Snowy Snack (Deer)This photo was taken in my yard. The wooded community I live in is also home to a large population of deer. They make their rounds thru the community looking for good things to snack on.
Playing TurtlesA local park has a lot of turtles, and we love to watch them.
Beautiful View (Deer)We just moved to a community that is nestled in the woods. The deer live here with us, they are part of the community. We have a large bay window in the living room, and this was my view when I glanced out the other day.
Delightful DucksIt was a beautiful cloudy day. A pair of ducks were swimming together. One of them kept diving into the stream. Its feathered bottom looked so cute sticking out !
Beautiful BirdsOne of my favorite hobbies is to feed birds. I love seeing ANY bird, but to actually get to hold a wild bird is amazing to me. Unfortunately, the Indigo Bunting and the Cardinal flew into my glass patio door. I gently held them and petted them until they flew away.
Eyes On The Prize (Red-tailed Hawk)I almost walked right past this handsome fella at the park last fall. He was perched above my head watching the nearby bird feeder looking for lunch. Luckily I looked up and saw him. He was very close to me and I was surprised to see him right above the very busy walking trail.
Chestnut-sided WarblerI captured this picture in September while I was birding at a local pond. This little bird was elusive, hopping from branch to branch, keeping an eye on me at all times. His beautiful green plumage confused as to what species he was but I soon discovered it was a juvenile Chestnut-sided warbler!
Yellow-headed BlackbirdThis is a male yellow-headed blackbird that I photographed last summer at a small pond on the prairie of ND. He was with a presumed nesting female and was in beautiful plumage.
A Walk and a HawkI was out for an evening walk with my dog, when I heard tree branches move. I looked up and this male or female hawk looked at us for a while. In person, it looked bigger than the picture. :)
Rough Green SnakeAlthough the weather is hot, it is good to be able to get out in the early evening and go for a walk with our daughter. She is a nature lover and has been picking up snakes since she was a child. She knows which ones can be handled. As we were walking, suddenly she stopped and grabbed this green snake from the limb of a small pine tree.
Bird in the Marsh (Idaho)My mother and I went on vacation to Bear Lake, Idaho. We decided to go to the Bear Lake Wildlife Refuge.We saw a variety of birds walking along the marsh. I took the picture of this bird because I thought it was neat to see the bird's reflection in the water.
Swans with Their New SignetsThis pair of swans I feed all year and when their babies are born they bring them to see us and then I keep on feeding them dog biscuits.
Baby BluebirdsI checked the blue bird house to see if there were any little ones in there. I assume these are blue birds. The nest is full and it looks like these babies will be taking flight soon. They know how to duck down and hide. They are all asleep except for one. I guess he's on watch duty.
Mother Goose on Mother's DayWe went on a walk Sunday morning and then down to a nearby reservoir to look for driftwood. There we saw a goose suddenly rise up out of hiding in plain sight, hiss angrily, and flap her wings at us.
Timing Is Everything (Spider and Fly)This is a colorful photo I took of a spider that just caught a fly. I don't know how the spider let me get so close to take this picture, and I don't know how I was lucky enough to get it at this perfect moment. I guess timing is everything (for me and the spider.. not so much for the fly though).
Junco BabiesMy friends have a section of their yard that they leave unmowed in the spring and summer. This allows birds to nest there and pollinators to enjoy the flowers. They recently were able to enjoy their little "contribution to the animals" when a Junco chose it as their nesting spot. Look at this tiny, hungry babies!
Backyard Visitor (Fawn)This adorable baby showed up in our yard last week. Our backyard borders the gamelands, and we have seen adult deer walk down our driveway to graze in the fields across the street. We figured momma deer left the baby in our care, so she could feed and run errands.
Mr. Red (Cardinal)It took about an hour to snap a picture of this red cardinal as I chased him around from bush to bush and from tree to tree. He finally gave in before I did.
Horse Lubber GrasshopperAt first glance, this grasshopper has a horse shape which is probably why it is called a horse lubber grasshopper. The colors are more profound against the bright green leaf background.
Feeding Time (Egret)During an early morning hike along the trails of El Dorado Nature Reserve in Long Beach, California, I stumbled upon this little egret in the waters below. I stopped, found a place to hunker down, and spent my morning watching him hunt for breakfast.
Hawaiian GeckoThis picture was taken on the last day of my trip to Hawaii at a unique Hawaiian botanical garden, home to this Hawaiian gecko.
