Just Singing a Song!

Caught this shot of a male Red Winged Blackbird perched on the flower stalk of a American Nelumbo plant. He was singing the prettest tune and flexing his wings and tail feathers in what appeared to be trying to attract a member of the female persuasion. Funny how the guys always flex their muscles(or feathers) when the ladies are around. Isn't love just grand. Ha Ha! 

"You don't love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear."
      Oscar Wilde (1854-1900): Irish Playwright, Poet, Author

The Honeymooners!

Does anybody out there remember a show on T.V. called the Honeymooners staring Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden with his wife Alice back in the 50's or 60's? Well when I shot the following series of pictures it reminded me of that show I watched as a kid. Ralph and Alice were always at it with each other and Ralph ruled the house(so he thought). He was always coming up with something off the wall or his big mouth would always get him in trouble. When ever Alice would give him a hard time, he always threatened to "give her one right in the ole kisser."  As I watched the two Mocking Birds in the bird bath, I couldn't help but think of what would Ralph say to Alice if he came home from work and found her in the pool.  I think it would go something like this:

Alice-      Oh it's a nice day for a swim!

Alice-    Oh the water is just lovely!

Alice-     La De Da! La De Da! This is fun!

Alice-    Oh! Nothing like a little afternoon dip in the pool!

Ralph-   Hi honey, I'm home!

Ralph-  Alice, what are you doing swimming in the pool?

 Ralph-  Have you lost you marbles, Alice, where is supper?

Ralph-    I mean it Alice, where is supper? I've worked hard today and I'm hungry!

 Ralph-   Are you just gonna ingore me, Alice? Come on lets eat!

Ralph-   Alice, one of these days, I'm gonna, pow! right in the kisser, and it's off to the moon Alice!!!!!

 Ralph-   Now come on and lets go!!!! I'm straving!

 Ralph-    Well I got that straight, show her whose boss around here. Who ever heard of swimming this time of the day and no supper ready when I get home from a hard days work!!!!! I believe I'll soak my feet a minute or two!

Ralph-   Hey this ain't half bad, the water actually feels pretty good!

Ralph-   You know, ole Alice might have been on to something here.

 Ralph-   I believe I'll try this swimming thing out for myself!

 Ralph-   Awe, this feels good!

 Ralph-   Awe, this feels real gooooood!

Oh man, I can't believe I haven't been doing this before!

Ralph-   Boy, I better not let Alice catch me doing this after I ran her to the kitchen!

Ralph-   Awe yes the coast is clear! Man I just about broke my neck on that one!

 Ralph-   I believe I'll try snorkeling. This head under water ain't too hard!

 Alice-     Ralphhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Is that you in the pool???? One of these days, Ralph, POW! I'm gonna give you one right in the ole kisser and it's off to the moon for you Ralph!!!!!!!!

Ha Ha Ha! LOL!  I took 74 shots of these two over a matter of several minutes and I just had to show you these 21 shots so you could get a good idea of the antics these two played out. These shots are as they were taken, I just left out a bunch all through the sequence. It has been really hot here lately with the temps in the mid to upper 90's and even the birds have enjoyed an afternoon frolic in the bird bath. Isn't nature just dandy and all of God's creation a blessing to behold.

"Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can't live without."

James Dobson(1936-       ): American Christian author and founder of Focus on the Family

Tenderness!

After a swim in the lake, this brood of ducks hit the bank and immediately decided it was siesta time. The mother mallard duck stood over her brood until they were all sound asleep and then she decided to lay down also. But when she sat right down on one of her babies, she immediately tried to nudge the little one out from under her body. It didn't seem to mind as it continued to sleep through the whole ordeal.

                                                     Nikon D90 75mm at 1/500s    f5.3   ISO 400      (Click for a larger view)                                   

"A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them."

Victor Hugo(1802-1885):  A French Poet, Playwright, Novelist, Essayist, Statesman      

Beauty Created!

No matter what your passions may be, you can't look at this baby mallard duckling and not see a thing of beauty. Don't you just want to pick up this little fuzz ball and just cuddle it for a while?

                                        Nikon D90   300mm at 1/500s   f5.6      ISO 1400     (Click for a larger view) 

"Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art."

         Ralph Waldo Emerson(1803-1882): American lecturer, essayist and poet.

In the Blink of a Shutter!

It came from the past(behind me) into the present(beside me) and on into the future(beyond me). Time was stopped for an instant in the blink of a shutter. 



Nikon D-90  300mm at 1/500s   f/9.0    ISO 200  (Click for a bigger Picture)

This mature Great Blue Heron was cruising for lunch below the Wheeler Dam on the Tennessee River in North Alabama. There are bait fish galore in the water coming through the turbines and the birds know how to find them. They just cruise up and down a stretch of river directly below the dam until they spot a fish and then will lite in the water and pick it up. It is amazing to watch them go back and forth all day long.

