Backyard VisitorsThis is what I see daily while sitting in my backyard. Enjoy!
Wildlife: Red Squirrel (Aviemore, Scotland)Right place - right time - right equipment, and a super shot if I say so myself! I saw this little chap darting round the tree in a wild woodland near Aviemore in Scotland.
Peaches (Cat) And The Sandhill CranePeaches was making a commotion the other day in my home office, so I ran in there to see what was going on. She had found Big Bird outside of our window, and was trying to communicate with the bird.
Wildlife: Backyard Baby OwlWe saw this baby owl in perched in a tree right outside our window in our backyard. It was one of 3 baby owls. My two little boys, 1 and 5 years old, were amazed by them.
Wildlife: Look Who Came to DinnerOur cat has her own house, in fact it is a condo and at times she has visitors. I don't think this one was probably invited but she isn't particular and shares with all.
Wildlife: Mallards On A Muskrat Motel (Nebraska)These two Mallard drakes must have decided this muskrat house looked like a soft place to take a nap. Along our highways here in Nebraska, there are many wildlife habitat sanctuaries. This one is a popular place for ducks.
Cardinal in Rhododendron (PA)This bird was right outside my window, just sitting there. So I grabbed my camera and started snapping photos. I got about five or six shots before he flew away!
Baby Possum (Chillicothe, IL)We are in the small town of Chillicothe, Illinois, and discovered that we had baby possums behind our store. We put out a trap. This is a picture of the seventh one we caught.
Wildlife: Wild Horses Running (Nevada)This is a picture of a couple of the wild horses that came out by our house in Nevada. It was a really windy day, and they were being playful and chasing each other. They looked like they were having a lot of fun
Wildlife: Fourth Generation Raccoons (Rancho Palos...These are the wild raccoons that frequent our yard. This is the fourth generation of raccoons. They enjoy dipping in to our dog's food. It has been a real treat watching them grow up, and grow old.
Wildlife: Urban Fawn (Brookfield, WI)This fawn is a few days old. It was born in our yard, here it is resting under a tree near our house. The Mom is nowhere to be seen. It was found by my wife while picking garlic mustard in our yard.
Wildlife: Tree FrogI found this little guy on the handle of my grill after staining my patio. I thought it was a piece of tree bark, and then thought it was an unusual stone. I went to pick it up, and it was soft...ewww.
Wildlife: Oriole at the FeederThis guy comes to visit at least 3 times a day. We give him half an orange once a week. One usually hears an oriole before he sees it. When I first heard his call, I looked up and couldn't see anything.
Wildlife: Adult GrosbeaksWe had 3 adults and 4 babies at the feeders. They all left by the time I got my camera. This pair was still feeding. I have noticed that this bird does not feed its young, like some other species do.
Wildlife: ChipmunkI think these guys like having their photo taken. They always sit upright to strike a pose whenever they hear the camera noises. I consider this an "AWW" picture!
Red Tailed HawkThis guy is also a frequent visitor. He helps keep the the squirrel population under control, and also goes after the crows. Crows eat the eggs of other birds.
Queen WaspPaper wasps try to build a hive on my patio every year. Here I have some pictures of the queen building the hive; you can even see first egg! She was actually friendly and never tried to attack me.
Wildlife: Black-eyed Bulbul (Gauteng, South Africa)I took this photo of a black-eyed bulbul one morning in our garden. I had to sit and wait forever, to catch this little fella.
Young RobinThis little fellow was too young to be afraid. I was parked beside the brush, when this young robin flew in and landed next to me. It didn't frighten him when I reached over to get my camera, turn it on and focus.
Wildlife: Baby ArmadillosHere in Louisiana, armadillos are far from rare, but seeing these babies was a real treat. Pictured are three armadillos. They are always born as quadruplets, but one was a little camera shy!
Wildlife: Oriole Pecking at the WindowThis spring I put up a oriole feeder, with the hopes of attracting these beautiful birds. What a surprise we had, when they arrived. One came to the window, tweeting and pecking. Our feeder was not near the window.
MockingbirdThis is a female mockingbird at the bird bath. They love grapes and cherries, and they also feed them to their babies. They chase all undesirables off the grounds, whether it's a cat, crow, or squirrel.
Garter SnakesI had been away from my garden for 8 weeks, after breaking my toe this winter just as the snow was melting. So I have been eager to catch up on my weeding and planting. The black flies are gone now, so Sunday I went out with the best intentions.
