Thursday, May 3, 2012

The Birds and the Bees

It's May, and signs of new life are everywhere.

rwbb2
Some birds are still calling for mates - like this red-winged blackbird.




butterfly
Other newly-emerged species just hang around looking pretty.




house hunting chickadee3
Chickadees are house hunting.




dandy bee
Bees are up to their knees in pollen.




seeds
And when the bees are done with them, dandelions will do their own reseeding.




nesting mama
Geese sit around, lazily enjoying the milder weather.




nesting eggs
At second glance, we can see that there's nothing lazy about what this mama is doing. She very kindly obliges us with a peek at her eggs (I count four) while she primps and re-feathers her nest.




resting nesting mama
Rest up, beauty. Your goslings will soon keep you very busy.




dock at night
Spring is also a time for evening walks in the park. This dock in bathed in the light of the lamp posts which dot the trail. Nearby, is a park bench, farther away from artificial light. In fact, it's very close to where the above goose is nesting. It's there that Frank and I went to sit and enjoy the night air for a while.

I'm sure you'll agree that it's difficult to see what's going on in the grass without natural light. For most people. Some people have a knack for seeing things that others might miss. Especially a certain fisherman (who also noticed a couple of the above shooting opportunities). Particularly an angler who has written a book about fishing and who can spot a worm, nay two worms doing their best to increase their worm population.

It was that scene exactly which Frank pointed out to me IN THE DARK! I saw nothing. But sure enough, when I followed where Frank's finger pointed, and aimed my camera in that general direction, turned on the flash and snapped a shot...

worm porn
...we had worm porn.

Yeah, I know. It's not fair to leave you with that scene filling your mind, so here's one from Monday morning.


nine ducklings
Nine little ducklings - the first of the season on our pond. Much cuter than worms. Except maybe to Frank.

More photos coming up in a few days. Thanks always for joining me.

56 comments:

Andy said...

Hilary, you are one of those people that has the knack of seeing things that others miss. I'm am going to have to start calling you Eagle Eyes.

Pauline said...

Oh my, Hilary! I wish you published coffee table books - I'd own them all!

s.m. said...

perfect, great, I 'm definitely a fan of your photography!

June said...

Once again, gorgeous pics.
The dandelion made me think of Epcot . . . or should it be the other way around?
The lane with night lights...
The moth!

Beautiful.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

GOOSE EGGS! Suddenly on sunday the geese behind our house were leading little goslings into the river :)

Leah J. Utas said...

I love that first pic. It has so much character.
And oh, my, worm porn. The things a person learns.

Hilary said...

Thank you for not leaving me with that worm shot for the rest of the day.....the baby ducks were lovely to take away with me.

Bob Bushell said...

Beaaauutiful, the blackbird, Chickadee and nothing but the Canada Goose, the pictures are superb, thanks Hilary.

Daryl said...

I am not sure what those worms were doing ... thanks for the eye/mind cleansing shot of the little ducklings

Mental P Mama said...

Ducklings already!! Spring has sprung!

DJan said...

Such fabulous pictures. I especially love the goose trio and the ducklings at the end. I am completely satisfied after that lovely trip. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Worm porn - that is funny!

Love love that dandelion shot.

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

I'm so glad you didn't end this post with the worm photo. Frank has an eye for what makes a good photo...usually...but that wasn't one of them. Actually, I like the whimsy (to borrow one of your words) of the reseeding dandelion.

CiCi said...

Oh my gosh, every one of the photos are lovely. More than lovely. I haven't seen a red winged blackbird in person. I wonder if we have them around here. The dandelion picture is light and airy, like lace. The mama goose shots are amazing. How close did you get to her? The ducklings following along behind their mother is a terrific photo.

Tabor said...

Great mood in all of these shots. As a gardener I love worm porn!

Robin said...

Amazing dandelion shot. And I love the moody trail pic too!

Brian Miller said...

holy cow, the worms are out...haha...i dont know that i have ever seen a black bird with a stripe...that is cool...

ellen abbott said...

beautiful pictures but I think the chickadee and the dandelions are my favorites of this bunch.

lime said...

the chickadee makes me smile and the dandelion took my breath away.

the worm porn....sweet fancy moses, whoda thunk it???? i do think worm porn would be a good name for a rock band though!

Red said...

All fascinating and great photos. Each one could make a post on it's own merits.
Sometimes when we take a detailed look we see a tremendous amount of beauty that is ordinarily missed.

TexWisGirl said...

always enjoy the beauty you share with us - even worm porn. :)

Frank Baron said...

It's deja vu all over again!

Great job. This series has *ahem* wormed its way into your all-time Top 10. Every shot is strong. Very well done, Hil. :)

stephen Hayes said...

