Thursday, December 8, 2011

Cat Got Your Tongue?

I usually walk around the pond in the park just a few steps from my front door. But every now and then, I like to take to the paths which surround another man-made lake about fifteen minutes by foot. Please join me.



gull10
As I approached the dock, I noticed a gull perched upon the railing. He sat there comfortably and watched me closely while I photographed him. I spoke to him as I snapped shots but he just stared back at me.





fiery leaves
That bird kept his eye on me as I looked for other subjects to photograph. Some of the leaves were still fiery red.





dead bloom
Other plants had withered away to nearly-nothing.




burr5
As long as they're not stuck to your clothing or your dogs, burrs sure can be beautiful in all their thorny glory.





gull5
A backward glance told me that the gull was still staring.




dollseyes2
In another direction, I saw another pair of eyes looking back at me. This plant is called White Baneberry or the very appropriate Doll's Eye. Its berries are highly poisonous so I snapped my photo and moved along.



spindleberries
Spindleberries are pretty plain throughout the summer, producing small greenish flowers. It's only when late summer arrives that they begin to turn into this brilliant pink flower which releases these bright orange seeds. They tend to hold on until some point during the winter, though their blooms begin to fade to a much duller, dryer colouring. Still, they look lovely against the snow.




leafbike2
Over by some houses, I found one of the few remaining red maple branches in the area. In the background, you can see a bicycle parked outside a back door.




gull6
When the camera came away from my eye, look who was still staring at me. I stared right back and asked him if he had something to say. He silently held his gaze. Finally I asked him "What's the matter.. did the cat get your tongue?"





gull11
He gleefully showed me that it certainly did not.

Thanks for joining me.

63 comments:

Sueann said...

Oh Hilary! What great photos!!
The gull pics are awesome...what a character he was!! Loved his open mouth!! Too funny!!
Hugs
SueAnn

Andy said...

Another great group of photos. I am never bored when viewing your blog.

Brian Miller said...

thanks for taking us on that journey...it was a visual delight hilary...

the Bag Lady said...

How thoughtful of the gull to show you he still has his tongue!!
Fabulous photos, Hilary. In this post and the last couple (I don't always comment, but I always look!)

ADRIAN said...

Burrs, Berries and Bird. All superb but the last Gull is a little beauty.

Anonymous said...

That's one cute gull!

Great shots.

Anonymous said...

And what a funny looking tongue it is! LOL

Leah J. Utas said...

Oh, my. The baneberries are watching. I love those pics.

Merisi said...

These are all beautiful and uplifting images, but the pairing of the "still looking back at you" gull and the white berry eyes made me laugh out loud. That set is price worthy! :-)

Gary's third pottery blog said...

oh gee, Hilary, such closeups!

Unknown said...

Just think: the poor gull doctor has to look at this all. the. time.

Great photos! LOL!!!

DJan said...

Great pictures, as usual. I love the last shot of the laughing gull. But then again, I love them ALL! :-)

Tabor said...

Terrific photos as always! Just love each and everyone and thanks for letting me know they are spindle berries. We get these and I could not ID them.

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

This is yet another wonderful series of photos. I loved the way you kept bringing the gull back in, and the ending was hilarious.

Reena said...

LOL ... guess he showed you! Great photos Hilary!

Denise at Autumn Sky said...

Lovely photos and the last one is such fun. Perfect timing.

Cricket said...

Heh, heh. I don't think I've ever given any thought to whether a seagull has a tongue or not before. Evidently, it does.

Actually, it's fitting you posted this, as I've been walking regularly in my own park of late, with its many similar views. Of course, ever since I started stopping by here, these always remind me of you and your posts.

And, I think I will suggest Morning Lake, by Weather Report, for both our morning lakeside walks.

L. D. said...

Wonderful shots. Do the spots mean that the gull is a youngster? I remember seeing first year gulls that are brown and they turn white and grey as they get older.

TexWisGirl said...

too cute!!!

and i wholeheartedly agree with your statement about burs!

TexWisGirl said...

but add in horses' manes and tails!

Ruth Hiebert said...

A walk with you is most enjoyable.You find the best objects and turn them into beautiful photographs. No,the cat definitely did not get that Gull's tongue. :)

Indrani said...

He seems to be saying Hi to all of us. :)

Scott Law said...

A great walk through the park. You must look much less threatening than me. No bird ever lets me get that close, and this is the first time I've ever seen a close up of a birds tongue, seagull or anything else. Very interesting.

Kristina P. said...

You always capture such interesting things in nature.

ellen abbott said...

Hilary, these photos are just amazing as usual. especially that last one.

Barbara said...

What a wonderful walk! He certainly did keep his eye on you!! (And I'm glad the cat didn't get his tongue!)

