Pleasant Lake Kayaking | a 7 Image Story

Jun 30, 2019 | 7 Image Stories, Action, AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Michigan, Nature, Nikon 1 V3, Places, Pleasant Lake Kayaking

Pleasant Lake Kayaking | Eastern Kingbird Male GuardingPleasant Lake Kayaking | a 7 Image Story   Paddling along Pleasant Lake’s shoreline generally turns up watercolor and wildlife.  The Water Iris line the northwest shoreline.  Naturally, the Swallowtail Butterfly visits them regularly.  These magnificent large butterflies feed on flowers. They keep their balance when feeding nectar by beating their wings.  Although Canada Geese make a nuisance of themselves to people living on the lake, they too contribute to our wild heritage. The flowers of water lilies are just beginning to pop up.  They provide additional color while paddling around them. 

The north side of the lake contains a large number of beaver dams woven together making a wildlife wetland.  Most kayak trips along this shoreline encounter some type of wildlife.  On this trip, the Eastern Kingbirds were nesting on a branch just a few feet above the water.  A long telephoto lens is definitely required.  If you get too close to the nest, the male Eastern Kingbird starts screeching and dive bombing you.  As you can see, the male is perched about 5 feet off the water.  The female and her nest are below him, about 2 feet off the water.  When photographing them, I tried not to disturb them by using a 300mm telephoto lenses to stay far enough away.  Remember, the 300mm lens on a Nikon 1 V3 with a 2.7 crop factor yields 810mm.  Looking forward to my next kayaking trip.  For another Pleasant Lake kayaking story, see Kayaking on Pleasant Lake | a 7 Image Story.

Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Pleasant Lake Kayaking. 

Click any image below for a slide show!