10-OCT-2017
Three Good Reasons For All The Lights!
When I left home this morning it was still a bit dark, due to heavy clouds. The flashing lights on the school bus ahead got me to thinking about the precious cargo it carries. Big brother was watching very closely over his siblings as they crossed the road to the bus, three good reasons for all those lights and for making us all aware of their presence.
11-OCT-2017
In Its Wake!
Whenever I see a Wood Duck I just have to get a picture of it. They are so beautiful, and being able to photograph one is like getting a gift from God! This one was in a pond not far from the road. Getting this photo was well worth the effort it took to find a way to the pond so that I could walk there. I really liked the ripples left in its wake as it swam along.
12-OCT-2017
Peabody!
A few weeks ago, I related how a peacock showed at our new home and took up residence with our daughter's chickens. This overjoyed Carol, as the peacock is her favorite bird! Well, he is still here and Carol and Angie have named him, Peabody! Carol got him to come up close by throwing some chicken feed out for him. I grabbed a quick shot just to show you Carol's new friend!
14-OCT-2017
My Dear Mother, before and after!
I tried my best to save a picture of my dear mother that was duplicated on a plate. The plate was broken and then glued back together, except for the missing piece in the upper right hand corner. On top of this, beside being off color and contrasty, the picture was very grainy, the sort of picture I would just delete in normal circumstances. After all, it suffered through being duplicated on a plate, and then had scratches and cracks to repair!
The condition it was in was actually well beyond my capabilities to restore. But I made a gallant effort anyway, since it is the only copy of a picture that is special to my sister and me. I know the result would not be acceptable to most photographers, but to us it priceless! It is the wonderful mother that it brings back to our memories, and that makes it valuable. Mom died in 1970 at the age of 68, and we still miss her!
16-OCT-2017
Hunting in Classic Fashion
"The elegant Great Egret is a dazzling sight in many a North American wetland. Slightly smaller and more svelte than a Great Blue Heron, these are still large birds with impressive wingspans. They hunt in classic heron fashion, standing immobile or wading through wetlands to capture fish with a deadly jab of their yellow bill." (
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/great_egret/id)
I love to watch the egret and heron as they hunt for food. They are programmed to be masters of the hunt. This egret swiftly captured it's meal quick as a flash, and then swallowed it in one gulp. Not my style of eating but whatever works for it! :)
17-OCT-2017
The Eye of Katrina
Katrina is a beautiful little mare that our daughter, Angie, got a while back. She is a sweetheart of a horse with lovely eyes. Just look at those lashes!
18-OCT-2017
The Red Barn
This barn is on a nice farm about a half mile from our new home. It is down the hill from their house.
I think about photographing it every time I drive by. Today I stopped!
19-OCT-2017
Running for the Fun of it!
Poor Cloud has lost much of his vision to some disease affecting horses. To protect his eyes, Angie has Cloud wear some sort of see-through mask. His vision problems do not prevent Cloud from being in the pasture with the other two horses, nor do they keep him from kicking up his heels and galloping across the field, seemingly just for the fun of it! He is a handsome fellow!
20-OCT-2017
Beauty Below the Dam
I went for a walk in the Meadowlark Prairie section of West Eugene Wetlands this morning. It truly was a wetlands today, and a downpour started after I got about a half mile from my car. It started right when I got to a small dam where I wanted to get some photographs. I shot the pictures anyway, put the camera away and began the walk back. By the time I got to the car, I was soaked through and I had a light jacket plus photo vest on. I got wet clear through all my clothes. Nothing to do but head back home for some dry clothes. That's where I stayed, because the wet conditions aren't expected to improve till tomorrow. Still I got some of the pictures I wanted, including this one of water detail as it came from the dam. Some would blur the water, but not me! I wanted that detail! :)
21-OCT-2017
Grace in Motion
I liked the light on this gull as it flew over Fern Ridge Lake. I wanted to get a shot of it in good light by follow focus, panning as it flew by. I was satisfied with the result.
22-OCT-2017
The Great Blue Heron, a Wonder of Nature!
I am in awe of the wonderful Great Blue Heron. The more I learn about them, the more I see the wisdom involved in their design and capabilities. Now, where did they get that wisdom? Good question that deserves an answer!
"Great blue herons are remarkably adaptable birds, capable of living in almost any wetland environment found in their range. They can be found in mangrove swamps, flooded meadows, lake edges, riverbanks, ocean shorelines, and fresh & saltwater marshes. They are shy birds, but may be found in heavily developed areas which hold bodies of water containing fish".
"•The feathers on the chest of the great blue heron are highly specialized and will continually grow and fray, kind of like a powdery down.
•Herons will use their chest feathers to remove slime and oils from their other feathers as they preen.
•Great blue herons near the ocean will often sit on floating kelp and plant materials and wait for fish to float by.
•There is a form of great blue heron in Florida, the Caribbean, and the Yucatan Peninsula that is solid white, known as the 'Great White Heron'. White herons and blue herons may interbreed, and the offspring are known as "Wurdemann's herons'.
•Some herons are migratory, and will travel day and night while migrating.
•Great blue herons will hunt both during the day and the night. They have specially adapted eyes which help them to see in the dark.
•A heron will typically live for around 15 years.
•The oldest recorded great blue heron lived to be 24 yars old."
23-OCT-2017
Perhaps You Should Reconsider This Decision!
As I walked in Fern Ridge Wildlife Area this morning, I spotted these geese preparing to land in one of the ponds there. Considering that this is hunting season and I heard gun shots earlier while walking there, I am not so sure the decision was a wise one. But I hadn't seen any hunters nearby where I walked, so perhaps they will escape to live another day. :)
There are lots of geese and ducks that pass through the area and some are even found here year-round. Hunting helps to control the population and lasts for two or three months of the year. Of course, it also affects other birds who are spooked by the commotion. As a result, I didn't see many birds today.