Wildlife: LoonWe have this crazy loon on our private lake, and its the same "guy" each year. We know that as he had a wire on his one leg a few years ago that we were able to remove for him, and it left a scar.
Ms. Sparklette (Raccoon)My husband hand feeds this sweet raccoon, and has called it Sparky for a long time. I saw 'him' from the side, and noticed the equipment needed for a 'snack bar for babies'.
Beautiful Robin Outside My WindowI was sitting at my kitchen table on May 18th and happened to look up and see this beautiful robin sitting outside on the lawn chairs. Fortunately, I had time to grab my digital camera, which was right on the table, and get this picture right before he flew away.
Wildlife: Great Blue Heron at Beaver Marsh (Akron,...I took this photo of a great blue heron, while he was fishing at Beaver Marsh last week. Beaver Marsh was an auto salvage/junk yard a few decades ago until some busy beavers built a dam, and flooded the area.
Wildlife: Tiger SwallowtailI photographed this tiger swallowtail butterfly, as it alighted on brilliant flowers. I asked him to pose for me, and he did!
Beetle Bug on Lace PanelLook what a lovely beetle I found on my lace screen in front of our door. I had to take this shot! It is so beautiful. I never see them unless they get on our insect screen, and the porch light is on.
Special BeesA number of years ago I had a late flowering humming bird plant that had black and yellow bees all over it. They don't sting, but stayed busy until the first freeze, and then disappeared until this year.
Wildlife: Two Mule Deer SparringThis was taken from my back porch, hence the fence in the foreground. This was the very first time I had actually seen two bucks sparing, and hurried to get my camera. This picture was taken on January of 2011.
Blue Jays Trapped in Homemade Squirrel FeederI found these plans to make a squirrel feeder using some scrap wood in the shed and a pickle jar, and put it on our porch. You'd be amazed by how many blue jays we have had to release out of the bottle.
Garden: Little DragonflyThis little guy let me get close enough to get this picture (and a few more)!
Wildlife: Fawn (Elk Neck State Park, MD)We went away for the weekend, and we stopped at Elk Neck State Park in North East Maryland. Along the side of this road was a brave little fawn that didn't seem to notice that we stopped our car right next to her.
Birdbath VisitorsWe have many little visitors to our birdbath each day. Usually the squirrels only like the bird food, but Texas summers are unforgiving even for the wildlife. We would all like some relief, send rain and a nice cool breeze, please.
Bull Elk (Nutwood Observatory, Bancroft, ON)Here is one of our resident elk having the time of his life keeping cool. You can almost read his mind. "What more can I ask for; a hill full of cool, fresh clover, along with my own salt block? This has to be heaven!"
Wildlife: Young Buck (Tiburon, CA)While we were vacationing in Tiburon, an early morning "peeper" caught our eye. We matched eyes with this young buck for what seemed like minutes. This was our last day of vacation. What a great way to remember our trip!
Sea Turtle in the Ocean (Gulf of Mexico)I was just enjoying the view of the open ocean, when all of a sudden I heard water splashing and a low hum from the water. As I looked over, there was this huge sea turtle. It was easily four feet wide.
Wildlife: Byron the Cheetah (Anne Van Dyk Cheetah...We went to the Anne van Dyk Cheetah Centre in De Wildt on July 9, 2011. This is Byron, one of the centre's ambassador cheetahs. We were able to pose for photos with Byron, and to stroke his back.
Wildlife: Yellow-billed Duck (Austin Roberts Bird...I went to the Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary for some quiet time, and saw this little fellow lazily swimming around. The calmness of the water, and the beauty of the surroundings were exactly the perk-me-ups I needed!
Wildlife: Butterfly on PhloxI was enjoying the summer day when I saw this beauty nectaring on some phlox in my garden.
Wildlife: Our MothI discovered a 10 cm caterpillar ready to cocoon. I put it into a container and waited, for about four months. First the huge cocoon and then this.
Wildlife: Butterfly (Lake Hartwell, GA)We were vacationing at Lake Hartwell and saw a bush covered with these butterflies beside the lake.
Wildlife: Sickly Fox (Litchfield County, CT)I was sitting outside taking photos of all the birds we get in our yard, and this guy appeared out nowhere. At first I didn't know it was a fox, because it didn't look anything like the healthy fox that I had seen a few days before.