Butterflies Galore!This was one of the first pictures I took as an amateur photographer during my freshman year of high school. My mom and I had a fun day going to the botanical gardens and taking pictures of nature. I loved the colors in this picture!
Butterfly on a StickThis state park in Canada had pine trees, water falls, a large pond, and many other things to photograph. However, the most fun was chasing the butterflies and taking pictures of them. This one landed on the railing of the hiking bridge. The shadow from the butterfly on the railing makes a nice silhouette.
Deer in the SnowWe had our first big snow and all the birds have been visiting the bird feeder, but I didn't expect this young deer to be there this morning. It was beautiful and a really natural holiday decoration seen out of our window!
Autumn Visit (Frog)Autumn took over our swimming area with fallen leaves, and this little guy, who showed up one sunny afternoon. He didn't seem to mind having his picture taken, at all!
"Gotcha" (Chipmunk)While at the botanical gardens in Tempe, Arizona, I saw the chipmunk along the trail having a little snack and striking a pose! Gotcha little guy!
Turtles (Florida)This photo was taken by me from an educational boat excursion at Wakulla Springs, Florida. This is where the underwater scenes from Creature from the Black Lagoon was filmed.
Incognito (Tiny Frog on Bird Bath)Look to the left of the bird bath on the rim. A little mini frog is perched there trying to look like the big ceramic frogs peering over the sides. Do you think he thought I might not notice? Such a little cutie.
Hungry Afternoon Visitor (White Haven, PA)Our yard borders the state gamelands. We have seen deer walk down our driveway and go across the street to munch on the vegetation in a vacant building lot. This particular day, the deer paused to munch alongside our driveway. She reached through the fork of the birch tree to get at something tasty.
Morning Visitor (Rabbit)It is officially spring! He seems very happy in my backyard.
Butterflies Are Free (Spicebush Swallowtail)I wanted to share this photo of a butterfly with a pretty hot pink crepe myrtle flower. The butterfly is a spicebush swallowtail. The photo was taken very quickly as these butterflies do not light on anything very long; they are fluttering on by.
Backyard HummingbirdsWe call these two, the Bibs sisters, because they both have like a red bib on their necks, actually their throats, and it's adorable how they'll sit at a feeder together, and in this picture they'll even drink together from the same hanging feeder. They're female Anna's.
Dove Having a BathWe feed all the birds year round and have many doves. They love to enjoy a bath too. That is our old water pump from years ago, just as added interest to our yard. The bath tub is a bottom of a hot water tank that we cut off. It works perfectly and is the right depth of water for birds and bees!
Yearling Bear SightingsThis is a time we see yearling cubs wandering around our property in northeastern Pennsylvania. Mama bears birth their cubs (usually two) and nurse them in their dens their first winter. After a year old (thus the "yearling" term) in the fall the mom encourages them to leave her and forge out on their own.
Doves in a Log Rolling CompetitionWe always had a lot of doves sitting in the trees on our river bank. One day a log drifted down the river and parked itself in front of my yard. The doves found this very interesting and went to investigate.
They look like they are having fun!
The Sideline Praying MantisAt a recent football game for my son, we got to enjoy the presence of this fun little guy. After getting some fun pictures of him cheering on the teams, we moved him to a safer location. Capturing his shadow in the photo was the best part!
Elephant in the GardenI took this photo in the butterfly garden. There were so many lovely beautiful, colorful, quiet little beauties in that garden! I must have taken 100 pictures that day. Thru the camera lens I peered and snapped photos and all of a sudden I saw an elephant!
Peacock At The Petting ZooThis lovely gracious bird that walked among the tourists unafraid and with confidence, really took my eye with his beautiful array of colors! A peacock!
Baby Dove on NestA pair of doves made a nest under the roof of our veranda. It has been incredible, watching them from day 1 when they started to build the nest, seeing mom sitting on the eggs and eventually, the first time we saw her bringing food to feed the little ones. I took the photo this morning when the mom flew off to find food.
Geese EvacuatingUnfortunately many areas of the country this summer have experienced heavy smoke from wildfires. I live on a river where many geese live and for a while, I would see them every morning walking up the road in single file.
June Bug on WatermelonMy mother and I put a wedge of ripe watermelon outside as an alternative for the hummingbirds to sip juice from. We went outside to tend to the garden and saw this massive June bug feasting on it, rolling around in its juices. The contrasting colours were so cool.
