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That Night's Sky
The mixed media piece created from this photograph includes brush strokes of acrylic layers, adding texture to the image. This photograph was shared in my Saturday nature email, "A Closer Look," on 12/20/25. It was sent amidst a holiday season recognized differently the world over, in which light and darkness and stars play a part. It also was the day before the solstice, marked everywhere. The photo is also one that I had recently turned into a mixed media piece, applying br
Susanne Swing Thompson
Dec 19, 20252 min read
Tending the Land | Letting it Be
Sleepy Orange Butterfly on Frost Aster Last Autumn when the flowers were drying and the grasses were dying and the leaves were falling as...
Susanne Swing Thompson
Sep 18, 20252 min read
Ruby (or Ralph) ~ the Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Little did I know what delight would be in store for me when our clothes dryer broke. Ruby-throated Hummingbird on the clothesline I'd...
Susanne Swing Thompson
Sep 4, 20253 min read
Young Buck
I haven't given much thought to the expression "young buck" before. I knew what it meant: a little boy who was taunting or being feisty;...
Susanne Swing Thompson
Jul 31, 20251 min read
An Uncommon Morning with Common Mergansers
As I pulled the paddle through the calm waters in Potagannissing Bay, a gentle, circular ripple formed to each side of the kayak: right...
Susanne Swing Thompson
Jul 17, 20252 min read
When Smoke Grows Into a Flame
Prairie Smoke on the Maxton Plains, Drummond Island, Michigan | 06.24.25 Memory deceives me and time eludes me to find the photos that...
Susanne Swing Thompson
Jul 11, 20253 min read
Limpkins | A Quiet Observation
There was still enough daylight left to do a little exploring. My friend, Pam, and I had just arrived and unpacked for a 12-day stay near...
Susanne Swing Thompson
Jun 13, 20253 min read
Where the Bluebells Ring
"Have you been in an English Bluebell wood in spring before?" Such was the intriguing message from Hannah Nunn, a friend I had never met...
Susanne Swing Thompson
May 22, 20253 min read
The Sandhill Crane Family
There is something almost magical about watching a bird family over the course of several days. You feel like you develop a relationship...
Susanne Swing Thompson
May 10, 20252 min read
Susanne Swing Thompson
Sep 27, 20240 min read
Elements
The only thing missing was fire . There was air , which on this day was cool enough to not be hot and warm enough to not be cold. In a...
Susanne Swing Thompson
Aug 23, 20241 min read
A Closer Look 2024 -- The Stories Behind the Calendar Photos
It all began with walking and photographing in the neighborhood...then sharing what I observed with others. I long for all of us to see...
Susanne Swing Thompson
Dec 1, 20234 min read
Of Watching a Little One
Thoughts and photos of a Barred Owlet and its Parents There are some invitations you simply can't ignore. My husband and I had returned...
Susanne Swing Thompson
May 12, 20233 min read
Of Gardens and Wildflowers
Quaker Lady Bluets | 04.04.23 I scattered some wildflower seeds in the yard a few weeks ago... handfuls of seeds from large bags labeled...
Susanne Swing Thompson
Apr 7, 20232 min read
Brown-Headed Nuthatches | Roost Cleaning
There were five. [FIVE!] Five Brown-headed Nuthatches were flying in and out of the cavity in the dead Dogwood tree in our neighbor's...
Susanne Swing Thompson
Oct 21, 20222 min read
Brown Thrashers |Sweet Moments Right Outside My Door
Originally I had the above photograph and the following three paragraphs for one of my Saturday emails called A Closer Look: I hadn't...
Susanne Swing Thompson
Jul 8, 20223 min read
Carolina Wrens | Shared Moments
I really couldn’t ignore them: the sounds of a Wren chirping in the early morning. Sometimes it was two Wrens. After a few days, and...
Susanne Swing Thompson
Mar 23, 20223 min read
Of Stillness and Moments
It was the end of the first week of March and the weather was indecisive. Rain and the last of winter temperatures were in the forecast...
Susanne Swing Thompson
Mar 9, 20222 min read
Amidst
When all the world went on lockdown and the USA joined them in mid-March 2020, something began to happen: people started noticing the...
Susanne Swing Thompson
May 5, 20211 min read
Sheepcote Farm - A Connected Heritage
Morning lit the rural road and created dew-glimmers in the fields as I approached Sheepcote Farm. Now, a mere 10 minutes later, that...
Susanne Swing Thompson
Apr 2, 20214 min read
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