And Then What Happened?

I have few photo pairs for you - and in one case a trio of images - all which answer the question "And then what happened?"


I photograph this soft, fuzzy branch often. In all seasons. At all times of day. In all kinds of weather. From all angles. It's a young growth of sumac just behind the fence, alongside the walking path at my park. On this day in early May, I noticed that the buds were just about ready to open. And then what happened?




Well.. then I came back and photographed it just four days later. Four sunny, warm summer-like days later. Magic happened.





This hazy image is a reflection of contrails as seen in my local pond.





I looked up to snap a shot of the matching scene in the sky above. I decided to click a second time, from a slightly different position through the willow branches. A loud "GROK!" reached my ears. And then what happened?
 



A vocal heron in flight filled my viewfinder. His long bill was open in mid-GROK! A lovely surprise.





There have been some changes around my park over the past year. There are new benches, information areas which discuss wildlife and plant life in the area. There is a beautiful tree carving depicting the creatures which grace us with their presence. And there's talk of a couple of other things to come. One day, these bright orange balls appeared in the pond. I wondered about their symmetry and figured out pretty quickly that they were anchored down like that for a reason. I had a vague idea what they were about but I wasn't certain. And then what happened?





Just a few days later there were multiple hexagon-shaped pieces surrounding the place-keeping balls. Eventually, plant life will sprout from these forms and a floating island will be born. That orange glow behind it all was my first snapped sunset of the season. I'll have more from that evening coming up at some point.





On a dull evening, just before dusk, I heard this cardinal atop the tree, singing his heart out for a mate. And then what happened?





He found her. Perhaps. He took such a quick nosedive off of the branch, it couldn't be anything else. Perhaps.





Grape hyacinths are growing randomly in my front yard. I posted a different photo of them in a previous post. For this one, I had to get up good and close to them with the macro lens - they're so pretty. And teeny-tiny. And they look so colourful dotting the otherwise boring grass. And then what happened?



They ended up looking even prettier when my adorable neighbour Lily decided to pick them.

And that's what's been happening around here. More photos in a few days.

Wings and Furry Things

A couple of weeks ago, Frank and I went on our first fishing outing of the season. We went to a pond which we visit each spring, and where we usually encounter one of the area's sweetest residents. She's a lovely white and grey feline who has learned to recognize that fishing rods mean she might soon be lucky enough to dine on a fresh fish dinner.

On past visits, this feral beauty has been visibly pregnant and she's made it quite clear how urgently she need to obtain nourishment for herself and her growing babies. For all we knew, she may have been expecting another litter this spring, or perhaps she just knew that she needed to get her meals, and to hoard some of them when she could.

Shortly after our arrival, she came out from the shelter of an abandoned building and made sure we were aware of her presence.




The fishing wasn't spectacular where we were so after a while, we crossed the road and made our way behind the building, where we knew we'd be able to catch some chub for her.

She met us out back and waited patiently.


It wasn't long before each of us had several tugs at our respective fishing rods. One by one, we unhooked several small fish, killed them swiftly and brought them to our hungry friend.

At first we couldn't get too close to her and had to toss them her way.

After a few feedings, she decided she would swat them out of our hands and eventually she gently took one chub right out of Frank's hand, as seen in the small inset image at the start of the page.

We later moved on to a different area and spent a pleasant afternoon watching birds, clouds and bobbing floats. We went home with no fish, fewer worms and a few fond memories.

Below are a some photos of a few other creatures which we encountered over the next few days. I hope you enjoy them.


Bunnies are beautiful critters but I don't think they rank too high on the intelligence scale. Frank pointed this cutie out to me. It must have figured that standing stock still meant that he was invisible to me. He allowed me to approach fairly closely without twitching a muscle.




Finally, when I stepped over the too-close line, he hopped a full six feet away, and stood still once more - his back to me this time. Silly wabbit!




Another not-too-bright but beautiful creature is the mourning dove. In his current and very amusing post, Frank agrees with me about this bird's IQ. Go ahead and read his entertaining tale about a mourning dove and a chipmunk. I don't mind waiting till you get back.





A far more intelligent bird is the crow. If you doubt that for one moment, have a look at this video and you'll see what I mean. There's a 30 second commercial before the crow video begins.




Perhaps this guy was off to his workshop in order to craft the right tool for a job.




These American Goldfinch are still coming into their breeding plumage and appear a bit patchy before sporting their full summer gold.




And speaking of gold, look at the beautiful yellow patch on this white-throated sparrow's head. He has a curious expression rivaled only by...




.. this beautiful male cardinal. Ever watchful and calculating, this guy made sure I didn't come any closer while his partner helped herself to the feeder nearby. A bunny could sure learn from these birdbrains.

