A Ray of Sunshine

Have a ray of sunshine and light with you everywhere you may go.

~ Lailah Gifty Akita

Sunrises around here are irresistible to me. If I'm awake for them, that is. As the summer winds down, that orb in the sky dawns a little bit later each week, so the chances of catching one now and then will increase for a few months. This is one that I awakened to in mid July.






This little Ruby-throated hummingbird was sitting in the sun, just outside of our kitchen window. The photo was taken through the glass.






Sometimes the sun highlights the subject with such intensity that the background just disappears - at least with certain camera settings.






Other times, everything around it just shines. This White Admiral butterfly is just basking in the warm summer sun.






These little goldfinch beauties seem to create their own sunshine.






Juicy, red currants need lots of sunshine to ripen.






Occasionally, even a stormy sky can't resist allowing a bit of sunshine to peek through. I bumped up the colours considerably on this one.






Bee Balm soaking up the rays on a midsummer day.






Despite its name, this little Pumpkinseed Sunfish shouldn't be out of the water and in the sunshine for long. And he wasn't.






Leafy green tendrils reaching out to tickle the edge of sunlight.






Late in the day, the sun pours in from the west, illuminating Blueberry Island, across the bay.






A lovely Common Loon relaxing beside a sunbeam. Don't you just love that red eye?






Cats enjoy sunlight better than most of us. Skitty found the perfect patch of warming sunlight for snoozing. His little paw looked so photo-worthy to me.






It's rare that we get notable sunsets because we face east. On this evening though, we got the bounce off of what must have been a spectacular sunset for those facing west. Still, you can't complain about this view.

Thanks for sharing the sunshine with me. More photos coming up soonish.

All Creatures Great and Small

Frank and I had a wonderful ten days up at his family cottage where we enjoyed incredible weather, decent fishing, great company and amazing creatures - great and small.

Benny of course, is an amazing creature who is both great and small. He was wonderful company for me when I spent one night alone while Frank made a quick trip home to prepare one of his sons for his own time away from home.



This photo was taken through the screen door. He's chilling out on the front deck, just enjoying the sunshine. He loves the cottage life.

When we arrived, Frank's sister Theresa was there to greet us. She had two new orphaned raccoon kits with her - born about a month apart. The first day she had them up at the cottage, Spike came around to sniff their empty carrier which had been left outside. Sugar hasn't been seen since late last summer but we're hopeful that she's found a mate and moved on out of the territory. It's what I'd like to believe. If you're unfamiliar with Sugar and Spike, you can read all about these darlings here. They were released at the cottage last summer.



Great: This is Bubbles and she's the older of the two. She might look rather large in this close-up view but really she's only a bit bigger than her adopted brother Bayley.




Small: And you can see how tiny he is. Aren't they adorable?




Great: The Great Blue Heron is a frequent visitor of the cottage where he likes to fish in a nearby bay. I was sitting on the dock, reading when I happened to look up in time to see him do this fly-by. Luckily, I usually keep my camera close at hand.




Small: A smaller winged, blue critter, and also a regular visitor to the cottage is this lovely dragonfly.




Small: Another one of the many dragonflies seen around the cottage. This one was snapped from a distance with the zoom lens.




Great: Not a dragonfly but perhaps a great fire-breathing dragon announcing the end to a perfect day with a blazing sunset. Can you see him?




Great: A few of these beauties were circling over the cottage one afternoon. Frank and his niece Jenna each figure it's a Broad-winged Hawk.




Small: Another winged lovely circled around the front yard a few times and then posed for this photo. It's a White Admiral Butterfly.

On our last evening at the cottage, Frank's sister Lisa and I took Benny for a walk up the road. Lisa has a keen eye and ear for birds and she soon spotted what she initially thought was a hawk flying ahead of us into the trees.




Great: She soon focused on where it landed and discovered that it was this beautiful Barred Owl. The light was dim and the branch high enough to make this a less than sharp shot but I still wanted to share this wonderful bird. It was hissing at us and we were hearing similar sounds from the left and from behind us. We soon saw why this bird was mildly distressed.




Small: Landing on the branch just in front of us, was this young owlet. There were at least three owls in this young family. Lisa and I figured that the parents were upset with us for standing there so long, watching and snapping photos. Maybe Benny was of concern. Maybe Benny was a meal consideration! We decided to move along, very appreciative to have witnessed these marvelous creatures.




Small: Another stunning creature is the Ruby Throated Hummingbird. Depending on the light, this tiny gem of a bird can appear drab gray or a brilliant green. The male's throat is ruby red but often appears yellow or orange - again, depending on the sunlight or its absence. This little female is perched on the clothesline between two standard sized clothespins. It gives you a good idea of just how tiny she is. You might want to click on this (and the next image) for better detail.




Great: Standing close to the feeder which is conveniently situated to catch the late afternoon sunlight, I was able to capture a photo which shows just how brilliant this male's colours are. Isn't he great?




So ends a perfect day. More cottage photos coming soon.

Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canucks!