Friday, October 3, 2014

Nature's Hearth

To be admitted to Nature's hearth costs nothing. None is excluded, but excludes himself. You have only to push aside the curtain.
~ Henry David Thoreau

Just a few more photos of some nature found just outside our door.

sunrise again6
I can't think of a better way to start the day than by gazing out at the peachy gold sunrise - aside from turning over and going back to sleep afterward.





loon3
We see these beauties every day. Even when they're invisible by the darkness of night, we can hear their haunting calls across the lake's expanse.





goldfinch and housefinch
It's been a joy to watch so many different birds come out to enjoy the seed Frank pours for them each day. That's a female goldfinch on the left and a juvenile house finch on the right. Let's get a closer look at that one.





house finch juv
Isn't that a bright-eyed little cutie? We had trouble identifying it at first but the bit of gold at the corner of its mouth gave it away as a juvenile. Google is so helpful that way.





two families
Two families of Canada geese swim past the end of our dock. I like how the young are in slightly different stages of their development.





purple bellflower
Purple bell flowers after a summer rain. They were growing outside our kitchen door.





robber fly - assassin fly
This unusual looking insect was sitting on the inside of the screen door for a long time before I decided to photograph it and try to learn its identity. It's an Asilidae or Robber/Assassin fly and his behaviour is as sinister as it sounds. According to Wikipedia: "They are powerfully built, bristly flies with a short, stout proboscis enclosing the sharp, sucking hypopharynx. The name "robber flies" reflects their notoriously aggressive predatory habits; they feed mainly or exclusively on other insects and as a rule they wait in ambush and catch their prey in flight."





robber fly close up
I moved him over to a different spot before sending him on his way outside. Have a look at those killer eyes.





red squirrel red cherry2
Well I can't leave you with a creepy crawly going through your head. Instead I'll give you a couple of photos of our favourite little red guy, Rufus*. Here he is enjoying a red cherry, donated to him from our fruit bowl.





fuschia and red
Don't tell him how fetching he looks surrounded by all that fuchsia. He'd never be able to live it down.

Thanks for joining me for a look at our local nature. I'll have more photos coming up before too long.

*Rufus has been missing in action for a little over a week. I think we need to just let our wild critters keep crawling on the deck and stop allowing them to crawl on our hearts. We miss this little brat. And Indy, our friendly little chipmunk has been missing for a few weeks. Furry little heart breakers.

50 comments:

Maggie May said...

Excellent photos....... all of them. Loved the creatures ....even the bugs made a good photo and I'm not usually stricken by them!
Loved the black headed duck and the squirrels!
Maggie x

Nuts in May

Friko said...

He’ll be back, or if not - if he’s gone walkabout in the woods for a change - he’ll send his cousin. Can’t let a generous table like yours go to waste.

These photos are just so beautiful and seeing their simple subjects makes me realise all over again how grateful we must be to nature for her bounty.

(nature is definitely a ‘she’ in my book)

TexWisGirl said...

i hate that he's still missing... what a doll...

even the robber fly is a beauty via your lens. :)

stephen Hayes said...

Wonderful colors and imagery. Gotta love that Rufus.

DJan said...

Here's a big wish coming your way that your furry critters are simply busy elsewhere. I love these pictures, every last one. Breathtaking as usual, especially the sweet Rufus.

Susan Kane said...

Thank you for the album of autumn. That assassin bug is more dangerous than you know.

Betsy Brock said...

I want that morning view!

Kerri Farley said...

Beautiful captures! LOVE those purple flowers and I do hope you see your furry friends again :)

Red said...

You have a nice touch to be able to describe things and make them special.

christopher said...

The sunrise over the lake is spectacular.

ADRIAN said...

Stunning shots of the Assassin Fly.
It is a beauty.

CiCi said...

I do know what you mean about getting attached to the wild critters outside and then not seeing them. This has been such a strange summer, with only a couple days of high temps and the rest of the time here has been wonderful. Love your photos.

ellen abbott said...

it's why my sister quit having chickens. she just couldn't take it when some critter would do in the little ones. beautiful shots as always. perhaps Rufus and Indy are just settling in for the winter somewhere.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

Many gorgeous shots.

Love the macro of the fly.

And lucky Rufus.

Ruby said...

Beautiful pictures!! I love your sunrise.

Anonymous said...

Seeing your photos of the loon and the geese on the lake makes me want to pack up and move beside a lake too :)

Anonymous said...

Seeing your photos of the loon and the geese on the lake makes me want to pack up and move beside a lake too :)

ds said...

Oh, you truly live in paradise! Except for that fly (aptly named). Hope Rufus and Indy are okay. Why are your squirrels so much cuter than ours? Thanks as always for the gorgeous photos.

Rita said...

The killer fly is creepy, but Rufus! I hope he will be back. They are getting ready for winter so who knows what they are up to. Let's hope he and the chipmunk are okay somewhere. You get the best pictures. I love that the two families of geese were hanging out together. Safety in numbers, I guess.
Have a super weekend! :)

Cloudia said...

To love is to feel heartbreak sometimes, I suppose. Never stop noticing, shooting, sharing. Now THAT would be a tragedy for many of us, Dear, H.



ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
=^..^= . <3 . >< } } (°>

Tabor said...

Clearly you do not have a cherry tree and thus do not worry about him stealing them all. That is what the squirrels are doing to out apple trees.

yaya said...

Perhaps those little furry guys are just getting their Winter nests ready...one can hope! Love that first pic..breath taking. That creepy fly looks like it has a big sinister moustache!

Stewart M said...

Great pictures - the bird you know as a Loon I was brought up to call a "Great Northern Diver" - not that I ever saw or heard them in my part of the UK!

I'd love to hear their voices.

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

Rob-bear said...

Delightful images of your neighbours. We have a Skunk, a Chipmunk, a Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Nuthatches (both white and red) . . . and lots more critters.

Thank you for sharing!

Blessings and Bear hugs!

Gary's third pottery blog said...

I know they want to move into everyone's attic but red squirrels are SO cute :)

Betty Manousos said...

wow, hilary! the sunrise over the lake is mesmerizing! LOVE that shot!
it just has a magic quality to it.

i totally enjoyed all of your photos. thanks for sharing and hope you're having a wonderful weekend.

big hugs!!

Bob Bushell said...

Fantastic days, especially the Assassin Fly, beautiful in macro.

Barb said...

The squirrel and chippy are probably too busy preparing their nests and larders for winter. I saw a pine martin in our yard this morning - they are predatory towards squirrels. I hate to tell you that I was glad he was living somewhere nearby. I'd love to see and hear a Loon!

l'alternativa said...

Immagini fanstastiche, esplosione della natura in tutte le sue forme.Complimenti!!!!!
Emi

Rick Watson said...

These are stunning photos HIlary. I ordered a new lens for my camera that should be here tomorrow. Hopefully it will raise the quality of my photos up a tick or two.
R

Cheryl @ TFD said...

Thanks for your advice on the paint, Hilary. Your photos are exquisite. The first shot of Rufus is my favorite and I do hope he is okay and just ran off and eloped or something. :) I'm now following and look forward to seeing more beautiful images.

Brian Miller said...

ha the squirrel with the cherry is cute....the robber fly does sound quite sinister...yikes....

Dan said...

Glories images! I'm particularly happy to see your loon.

Indrani said...

Each is a perfect shot! So hard to choose one of them as best!

Anonymous said...

I agree with you on waking to that gorgeous sunrise... and then going back to sleep. :) I'm so sorry Rufus and Indy have gone AWOL. I hope they return!

J Graham said...

Wow, so lovely that all that is right outside your door! And hope your furry friends come back soon!
--crabby

Shammickite said...

Nature is cruel sometimes, but lets keep fingers crossed that they are just too busy getting ready for the winter that is to come.

EG CameraGirl said...

The first photo is wonderful!

Gail Dixon said...

I want to come visit you, Hilary! Oh my gosh, these are all so fabulous. The loon especially is so striking. The cherry-holding squirrel is too darn cute. You've got your own little paradise going on. :) I know what you mean about letting these critters crawl inside your heart; our hummers have done the same. We thank God each day they are still with us.

Anonymous said...

You live in heaven! Lovely shots.

Mandy said...

Eek! I thought we had nasty bugs in South Africa but that Robber Fly looks positively horrible.

And sigh... I would love to wake up to views like that too.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry to hear that Rufus is missing, as well as your chipmunk. It's funny how quickly someone or some creature can take up space in your heart. You think it's full and it never is. I love the first photo of the lake. It's so inspiring, I'm not sure I could ever turn over and go back to sleep. I'm pretty sure I could roll over and go back to sleep after a short consideration of whether or not I should get up to look at the sunrise, though, unfortunately:-)

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry to hear that Rufus is missing, as well as your chipmunk. It's funny how quickly someone or some creature can take up space in your heart. You think it's full and it never is. I love the first photo of the lake. It's so inspiring, I'm not sure I could ever turn over and go back to sleep. I'm pretty sure I could roll over and go back to sleep after a short consideration of whether or not I should get up to look at the sunrise, though, unfortunately:-)

sage said...

I love the haunting sound of the loon--beautiful photos!

John's Island said...

Hi, Absolutely wonderful photography. I just happened to find your blog thanks to a comment you left on Ruth's Photo Blog. I will be back for more. Thanks for sharing. John

Daryl said...

i am so behind … loving these so much and since getting sick i have been, as you know, deep into my own cute animal … anyway these are superb even if this comment makes no sense ..

photowannabe said...

I'm sorry your Furry Little Heartbreakers have gone missing. That really hurts.
I do love your photos though and the one of that sinister fly is quite amazing. I sure don't want him sucking on me!!

Anita said...

Gosh! All the photos are stunning. I wish I could comment on them all. I'll choose the 2nd one: Love the ripples in the water that look like beautifully painted strokes. And the creature in the middle of it all is striking in looks. What is it?

Getting back to your site after 4 or 5 months off lets me know how much I've missed it!

Linda said...

Fantastic pictures! I hope your rodent friends are okay.

Unknown said...

Absolutely incredible images, including Rufus!