Friday, August 16, 2013

Beautiful Babies

This post was created and scheduled a few weeks ago - before we acquired our new place. Right now, I'm back in the city continuing to ready my house for sale.

You must have been a beautiful baby, 'Cuz baby just look at you now.
~ Johnny Mercer


Spring and summer - the time of year when we see so many babies of every kind. Of course those of the human variety are no longer bundled up, so we can see them in all of their cuteness. Birds and other critters choose this warmer weather to have their young, and we get the pleasure of enjoying them all. I hope you also enjoy some of the baby photos I've taken semi-recently.

babyshoot
This little cutie brought his own balloons and bench to pose for a photos. His parents thought it would be cute if they snapped his picture out in the park. And it was.




babyshoot5
Here's a closer look at Mr. Charming sans balloons. You're grinning like a loon, aren't you?





five little duckies
Five little sweet balls of fluff were born on our pond, earlier this summer. I didn't have the lighting or the lens for this but they were still irresistible to me.




caterpillar
Not quite so cute right now but these babies are going to go through a beautiful transformation before long.




baby roses
Okay, so I'm cheating a bit here. These aren't really all that young but they are baby roses. The blooms were profuse, this year. The plant was a Mother's Day gift from my son a few years back. I'll hate to leave this behind when I move.




young male rrwb
Judging by his adult plumage, I don't think this guy was all that much of a baby either but he acted helpless and wasn't overly fearful of me and my camera. My guess was full grown but still with a sense of entitlement, like.. you know - a teenager.




front yard bunny front door2
Bunnies are not the smartest creatures on the planet (except for Maggie Mays' sweeties, of course), but they are among the cutest. This little one was nibbling grass in my front yard, one morning. I took a few photos through the glass then dared to open the door and step outside. Of course the rabbit stood stock still, rendering itself invisible. So what you're looking at is a picture of grass only. There is no bunny to be seen here. Let's move along.





turtle laying
Frank and I had just been to see the house that we ultimately bought when he spotted this turtle by the side of the road. She kept a wary eye on me while I snapped a photo from a respectable distance. You don't want to disturb a mama while she's laying her eggs.





baby bluejay
I heard a few odd vocalizations while walking with Benny, one day. I couldn't recognize them as any of the familiar birds I generally hear and see each day. Eventually I found the source - this young blue jay calling for its mama. It sounded nothing like the typical adult blue jay calls. It won't be much longer before this passive little guy becomes a loud, boisterous and bold bird.





racoon kits1
On to my favourite non domesticated animal - the furry little bandits who have taken up permanent residence in my heart. My neighbour, Caroline called me over to see these quintuplets (the fifth one was further out on a limb) playing in the tree, visible from her back yard. Mama was off somewhere - probably getting a much needed rest from her rambunctious kits.





raccoon kits5
Tell me, could it get any cuter than this?





racoon kits3
All together now... awwwww!





And because I can never get enough of them, I have one short video of a couple of the kits playing on the branch.

More photos in a few days.

59 comments:

Jackie said...

What fun to look at your photos and to view the video. Playful li'l creatures they are!!

Brian Miller said...

aawwwww....i love your furry little bandits...that first one too of the little one on the bench...i fell in love with them....smiles...i hope the sale goes well for you...

Leah J. Utas said...

Wonderful. I want to climb that tree and play with the raccoons.

yaya said...

The little guy with the balloons is adorable and I love his hat! The raccoons were cute too, but I know how ornery they grow up to be!

Kerry said...

I love that caterpillar pic...just have to put that out there before I say what charmers those baby raccoons are. And the "baby" redwing: we have baby crows nearby & the parents are tiring of the helpless act:)

Bob Bushell said...

Nice kiddies and the video, lovely.

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

I didn't know loons smiled; but, if they do, I was definitely smiling like one. The little boy on the bench was adorable, as were the raccoon kits. Great pictures.

TexWisGirl said...

you have a sweet voice! such cute little monster varmints! but they've been terrible in my barn with the horse feed this year so i'm not too fond of them right now.

love the little fellow in his hat on his bench!!!

Anonymous said...

Awww, look how sweet those little bandits are! Excellent video! xox

Tabor said...

Love all the photos except for the baby racoons. Racoons and I have a bit of a disagreement on boundaries!! Did you read where they discovered a new species in the raccoon family this past week?

Tabor said...

Forgot...you can dig up that rose. Fall is the perfect time! Just keep it gently watered until it settles in.

Anonymous said...

There is nothing sweeter than a baby...you were right, I was grinning like a loon! Those look like Catalpa worms...I guard mind like a mother bear...want my beautiful Sphinx moths to grow up big and strong...we don't use them for fish bait either lol
love the photos as usual!
Sandi

DJan said...

I just loved the entire series of pictures. They are wonderful! Just simply wonderful. And then the video... oh! :-)

Lisa Gordon said...

What a wonderful series this is, Hilary!

messymimi said...

A bushel of beautiful babies1

Leave It To Davis said...

You can propagate the rose bush....here is a link to a video that shows how...EASY!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5qhp11rgYI

I'm sure if you are traveling by car, you could put the pot in the floor board of the car inside of a dishpan or something like that just in case it turned over...that way, you can still have the rose bush!!

Love all the pictures, especially the little boy and the raccoons!!!

Red said...

You've caught some awesome photos of babies. You had to work pretty hard to find all the critter babies.

Glo said...

