hermit Thrush on the property that day.
Golden-crown Kinglet really showing off how it got its name!
Brown Creeper
On Big Day May 19, 2006 Charlie had his camera along and "snapped" the following four pictures:
Sunrise at Lane's Landing
Eastern Kingbird
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
"On April 3, 2005, while I was taking this picture of the Northern Harrier, my wife was looking over the field with her binos and said, 'What is that by the post?'. We were at the northeast corner of Swanson and Laketon. The post is the one Mike Moran put up for the Short-eared Owl. Well, this is what we found: Upland Sandpiper!"
No Joke! Charlie took the next two photos on the same day: April 1, 2005. The Snowy Owl was at the Wastewater and the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on the DeWitt property near the Muskegon County Airport.
"This is a picture I took in September 2004 at the North Pier at Grand Haven. I call it A study of Gulls: Ringbill, Little and Bonaparte's. It might make people think summer!"
Juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper late August 2004 at Wastewater:
Two August 2004 images of terns (Forster's and Caspian):
Here's Charlie's July 31, 2004, image of the first summer Franklins's Gull reported on Mich-listers:
Charlie photographed these
Common Terns July 27, 2004, at Grand Haven's north
pier. Notice band on right leg of the leading tern:
Charlie photographed
this Spotted Sandpiper at the Wastewater in July 2004:
Charlie photographed this White-crowned Sparrow at the Muskegon State Game Area Headquarters. "The picture was taken at Messinger Road at 4:30 P.M. on May 6, 2003," said Charlie. "That bird wanted its picture taken because I got to within fifteen feet of him. "My method for taking pictures is to take a picture, move in three steps, take another picture, move in three steps. I do that until I get the picture I want or scare the bird."
"During
our December 2002 Christmas Bird Count, this Peregrine Falcon
was on the hunt coming up behind some ducks and was gone before I could get
a real good look at it. A short while later we saw it feeding on a duck. It
would not let me get close, and I did not want to keep scaring it off its food,
so I took a long shot and let it be."
"The Snowy Owl picture was taken March 27, 2002 at the Muskegon Wastewater System. Starting the first Wednesday in March, Feller and I try to get out each Wednesday to bird the Wastewater and Lane's Landing. I always bring my camera, or as my kids say 'The baby'. They claim I like my camera better than them. Not true, but almost. You never know what you will see."
On
Tim Hicks' November 22, 2003 Fieldtrip, the group saw a Common
Loon off the north wall of the Channel at Muskegon State Park. Charlie
and Feller walked out on the wall to take its picture. "The loon saw me before
I saw it," said Charlie. "I was disappointed. Feller and I were real close after
that long walk and I missed a good close shot."
Charlie
photographed this Lincoln's Sparrow east of the Gillette
Nature Center at Hoffmaster State Park.
"On January 6, 2004, I was on the center dike at the Wastewater and saw a Short-eared Owl at 5:06 P.M. I saw it take a dive and come up with a vole. It landed on the northernmost post that Mike Moran puts up. I took my first picture at 5:10 P.M., then moved up to take some more. I stopped at about 80 feet because I did not want to scare the owl off its catch. It only took 4 minutes for the owl to eat the vole. After that I moved up and got within 30 feet of the owl getting some nice pictures. The owl spent a total of 10 minutes on the post."
Yellow Warbler taken at Lane's Landing, Spring 2003.
