Nature Pics

[RoseMorninStar]

Jude

Gorgeous photo V.

[narya]

The neighborhood "twitter feed" finally got the message out, and I had 10 different species of birds visit my modest spread - a dish full of mixed seeds, a bird bath, and hummingbird feeders. I was able to get in-focus pics of the Anna's hummingbird, Mourning dove, Lesser goldfinch, Golden crowned sparrow, White crowned sparrow and House finch.

[narya]

And more pics...

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Great pics, narya!

[RoseMorninStar]

Yes, lovely photos narya. The hummingbird one is exceptionally lovely.

[narya]

The hummers are incredibly photogenic, and there are 4 to 8 of them buzzing the back yard all day. They are fearless, coming right up to my face, and easy to photograph. The others birds are more shy. Yesterday was the first day the mourning doves came to my feeder. I see them on the power lines, but never before this close.

I'm thinking of adding meal worms to catch the interest of insectivores, such as bluebirds. I'm hoping not to go down the path of Amy Tan in her all out bird buffet that included $100 of meal worms per week. This was all documented in her lovely, inspirational book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles.

[narya]

And here are some photos from my camping trip last month. I stayed in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, and took side trips to Monterey Bay Aquarium, the coastline of Monterey Bay (which has a lovely bike path), and Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.

First, a deer family right in the campground.

[narya]

The jellyfish display in Monterey Bay Aquarium is always such a juxtaposition of dreamy jellies, calming new-age music, and screaming children.

[narya]

Birds along the shoreline and in captivity in the Aquarium.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Great pictures, but I particularly love the pelicans!

[narya]

And in a cross-over post of natural beauty accenting man made objects, or visa versa, here is the bridge across Big Sur River, and a sailboat in Monterey Bay.

[narya]

Thank you, V! I have 30 more pics of pelicans that were not as photogenic LOL.

[Frelga]

But that one shot makes dozens of other worth it. It's not like we get 24 shots in one canister of film these days.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I guess the Powers wanted me to see some pelicans today on my bike ride. These pictures do not remotely do them justice.










ETA: This video comes closer.

[Jude]

Related: a flock of turkeys stopped by my neighbourhood the other day - like, literally right beside my house. I might have been able to frame better and zoom in more, but my hands were full with two rambunctious dogs, one of whom desperately wanted to go and meet them (whether to interact peacefully or predatorially, I wasn't going to take the chance).

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[Snowdog]

Our resident Ravens are entering their spring nesting period. They have been collecting just the right sticks from the yard, and sometimes they will bring things to us in return. Shiny rocks, a wingnut, a tile square, sticks, etc. I'll find my photos and share them.

I do have the pix of the gift horde the ravens have brought us over the last year. It's on my phone and its a pain to get it here so I'll see of I can log on the site from my phone and post the promised picture.
Here is a couple pix of our two back yard resident ravens Maw and Crowley.

↓ This is Maw. You can see his crooked left leg. He got munched by the neighbor's Rottweiler last year, and I thought he may have died, but made a recovery and returned, albeit with a pirate walk.




↓ This is Crowley. She was being camera-shy and every time I cued up a photo, she'd hop off. She did pause long enough for this shot.



These two have a couple fledglings they have introduced to us a few days ago. We've named them Aud (for Audacity) and Ghost due to their personalities. Aud tends to be quite bold and upfront, and likes to be the center of attention, while Ghost tends to hang back and be aloof and always seems to position itself somewhere in a tree or on the back fence that is hard to get a camera shot. Again, the photos are on my phone so will edit them in when I log in on it. They are sometimes silly siblings to watch as they tote rocks and flower petals and sticks around and sometimes bury them. These birds have been a source of needed relaxation for me the last few days.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

This is one of my favorite pictures that I have ever taken.



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[Frelga]

Snowdog, great photos and I love the stories that go with them.

V, that's a great catch.

[RoseMorninStar]

Snowdog, I love the stories about your ravens. I don't know if my crows will ever be like that. They are a family of 4. One was on a wire waiting above the deck for me to come out with the food (because I was late) this morning. But it flew to a distance when I opened the door.

V, we have the same neighbor!

[RoseMorninStar]

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