Blue Heron Sighting!

We took a ride into the woods

looking for wildlife to take photos of,

and we were lucky!

We were by a little lake

and

spied a Blue Heron playing and eating in the reeds.

However the sun was at a bad angle

for photography

where he was standing.

But, as all of you who shoot wildlife photography know,

you can't pose them

the way you want them to be.

You go with the flow...

and capture what you can!

So, here are my photos of this beautiful creature for you to enjoy today:

He was saying:

"Whoa...! Is that a FEMALE over there across the lake?

Well, lookey here, Sweetheart...I am your type and have plenty of time today for you!":

"Maybe I'll just look coy over here, like I'm fishing or something. Yeah, that's right..that will work...

I'll look busy and nonchalent. Does she see me yet? How about now?":

"I'll pretend like I am leaving. That will get her sorry that she didn't come

meet me sooner and she'll scramble right over here!":

"I better groom up some and shake off some of this pond water! Chicks love that!":

"What?"

"Don't hate me because I'm beautiful!"

"Wait? It worked! Is that her, flying across the lake to see me?"
(Those males of every species are all alike, aren't they?)

No female comes.

"I'm too good for her anyway. Maybe it is better just to look away and act casual!?":

"But, wait!  Maybe I'll just take one more glance her way.

Yeah. That's it...

She is NEVER going to resist this come-hither look!".....

"Man, I need heron glasses...that wasn't a female!! That's a log over there!!...

"Shucks!"

"And to make it worse: Some crazy lady got my humiliation on camera.

Now, I'm never going to get any dates."

**********************************************************************

Don't forget!!

The September 2010

FREE PHOTO CONTEST

deadline

is

TODAY!!!!

Please get your

WATERFALL

or FOUNTAIN

photo into me no later than midnight

tonight!!!

Florida Vacation Photos: Part Thirteen

Today's post will be a lot like yesterday's post

because I took a lot of closeups of the blue heron and beautiful white bird

at the bird sanctuary.

So, humor me, please???

(Don't worry, it is a shorter post, with less photos.

But I couldn' t NOT show them to you).




Like this one. Where you feel like you can just reach out and touch this blue heron's feathers!:

Or, this one.

Where you feel like you can almost brush his long feathers:

Here is the same bird, but the shot was taken a little further back:





Look at his little blue bird head and the feathers in his beak!:

If you look back up at it, he has a little "waddle" under his chin.

Hmm..perhaps a little chin tuck could take that up for him.

Or, I guess he could wear turtlenecks.

(That works for ME).

(Except for when the hot flashes come).



Oh, never mind, this one has the solution!

Just tuck your head under your armpit!:

Not only is it adorable, but it works to tuck in the waddle.




Or, dye your hair snow white, get it cut in a mohawk with long, flowing locks on the side!:





Or get a neck stretch, as this one apparently must have:
Even if they look like plates all the way up the neck...

Isn't he spectacular???

It's decided then.
When I come back in my next life, I will be a tropical bird.

The climate is great...and I like fish....
and I know there will be some crazy lady always aiming her camera at me
and telling me I am beautiful!

Florida Vacation Pictures: Part Nine

Welcome to more of my Florida pictures..today's post is mostly more wild birds at the nature park where we went exploring.

What's so nice is that it was completely free and only about 15 minutes from the busy tourist area.

Yet it was quiet and peaceful and we saw no other people around but us.

And the birds were wonderfully cooperative about me and my camera.

My daughter and my husband (her daddy!) were visiting on a bench.

I decided to give them some daughter-father bonding time alone

and

headed down by the water with my camera.

No sooner had I rounded a curve and just LOOK what was there!:

His blue was gorgeous!

And just to my right, were ALSO

these guys!:

I was so excited!

And my daughter and my hubby?

Still gabbing at the nearby bench.

So I went past them, gave them a smile and headed to the left of the little peninsula they were sitting at.

And saw THIS!:

I knew he was splashing and fishing, and I hoped I would catch him getting one.

Did I EVER!

Do you think this is an eel or a snake?:

I don't know WHAT it was, but evidently, there must have been a Whopper Special, because on the shore, this other bird was also snacking on the same thing!:

Mmmm...takes just like chicken....

Here's a blurry closeup of it again:

I loved his black eyebrows!

Ooooo...but THIS guy took my breath away:

And look at this guy's claws.

He looks so peaceful....but LOOK at his claws!:

Another shot of the beautiful blue heron:

And in the middle of the park, these lovely spikey flowers:




A closeup of HIM.
I just wanna reach out and stroke those beautiful blue feathers.
But I controlled myself...






But, I wouldn't mind climbing on HIS back and going for a fly:
How about YOU?

Florida Pictures: Part Eight

One day we had the opportunity to go to a nature park and walk around.

It was one of our best days in Florida, because I love all the wild birds there.

I sure wasn't disappointed.

Right there on the shore were beautiful white birds with huge wings:

Entertaining me with standing on one leg and fishing about in shallow water:

Is there anyone in Florida who can tell me what kind of birds they are? They look like a white pelican, but I am not sure? A stork?

There were the regular pelicans I see all about, and I love them (as you know!):

And then I spied this bird!

I think it was a blue heron:

The clouds got dark and I got this profile of a pelican:

I think this is a baby Cormorant playing in the water:

These guys were spotted as we first arrived and didn't even walk into the park yet:






He was looking for fish so hard, he didn't even see me for quite some time:







I loved this weird position the pelican got in as the dark clouds shadowed him!
Perfect for a horror movie, right?:

The wing span was SO AWESOME:

I thought of Karate Kid when they were teaching him the position of balance!


We had such a good time there.

Sometimes, you don't need the glitz of Disneyworld, Sea World or Universal Studios...
you just need a wonderful park and a camera.

Disney=nice, but expensive

Bird hunting for tropical birds at the park=PRICELESS.....