"Time is the most undefinable yet paradoxical of things; the past is gone, the future is not come, and the present becomes the past even while we attempt to define it, and, like the flash of lightning, at once exists and expires."            Charles Caleb Colton (1780-1832): English Cleric, Writer and Collector

Bachelor Party!

Earlier this spring, I caught this group of all male wild turkeys or gobblers in a field after a rain preaning and showing off their stuff. They better beware come Thanksgiving and Christmas!!!!

"A Turkey never voted for an early Christmas."

         An Irish Proverb

Great Egret!

Great Egret looking for lunch on the Tenn-Tom River in North Mississippi.
Do you ever wish you had a bigger lens? One that can just reach out and touch everything! Well more and better equipement doesn't always make for better pictures, but it sure seems to help sometimes!

"Maybe because it's entirely an artist's eye, patience and skill that makes an image and not his tools."
        Ken Rockwell from-(Your Camera Does Not Matter)--2005

Trust!

This pair of Canada Geese have been nesting around my office and they brought out their newest edition to the bird family this past Tuesday. Little geese or goslings as they are known are just the cutest things in the world when they are first born. But they soon grow to awkward and somewhat ugly looking teenagers before they develop their adult plumage. Mom and dad brought these four( one is out of the picture) out for a foraging expedition right by my office window. When I moved to grab the camera and their picture, the parents quickly led them back to the lake for safety. The goslings rely and trust their parents fully until they are grown and able to take care of themselves.

"Relationships of trust depend on our willingness to look not only to our own interests, but also the interest of others."
                         Peter Farquharson

Killdeer!

I arrived at work last Tuesday morning to find my parking space occupied by a Killdeer! Now you may not think much about this but as I pulled up to my normal parking spot I knew by her actions that nesting time was here.

This very protective mother began to try to draw me away from her nest on the ground by acting injured. Since these birds are ground nesters they have developed the defense of distracting would be predators away from the nest by acting like they have a broken wing or some other bodily injury. What predator in their right mind would not go chasing after an injured prey for a quick easy snack. Ah! but as she lures you further away from her nest she gets a litter more healthy and she stays just out of reach of any would be enemy.  Most of the time the predator chases the bird and forgets about the nest or never even knew it was there.

 Below, open nest on the ground with one egg. They usually lay four eggs and they blend into the rocky ground very well.

Mother sitting back on the nest after coast is clear. 

I was really exicted for the opportunity to be able to watch the whole nesting, hatching, rearing event take place right outside my office but I am sad to report that the nest was raided by some predator, be it crows, dogs, raccoons, or some other critter. After she laid the second egg on Wednesday the nest was empty of all eggs on Thursday morning. No doubt she will try to nest again, hopefully this time in a safer place. Good luck little mom! Oh Yea! That is not my camera causing the red eye! She really does have a red ring around her eyes.    Ha Ha!          How amazing and beautiful!  

"Birds are indicators of the enviornment. If they are in trouble, we know we'll soon be in trouble."
   Roger Tory Peterson(1908-1996): American Naturalist, Ornithologist, Artist, Educator

Albino Cowbird!

Now I have witnessed albinos in several animal species but I have never seen and albino cowbird, until now! This one paid a visit to my feeders along with all of its cousins, aunts and uncles. It doesn't take them long to clean out a feeder full of seed.

"You just never know what you are going to see in nature."
            Randy J. Schultz

"The hardest struggle of all is to be something different from what the average man is."
            Charles M. Schwab (1862-1939): American Steel Magnate

BlueJay

"Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still."
Dorothea Lange (1895-1965) : American Documentary Photographer, Photojournalist

Well I usually don't get many BlueJays to my feeders. I guess they don't care much for the small stuff! But when I put a handfull of dog food on this bench, it didn't take them long to clean it up, starting with the biggest pieces first. I guess because they are so plentiful here in the south we often take BlueJays for granted, but they really are a beautiful bird when you take a closer look.

American Robin!

Well the American Robin is one of the first birds that move northward in late February to early March after spending the winter mostly along the warmer climes close to and around the Gulf of Mexico. They begin showing up a few at a time and then they just seem to be everywhere. If there was ever a saying that applied to a bird, the following definitely applies to the Robin. I have watched as many a Robin pulled a juicy earth worm from the grass in my yard in February and March.

"The early bird gets the worm."

        American Proverb

Cooper's Hawk

Well the birds have been wearing my feeders out with all the cold and snowy weather we have had this winter and I knew it was just a matter of time before the local predators noticed all the activity. Sorry this is not a very good shot but as with most things in nature, you just have to take what is offered. This Cooper's Hawk flew up in the oak tree above where I was refilling the feeders and stayed there long enough for me to go in the house and grab this quick shot through the window before it flew off again. Needless to say, the birds scattered for a while until the coast was clear again.

