As September draws to a close, so too does the heat and humidity of summer here in Michigan. I know most people are sun worshipers and they hate to see an end to the warm days, but I find it a relief to watch the plants and animals start preparing for the cooler weather ahead. It’s time to rest and rejuvenate for the next year.
During the summer months I tend to shift my photography into the evening and nighttime to avoid the heat and humidity; concentrating on sunsets, stars and the moon. But not exclusively as I did find some interesting subjects in a local nature preserve.
This summer we’ve apparently been running a bed & breakfast for the local wildlife population. The easy winter this past year seems to have been a boon for the local squirrel population. One squirrel in particular, Butchena (started out as Butch until Kathleen discovered the critter was a she!), has been around mooching peanuts for several years. But this year we are overrun with squirrels and chipmunks who provide hours of free entertainment. The local skunk population loves our untreated 2 acres as I watched several grubbing their way through the yard in the late evening and early morning. Fortunately they’ve not moved in under the deck or shed and they leave us alone in exchange for all the grubs they can eat – unfortunately the yard looks like it was aerated with a garden trowel!
Some of our best entertainment this summer has been watching a family of wild Turkeys grow from young chicks into young adults. Turkey hens are amazing mothers. We watched one hen all summer raising 8 chicks (started with 9 but she lost one along the way). Geek Alert: While wild turkeys can fly up to 100 yards and typically roost in large trees, they are most vulnerable while nesting on the ground. Once the chicks hatch they cannot fly for the first 10 days and the hen will stay on the ground guarding them. As soon as they can fly they spend days on the ground and roost in the trees after sunset. It’s quite an impressive site watching these large birds flying up into our Honey Locust trees for the night.
To beat the heat, this month offered up numerous opportunities for night sky viewing. Comet viewing did prove elusive. Early in the month comet 13P Olbers was supposed to be visible in the western sky shortly after sunset. When I went out searching the clouds rolled in, eliminating any sighting. Changing opportunities I was able to capture the end of a sunset with a nice star filled sky; need to stay flexible! At the end of September we were provided an opportunity to see the comet A3 ATLAS in the pre-dawn southeast sky. Once again the weather failed to cooperate, but a second chance will come in early October as the viewing shifts from pre-dawn to post-sunset.
On September 17th we were treated to a full Harvest Moon followed by a partial lunar eclipse. One of the challenges in lunar photography is finding an interesting foreground subject to help enhance the moon. After several days of internal debate I identified several Ann Arbor locations to investigate. And then at 3 am one night I had a eureka moment – I woke up thinking the image must reflect a location appropriate to the Harvest Moon. While that may seem like a logical conclusion to reach, I then lay awake for several hours contemplating future moon images – how could I find appropriate locations for the Hunter’s Moon, Pink Moon, Sturgeon Moon, Wolf Moon, etc? As I talked about it with Kathleen the next morning she clearly pointed out getting hit by the Muse may not be a pleasant experience, especially in the middle of the night! So after two days of scouting for a location, here are my two images of the September Harvest Moon.
The partial lunar eclipse, from our location in Michigan was not as spectacular as seen from other locales around the world, but it was fun to capture.
Well that’s pretty much a wrap on the summer of 2024. I’m excited to see where the fall photography takes me! If you enjoyed this Journal entry, please drop me a comment below, feel free to share with your friends, and visit my website Terrance Alexander Photography.
Terrance Alexander