Back soon with more photos.

Feathered Friends Flashback

Tis the season to slack off a bit when it comes to blog posts. I'm less prepared than I'd like to be with my posts and so my blogging schedule may vary and lag over the holiday season. This includes the Posts of the Week. Since I have less time to visit blogs, I'll not be compiling as many links for you. We'll see how that goes, but please don't be surprised if Wednesday comes and goes without the usual post. My guess it that you'll also have less time to read them this week.

And once again, I'm dusting off the archives and presenting a few older photos. Some of them are leftovers which have never been shown and some have been published once before. Only the woodpecker is brand new. I hope you'll enjoy. Please remember to click on them to enlarge.




This Mourning Dove was in the process of building a nest when this photo was taken one spring day. It was right at eye-level. They're not the brightest birds. (please click to enlarge)





The Grackles don't appear to be very colourful birds - unless the sunlight hits them just so as it did in this photo. Isn't that a beautiful turquoise head? (please click to enlarge)





One day, in early spring, I took a walk in an area where it seemed nobody had wandered. It was rather off the regular park path, across a biway and down alongside a very shallow and narrow creek. In contrast, it was right next door to a car dealership. Still, it was a lovely, calm day and while out there, several hawks were in flight a small distance away. (please click to enlarge)





In the summertime, we're visited by several herons. The dam seems to attract them some days. Pictured above is the Night Heron. (please click to enlarge)





And this, of course is the beautiful Great Blue Heron. He posed and strutted for me along the wall of this same dam. (please click to enlarge)





While up at a nearby pond one summer day, I was visited by this lovely swan. She was just hanging around looking beautiful. Here, she swam over to me to get a closer look at my camera. (please click to enlarge)





That same pond is home to many varieties of birds - among them, seagulls. This guy was another curious onlooker. (please click to enlarge)






A starling steadied himself on a slender tree branch, defiant of the cold, winter wind. (please click to enlarge)





A beautiful, red Cardinal perched atop a branch, his mate behind him, hiding from view. (please click to enlarge)





A winter Blue Jay landed on my back yard table top where peanuts rewarded his vigilance. (please click to enlarge)





On one of the first snowy days of this year, I went outside to fill the bird feeder and replace the almost-depleted suet. As soon as I started fussing around with the seeds, this lovely little woodpecker boldly flew to the branch to await new food. He watched as I filled each receptacle and kindly posed for a couple of photos. (please click to enlarge)

That's all for today. I hope to have more photos for you soon.

There's No Business Like Snow Business

It snowed on New Year's Day, and once the party drinks from the previous night cleared from my brain, I was out and about with my camera. Here are a few photos of the fluffy, white stuff. These were all taken in the nearby park.

A glance down between the snow-covered branches allows a small peek at the lake below.

Upon a hill, looking down at the partiely-frozen lake, you can see where the ice ends abruptly.



There are two willows at opposite ends of the lake. This is the younger one and its willowy branches are still sporting fall colours.



A male cardinal out-brightens a comparatively drab sparrow in front of, and to the left of him.



A park bench wait for someone to clear off the snow and sit for a bit. It wasn't me.



Frosty branches bear the weight of the fluffy snow.



Down the path and headed for home.

I'll post some more in a few days. In the meantime, you can see more winter (and autumn) photos over at Frank's blog.

Creature Comforts

I just have a few photos to share today and they seem to have taken on an animal theme.

The bird feeder has been attracting a fair number of feathered, and even a couple of furry friends. This squirrel happily stocks up on nuts.




This male cardinal is among those who wait their turns at a freshly-filled feeder one snowy morning.



The female watches and waits for an opportunity to help herself to the seeds.




Even the dogs have been known to munch on the nuts, shell and all. Here's a video of Benny's partner in crime, Raven hopping around the seed-covered table, trying to reach a peanut.



Benny got all tangled up on his walk, while wrestling with a small branch.


Lucy is Frank's African Grey parrot. She seemed a bit wary of the camera, but that didn't stop her from asking me for (and accepting) peanuts and chips.


Every now and then, Benny got a little too close for her liking. Watch that nose, Benny!


On our way back home, Benny let out a few mournful cries from his traveling cage, but soon settled into a sleep.


Skitty waits on a high plateau, ready to pounce on a well-rested, ultra-energetic Jack Russell Terror.



Later, Benny decided to join Skitty and me (under the blanket) to have a rest on the sofa. All was fine for a while as both animals laid together quietly. But Benny couldn't resist poking his nose closer and closer until it was too much for Skittles. A quick whap on the nose sent Benny on his way. Photo taken by Frank.