Coastalgirl

cedar waxwing: nature challenge #24

cedar waxwing, originally uploaded by coastalgirlimage.

My Mom spots the birds and I take the photos. Here she had her point and shoot camera along and we were able to get close enough to get a half decent shot.  This is taken with the Canon powershot A630 (we're all Canon users in this family...just how it's evolved). This guy didn't mind having the portrait taken. I do wish I'd had my camera along, I would have been able to photograph the daring look in his eye.
Well....the robins are starting to leave. I would say a few hundred remain. I'm waiting until they all leave before I clean up all the mess they've left us. Spit out seeds are everywhere!
Like everyone else, the flu has also hit our house. I put my husband in quarantine. I'm very big on quarantine. He's not allowed to come out for a few days yet. Hopefully Leah will pass through this time unscathed by the plague. I'm hopeful.

a strand of berries: nature challenge #22

a few red berries, originally uploaded by coastalgirlimage.

Today was the day of a robin clan gathering. Everywhere in my neighbourhood trees were covered thick with robins. The puddles were covered, the lawns were covered, on and on...it looked like the photos I've seen of monarch butterfly migration only with robins. I would guess several thousand robins. I've never seen robins congregated like this before...awesome...a pic to follow. Also a few pics of a nice family nature walk around the 'hood.

winter walking in the south

We drove a half hour out of our town to the countryside where there are historical monuments, forts, indian mounds, lots of spanish moss, tangled vines, loads of fire ant hills, and winter berries. We had warm temperatures, fresh air, and the wind in our hair....all together, a wonderful afternoon in the winter sun.

My parents posed in front of the many trees here loaded down with spanish moss.

Another lovely tree with big old branches...Leah is resting on the bench after a long walk.

 

The possumhaw berries here are so red against the blue sky. They stand out on the roadsides as a brilliant mass of red. Apparently, mockingbirds swarm these trees and are very protective of them. We weren't attacked on this day, so I guess they haven't found this tree yet.

holding on: nature challenge #12

holding on, originally uploaded by coastalgirlimage.

There is an ethereal quality to this leaf that had me photographing it right away as I was walking through the wood. Soon it was caught in the breeze and swept away. These walks never fail to lift the spirits and they bring a peaceful quality to living.

Leaf

If I were a leaf on a majestic tall tree,
And I had the choice, of which I could be,
I’d be a maple to turn orange yellow gold
When the cool autumn winds turned warm nights cold.

Then one moonlit night in October’s cold air,
A beautiful frost would come paint me with care.
All leaves would turn colour, as nature would have done
To give the world beauty for short days to come.

I’d pick the sweet moment, when the wind was just right
To let go of my limb and float nice and light
Drifting ever so calmly from the place of my birth,
Then gently lie down to my rest here on earth.

--an excerpt from S. Finnick's  Autumn Leaf

 

yucca curls: nature challenge #11

yucca curls, originally uploaded by coastalgirlimage.

Yuccas cover the forest floor here. It's the little curls that capture my attention. So fragile and they twist up by the dozens along each long leaf of the yucca.

shadows and puddle art

puddle art, originally uploaded by coastalgirlimage.

This is the time of year that the landscape seems to be erased of colour and everything takes on hues of browns and grays. When taking photos, the possibilities are there, you just have to look beyond and photograph what is directly in front of you. Then you see beauty and washes of subdued colours. We had heavy rains overnight and woke up to many puddles and sun poking out through the clouds. This sort of morning makes the best shadow and puddle art photographs.

a nice walk

Siberian Tiger, originally uploaded by coastalgirlimage.

A nice walk today with the zoom lens slung over the shoulder. Beautiful colours, reflections, and animal activity to photograph. My daughter captured the attention of this Siberian tiger, so I could get a nice shot of him looking quite interested. Here is another of beautiful reflections with a mallard swimming by. A perfect walk for a warm wintery sort of day