Monday, July 27, 2009

Urban Creatures

Just a few critters found at and around my home and Frank's abode. City and town dwellers we may be, but there are still interesting creatures to be seen.


This fine specimen of a Felis domesticus resides with me, and can often be seen sitting on the front deck, watching the world go by. He's also known as Skittles.





This fluffy little cutie seems fearless - or perhaps stupid, in the presence of humans and other living things. Hopefully he'll continue to be one of the latter for a long time to come.





Looking up rom the still waters of a pond was this little frog. He and several others let out an occasional croak as if to challenge being found. He posed nicely for the camera.





Another one of the Night Heron's regular visits. This shot was taken from across the pond.





Busy as a bee, he was - flitting about from flower to flower...





But this one moved at a snail's pace.





And this shell-laden beauty didn't move much faster.





This tiny, red dragonfly caught my eye as I made my way around the pond. So many lovely creatures. We humans enjoy sharing our space with most of them...





But some.. we just don't.

56 comments:

Leah J. Utas said...

Lovely photo story. I am so taken with the frog. I haven't seen a frog in a very long time.And your snail was amazing.

Angie Ledbetter said...

Hilary, all great as usual, but the bunny and frog could hang in a museum of natural history or something. Do you ever do gallery showings?

scarlethue said...

The bunny was beautiful! So sharp. I don't know how you're so quick with your camera.

steviewren said...

The rabbit picture is perfection. Love the frog too. But your ending sentiment is all too true, some critters you just don't want to live with.

abb said...

Wonderful! The rabbits are rather bold this year. You can nearly step on them!

Frank Baron said...

Love the bunny shot in particular. I wonder how many folks will know what that last shot is? ;)

Oman said...

some cute critters. i specially like the photo of the bee and of course, the last one. have a nice day.

Elizabeth Bradley said...

I too, was smitten with the frog.

Zuzana said...

Beautiful pictures. Simply love them all; Skittles is incredibly cute.;)) Batcat sends his regards.;))

~JarieLyn~ said...

Another one smitten with the frog. Great photos.

Jinksy said...

Heron gives a whole new meaning to 'across the pond'...!?!

Tabor said...

I didn't expect that last photo. Funny! Bunny rabbits are smarter than we think. They know they can outrun us.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

This is like, the summer of the bunny, isn't it????

Anonymous said...

I love the wascally wabbit!!! Great photo of that frog too, and I have yet to see a turtle in these here parts, cool Hilary!
:)

the Bag Lady said...

Great shots, Hilary. The bunny is adorable.

Shammickite said...

Well, Frank, I definitely know what that last shot is! And I've always wondered if they really work.
Good shots Hilary, I love that first wild animal, good capture. So many creatures abound in the back yard. In fact I'm posting some of my own today.

Mental P Mama said...

As always...wonderful...with a little coil surprise at the end! Hope it worked!

Daryl said...

Wonderful .. the across the pond shot? ... next time hold your elbows close to your sides and hold your breath while pressing the shutter gently .. it works almost as well as a tripod for making sure the shot is crisp. and forgive me for sounding like my husband

ellen abbott said...

Oh Hilary! Of all your fabulous photos, these are my favorites so far.

Maggie May said...

Everything was magnificent. I loved all the photos, especially Skittles and the hare and frog.

If our snails were as pretty as the one you snapped, then I might not be so hard hearted with them.

Well done with these snaps.... or shall I say professional looking photos!

Sandi McBride said...

I loved them all, from Cat to Heron, from Frog to Bumbly...wonderful scenic tour!
Sandi

Reb said...

Amazingly beautiful Hilary. I love the bunny and the snail shots.

Clowncar said...

Hey, that's our cat!

I like that bee the best. Nice pix, as always.

Anonymous said...

Hi Hilary! Thanks for dropping by, I'm sure it's the slideshows that load up, that slow you down when you open my blog page. Thanks for being patient! :)

PS: I saw what you wrote on Nancy's blog about having so many comments and no time to respond to them all...that's kind of why I went m.i.a. for a while, too overwhelming! I'm going to keep a lid on things and respond when I can!

ds said...

Yet another vote for the frog. Love the way you thread your story through the pictures--literally like weaving. Such talent you have!

Dianne said...

we have a bunny like that roaming round here - I often look for him to offer some treats and to make sure he's OK

love the frog

and Skittles is a cutie

Stickhorsecowgirls said...

beautiful pix! Your kitty looks like such a comfort animal! C

SandyCarlson said...

These are wonderful. It's amazing how alive the landscape is. I love your turtle, of course! And the night heron--what a capture!

Hilary said...

