Sunday, April 18, 2010

Spring Bling

“And the day came when the risk to remain in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to bloom.” ~ Anais Nin





“Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May.” ~ William Shakespeare





“Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind it” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson





"Let a thousand flowers bloom and we'll see what flourishes.” ~ Clara Hemphill





“Here and there you'd see a tree that was budding or grass trying to grow. There was hope.” ~ Carolyn Hunter





"It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds." ~ Aesop





"A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song." ~ Chinese Proverb





"Use the talents you possess - for the woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except for the best." ~ Henry Van Dyke





"When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck." ~ Richard C. Cushing





"To listen is an effort, and just to hear is no merit. A duck hears also." ~ Igor Stravinsky





"Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath." ~ Michael Caine





"If you keep your feathers well oiled the water of criticism will run off as from a duck's back."
~ Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards

54 comments:

Cloudia said...

Such a glorious post!

Especially that close up of the brown eyed duck; just wonderful.





Aloha from Waikiki


Comfort Spiral

LadyFi said...

Such fabulous shots! Lovely vibrant colours and crisp clear detail.

Dawning Inspiration said...

love those shots - those birds I think are almost all saying - Here's looking at you!!

ds said...

How gorgeous the photos--and how apt the quotes! I especially like the pair of cardinals (personal bias), but you make that mallard look carved--he is art! Thank you.

Sueann said...

What awesome photos!! Each one is an exquisite work of art. And the quotes are perfect!!!
Thanks so much! I love them all!
Hugs
SueAnn

Anonymous said...

Golly Hilary...those shots are sublime. I cannot choose a favourite, I love them all. What you have done is to cause me to stop trying to take closeups with my poor camera. Paco is on his last legs, my music centre won't play cds and we are back to playing cassettes and my camera hides it head in shame...going to be an expensive 76th birthday for those who profess to love me.

Tabor said...

Where you get such perfect quotes I will never know, but I do know you take perfect pictures!

Brian Miller said...

hilary, you have outdone yourself...striking pics...love that first quote as well...the rich colors of the mallard....mmm...nice.

ellen abbott said...

Beautiful beautiful photos. I'm partial to the flowers but the cardinals are wonderful. We have so many here, I just love them.

the Bag Lady said...

Lovely photos, Hilary! I especially like the close-up of the mallard!

CiCi said...

What a great close up of the mama mallard. Of course most people are drawn to the colors of the male but I have a soft spot for the females. I don't think they are plain looking at all. I am glad you photographed each one for this post. The buds look like they are growing before our eyes in the pictures. The birds are beautiful. Wonderful photos!

Steve Gravano said...

Great collection of quotes and photos. My favorites are the buds.

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Oh my ... totally smitten by your images today!

Cheryl Kohan said...

The photos, as usual, are wonderful. I love all the quotes, Hilary, but my two favorites are Ralph Waldo Emerson's (brilliant) and Michael Caine's (motivating).

Zuzana said...

Beautiful colours and life of spring.
I only wish I could capture those details of birds and plants, but my zoom is just not good enough.
Stunning images as always.
Hope you are having a lovely Sunday,
xo

lime said...

love the female cardinal and the quote to go with it.. wonderful as always.

Mage said...

Delightful. I'm sitting here smiling at the quotes as well as the images. Big smiles.

messymimi said...

Just right for calming a hectic day.

lynda Howells said...

Such amazing images..beautiful colours and such grast macro images tooxlynda

Joanna Jenkins said...

That is the perfect title for your gorgeous Spring pictures Hilary.

Happy weekend,
jj

MaggieGem said...

Wonderful captures of spring! Another fine job Hilary! Love the cardinal, the colors are so vibrant!

Karen said...

What can I say? I just adore your photos!

Shammickite said...

The images of Spring never fail to bring a wide smile to my face, and your pictures do exactly the same.

Unknown said...

Loved how you did the buds and then the birds.
Fabulous detail and colour. I wanted to reach out and touch them all.

thanks Hilary. I was inside at a volleyball tournament all weekend, so this was divine.

larkswing said...

Wonderfully amazing shots!

Linda said...

Hi Hilary,

Beautiful as always. I think my favorite this time has to be the goldfinch. His face is very expressive. Also some great up close and personal with the ducks.

järnebrand said...

