It had been almost 3 weeks since my last visit to the pond and I was eager to return once my out-of-town visitors left. There was a lot of change in that short period of time. The milkweed was in full bloom, and the shoreline of the pond and creeks had exploded with green. This was what I saw while hundreds of miles away on the other side of the country, Hurrican Dennis battered the coastal states.
My daughter and I were almost immediately greeted by a young family of squirrels. This shy little one hid behind a leaf as it watched its siblings gather the cherries we 'accidently' dropped on the ground.
The regal cattails were in their prime, having bloomed just for me. The last time I saw them they were just fuzzy yellow stems poking out from the leaves. Even the great blue heron seemed happy to see me and graciously posed.
This picture is hardly a 'good' picture but I wanted to post it for a couple of reasons. First of all, I love the contrast of the silhouette of the Brewer's blackbird and its shadow against the water. And secondly, its barely visable, but if you look real close you'll see a streak of silver in the bird's beak. It had just caught a fish! I never knew these birds ate fish, let alone caught them right out of the water. I probably wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.
I do believe this frog is smiling at me! It was so nice to be back at the ponds, I'd almost forgotten how beautiful it was.
22 comments:
nature certainly gave you a free show!! awesome
~Julie
I want to go on tour with you!!!! Wonderful images, the frog face is great.
Betty
Very nice and that frog is the tops!
Looks like the wildlife missed you as well, looks like they are all saying "Hello again" we missed you. LOL! I watched a blackbird catch a minnow this morning, and was unable to get a good picture. Hope you didn't get your feet wet, getting shots of the frog. ttfn :) ~Deborah
Your pics are awesome as usual, Dorn!!! We have had tons of rain, first from Tropical Storm Cindy and then from Hurricane Dennis. Fortunately for us it went more west of us than originally predicted. We got lots of rain and wind gusts from time to time. We were under a tornado watch for several hours yesterday. Today, we are under a wind advisory and the threat of severe thunderstorms are possible. :( Our basement is taking on water because the ground is so wet, the water does not have anywhere to go. :( Other than that, I have no complaints, but right now, wish I was at Cattail Marsh with you!!!!! :)
Blessings!
Susan
http://journals.aol.com/Smjr43/Colorado
Frog shot is amazing!
Lori
http://journals.aol.com/scotthlori/DiscoveringMe
Wonderful shots. I especially adore that little squirrel! The frog does look like he's posing for his shot! I like the good one with the birds. It's not so obvious and it's dramatic. Makes you think. Kind of serene. ~ Lori
Thanks for the wonderful pics. It's always a pleasure visiting your site.
I actually love the photo of the bird flying over the water, it is very effective. The squirrel has just enough cuteness too! :-)
Sandra xxxx
"I do believe this frog is smiling at me!"
Shoulda given him a kiss...
-Paul
Your pictures are simply beautiful and beautifully simple! I thank you for the journey you take us on with everyone of your posts. For me, it's like being there and, indeed, seeing through your eyes!
Great pics! I particularly liked the squirrel and bird ones, but that frog was just too cool!
http://journals.aol.com/astaryth/AdventuresofanEclecticMind
Hello again....First of all thanks for sharing these pictures and your journal. I like the picture of the blackbird and its shadow against the water. I think this is a great picture that you took. I like your pictures very much. This frog looks like its smiling I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it otherwise.....How do you take such wonderful pictures ???? My favorite is the picture with the blackbird I choose that one as my #1 favorite....
Hello there! I just posted some cattail pictures too:
http://journals.aol.com/gotomaria/TheLittleThings/entries/680
Ponds really are neat...did you have lots of dragonflies too? Your pictures are very charming.
Hello, I just wanted to say I liked the frog. It's one picture that stands out by itself. I just have to ask. What kind of camera and lenses do you use? I just wanted to say keep it up. Your photographs are worth looking at. I check your site out quite often. Thanks.
What AWESOME Photographs you have shared. LOVE them. :-)
Monica
http://journals.aol.com/photographybymon/Mamarazzi/
The squirrel picture is my favorite...they are all incredible...but who can resist a squirrel?
OMG!!!!! That frog is just a wonderful shot! You must enter that one in a contest! It's got to be an award winner! I just love the bird shot too! Thanks for sharing! I would love to see cattails in person some day! They are so interesting! Lisa
gotta love that frog shot!!!!
~ www.jerseygirljournal.com
OMG! Your photos are fantastic! I love the last one, the frog!!!
I had try to view show recent, and waited and it would not open, and then after clicking make you own comment and making my comment my computer crashed and said "physical memory dump" and I have a new Dell 4700 with 512 MB Ram. Anyway, I had always felt that 35mm film would always be better than digital, but after seeing the squirrel, blue heron, and the slimed green, personality plus FROG, my bias is being strained. Digital has really gotten great. -mark-
homepage and link to photo/artwork journal:
http://hometown.aol.com/mtrib2/myhomepage/index.html
Fabulous Face of the Frog! What a moment, eh? And the crane is so National Geographic like. You have an astonishing journal.
www.TimelessCalligraphy.Studio.com
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