The Start of Lighthouses, Birds and Wildlife, Oh My!

Welcome to my blog about lighthouses, birds and wildlife, plus there may be a few other topics thrown in for some extra fun! The inspiration for starting this blog came from my brother. We were sitting in Mom and Dad’s backyard, and I was sharing my experiences during a Horicon Marsh hiking trip. I was telling Dad and Chris all about the birds I saw, including Great Egrets and three Green Herons. Then I went on to explain how I wanted to visit all of Wisconsin’s lighthouses. As we chatted on, Chris looked at me and said, “You should blog about your experiences and share the photos you take of the birds and lighthouses.” After giving the idea some thought, I decided to start this little project.

I have selected to write about these three topics for a couple reasons: 1) each of them have a connection to my family and 2) aside from taking pictures of my family and friends, these three topics are some of the most photographed pieces in my albums.

Lighthouses are a universal family interest, however I have grown to love them even more and they mean a little more to me. Mom loved lighthouses, touring lighthouses and gathering postcards with pictures of the ones her and Dad visited. Since she has passed I have found great peace in photographing them and reminded each time I see one that they are the beacon calling you home. To date, I have visited and photographed 10 Wisconsin lighthouses, 3 Michigan lighthouses, and 2 Illinois lighthouses – most of them located on Lake Michigan.

I also wanted to write about all of the birds I have photographed plus this is another element that is connected to our family. When the four of us would go up north and take our nightly cruises on 7 Mile Lake, Mom and Dad added some excitement by awarding one of us with quarters for whoever was the first one to the Common Loons, Great Blue Heron, Kingfisher, or Bald Eagle. Needless to say, Chris and Mom always won the quarters. Today, Chris still gets all of the quarters, while I spend my time taking pictures of the various birds and telling Dad and Chris to drive the boat around the birds numerous times until I get all of the shots I want.

Lastly, I have added wildlife to the list of topics to write about because I love animals and enjoy taking pictures of them too. I have some fun and unique photos of squirrels, rabbits, deer and everything else in between.

I hope you enjoy the stories to come about the lighthouses I have seen/photographed and the birds and wildlife I capture in action. Along the way, I will share what I learned about these topics as well as share the silly experiences my family and I have in our adventures.

In closing, I want to dedicate this blog to my Dad and Mom – for they have always been my rock and guiding light!

Stay tuned, and until next time, take care!