That is one gorgeous post! :) Beautiful photos! Spring bling - what a great title for this post. I needed some spring bling, thank you so much. Wonderful inspiration.
Love/ Jo.

Sandra said...

A wonderful Monday morning treat! Thank you, Hilary. :)

Mental P Mama said...

As beautiful as ever...and love how Mr. Goldfinch is almost ready for courting!

Reasons said...

Wow! A lovely lovely post. Wonderful shots xx

Hilary said...

• Thanks very much, Cloudia. Those ducka seem to make eye contact at times. :)

• Thanks so kindly, LadyFi. I'm glad you like them. Mallards do have incredible colours. :)

• SD, thank you. They sure were.. in a semi-leery kind of way. Thanks for the visit. :)

• DS, thank you so much. They're wonderful creatures and he was in just the right sunlight to bring out his features. :)

• SueAnn, thank you so kindly. Very much appreciated. :)

• Thank you kindly, Moannie. I'll confess though that none of these were macro shots. I stood well back from my subjects and used a zoom lens for all shots. I'm sorry to hear that all your electronic devices are slowing down on you. I hope that you're dropping plenty of birthday hints and that they're all well taken. Thanks so much for your always kind words. :)

• Thank you, Tabor. I rely heavily on Google. ;)

• Brian, thanks very much. I'm pleased that you like them. :)

• Thanks, Ellen. They're wonderful birds, aren't they? I'm glad you get to enjoy their lovely songs too. :)

• Thanks, Baggie. He's a gorgeous boy, isn't he? :)

• TechnoBabe, thank you. I agree about the female Mallard.. and several other birds species as well - like the Cardinals. The ducks in particular seem to have such a bright look in their eyes. Those two bud posts were taken one day apart - of the same bud, so it was essentially growing before your eyes. ;) Thanks so much for your always-kind words. :)

• Thanks, Steve. Much appreciated. :)

• Totally appreciated, Bonnie. Thank you. :)

• Cheryl, thanks so much. I'm glad you enjoyed the post. :)

• Zuzana, thanks so much, but I beg to differ. You capture wonderful images with your camera. Your stunning photos are always a joy to see. Thanks for your kind words, my friend. :)

• Thanks kindly, Lime. :)

• Thanks, Maggie. Much appreciated. :)

• Messymimi, I'm glad to hear it. Thank you. :)

• Lynda, thank you very kindly. Those are actually zoomed from a bit of distance, as opposed to macro though. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Joanna, thank you very much. :)

• Maggie Gem, thank you kindly. I'm pleased that you enjoyed the post. :)

• Karen, what can I say then but "Thank you!" :)

• Shammie, thanks very much. Your comment just did the same for me. :)

• Deb, thank you kindly. Such a lovely comment sure adds a brightness to my own day. Thanks for that. :)

• Lailani, thank you very much. :)

• Linda, thank you. The perched bird shots were a bit of a challenge since they were taken though my glass door. I'm glad the detail of the goldfinch was still evident. Thanks for the very kind words. :)

• Jo, thanks kindly. I'm glad that my post brought some brightness to your day. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Sandra, thank you kindly, my friend. :)

• Thanks very much, MPM. His bright yellow coat is almost complete. Their changes are so interesting to note, aren't they? Thanks for the visit. :)

• Thank you, Reasons. Very much appreciated. :)

Daryl said...

Budding .. birding .. beautiful .. you have SUCH a good eye .. and the words work so well ...

Maggie May said...

I just LOVE these photos. Magnificent!

Nuts in May

Michael said...

Love every single one of those pictures. :)

G said...

WOW. Just WOW.

Dave said...

Really nice photos Hilary. I specially liked the white flower buds. Lovely colured birds too - Dave

SandyCarlson said...

I'm just loving the duck shots after the glorious flower and other bird shots in this post. Wow, Hilary!

Pat - Arkansas said...

Gorgeous photos, as usual, and most appropriate quotations. Lovely!

Suldog said...

It must get terribly boring to hear me rave about your stuff. So, for a change of pace, I'll say you suck! I don't mean it, of course, but it breaks things up, no? :-)

ethelmaepotter! said...

As often when visiting with you, I find it impossible to pick a favorite. But I am drawn to the rippling reflections of the ducks in the water.

And your photo of the female cardinal is gorgeous; we often overlook the female, in favor of her vibrant mate, but she is beautiful in her own quiet way, too.