That moth is decked out more than Lady Gaga! Beautiful.

Kerry said...

The slugs have been doing their thing around here, and it is even more vivid than the worms; I can't bring myself to photograph them!

Goose eggs, and baby duckies on the other had are sooo photogenic. And that redwing blackbird.

messymimi said...

This may be carrying your words a bit far, but your pictures are the bees knees!;)

photowannabe said...

Worm porn...you crack me up Hilary.
Terrific photos and I enjoyed the walk tremendously.

Friko said...

Oh, I don't know, put like that, worm porn is really quite interesting.

But I adore the ducklings. Hope that most of them will see adulthood. Although adult ducks aren't nearly as cute as baby ducklings.

Barbara said...

Frank has a great eye, but I'm grateful for that last shot - so cute!! And what a beauty that soon to be mama duck is!!

Anonymous said...

Love the song of the Red Wing Black Bird... so distinctive! Great shot of the Goose and eggs...

Ruth Hiebert said...

Fantastic photos,as always.Well,maybe not the wormy scene. LOL

baju busana muslim said...

Love the colors! thanks for sharing

Rob-bear said...

I enjoyed this "things with wings" post. Especially the duck and goose. We'v got geese around here who I think will be nesting near the river, in downtown Saskatoon. I mean, if Humans can live downtown, why not geese?

beth said...

omg....those worms. blech.
but the photos are fantastic. i just photographed yesterday our new babies at the pond and funny how they look JUST like your babies :)

Unknown said...

That dandelion is amazing and I want to be in that park, hopefully the worms would be finished. We don't have any duck babies yet.

Gillian Olson said...

Beautiful pictures, especially those little ducklings in tight formation.

Maggie May said...

Those little ducklings out with mum, warmed my heart.
Maggie X

Nuts in May

Dianne said...

the dandelion photo is amazing
it goes on and on with so much delicious detail

I thought I had seen everything but I had not seen worm porn, it's interesting hehehehehe
that Frank has the eyes of an eagle

thanks for the POTW
and thanks for all these wonderful shots

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Viewing your photography and enjoying the accompanying commentary is such a delight Hilary. Those baby ducklings are darling!

Linda said...

I love the baby duckies, definitely cuter than worms. That was an interesting shot, though. That was a great shot of the chickadee. I never get tired of seeing them.

Indrani said...

Wow! These are such delightful shots.

MaggieGem said...

Always great to see through your eyes... so many things we'd miss!

Elizabeth Grimes said...

You have quite a collection! I love your singing red winged blackbird and the ducklings are too precious. What a happy, springy post. :)

Laura Delegal - Leroy Photography said...

Each and EVERY picture is beautifully captured ... even the worms. Love the goose on her eggs and the singing blackbird.

Suldog said...

Worm porn...

I know I've continually asked you to publish a collection of your photos, but now I'll ask you to please leave that one out :-)

Kat said...

WOAH! So many good shots I don't know which one to comment on first! Love the chickadee because they are my favs. But I really thought the dandelion shot was my favorite. UNTIL I got to the shot of the path to the dock. WOW. The light is amazing. Just so gorgeous. It should be blown up and framed in a museum somewhere!!!! Beautiful!

yaya said...

Oh my..I'm blushing!

Joanna Jenkins said...

I am LOVING the dandelion photo-- It's one of my all time favorites! Wow.

I am not a snake or even a worm fan. I'd have gone running and screaming away from those guys.

Have a great weekend, xo jj

Anonymous said...

Tell Frank to keep his x-ray eyes to himself on future walks! ;-) LOVE that dandelion!

Lynne with an e said...

Eeeyewww! Worms! A sight only birds and fisherfolk could love. I guess it's a good knack to have, worm vision, if one has the habit of using such wrigglers to feed one's fishing habit. All the other photos delight me! Lovely to get up and personal with our fine feathered friends, and that angel-haired dandelion.

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

Y'know, I didn't know how worms procreated, so that wormporn picture is rather fascinating to me. (I might be weird.) But I do thank you for leaving us with the ducklings following their mama... it doesn't get any cuter than that!

The first shot of the red-wing blackbird is fabulous.

Christine said...

ohh those 9 little ones are too cute :)))

Country Girl said...

Oh my gosh, Hilary. I love this! Worm porn - hilarious.

Dave said...

Wonderfulphotos and blog Hilary. I enjoyed it - Dave

Dan said...

Terrific visual story told by a talented photographer. This should go into syndication!

Kerri Farley said...

Great shots!
LOVE LOVE LOVE that happy family :)

Jo said...

The last time I was here I was taken by your shot of a wispy, billowy seed pod...now it's the dandelion--so beautiful & intriguing!

Worms are pretty creepy, poor things...but en masse? ack