Wildlife: Chipmunk (Sturbridge Village, MA) It took me two months to find a chipmunk still enough to photograph. This one was sitting on the fence chirping as if to say "here I am". The picture was taken at Sturbridge Village, MA.
Wildlife: Feeding Squirrels (Hyde Park, London)Here are some photos of my mother feeding a friendly little squirrel on our vacation in Hyde Park, London. She is really good with squirrels as she has a few pet squirrels at home. Some people even call her the Squirrel Whisperer!
"Nut Hut Cafe" for SquirrelsMy husband just built this squirrel feeder. We call it the "Nut Hut Cafe". We put peanuts in it about 9 am. By 11 am, it's empty. We only fill it once a day, but we get lots of entertainment from it.
Dragonfly As Antenna DecorationWe watched this dragonfly land and leave 3 times in a few minutes. We figured he wanted his picture taken. My husband ran in and got the camera. The little guy waited for me to snap a pic and then flew away.
Wildlife: WrenI saw this fledgling house wren take his first "flight." He left the birdhouse, and stalled out. He went straight down into the neighbor's porch rail, hitting it with a "thunk." He landed directly below the point of impact.
Wildlife: Young SquirrelThis photo is of a young squirrel that just left mama's nest. The other photo is the view of that portion of the tree of the sleeping sweetie, I see while just sitting on my patio. This squirrel slept in the crook of that tree trunk and branch for three nights.
Wildlife: Seagull Line UpWe were visiting the beach and saw these seagulls all lined up.
Wildlife: Great Blue HeronThis is our friend, Hezekiah. He is a Great Blue Heron. When I fish from our dock, he flies over for a snack of the small fish I catch. He knows exactly where to stand while I fish.
Wildlife: ZebraWhile visiting a local wildlife farm, I stopped to take a picture of the zebras. As I stuck my camera lens through the fence, this guy started coming close to me. I wasn't sure if he wanted to say hello or eat my camera!
Wildlife: Large Bee (Gillette, WY)This bee was VERY large, about the size of a nickel. It paid no attention to me snapping pictures of it. It was far more interested in the cactus flower!
Wildlife: Mule Deer (Bighorn Mountains, WY)This beautiful Mule deer walked right by our camping spot in the Bighorn Mountains. His antlers are still in full velvet and he "posed" for a few minutes to allow me to get some gorgeous photos of him.
Wildlife: Squirrel FriendThis is one of the squirrels who hang out in my apartment complex courtyard. Here he is standing at attention letting me know he's tired of Granny Smith apple slices and how about sharing some grapes for a change instead.
Wildlife: DeerThis is a deer my husband and I saw on our walk one morning in Weekii Wachee preserve.
Wildlife: Baby Pony (Assateague Island, MD)While visiting Assateague Island last month we were so lucky to see this little baby. So very neat to watch all the ponies in the wild! It's a special treat when you get to see them on the beach and in the ocean!
Wildlife: Bobcat (Weekii Wachee, FL)This is a bobcat my husband and I saw on our walk one morning in Weekii Wachee preserve.
Ducks (East Lynn Lake, WV)I took this picture in July at East Lynn Lake in Wayne County, West Virginia. This was our children's first camping trip. They loved the ducks and geese.
Dragonfly on Flag PoleI wasn't sure these photos of this dragonfly would turn out well because of the cloudy day but decided to try and see what would happen. Glad I did because I was pleased by the wonderful results.
Longhorns in TexasBelieve it or not, these longhorns live just beyond my brother and sister-in-laws' house in a suburb! Their dog loves to go greet them whenever they let her outside.
Wildlife: Danger and EleganceEveryone knows that bees can sting and can be dangerous, especially if one is allergic. In this photo I tried to capture the essence that dangerous and beautiful things often accompany each other. The bee needs the flower and the flower needs the bee.
Wildlife: Lady BugWe had a tree in our yard where, every spring, hundreds of ladybugs lived. The grand kids loved those ladybugs. Sadly, the tree is gone, but I have plenty of pics.
Wildlife: DragonflyThis little guy landed right on my fence and sat there so nicely while I took several pictures! He even let me get up really close! I love dragonflies!
Wild Rabbit (Mason County, WV)I took this picture of a wild rabbit in a grass field in Mason County, WV.
Wildlife: Hummingbird After a Summer Rain...My daughter loves to take pictures. Her dad bought her an extra nice camera this past Christmas. She caught these shots one evening after a summer rain while sitting on a friend's porch.