Frank Baron said...

I've always said, Spring don't mean a thing if it ain't got that bling. And if I didn't, I meant to.

And you delivered good bling this time, especially in the form of my feathered buddies. :)

I've said it before and I'm saying it again - I dunno if there's a prettier bird in Ontario than a female cardinal. And that drake mallard borders on majestic. Good stuff. :)

Land of shimp said...

One of my favorite things in the entire world is iridescence, it's just such a visual gift. It's part of the reason I've always liked ducks, Mallards at least (although, you know, I'm a duck fan, overall).

If there is a Heaven, let it have lots of things that are iridescent. Just the concept that if viewed from the right angle, anything can magically catch the light, and be beautiful.

All the buds are lovely too, and so welcome to see. It feels as if it has been a long Winter, but I have a special fondness for the picture of the duck. During Winter, when it feels like the world will never be truly colorful again, the iridescent feathers of various birds really lift the spirits.

Thanks for the Spring-fling-bling, Hilary :-) It's truly appreciated. I swear it's going to be Summer here before it ever gets around to being Spring.

Dianne said...

the duck close-ups are amazing, I feel like I can read their minds

the birds are beautiful

and the buds!! I love budding flowers, there is something so touching and sweet and hopeful about new buds

glorious post

imbeingheldhostage said...

WOW. I don't know how you ever pull yourself back inside your house with all of that beauty that surrounds you.
I love your bird pictures-- you have gorgeous birds!

Joanne said...

Beautiful images. And as I read the quotes, I'd think, Oh, I like that one. Then the next, I'd say, That one too, and so on and so on. Each is as good as the one before it, I enjoyed reading them!

steviewren said...

Once again you've captured the beauty of nature in your photography. You have a great eye.

Hilary said...

• Thanks, Daryl. You do alliteration well. ;)

• Maggie, thanks very much. :)

• Cabo, thanks. I'm glad you do. :)

• BPG, thanks.. just thanks! ;)

• Thank you, Dave. I'm pleased that you enjoyed the pics. :)

• Sandy, thanks so much. That means a lot to me. :)

• Pat, thanks very kindly. Much appreciated. :)

• Suldog, yeah.. I get real sick of hearing your kind words. Thanks for keeping my ego under control. ;)

• Thank you, EthelMae. That was such a fine time of day. That late afternoon sunshine is my camera's best friend. I'm glad you said what you did about the female mallard. I feel the same way about them and about cardinals. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Thank you, Frank Ellington. ;) I'm glad the photos were pleasing to your eye. I kind of thought they would be. :)

• Shimp, iridescence.. I'm so with you on that. The colours are indeed magically wonderful. Grackles are also great that way. And I'm so glad you are a duck fan... not everyone is, you know. ;) I'm quite fond of my feathered friends and am more than happy to share them. Thanks for your always-warm comments, my friend. :)

• Thank you, Dianne. I know you have a strong love for animals so I'm not surprised that you feel this way about the birds. Thanks for your kind words. They're always very much appreciated. :)

• Thank you, IBHH. Many of them were taken from inside the house.. through the glass doors. I'm glad you approve. :)

• Joanne, thanks very much. I'm glad that you enjoyed the post. :)

• Steviewren, thanks very much. That means a lot to me coming from a fine artist as yourself. :)

photowannabe said...

I just loved your Spring Bling. Every picture was choice. The close ups of the buds and berries were so beautiful and made more so by the quotes you added.
I love visiting your blog Hilary.

Tammie Lee said...

such a wonderful spring post
your photos are fantastic. The first quote truly touched me. Thank you.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Hilary: What a wonderful post with great shots of all the animals an dbuds. I love the Mallard Duck shots.

Kat said...

Oh what beautiful pictures! And the quotes go so perfectly.

I think that is the brightest cardinal I have ever seen!!!

Hilary said...

• Thank you so much, Sue. You know I feel the same way about yours. :)

• Tammie Lee, thank you. I'm glad to know it. :)

• Thanks, Fishing Guy. Much appreciated. :)

• Kat, thank you. They're a pretty brilliant looking bird, aren't they? :)

Anonymous said...

Phenomenal! I'm always blessed when I come to your blog, Hilary.

Hilary said...

Thank you, KC. You always say just the right thing. :)