That sweet little fellow in the first photo looks like he's wondering if he may become airborne A delightful collection of babies, and of course, those baby raccoons are so very entertaining to watch. Awwww, is right!

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

Oh my goodness, those raccoons, and then the "baby" roses and most of all that little one with his own pint-sized park bench! Adorable shots, Hilary. :)

Can't you carefully dig up the rose bush and transport it to your new home? After all, people often purchase bare root plants here.

Anonymous said...

Awwww - so much cuteness!

Indrani said...

These shots melt my heart!

ellen abbott said...

The raccoon kits are so cute. You could probably make a fair living shooting, um, I mean taking pictures of people's kids. Your pictures of them are aways so expressive.

Rob-bear said...

From birds to bandits — pure delight!

Blessings and Bear hugs!
desert.epiphanies@sasktel.net
Bears Noting
Life in the Urban Forest (poetry)

Suldog said...

I'm always amazed at how bunnies think they can't be seen. It's a cool thing if you like to look at them, which I do. We've had loads of them in our neighborhood this year, whereas we had none for the previous ten years of our living here, so I've had ample opportunity to study them at my leisure.

Jinksy said...

I've spent some of this rainy afternoon wallowing in your never ending photographic delights, until the scrolling down speed of my mouse made it giddy! LOL You never disappoint. ♥

Linda said...

I love the baby raccoons and that video is so cute. In spite of our less than pleasurable experiences with the adult version, I still think the babies are adorable.

What Karen Sees said...

A fun group of photos. Love the racoons. They certainly posed well for you.

June said...

Every subject is cuter than the last one! The raccoon babies take the cake, though. Notice how each of the little faces is just slightly differently marked from its siblings?
Gah, they're precious! ...but I sure could see how Mom would be happy to leave 'em behind for a little while!
So BUSY!

Daryl said...

aw indeed ... you get baby raccoons, Kate gets sweet young does .. and me .. well i spotted a cardinal but he flew off before i could lift my camera

Cloudia said...

Thanks for sharing this heart and beauty Sis!

ALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
><}}(°>

Laura Delegal - Leroy Photography said...

Oh, all are great, but I love the racoons. So cute.

Birdie said...

The raccoons! They look like they would make the cutest pets but then I remember the Little House on the Prairie episode where Laura got a pet raccoon. It didn't work out.

Anonymous said...

Amazing photography as always. Love the first one, such a great shot

Kerri Farley said...

If I had to use one word to describe this post.....

SWEETNESS!

Great post!!

Sharon Wagner said...

Baby raccoons are a riot. Good luck with the big sale.

Betty Manousos said...

so much beauty here my friend!
i did enjoy the video.
excellent!
you have such a sweet voice.

big hugs!

happy sunday~

Magia da Inês said...

彡♪♫°
Passei para uma visita.
Belíssimas fotos, parabéns!!!
O bebê é muito fofo e charmoso.

°Âº✿♫ Boa semana!
°Âº✿ Beijinhos
º° ✿ °❤ Brasil ♫° ·.

Don said...

Youth must be served!

Unspoken said...

I have a weakness for babies of almost any kind :).

sharon said...

adorable coons..I have raised them

Rita said...

Yes, ma'am! I am grinning like a loon!! :) :)

Anonymous said...

I'm grinning and oohing and ahhing. That little mister at the beginning - such a doll! And those baby raccoons, so precious. But that photo of grass and no bunny is a favorite, too! Thank you, Hilary!

Ramakant Pradhan said...

Fantastic shots. The first one is my favourite.

Dianne said...

the little boy is precious
and the kits!! so sweet

Mage said...

You are right. I'm grinning and a "Awwwwwwwwing." That;s just too much fun.

I also wanted to thank you for the wonderful notes. Just what I needed. :)

photowannabe said...

I absolutely adore the photos of that sweet baby. Such chubby little hands and feet.
The Grandma in me just wants to nibble them and hear the giggles.
Love all the other Baby pictures too.

Happy house fixing up...hope you can sell soon and move to that dream place.

Anil P said...

The furry devils are beyond cute, they're gorgeous. Must be fun watching them go about their day.

Kat said...

Have mercy! That little boy is just too cute. I wanna squeeze him! And those raccoons just slay me!

J Graham said...

So much cuteness! I so love your amazing photos and what a lovely way to start the morning. That plus coffee and I'm in a great mood now!

--Crabby

Hena Tayeb said...

aww.. so cute!

Hilary said...

No video showing here.....but yes, they are the sweetest.

Geraldine said...

what a visual treat Hilary! loved them all, especially the adorable baby pics!!!

Along These Lines ... said...

The raccoons are adorable. Had one in our roof some years back. So beautiful, until you try and pet them.

Liz Mays said...

So many busy little babies here (and teenagers). I have invisible bunnies around here a lot too. ;)

Unknown said...

Oh those raccoons are so dang cute..it's great to hear your voice too!

Becca said...

Those babies are all so cute! The baby who brought a bench is the cutest by far! We have baby lizards in our yard every year but they are too fast for me to get pictures of them!

SandyCarlson said...

These are great. That little human baby is adorble!

Mama turtle...Gotta love her. I always worry about the eggs so near the edge of the road. I hope they will be safe.

Unknown said...

Love the Frank Sinatra hat on the baby! I still get a kick out of the fact that hats in the late 50's early 60's must have been a macho thing. The rabbits we have here are all very small in Arizona. First time for me seeing Racoon's up close like this. Thanks for the video! Nice touch!! ;)

Anvilcloud said...

Terrific photos of the kid and the coons.