Cute Little SquirrelNow there's a nice little rodent. He (?) really seems to be enjoying that apple core I tossed out. Golly, I didn't know squirrels liked apples so much.
Road Hogs (Wild Turkeys)These wild turkeys think they own the road, on my way home from my son's one night it took me ten minutes to get them out of the way so I could continue on. I opened the window and yelled at them; they just took their time.
Baby Bluebird Peeking OutThis little guy didn't know that he wasn't supposed to be peaking out of the nest when mom and dad weren't there. The mom and dad were up on my roof, supervising and chattering, while I snapped this photo of their little one.
Bluebird Flying Into HouseThis is Papa bluebird flying to his house to feed his little ones. I was lucky enough to be outside and got several pictures of him on top of the house as well as sticking his head inside to feed his young ones.
HummingbirdsIt was raining and these little hummingbirds decided they had better behave themselves if they wanted to fill their little bellies before dark. Our two feeders stay busy. They are drinking a quart of sugar water a day. They are usually buzzing around the feeders and it's hard to count them, but it's a bunch.
Rescue of My Bee FriendThis sweetie was struggling to survive a heavy downpour in West Monroe, LA. I saw her fight to live, I put the end of my cane near enough to her so she was able to make it up the rubber portion of the tip. She climbed up and fell off twice. I was not going to give up so I laid the cane as flat as I could.
ReflectionsI took this photo of a line of geese thinking they looked like a lineup for a football team, and when I looked at it on the computer it looked more like a beautiful Monet watercolor painting.
Morning Entertainment (Toad)Although it's not the most beautiful feature on my patio, it's one of the most entertaining. Even though I have always known toads are a good form of insect control, I'd never been very fond of them. That is until this little fellow I named Fred started showing up on our patio every evening and morning.
Baby BirdsWe have a propane gas tank and I needed to check and see how much gas we had left in the tank. When I lifted the lid, I found a nest of newly hatched baby birds. They are practically naked and haven't opened their eyes. They thought I was their mama. I'm hoping these four little ones grow up to be blue birds.
The Hitchhiker (Grasshopper)While on a road trip with my family last summer, this gentleman hopped onto our front windshield and hung on for miles! This photo was shot from the inside of the car looking out!
House Finch CourtshipThe first picture with the orange colored bird and the other, are called a house finches, and the "orange'ish" male is feeding the female, which at first I thought how cute it was to see a mommy bird feeding her baby.
Out for a Swim (Canada Geese)It's that time of year again when we see the geese in our yard bring their new babies to show off. We live right on the river so we get a front row seat. They come up on our lawn and eat grass so they feel very protected here and we see the same families year after year, from babies to grownups.
Newborn Baby Bald EagleHere is a 1 day old eaglet with parents. My daughter took these screenshots from the live eaglecam on this nest in Washington DC. You can go on to watch the second eagle egg hatch any day now!
Fly By (Hawk)I spotted this beautiful hawk on my roof top as I was arriving at the house one afternoon from being out shooting photos. I only had a few seconds to reach in my car and grab my camera, and as I did, the flight begins. Out of all the photos I took that day, this was the best by far!
The Beautiful Female GoldfinchIn a lot of species, the male is more attractive. Eh hmm, at least from a human perspective. But then, who's to say our perspective isn't a bit warped. To say the least, it is very limited. All we can see is what humans see.
Baby BirdsI have a wreath that hangs on my front porch, one day I noticed there was a birds nest built in it. One by one, I had an egg laid in the nest until there were 5 eggs. 10 days later the eggs started to hatch until all 5 were born. And that's where it is right now. It is rather crowded in there and have some very hungry baby birds and making quite a mess!
Goldfinches Feasting On Poa SeedLast fall, I sowed my front lawn in Falcon 4. That's the best and highest rated tall fescue grass I was telling you about. It's still in a juvenile state. Once it's mature, late summer or this fall, I do expect it to look like a putting green.
A Pair of Canadian GeeseI have a pond in my back yard which attracts wildlife. A pair of Canadian geese showed up. They were grazing on the green grass near the edge of the pond. Food is scarce right now with all the snow on the ground. The winter season just keeps lingering on making it a challenge for spring time arrivals in the area.
Whitetail Deer (Michigan)A whitetail deer showed up at our farm creek property as I was walking around with my camera. I believe that Michigan has a 1 million count deer herd. When the white tail goes up, the deer is alarming others of the uncertain situation. Usually, they will stand perfectly still like a statue, watching you.