• Thanks so much, Leah. There were quite a few of them "gulping" in the pond that day.. the frogs, not the snails. ;)

• Thanks for the always-kind words, Angie. You always know how to make my day. :)

• Thanks, Scarlethue but really he just sat there for the longest time, letting me get pretty close. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Thanks, Steviewren. Thankfully there aren't too many of those unlivable critters. Most I like just fine. Thanks for the visit. :)

• Thank you, TSannie. You're quite right. They seem to be everywhere. Thanks for dropping by. :)

• Thanks, Frank. Anyone who has been plagued with mosquitoes would know.. I suppose. :)

• Thanks, Lawstude. I'm glad you enjoyed these photos. :)

• Thanks, Elizabeth. He's kind of cute, eh? :)

• Thank you, Protege. Oh yes, Batcat says that now.. all the way from the safety of a Scandinavian country but it would be a different story if they met face to face, whisker to whisker. ;)

• Welcome, JariLyn and thanks for the kind words. Much appreciated. :)

• He sure does, Jinksy. 'Tis a much smaller pond, indeed. :)

• Tabor, I'm not so sure they're that clever. They can outrun us humans but what about faster hunters? I think they've earned their dumb bunny reputation the hard way. ;) Thanks always for stopping by.

• It would seem to be so, Gary. :)

• Thanks kindly, Rain. This was my first turtle sighting at this pond too. :)

• Thanks, Baggie. He sure is a cutie, eh? :)

• Thanks, Shammie. They do seem to work somewhat. I'll head over to see your pics soonish. Thanks always for the kind words. :)

• Thank you, MPM. I believe it helped anyway. :)

• Thanks, Daryl. I do that all the time. It doesn't help. I think I probably teeter.. and that's pre-cocktail. ;)

• Thanks very kindly, Ellen. That means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed them. :)

• Thanks very much for your ultra-kind comments, Maggie. I didn't know that snails would look different than these.. aside from the slugs, that is. Thanks so much for stopping by. :)

• Thanks so much, Sandi. I'm glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for the visit. :)

• Thanks kindly, Reb. Your encouraging words always mean a lot to me. :)

• Hey, Clowncar. It's been a while since you've dropped by. Good to see you, and thanks for the kind words. We have look-alike felines, eh? :)

• Thanks for the re-visit, Rain. I hear you and understand the time restraints. No worries. :)

• Thank you so kindly, DS. Your kind comment means a lot to me. :)

• Thanks, Dianne. Kind of you to keep that bunny from being hungry. Thanks always for stopping by. :)

• Thanks very much, C. You've pegged Skitty right! Thanks for the visit. :)

• Thanks so much, Sandy. I am amazed too. Before walking around with a camera, I missed most of these critters. They were always out there but I just wasn't noticing. Thanks for your always warm comments. :)

Rajesh said...

Lovely set of excellent snaps. The cat in the first snap is majestic.

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

ha!!!!!!! as always, you saved the best line and shot for the last :DDD

I loved, loved , loved the frog and dragonfly shots :)

The Merry said...

In these photos, I'm glad you're a good shot.

I hope other people are not a good shot, especially in the case of Hazel.

Suldog said...

Love the bunny. You took a shot that I can almost feel the warmth from. Nice.

Joanna Jenkins said...

I had a cat years ago that looks just like yours :-)
Great pics. Thanks for sharing.

blunoz said...

These are all wonderful photos as usual Hilary, but my two favorites are the bunny rabbit and the bullfrog. Both photos just made me say "Wow! How'd she get get that close without scaring them away?" The crispness of the rabbit's fur and the reflection in his eyeball are amazing. Great job! Thanks for continuing to share your wonderful photography!

Crabby McSlacker said...

Love them all but OMG the frog.

You are so amazingly talented.

MaggieGem said...

A bit late to the party, but thrilled I didn't miss it!

Great pix and narrative, as usual, but I've been trying to get a dragon fly all summer! Love that you got one, I can't keep up with 'em. LOL

Nancy said...

These pictures are so sweet! I just loved them all - especially the frog and the bunny. Skittles is quite the cutie. You are surrounded by some wonderful creatures - even a turtle!

Skunkfeathers said...

I think they enjoy posing for you ;)

Deb said...

I LOVE the bunny shot - you are one fast shooter! By the time I got my camera out, aimed and focused, the bunny would be in the next county! I could totally relate to the last photo ~ we have had so much rain this summer the mosquitos' breeding grounds are widespread ~ so irritating!

Cheffie-Mom said...

I love them all! What beautiful creatures!

Pat - Arkansas said...

