close goose encounters

so elegant in their flight patterns...  graceful with wings outstretched...  i don't ever tire of watching them - observing their fanciful ways in the sky - at times, swooping down so close overhead i feel i might be able to just reach up - and touch those big bellies...

then once they've come in for the landing... in this case onto the water - the most beautiful preening takes place...

the preening is done to get the oils redistributed through their feathers... make them lubricated again so they can fly to the best of their ability - not just to show off... i'd never really realized that 'til someone told me.  i always thought it was to shake the water off - to fluff - a way to make themselves look beautiful and/or because they were truly listening to me when i asked them to preen for me - boo... right!  they are most remarkable - some of the prettiest birds on the planet albeit a bit quirky at times...

happy day.....

identity... unknown

saw a bird...

have no idea what kind it is...

originally thought it was a baby crow - but upon seeing it up close - realize there is no way that's the case anymore at all...

the coloring is different - he has a fluffy crest or puff of hair on top of his head... which is uber adorable and just look at that beak - with the yellow stripe across the bottom... crows do not have this cute appearance, let's face it.

no matter that i don't have a clue as to his name or species - i'm grateful i saw him - he sat still long enough for me to get a nice clear picture - before flying gracefully off into the blue sky.

happy day.....

graceful gulls...

during a sunny day... the gulls were swooping about - i was blessed to capture them in wonderful positions... in flight - on the ice - alone... very fortunate for once - whereas usually they are zipping by faster than i'm able to even process it... or remember to press the shutter button.  today was almost as if they knew... were willing to cut me some slack - wait for me.  i was ready...





happy day.....

the many faces of a princess cat diva

gracie has been a princess diva all her life...  maybe it's because i've had her since she was 5 weeks old - perhaps it's 'cuz she knows she's super cute...  or that in my house - yes, cats might rule the roost...  i don't know - what i do know - is that she is a princess of the highest order.  she makes me laugh - is a constant companion... an ever present comfort when i need her to be one... provides unconditional love... listens with a nonjudgemental ear... and has the sweetest personality a cat could possibly have.

gracie has - over time - grown used to me getting in her face with the camera. whereas she used to run from it, like it was some alien object out to get her - now she almost heaves a sigh when seeing it in my hands... usually demonstrating a tolerance that allows me to shoot off several rounds of pictures before she gets too annoyed and scurries off...  i've been able to catch her in some precious kitty portrait poses...


eye of fire

 

nooooo...



stare down...

 

pink nose

tiger face



i spy...



makin' eyes

 every day is a new adventure with the princess diva... a new opportunity to see what face she'll show to me - to experience those beautiful green eyes mesmerizing me...  i'm certain gracie understands she has me bamboozled - i will forever be under her diva spell... and i'm perfectly okay with that!

happy day.....

consider the pigeon...

...they tend to get kind of a bum rap, really - known for hanging about - begging for food - making a lot of noise... being rather pesty...

however, take a look at them with an open mind; you will see beautiful markings - a myriad of colors - iridescent shading, glittering in the sunlight. and then, of course there is the sound they make if you truly listen - it's really a cooing sort of sound - that if you stand in their midst, can be very soothing. 

now that i've spent some time surrounded by them... taking pictures - studying what they look like - i have a whole new appreciation for the many different varieties that exist -  how glorious they are in the air as well as on land...

happy day.....

you old coot...

is that a saying that's still in use today?  not something i really gave a lot of thought to until a couple of days ago... when i was out at the lake - looking for something interesting to shoot...  there were the usual geese and ducks hanging out - along with gulls flying in the distance - then i saw these black dots... huh!  i wondered what those were... maybe black ducks?  haven't seen black ducks around before.  so i kept a close watch as they got closer to shore... sure enough i was patting myself on the back thinking i'd spotted black ducks or perhaps little baby black swans - wouldn't that be a treat...  ya know, without my glasses i'm worthless - so it was still unclear to me what i was really seeing... but i was positive i was correct.  then they got within distance for me to see:

i thought, "these are not black ducks... i don't know what these are - they're cute though" - i remained very still - they decided i was okay, coming onto the shore line.  barely containing my giggles my immediate reaction was "look at those feet!"  then thought, "they look rather prehistoric"...  

i kind of shuffled around after them and let me tell you - they move very quickly over dry land - making little chirping kinds of noise - not exactly a quack... more along the lines of a higher pitched goose honk, but not really... it's very unique.  i had much fun capturing photos of these little ones...  they are playful - focused - charming and surprisingly, allowed me to get within very close range. 

some friends later identified them as american coots - which i found a total riot... albeit astounding because i've never seen them before in these parts.  i don't know if they've just stopped here for the season or what - but the flock is fairly large.  another treasure in the observation of wildlife - definitely fitting the bill insofar as "interesting" to photograph.

happy day.....

teardrop of ice...

...on the evergreen tree 

a special little teardrop of ice in the backyard... leftover from the snow we had the other day... a tiny thing hanging amidst the evergreen branches all alone,  perfectly balanced - with mini bubbles of air inside... how cool is that? just for me to see... relish in its perfect oval of beauty... realizing it is magnified here - in reality perhaps a 1/10 of an inch in size - a remarkable dot of ice...

and a whole other world captured in this tiny drop of ice, too - reflections of color caught by the sun... be astounded at its ability to remain on the tree after all this time... and through much wind.  i snapped - saying thank you to the little drop for staying around for me... grateful to have experienced another wonder of nature.

happy day.....

gulls - your next best friends...

...if you have food for them

as i walked the shoreline on an overcast day - with storm clouds moving in, they flew overhead but i couldn't get any decent shots of them... they called out to me - but i had nothing to give them.  in the distance, i saw a couple of people and suddenly ducks were lifting off the water to greet them... i soon realized it was because they had food!  of course... anytime you have food for the wildlife - you become their next best friend forever.  so i figured it was just a matter of time... patience would be my friend as i kicked around the sand and murmured to the geese and pigeons who chose to remain behind with me... 

soon the ladies with food approached, throwing nibbles into the water.  gulls swooped close - wings fluttering almost within touching distance if i but stretched out my arm... i could see their lovely eyes and almost forgot to snap the shutter button.  they are incredibly fast birds - when focused on what they want - determined and tenacious, not allowing others to get in the way... i attempted to track my shots on flight of fancy...

 happy day.....