Flightless Bird
I was determined to try harder this morning. So many missed opportunities yesterday and I would have to attribute that to my error in focusing correctly. I left the older Nikon with its auto-focus lens at home and set off with my Pentax. First was the great blue heron which was skirting the edge of the reed beds in search of its breakfast. The great blue heron can be most accommodating if you stay a modest distance away and do not make any sudden movement. It's in the shadows here with the sun not yet clear of the trees:
The heron worked the edge of the reeds, snatching a few tiddlers here and there before ending up belly deep and in the first rays of sunlight:
The family of mallard ducks which the red-tailed hawk was harassing yesterday came close, so I quacked and they duly joined me on the bank's side. I never feed the ducks at Lakeside Park or anywhere else, so it isn't food they are looking for, buy rather the security of knowing predators will not come close as they feed on the grass and plants. One of the young ones pecked at my shoes as I sat for a while with them. Maybe they see me as one of them, some kind of big flightless bird:
There are a few rough paths through the undergrowth and it was while walking along one of those that I captured this photo of a downy woodpecker, and no, I did not rotate the image, that is exactly as taken with the downy woodpecker hunting its way along a really old and thick grapevine. It was caught perfectly in one area of light between the shadows:
I ventured up the bank from there, following the cries of a red-tailed hawk. I could not see it at all, but it had to be up in the very top of the fir trees. I walked out onto the sandy area beneath the children's swings and as I looked back, there it was, just visible with the sun behind it:
The red-tailed hawk took off to the other side of the lake, so I followed as far as I could on my side. Back in the undergrowth again, I was thankful as this cat bird landed on a dead tree branch, skipping sideways along the branch and into my camera's focus:
The cries of the red-tailed hawk continued as it flew overhead to join up with another of its family before heading off. I was lucky to catch this blurry photo through the canopy of leaves. It is blurry, but regardless, the hawk is still magnificent:
These little warblers have been leading me a merry dance. No sooner have I seen them and raised my camera, they are gone. This morning, I was happy that one of the warbling vireos sat still long enough for me to actually take a photo:
I don't normally upload photos of flowers although I do take them all the time. This one I had to, as I love how it shows life clinging to whatever is available, be that even a blade of grass:
One last photo of a monarch which looks like it's had a rough time of things. Part of its wing on the right side was missing, but it was still doing fine:
Copyright © wildlakeside.blogpot.com 2019 Scott Atkinson All Rights Reserved.
The heron worked the edge of the reeds, snatching a few tiddlers here and there before ending up belly deep and in the first rays of sunlight:
The family of mallard ducks which the red-tailed hawk was harassing yesterday came close, so I quacked and they duly joined me on the bank's side. I never feed the ducks at Lakeside Park or anywhere else, so it isn't food they are looking for, buy rather the security of knowing predators will not come close as they feed on the grass and plants. One of the young ones pecked at my shoes as I sat for a while with them. Maybe they see me as one of them, some kind of big flightless bird:
There are a few rough paths through the undergrowth and it was while walking along one of those that I captured this photo of a downy woodpecker, and no, I did not rotate the image, that is exactly as taken with the downy woodpecker hunting its way along a really old and thick grapevine. It was caught perfectly in one area of light between the shadows:
I ventured up the bank from there, following the cries of a red-tailed hawk. I could not see it at all, but it had to be up in the very top of the fir trees. I walked out onto the sandy area beneath the children's swings and as I looked back, there it was, just visible with the sun behind it:
The red-tailed hawk took off to the other side of the lake, so I followed as far as I could on my side. Back in the undergrowth again, I was thankful as this cat bird landed on a dead tree branch, skipping sideways along the branch and into my camera's focus:
The cries of the red-tailed hawk continued as it flew overhead to join up with another of its family before heading off. I was lucky to catch this blurry photo through the canopy of leaves. It is blurry, but regardless, the hawk is still magnificent:
These little warblers have been leading me a merry dance. No sooner have I seen them and raised my camera, they are gone. This morning, I was happy that one of the warbling vireos sat still long enough for me to actually take a photo:
I don't normally upload photos of flowers although I do take them all the time. This one I had to, as I love how it shows life clinging to whatever is available, be that even a blade of grass:
One last photo of a monarch which looks like it's had a rough time of things. Part of its wing on the right side was missing, but it was still doing fine:
Copyright © wildlakeside.blogpot.com 2019 Scott Atkinson All Rights Reserved.
Comments
Post a Comment