The new feathers still working themselves out were just too cute not to share. Is almost like a mini great horned owl.
It’s tough out there for a baby finch 😉
Category: Birdwatching
Hungry
Because feeding time is never over.
Dabbling Ducks
I pulled these from my archives because there are so many great things about them: The vivid green of the ducks’ heads, the reflectivity of the water, the warm hue of the tones and the gorgeous sunshine that glinted off the water and their feathers.
And really, how can you not have a better Friday after seeing double duck tails?! 🙂
Splish Splash
One of my most favorite photos. This one was during a stroll in the Coker Arboretum at UNC Chapel Hill (North Carolina) in 2010. Over the years, this picture still makes me smile. It was a perfect summer day, and the arboretum featured this fantastic creek of little rocks and waterways that the birds were just enamored with. Playing this way and that, splashing and bathing not caring how close I was with my camera.
But this little one was having a far better time with much more enthusiasm than all the others. I delighted in sitting there for a solid fifteen minutes just watching it wriggle, shake, roll, duck it’s head under and become thoroughly drenched. The little water droplets hanging in mid-air here were nothing compared to the waterworks display in other photos. But I love this shot best because this little ball of feathers just had all sorts of fun-loving bird attitude: Tail up, feathers askew and having a good ‘ole time.
The Pattern is Full
“Tower, this is Ghost Rider, requesting a flyby.”
“Negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.”
This mockingbird all but has the movie “Top Gun” down with how badly he just needed to both chase off this Northern Flicker and land at that bird bath. And it didn’t matter one bit that the flicker outsized him two-fold. These feisty birds will chase off even a hawk on occasion.
One Determined Woodpecker
That first photo is a humorous reminder as to how I often feel towards trying to maintain focus on Fridays. This little guy is a male hairy woodpecker in Richmond, VA that I ran across in my image archives. He was a constant visitor to the yard, attending to the suet feeders hanging from the trees. This day he took a keen interest in understanding just how my rose bush bamboo stake was for insect hunting.
A Vedauwoo Venture
Earlier this month, a camping trip happened in southern Wyoming at Vedauwood campground (part of Medicine Bow National Forest).
I would never have expected to run into a number of hummingbirds here.
Talk about a goldmine of a view.
Even two herons showed up (what’s next? Flamingos?).
The campsite itself was something to behold set up on the top of this rocky hilltop in total privacy at sunset.
Large, flat boulders made for a comfortable spot to stretch out and watch the sun go down.
The sunrise though. Wow.
I truthfully don’t know if I’ll ever see a glorious morning that stunning ever again in my lifetime. It took my breath away. That kind of natural beauty will make you stand quietly and thank all that is precious you were given the opportunity to witness it.
As I sat on a boulder near the edge of our site, I took notice of the many flowers that grew out of the slightest of crevices. Purples, yellows, whites and pinks abounded.
And little chipmunks were everywhere! They eagerly announced their energy and excitement to the world by flitting about and chirping loudly with their tails twitching this way and that.
I sincerely hope to come back to this exact spot again soon to experience this special place over and over.
Yard Work Partner
Because everybody needs a happy little robin, enjoying the sunset, to keep them company while doing yard work.
Morning Shots on the High Plains
A day of target shooting on a cloudy day.
Barn swallows were up to their usual acrobatic antics.
Willow flycatchers were everywhere. Once we’d put enough holes in our targets for the day, I snagged my camera from the truck and bounded off to start snapping pictures.
On the drive back I saw a number of hawks hunting.
A barn swallow, buzzing the thistle.
A little chirper.
I love that you can see light through the farthest edges of this swallow’s feathers against the sky.
Red-tailed hawks and prairie falcons appeared on telephone poles and railroad tracks, eyeing the area for any small critters moving about.
It’s a bit of a downer having to drive back to town to return to the world again.
Camouflage
Nobody does camouflage better than Mother Nature. Shocked I got this photo by holding my iPhone up to the eyepiece of a shooting scope 100 yards away.
Life by Lens and Laptop 