Creature Feature

I have a few critter photos to share with you, all taken either on walks or in Frank's back yard.

Of course no creature compilation would be complete without Benny so I might as well include him right from the start.

This robin keeps a wary eye on Benny and me. She might have wee ones nearby.

This one hopped up onto the fence ready for a quick getaway.
 

This is an odd place for a seagull to land. It's the top of a sawed off tree, standing about ten feet tall. He just perched there for the longest time.

What do you think the chances are of seeing the same gull a few weeks apart, along the same creek but in a totally different spot than before? I'd say they're fairly good because that's exactly what happened. How do I know? Look closely and you'll see that this gull is missing part of its left leg. He's the same bird featured in this post.

This little cutie is a female cowbird. They're different from most birds as they don't build nests in which to lay their eggs. Instead, they invade the nests of other species and allow them to hatch and raise their young for them. This one is getting sustenance, Chez Frank's - probably building up her strength to lay more eggs.

One of the finest singers in the park - the male red-winged blackbird.

The catbird often eludes my camera but this little guy sat and posed nicely for me. They really do sound like cats mewing.

Crows are beautiful and intelligent birds. I don't often see one in the field when I walk there, and this one watched me closely as I passed him by. He took off a few seconds later but without a sound or call. I guess I was just a bit too close for comfort but not to the point of his needing to alert others.

This goose wasn't taking off from me so much as he was heading to the opposite side of the pond where someone was tossing out bread crumbs. It's not a great shot of the bird but I liked his reflection in the water.

That's enough birds but here's one more winged creature. A bee busying himself with a pretty, purple flower.

So is it just me, or does anyone else see the left-facing profile of a baby bunny in this photo. I thought that the patched tar on the sidewalk strongly resembled one. The dark clump of mud would be its eye. You might need to lean back from the monitor a wee bit.







And while I'm showing you weird marks on the sidewalk, do you see a butterfly in this one?

And this brings us to...

The end.

Thanks for joining me. You're always such fine company.
 

Snoopy and No Posts of the Week

Sorry folks, but I haven't spent much of the last couple of weeks in front of my computer, so I have collected very few links for the POTW. I'll just have to hang onto them and include them with my next one.



This beautiful boy is Snoopy and he belongs to one of my neighbours. One of these days, I'll have to capture a video of him because no kidding, this dog smiles when he greets people. It's a bit of a goofy look but he consistently bares his teeth in a totally non-threatening way and smiles. Snoopy had other things on his mind on this day. He was watching some of the action on the street. Kids were doing stuff and he needed to be a part of it.





Off he goes.. those long legs of his can gallop.





Luckily, Snoopy is more of a smiler than a kisser because that long tongue of his would pack a lot of drool. Glance back to the first picture and you'll see what I mean.






There's what he wanted. A perfect catch. Unfortunately, the kids spent the next minute trying to get Snoopy to return the ball. Where's the fun in that eh, Snoop dog?

Patio Bob

This is Patio Bob.

He's incredibly cute, isn't he? And he's also a smart little guy. Patio Bob lives under a patio stone in Frank's back yard. 

Every day, Frank or his older son tops up several bird feeders and scatters large quantities of bird seed throughout the yard and along the tops of fences, bars, deck rails and once or twice in this otherwise empty window box. 

It's meant for the birds, primarily but Patio Bob knows a good thing when he sees it. He goes from station to station, collecting all of the oiled sunflower seeds first. He fills his chubby little cheeks then heads back to his patio stone to unload his stash before returning for more.

The vessel which Frank uses to scatter the seed is a blue pitcher and sometimes a few inches of seed will remain in the bottom. Did I mention that Patio Bob is a smart little guy? I'll let the following photos speak for themselves.

Go to it, Patio Bob.

So, if you happen to see this cheeky little guy, please send him home. We'd miss Patio Bob's cute little face and silly antics if he were to stay away for too long.

A-flutter with Poppies

Your ghost will walk, you lover of trees,

(If our love remain)

In an English lane,

By a cornfield-side a-flutter with poppies

~Robert Browning

I find poppy buds to be almost as beautiful as the blossom. Maybe more so.

Here's an up close and personal look at one.

This one is just about to pop.

They bloom so quickly that I can't say I've seen them in this stage of emergence - with the splitting bud still visible.

