The other morning I glanced at the pond and was surprised to see about 5 green herons happily marching along the pond's edge. Unfortunately I did not have time to get pictures as I was on my way to work. This morning I spotted one up in the willow trees; it kept moving away but I got some ok shots.
I may complain about the TX heat but never about the long summer evenings! Not only does the sun finally relax its heat output, it slowly and softly slips away; creatures, including me, come out to catch the long lasting rays of light. I grab my 400mm and walk the prairie, treeline, and scour the edges of the pond for wildlife, as often as I can. Usually the only thing(s) I see are mosquitoes, ants, and gnats. I stumbled across a barred owl and got some decent pics in spite of the lack of light.
It does pay to return to the "scene of the crime"...I saw another slightly smaller owl 20 minutes later and followed it until it stopped and perched itself right in the evening sunlight! Owls are strange creatures and awesome to watch. A true photographer will suffer mosquito bites, even on the mouth, to get good shots!
It appears a Cowbird deposited her egg in an unsuspecting Dickcissel's nest...I have a feeling that egg will once again be "deposited" in a new place; the ground.
For a couple of weeks now I have watched two Blotched Water snakes come and go.One night I saw a baby snake working its way back towards a hole behind a small waterfall that runs into a tiny pool. As the little thing desperately tried to fight the current and swim up into the hole, I saw the adult snake stick its head out of the hole...it seemed to say, "What are you doing? You are on your own now! You are not moving back in!"
I braved the steady rain today and trekked through the woods. Heavy rains provided numerous mushrooms but unfortunately no morels this season. I saw a small Southern Copperhead, who was coiled at the base of a dead Elm tree. I didn't bring my DSLR because of the rain but got decent pics with my Fuji. I wanted to get closer but as the saying goes, where there's one, there's more!
Each time I visit the woods, I discover a little something that was not there before. Dripping moss and wet white-rock meet a quick flow of trickling translucent water; innumerable creatures and plants dance about. Our culture is in a pathetic state these days, where children sit and stare at a screen all day or text more than they talk with parents...how sad it is that people miss out on the simplest aspects of nature.
Every now and then I get a glimpse of a Barred owl in a concentrated area of the woods. I came upon it in the evening but did not have my DSLR with me. I managed to get an ok shot but am disgusted that I missed an opportunity for a great shot.
This guy could see dark figures looming above the water so he rushed over and quickly ascended before realizing that it was a human and her dog staring at him.
I can't deny that I'm disappointed that it did not snow this winter but I am happy spring weather is here! We finally got some much needed rain. I walked through the woods after it rained and the peaceful forest was dazzling and gave me a chance to clear my mind.
I found this pretty little flower growing in the creek bed. I came across several shrooms as well.
The wild onions and garlic were quite bountiful! I picked some and used them for cooking.
No snow in TX this year but as usual, ice managed to hit us. It's amazing how something as simple as ice can look so beautiful.
This brazen coyote casually wandered through the pasture at 11am. I managed to grab my camera and took these from the porch, sans monopod. He stopped and just looked at me like I was no big deal. I would have gotten closer but the dogs spotted him and took out after him.
I was pleased to have spotted this little snipe, nibbling along the shore...it's amazing how well they blend in with the shoreline. Just as I approached the snipe, a rather noisy yellow-legged sandpiper came cruising in and landed right by the snipe. My timing was perfect; the sandpiper stayed only for a minute and then took off, squawking loudly.
I had an interesting sighting of American White Pelicans. This is the first time I've seen them in TX.