"The bird hunting a locust is unaware of the hawk hunting him."
               Proverb Quote

Would You Raise My Kids?

Now most of us don't care much for moochers and although I am somewhat partial to birds, I do find fault with a few species and the Brown Headed Cowbird is one such variety. I guess they are harmless and you may disagree but I find them to be greedy, bossy, nosey, intolerant of others, selfish, pushy, lazy and to top it all off come nesting time if they can't find a nest requiring little if any work, then they just lay their eggs in the nest of another specie. Then they let what ever unlucky couple it happens to be raise their young for them. Now who wouldn't like that kind of a deal, except for the poor birds having to raise the voracious eaters. Nature is an amazing thing! I have known a few of the attributes of the Cowbird to exist in some of our human friends, thus the following quote:

"Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you."

      H. Jackson Brown, Jr. - American Writer

Death by Deception?

Well I am just continually amazed at what one can see in nature if you just look around. I happened by this Great Blue Heron as he plucked this tasty morsel out of the Tennessee River at Pickwick State Park. I saw him grab the snack and turn it and drop it and I first thought he was playing with it but he picked it up and dropped it again and kind of tossed it in the air and I knew something was amiss. I then grabbed my camera and took this quick shot before I realized that this Great Blue Heron had picked up a plastic fishing worm some fisherman had left lying on a rock. I guess this ole bird was having a real difficult time trying to decide whether to eat this or not. I watched for a couple of minutes and then moved on leaving the bird still playing with the fake worm. While this was humorous at first, I later realized that this bird had been deceived. It looked like a worm, it kinda felt like a worm, but it was sure tough. Then I thought what if he actually swallowed the fake lure, would he be able to digest the thing? If he couldn't, would that be the death of him? We take so many things for granted and I am sure the fisherman that left the worms lying on the rock had no idea a bird would come along and try to eat it, but proof is in the picture. We all should be careful as to not do things that could adversely impact any wildlife. Fishing line, bottle caps, plastic and yes, even plastic fishing lures have the potential to harm one of God's creatures.

"Do not bite at the bait of pleasure, till you know there is no hook beneath it."

Thomas Jefferson(1743-1846): Founding Father, Principle author of the Declaration of Independence, 3rd U.S. President

Persistance!

Well I dubbed this little puff ball "Carrot Top" but it is actually a Ruby Crowned Kinglet. It was hard to get a picture of this little jewel because he just wouldn't be still long enough for a shot. He was so persistantly going about his business of searching for food without giving me much notice. The persistance he displayed in turn gave me the persistance to keep watching him until I finally captured these couple of winners.

"Energy and persistance conquer all things."
      Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790): Scientist, Politician, Writer

Canadian Angels?

Well the other day I got to witness a lesser known but longer lived group similar to the famed "Blue Angels". I'll call this group the "Canadian Angels" as in geese! What a treat! The Blue Angels are not the only birds that fly in perfect synchronization. I think the real birds have been doing it for a lot longer as these photos show. I pulled up to a small lake that had some ducks and geese already going about their business of acting like ducks and geese and I looked up just in time to see these beautiful Canadian Geese cup their wings and commit to landing on the lake(above pic).
 

It is not very often one gets a chance to capture them from air to water so I added a couple more pics showing the beauty of these amazing birds just before landing(above pic) and as they landed on their webbed feet and skied to a stop(below).

How awesome to witness this whole event! But wait, there is more! Just as they all landed, one of the lead geese headed straight for a goose that was already on the water and proceeded to give him(or her) a good ole fashion whupping(pic below). Now to the untrained eye, this may look like they were making out, but I assure you that was not the case. I don't know if that goose was parked in the wrong spot, or if maybe it had been making goo goo eyes at the other goose's gal, or maybe it was a family feud, but what ever the reason they went at it for about a full minute and then they both went their separate way. Needless to say, there was plenty of goose talk going on and I can only image what they may have been saying to each other. Ha Ha.

  

"You just never know what you may see in nature!!"

      Randy J. Schultz

Soaring!

Immature Redtailed Hawk- Who hasn't at some time watched a bird soar in the sky and wish they could do the same?



"The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who...looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space...on the infinite highway of the air."

          Wilbur Wright (1867-1912): American Inventor and Aviation Pioneer

Hope!

This little sparrow is perched on a limb braving the cold north wind. It is puffed up to help conserve its body heat and it must be hoping for spring and much warmer weather!

"Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops.... at all."
        Emily Dickinson (1830-1886): American Poet

White Pelicans!

"God gives every bird its food, but he does not throw it into the nest."

        Josiah Gilbert Holland (1819-1881): American Novelist, Poet

What a treat to see a group of White Pelicans on the Tennessee River in North Alabama.