Wildlife: Pretty Colored MothTwo days ago my family and I were sitting outside on our deck enjoying the wonderful weather we were having. As I was sitting, a pretty moth flew onto my lap. My younger daughter grabbed my camera phone and took a couple pictures of the moth.
Wildlife: Cardinal on a Frozen Limb (Louisiana)It was an icy January morning in 2011, and I was snapping photos of the birds in our back yard here in north central Louisiana. I do this often from our back deck, it is like therapy for me! I was so happy to capture this fella's pose that day.
Wildlife: Turtles And Cormorant At Swan Lake...Swan Lake Gardens is a favorite place for relaxing in Sumter, SC. There are walkways, and beautiful flowers, but my favorite things are the butterflies, birds and water fowl. I didn't even notice the cormorant when I snapped this picture.
White PeacockMale peacocks are very handsome birds - sadly the female is quite dowdy in comparison. When the male is ready to mate, he displays his beautiful feathers and waves them like a fan to attract the female - obviously she rarely resists the attention.
Wildlife: Cacee and Cade (Raccoons)These two raccoon brothers lost their mother while they were still very young. I was able to raise them until release back into the wild.
Bluebird Posing on a LimbI caught this bluebird posing on a tree in our back yard. He was watching over his little family after he and his mate made their nest in a bird-house nearby.
Baby Lizard (France)Here is a baby lizard my sister-in-law and I saved from her swimming pool in France. We were watching it frantically look for its mother before it fell into the pool.
Wildlife: Deer at Bays Mountain Park (NE...Having a picnic at the park. This deer came up to us and took our food.
Wildlife: Deer by Tree StandThis is a picture of a tree stand my grandson built for hunting season. See the deer right next to it. He sure picked a great spot to spot deer.
Praying Mantis (Richland, WA)I always thought that praying mantis were only green in color. So. I started doubting my sanity after taking the photo of this one on a large leaf bush just off of my patio. Well, I am sure many folk doubt my sanity anyway but it's bad when one doubts their own.
Wildlife: Baby FawnWhile visiting Shenandoah National Park this weekend, I was so excited to have seen this little baby fawn. It really doesn't get much cuter than this!
Wildlife: Deer in the Woods (Cleveland, OH)We were at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and walking next to the actual Metroparks. We were looking at the reindeer and I glanced into the park area and there were 3 deer. This one was only about 4 feet away over the fence so I took a picture.
Wildlife: Salamander (Nesika County Park,...While relaxing along the river at Nesika County Park with my husband and our two dogs, this little critter decided to make friends with us. He swam near us, sun-bathed near us, and even got brave enough to decide to crawl towards and inspect my camera.
Wildlife: Frog In Palm (Coquille, OR)While taking our dogs under a nearby bridge for some much-needed play time. My husband and I made a new friend; a little green frog! Who ever said it ain't easy being green.
Wildlife: Baby Mud SwallowsEvery year mud swallows come wanting to build nests under my sister's covered patio. If she let them, there would be a nest in each corner. Because her back door opens onto the patio, she only allows one nest to be built each summer.
Wildlife: Osprey (Weekiwachee Preserve, FL)This is an osprey landing in a tree in the Weekiwachee wildlife management area.
Wildlife: Butterfly WingsTaken by the river at Nesika County Park, these butterflies were playing in the grass and trees nearby. These are very common butterflies along the Oregon Coast, as I see them often near blossoms and once even at the beach!
CaterpillarThis shot makes me think of a tight rope walker at the circus. We always think they're either so brave or so silly, up there on that rope, but at least they have safety nets below them! This little critter just amazed me!
Wildlife: Hummingbird (Santa Barbara, CA)Often the Hummingbirds come in and perch on the hanging basket hooks that we have in our front garden. They stay for quite a long time. We love having them with us.
Wildlife: Deer (Weekiwachee...Two deer being close in the Weekiwackee management area.
Towhee (California)I took this digital photo this afternoon in the garden here near the patio. The bird was sitting on the fence, and had been in the tomato garden earlier when I was out there.
Wildlife: Mama And Baby Deer (Shenandoah...While driving along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park a few weeks ago, I was able to capture this Mother Doe and her Fawn posing together ever so nicely in the woods. I couldn't have planned it any better myself.