It isn't long before they're all a-flutter just like the post title and quote suggest.

Beautiful flowers, these poppies are. (Yoda, I am talking like)

Any way you look at them.

Petals glisten after a summer shower.

And on the underside of a bud, a tiny creature navigates the hairs.

Thanks for walking amid the poppies with me. All were growing in Frank's back yard.

A Seagull's Breakfast and Posts of the Week

This seagull spies some breakfast in the water in front of the dock.





One unsuccessful attempt - he came up empty.





And we have a winner!


So, what was it that our gull was after?



A discarded bagel. Here's another which he left behind for someone else.


Hmmm sea-gull and ba-gull. They have the same surname. Do you suppose they're related?

And now, without further delay, here are the Posts of the Week. The icon below is yours for the taking if if your blog post is named as a POTW.

 

FUNNY

I Love You So Much That It Hurts My Head
by Chariskalee
at How My Song Goes

More Power
by Lime
at House of Lime

True Story
by CiCi
at Liquid Mind, Sanguine Soul

VIDEO

Glub
by Daryl's Ray
at Out and About in New York City

JUST PLAIN GOOD

The Destroyers
by Gail
at Louisiana Belle

Some Birds Have it All
by TexWisGirl
at The Run*A*Round Ranch Report

PHINE PHOTOGRAPHY 

 

Kestrels
by Keith
at Holding Moments

Out Playing
by Steve
at Out on the Prairie

They Left the Nest
by Tabor
at Room Without Walls

A GOOD READ
 

O. Crap!
by Murr
at MurrMurrs

READERS' CHOICE

Recommended by: Daniel
Lumen Love
by Lisa
at The Other Side (of the Camera)

Please drop by their blogs for a visit and leave a kind comment if you have the time. Also, please feel free to add your own choices (for any blog except this one) for a specific blog post in the comments section below, where others can see them.

Thank you.

The Company of Trees

If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees. 

~Hal Borland

I ended my last post with a photo of a tree. That's as good a segue as any to present you with some more images of these majestic beings in whole or in part.

A tree is an incomprehensible mystery. ~ Jim Woodring

I tricked myself with this image. When I first viewed it after uploading, I could not remember snapping the shot. I thought by the background, that it was situated along the lakeshore (Lake Ontario) on an overcast day. I did not recall having been there recently.

On pavements and the bark of trees I have found whole worlds. ~Mark Tobey

On second glance, or rather, upon seeing this photo, I realized that the tree was much closer to home. It sits on the boulevard just in front of my neighbour's home. I was enjoying how the sun cast its glow upon the bark.

A stricken tree, a living thing, so beautiful, so dignified, so admirable in its potential longevity, is, next to man, perhaps the most touching of wounded objects. ~Edna Ferber

This one illustrated the indomitable spirit and strength of nature. I'll spare you the view of the rest of this maple tree. The parks people determined that in its half dead state, it was a good idea to remove its limbs lest they fall upon folks enjoying a walk on the nearby path. There's a large orange X on the side of its bark, presumably to mark it as a victim of the next round of felling. I hope they've done all they have wanted to do and will leave the trunk intact. This tree plays host to insects, birds and squirrels and it's one of the spots where I occasionally leave peanuts in winter. Despite the extreme cutting, this "dead" tree still spouted a new sprig of leaves this spring. Gotta love that.

Except during the nine months before he draws his first breath, no man manages his affairs as well as a tree does. ~George Bernard Shaw

These trees line the lovely property which belongs to one of Frank's brothers. We were there at the end of May for a family celebration.

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver. ~Martin Luther

Red maple keys glowing in the hazy sunshine of early morning.

Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit. ~Khalil Gibran

Here's a closer look at them. They could almost be flowers.

All things share the same breath - the beast, the tree, the man... the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports. ~Chief Seattle

Late day sunshine, glittering through the maple leaves.

I think that I shall never see a billboard lovely as a tree. 
Perhaps, unless the billboards fall, I'll never see a tree at all. ~Ogden Nash

A lovely sunset seen high above the tree tops.

I looked up my family tree and found out I was the sap. ~Rodney Dangerfield

This beauty stands near the pond in my park. Behind it is a busy parkway but it appears so peaceful in the quiet of the night.

 Thanks for joining me. There'll be more to see in a few days.