collecting pollen...

...how bees do it

i was caught in fascination - standing in a headstrong wind... my hair blowing into my face and eyes - trying to see what the little bee was doing...  he'd attached himself to a tiny bud - it wasn't even a blossom yet, so i was surprised it even held the possibility of pollen for him... but there he was - along with several dozen other bees, too - hovering around this row of hedges...  as focused as he was, so was i in my attempt to figure out if he was spinning, gathering, sucking or merely twirling in the strong breeze. 

looking closely though - i could tell that spots of yellow were forming on his legs.  i didn't have time to screw on my macro lens - even if i had, i doubt it would have gotten much more of the story due to the windy conditions...  but it's kind of a neat progression of shots i haven't been treated to before - showing the science behind a bee on the job... focused and determined... one goal - for the good of the whole...

happy day.....

random birds

sometimes i have no idea what it is that i'm photographing... i just point my camera at something flying through the air - and click the shutter button.  mostly - it's because the sun is shining too brightly... and if i wear my sunglasses - which are prescription - then everything is magnified... appearing distorted and i really have no idea what i'm shooting. 

so on this particular day - the sun was extraordinarily shiny... i originally thought i was seeing a morning dove, then thought it was too dark... perhaps a black bird - it was flying very fast over the water - even to get it not blurred would please me. 

being able to capture birds flying is always a challenge... i realize there was a reason god created them to move quickly - but sometimes i find myself wishing they'd slow down... suspend themselves for a moment in time just for me - so i could get the most perfect picture...

then am awed at the sheer beauty - of the shiny iridescent coloring... reflecting off the water... blues - purples - golds - blacks... blended together in a splash of artistic splendor...

then when they do slow down - in fact, stop... resting in a tree as it were - sometimes they totally blend in... where you can barely make them out - is it the branch?  a leaf?  an insect?  or... maybe it's a bird...

even if you don't know for sure what kind of birds they are... they're all a part of creation - a beautiful sight in nature...

happy day.....

ducklings...

...are a rare sight around here

according to a photographer friend of mine - who also frequents the little lake i do... he hasn't seen ducklings there in almost 10 years.  really?  how exciting then when i arrived the other morning - all caught up in the goslings entering their 'tween phase already... when he stated he'd spotted ducklings the night before... "cool beans," i replied... 'cuz i've never seen baby ducks before.  well, maybe in a zoo - but certainly not in the wild - ever!  so this would be a first... but he mentioned that mama duck seemed rather hesitant to parade her babies about - unlike our geese friends have been...  off he sauntered to the other side of the lake to check things out - and within short order, i could see him giving me the high sign... sure enough as i watched - i noticed mama duck come swimming out, while behind there appeared tiny bobbing things i assumed were her babies... oh boy, oh boy... i set off on the trail for the other side of the lake.

when i got there... this is what greeted me...

a lone duckling - momentarily separated from mama and siblings... bobbing in the water - the cutest little creature ever...

the siblings then joined him - coming up from the rear... always good to know someone's got your back!

mama then corralled them together... trying to keep them in line, i'm sure... but ya know - kiddos will be kiddos... and soon they were transfixed by the lady with the black box who was trying to sweet talk them into posing for pictures...

i was fascinated by these tiny bundles... barely visible above the water, almost blending in - between the color of their downy feathers and the sun reflecting off the water...  additionally, there was no sign of papa being helpful - all the male ducks were keeping their distance out in the very middle of the lake... huddled up in a circle, acting somewhat delinquent.  unlike goose daddies who are very hands-on with fathering techniques, duck dads appear very aloof and uncaring - it's interesting behavior to observe and not one i claim to understand...

while i pondered these things... mama duck decided she'd tolerated human interaction long enough - gathering her crew together once more into an obedient line, herding them away...

perhaps i'll be able to get a 'tween duckling photo down the road... i wonder if they grow as fast as the goslings do...

happy day.....