Peaceful Nature (Black Swan)I visited a local bird park, and it goes without saying, my camera went along. It was such a calm and relaxing day. This swan on the pond captured the mood of the day. A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
Timber Wolf (Michigan Upper Peninsula)I captured a photo of a timber wolf sniffing around on our 50 wooded acres. There are whitetail deer, wild turkeys, ruffed grouse and all kinds of wildlife on our property. It makes sense for predators to be hunting. This wolf probably weighs close to 100 pounds.
Wild Turkey FlockThis is a flock of wild turkeys. The large birds were strutting around near the spring fed creek. They are content on the 40 acre property and wary of predators. The property is definitely a wild turkey paradise with an abundance of food, year-round creek water, and wooded forest shelter.
Fox SquirrelThis was the first time I have ever seen a fox squirrel. They are larger than the gray squirrels we have in our area.
Brand New Baby HummingbirdThis is a brand new to the world baby hummingbird. Yesterday was her first day out of the nest and I think we were as excited as the mother bird was.
Mr. Red (Anna's Hummingbird)We call him Mr. Red and he's the most curious hummingbird I've ever seen. He follows me when I'm outside filling each of the feeders, and he's curious as can be, and, as sweet as can be. He never minds me with the camera either. When I fill the lower feeder, where I'm hunched down by the fountain, he's right there with me too by my head, and I can feel the wind from his wings.
Forest Chipmunk (Marquette, Michigan)A curious chipmunk ventured out of a hiding place. The hardwoods on the shores of Lake Superior provide a safe sanctuary for all wildlife.
Landing DragonflyPerfect moments near the water. I got a picture of a dragonfly going to land on a blade of grass. It was just flying around without a care in the world.
Red Admiral ButterflyThis beautiful red admiral butterfly paid us a visit in July 2017 The colours are spectacular. Normally they are attracted to certain plants and bushes, but this one decided it wanted to be carried around by a human for a few minutes
Goose FamilyThese fun geese were walking at Lake Tomahawk Park, one important park in the cute little town of Black Mountain, NC. Black Mountain is 40 minutes or so away from Asheville, NC. All sorts of birds and creatures like to hang out in this park, including early-morning joggers, fishermen, and women, and of course geese.
Backyard Bird Fountain FunWe had picked up an inexpensive fountain for our backyard feathered friends a few years ago, and I piled rocks on the top tier as it seems by watching them, they appear to like the naturalness of the rocks, maybe it makes it more realistic to them, and we just love seeing them enjoy it.
Flamingos (Chester Zoo, UK)Unfortunately, this photo is not taken in the wild, but aren't these flamingos beautiful? In the UK, we have few really colourful birds so it is a privilege and a delight to see these elegant creatures, even though they are in a zoo. The photographs were taken in April 2017
Swans at Sunset (England)I took this photo on the River Thames in England while visiting my family. I'd never seen so many together, happily playing about while the sun was going down. In England, the swan is a symbol of loyalty and strength. Swans were given Royal status in the 12th century.
Three Is a Crowd (Hummingbirds)This is my photo of the little hummingbirds that come to our feeders daily. We have 19 feeders outside but, for some reason, this feeder is just simply their favorite.
For The Love Of FlamingosMy 5-year old granddaughter loves flamingos, from the design to her room to the clothing and accessories! We heard about a lovely place in Columbia, SC that houses them. We decided that this would make a great field trip for her. It was like a dream come true for her.
Galapagos Giant TortoiseI love turtles! I always had them as pets growing up. This one is called a Galapagos Giant Tortoise. It eats mostly grasses and can live to be 170 years old, yes, 170! What stories he could tell in his lifetime.
Swans At Confederation ParkThis was taken at Confederation park.There are gardens and a few sculptures too see.It was a treat too finally see the two swans together.
Mourning Dove ChicksA mourning dove decided to create her nest in one my ferns hanging on my front porch. I got this photo a day before they fledged.
HummingbirdsIt's hard for me to capture the beauty of hummingbirds as they are buzzing around like bees. I had to stand still at the feeder until a few of them decided I would not harm them.
Weeding HelperI was weeding in one of my rock gardens, when I was joined by a little frog. Shortly after, a grasshopper also came to visit.
The Red Panda (Chengdu, China)I visited the panda park in Chengdu, China last year. I was working in China for a few weeks and had the opportunity to visit this amazing park. The park is the only place in the world that has these amazing red pandas.