Maggie May said...

I've never seen into a bird's mouth before! You certainly do get the most unusual shots.
I think the cat would probably lose its tongue to that bird ....... in reality!
Maggie X

Nuts in May

messymimi said...

Wonderful bird.

And no wonder burrs stick! Look like tiny crochet hooks.

photowannabe said...

Fun, fun, fun and beautiful besides. Your macros are fantastic of the berries and withered pods.
You have the best sense of humor. Absolutely love your gull conversation.
Have a wonderful weekend Hilary.

Gillian Olson said...

Absolutely wonderful series of shots, the gull pictures and commentary are amusing. Thanks, glad I stopped by.

photoioannina said...

Your photographs are very beautiful !!!

WritingsForLife said...

These photos are gorgeous. Thank you for taking us along your walk :-)

larkswing said...

As always, your photos are outstanding!

Out on the prairie said...

What a nice ending and story.

Anyes said...

Understand seagulls is a talent I did not know you had, Hilary ;-)

Your photographs are always such a delight. It seems snow has not shown up in Ontario either...

Anonymous said...

Wow, I've never seen a bird's tongue that clearly! What an incredible photo. Now that I know the name, Dolls' Eyes are kind of creepy...

Red said...

Now I knew before that you were great! Now I'm really impressed that you made that gull show his tongue. You Have super powers! Great shot. I liked all the plants too as you had a mixture of seeds blooms and leaves.

Anvilcloud said...

What an eye you have for the micro, which you turn into a macro.

Joanna said...

Fabulous photographs! Love the spindleberry.

Elizabeth Grimes said...

That last one would be great for a caption contest! :)

Cloudia said...

GLORIOUS PHOTO NARRATIVE !




Aloha from Waikiki

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Joanna Jenkins said...

That gull has a very serious look-- And the last shot speaks volumes.

The Doll's Eye is so interesting. I've never seen anything like that but I love it.

Thanks for the great pics, as always,

xo jj

Javier Guri said...

Great close-ups, posing for you.
Greetings.

Dave said...

Your macro photos look great Hilary - Dave

Helma said...

Hi Hilary,

what a wonderful series you have put down. Very beautiful with varied aspects of nature. Autumn pictures as the faded spines and discolored leaves, but the birds. Really very nice. Compliments.

Greetings, Helma

Gail Dixon said...

Whoa! I don't think I've ever seen the inside of a gull's mouth. Great detail you got there. He was probably hoping you had bread on you.

Frank Baron said...

I'm a fan of gulls. They're clever, bold and resourceful. And, as your fine pics illustrated quite nicely, they're also handsome and comical. Good stuff. :)

CiCi said...

Your walks are so wonderful. Every step shows something wondrous. The gull cooperated fully and the colors in nature abound.

Mage said...

That gull is a teenager. That's what was wrong. LOL

Wendy said...

Oh my goodness! I've never seen a gull's tongue before!! What a shot! Thanks for taking us on your walk. It was fun. I love those spindle berries - so pretty.

Daanish said...

yawning never looked so cute :)

ToBlog today said...

Seeing the ordinary become magnificent in your photos!

yaya said...

The last one gave me a good laugh! Love the Dolls eyes poison plant. I was beginning to think that bird wasn't even real. Great shots!

sage said...

I like the maple leaf with the out-of-focus bike in the background. Great shot!

Hilary said...

Thank you all for your kind and often amusing comments. I had every intention to replying individually as I usually do but time got away from me this week. I so appreciate your always-kind words and I'll be around to visit your own blogs before too long. :)

lime said...

/lol, that last shot really made me giggle. have to say i loved the burr though too.

Unknown said...

What a great ending! :D)

Lynne with an e said...

Hahaha! Well worth the build up to the big reveal at the end. The modest remnants of late summer and autumn are beautiful in their own quiet ways; so lovely that you noticed them and celebrated them here.
(BTW, there is an odd coincidence in our trains of thought...check out the maxim at my Ragzedge blog this Sunday; you can link to it from my sidebar at Decollete)

Bob Bushell said...

Brilliant blogs you have sent to us, and the Gull, well, I've never seen one so clear, superb.

~JarieLyn~ said...

Waht a lovely walk about. Nice pics as always. It's amazing what we can see if we just look.

Lisa said...

Gorgeous. Just beautiful.
Hope your getting ready and all yhou need to do for Christmas all thought there is still lots of time

Zuzana said...

Oh, what beautiful captures of colourful natural objects, really enjoyed those plant-eyes staring at you;) And you know how much I enjoy seeing your bird photography, whether they stare or not.;)
xoxo

Betty Manousos said...

dear hilary,


your photos were enough to spread a good amount of sunshine in my day.

exceedingly divine photos!

well done you!:)
betty