Sweet Skittles! I am extremely fond of cats. Marvelous other photos, as usual. You folks up north must have all the bunnies this summer. I have seen only one, and that was in another neighborhood. Something must be keeping them away from my area.

lime said...

oh just marvelous, hilary. really beautiful shots. the dragonfly impresses me for the detail. the rabbit and frog just because i am partial to them.

SandyCarlson said...

I love the long-eared dude. You capture peace when you photograph nature.

Anonymous said...

Wellll, Hilary. I like to think I'm usually a little sharper than this -- but it took me a while to figure out what the last shot was! I even read through all the comments, and several alluded to it but no one told me what it was! I'm pretty sure I finally figured it out -- is it something that fumigates for mosquitos? I just heard that filling a spray bottle with Listerine and spraying it around the hard works too! :)

Hilary said...

• Thank you, Rajesh. That cat is actually quite the goof but I'm sure he'd like to believe that he's majestic. ;) Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Thanks, Moi. I'm glad you enjoyed the pics and got a kick out of the last one. Thanks for the visit.. it's been a while. :)

• Thanks, Merry. I would have to agree that photography is the only kind of shot I'd like to take. And this rabbit reminded me of Watership Down too. :)

• Thanks so much, Suldog. You always have the nicest things to say. Much appreciated. :)

• Thank you for stopping by, Joanna. I'm glad you liked the photos.

• Thank you so much for your always-kind words, Kevin. I was still several yards away from both critters.. though neither really made a move to leave so I got pretty lucky. Thanks so much for stopping by. :)

• Thanks ever so much, Crabby. You always make me smile. :)

• Thanks, Maggie Gem. There's always a light on around here, so you're never too late to my party. Dragonflies are indeed difficult to snap until they settle down for a bit. As with most of my shots, I got lucky with this one. Thanks for joining the party. :)

• Thanks so much, Nancy. I am indeed surrounded by the best. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Skunkfeathers, ya figure? :)

• Thanks very much, Deb. When I'm out walking, I always have my camera out and ready, so it's only a matter of aiming, focusing and shooting. I rarely leave home without it. The mosquitoes are really bad this year here too. Hopefully August will be a bit dryer. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Thanks, Cheffie. I'm glad you like them. :)

• Thanks very much, Pat. I'm glad you like the photo of Skitty. If only you knew what a total goofball he is. :) We have indeed had a lot of rabbits around this year. I'll try to talk to them about paying a visit your way. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Thanks kindly, Lime. I'm glad you liked them. Good to see you. :)

• Thanks so much, Sandy. That's a very sweet thing to say. Much appreciated. :)

• Sandra, I know you're sharp as a tack but if you haven't seen something before, you can't possibly recognize it. :) It is indeed a mosquito coil, meant to kill them dead. It doesn't smell too badly (much like a wood fire) but at the same time, we're probably inhaling all those killer chemies while it burns. Still, it mostly does the job. Thanks always for stopping by, my friend. :)

Country Girl said...

I like going on walks with you.

Louise said...

I love your cat and its name.

Was the snail in a TREE?

The rabbit capture is amazing.

I'm not sure what the last picture was.

Susan English Mason said...

Please send rain my way Hilary! I love the photo of the heron the best. We have herons here and I saw a little one and it was a fluff ball. It was soooooo cute. That was the day I learned to start dragging my camera to work with me.

Bubblewench said...

I totally love that shot of the frog! I love frogs.

Indrani said...

Oh! To be so surrounded by critters! Just not that frog. ;)

Hilary said...

* Thanks, Kate. I'm glad you joined me. :)

* Thanks, Louise. He's a cool cat! Yes, the snail was clinging to the leaf of a very young tree. The last photo was of a mosquito coil.. smoking to keep them pesky critters away!

* Thanks, Pouty. I have never seen a young heron.. how cool that you have. I'll bet it was lovely. I wish you some rain very soon - accompanied by a rainbow. :)

* Thanks, Bubblewench.. they're pretty cute.. in a funny-looking sort of way, aren't they? Thanks for stopping by. :)

* Not partial to frogs, Indrani. I think you and Bubblewench need to have a talk. ;) Thanks for the visit. :)

Anonymous said...

SnakeMaster likes your pic of the red-eared slider (turtle). I am amazed by the frog photograph. You really do wonderful work. And Skittles is a lovely cat. :)

PS to Frank: I need one of those mosquito repellent coils!

Hilary said...

Thanks so much for the kind words, KC. And please thank SM for identifying the turtle for me. I had no idea. I hope that by now your mosquito population has dropped. Thanks always for the visit. :)

Barbara Martin said...

All the photos were exceptional, though my favourite was the rabbit.

Hilary said...

Thank you kindly, Barbara. That rabbit seems to have hopped into many hearts. Thanks for stopping by. :)