Viceroy ButterflyOur daughter was home for the weekend and she took this picture of a butterfly on our butterfly bush. I thought I had a monarch butterfly, but found out it's a viceroy. After looking up butterflies in our 1969 World Book Encyclopedia, I read that the two look alike.
Hanging Extra Rods to Interact with BirdsA while ago I put up baskets and wooden cheese boxes to help nest lost baby birds. Since then, the boxes and baskets have become homes to many a bird. I decided to hang some extra rods and broomsticks up so the older ones can hang out, too.
Bathing CatbirdIn the innocence of my youth, I bought food for squirrels to encourage their presence. Little did I know, I was aiding and abetting future mass destruction. This little bathing catbird is just as thoughtless and uncaring. He managed to find a hole in the netting I placed over my blueberry bushes.
Hungry Baby Robins In Their NestThese hungry little baby robins are awaiting their meal. The 2nd photo is of the newborns napping. They were taken atop our weeping cherry tree by the porch. The parents didn't mind us taking the photos.
Perfect Model (Fawn)I was riding around in the area where I am considering purchasing a house, and I came upon this fawn. The fawn did not seem to be afraid of the car, so I stopped, and it obliged me by posing for a few pictures!
Wolves Alive (Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center)Darlene Kokobel created a wolf preserve area in Lake George, Colorado and educates, preserves, and conserves the wolf. The wolf preserve was started in 1993 to save a wolf from being euthanized in a local shelter. Today it is used to educate the public and have a fun environment for visitors.
Fawns Eating CornFour fawns that learned to eat corn treat. Believe it or not, they have to be taught what to eat by watching their mothers. But they will taste-test numerous flowers and landscape plants on their own. It's odd things they don't know to eat; like tacos, apples, grapes, etc., that they watch their mothers eat it or not.
Garden Snail FriendWhen I was outside weeding recently, my son found this neat snail hiding in the plants. I love the swirly pattern on its shell! Living in the PNW I tend to see more slugs than snails, so this was a fun surprise.
Goldfinch At FeederI posted one picture of a Goldfinch at a feeder. The bird and feeder were all awash with sunlight.
Cardinal or Night Owl?It took a bit of editing to get this fella to this point of visibility. But, he actually was sitting there, wide awake, way past his bed time. I wonder what was going on. Maybe the missus was having another migraine?
Birds In The SunUsually, I have trouble photographing in full sun. I don't have filters, and without them, everything takes on a washed out effect.
Mother GooseOne of my favorite sights of spring is seeing a mother goose protecting her babies under her wing on a cool morning. It's amazing how many babies she can fit under her body. The daddy goose is always standing right next to her, guarding them all.
Birds Sitting on the River BankI see these yellow-headed blackbirds every spring. Dozens of them arrive around April all at once and stay for about 2 months, then leave suddenly all at once. I tried to find out what they are by Googling them and it said they are "Yellow-headed blackbirds". So I was right!
Gray Catbirds Gather Nest MaterialsI caught a pair of gray catbirds gathering nest building materials. Both gather materials, while the female builds the nest. The male can be distinguished here by the reddish patch at the rump.
Brush Pile BunnyI was about to light the brush pile, when I noticed movement. This morning, she was hanging out in the brush pile that I was going to burn before I went into work. The rabbits are decedents of some 4H rabbit projects that got loose a few years ago.
Gullible Bee on Faux FlowersThis is more for a chuckle than anything. We are all so worried about the bees I wonder if it's not that they are becoming a bit gullible.
Beauty of the Sea (Starfish and Shells)I saw this cute starfish as it crawled by where my friends and I stayed for a picnic today. It made me want to take a picture of it along with the shells scattered around. The simple colors of these sea creatures are the true beauty of the sea.
Mr. Mourning Dove Checks His SurroundingsI put out lots of seed for Mr. and Mrs. Mourning Dove. They're raising a family and need the nourishment.
The Brilliant GoldfinchAny way you look at it, I'm a winner. With more important things to do, and a camera with settings all fowled up; I managed to get these mediocre shots.
Chickadee at FeederShades of W.C. Fields, 'It's my little Chickadee'! I have seen pictures of chickadees eating from people's hands. To be able to have one of these beautiful creatures eating from my hand would keep me on cloud nine for weeks.
Mr. House Finch Dines on Sunflower SeedWith his beak full, Mr. House Finch turns to say 'Thank you'. I'll accept the garbled message. It's just what I wanted to hear.