Hummingbird At Front Door FeederWe have several hummingbird feeders around the yard and Path Garden. This is at the front door where we can see this little guy standing "guard " over his own personal buffet.
Wildlife: Butterfly In The Spring TimeI took a walk with my camera one day and when I got back home this butterfly was flying around and after awhile I finally caught a picture of him.
Baby RobinThis baby robin came up to our storm door and walked around in front of our cat that was inside the house for about 15 minutes. After lots of squawking from the mama bird flying around over head, the baby went and laid under a bush.
A Red Tail Hawk Soaring on the ThermalsI took this photo from my back yard patio. The hawk was soaring on the warm, off shore winds that we are experiencing this week. He circled around for several minutes. What a fantastically beautiful bird.
Wildlife: Vibrant Purple Starfish (Sunset Beach, OR)I found this starfish while beach hopping with my husband near Sunset Beach here on the Oregon Coast. We love to hit up Sunset, hike the trails above the beach, and create our own journey from there.
Wildlife: CamelThe camel was looking in and turning its nose up at the camera.
Hummingbird Hovering For A MealWe see the Anna's hummingbird daily at this time of year. I had stepped out on the garden patio this morning and saw the hummingbird at the Hot Lips sage plant in our east garden. That is a new plant that we obtained this week.
Wildlife: Lonely Roe DeerThe little Roe Deer was all alone, so cute all by itself
Wildlife: Seagulls (North Carolina)My husband and I love visiting the Outer Banks of N.C. We enjoy watching the seagulls race for bits of bread that is thrown into the air. We were delighted to actually capture this sea gull as it made its catch.
Wildlife: Mating DragonfliesI went out to the garden this morning (as usual) and looked up at my fence and look what I found! Two gorgeous dragonflies just busy doing what comes natural. If you look close you can see that one of them is a gorgeous blue and the other one is a brilliant green.
Wildlife: GrasshopperI just loved this little guy. I was taking my dogs out to do their business, when I saw literally hundreds of little grasshoppers and crickets jumping in every which direction with every step I took. It was amazing!
Wildlife: Hooded OrioleThe Hooded Orioles are beautiful birds and are in our area and garden in the Spring. This one, at the tip-top of the cypress, showing its golden sun colors, immediately attracted me to photograph him.
Wildlife: Deer in My Front YardWhen I look out my front window, I frequently see these 4-legged, beautiful deer come to visit. They eat the bird seed off the ground, and drink from the bird bath.
Wildlife: Swallowtail ButterflyThis Swallowtail Butterfly just came in and landed on our west garden fence one afternoon. I always have a camera close by in case something like this happens. Well, I got the photo, and I like it a lot.
Wildlife: Falcon at My Bird Feeder (Ohio)This falcon came to visit my birdfeeder. Of course, he wasn't looking for seed but one nice, fat bird. But that's nature, isn't it? He's a beautiful guy. He didn't get a meal that day, by the way.
Wildlife: Butterfly (Hamilton, TX)My family and I had spent the day fishing at a nearby pond but fish were not biting. So I grabbed my camera to catch the butterflies beginning to swarm. I had to try several times to get just the right shot, but it was worth it!
Baby Sandhill Crane (Gray's Lake Bird Refuge, ID)My grandson's daddy was raised near the Gray's Lake Bird Refuge in Idaho. They pass by it each time they visit their other grandparents.
Banana SpiderThis banana spider has been on our back deck for about two weeks now. He is absolutely beautiful with his brilliant colors. I have been photographing him at different times during the day since we found him.
Hummingbird Hanging in the AirThe hummingbirds have owned the back garden, near the Mexican sage and other plants. They have been zooming around, especially one couple who obviously are interested in one another. They are beautiful and graceful!
Wildlife: Frog (Coquille, OR)While reaching into my purse for the notepad I write grocery lists on, I screamed and yanked my hand back! I'd felt something wet and slimy! I looked down, and leaping away was an innocent little tree frog.
Wildlife: Deer (Weekiwachee...This is a picture of some deer in the Weekiwachee wildlife management area in Hernando Beach.
Hummingbird Feeding at the SageThe Mexican sage is a wonderful and very beautiful plant. Hummingbirds love to feed off the nectar in the blossoms. We have several planted around our gardens, and we are treated to hummingbird sightings on a daily basis this time of year.
Peacock (Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, IN)This gorgeous peacock was just one of MANY that roamed freely about Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. It was by chance that I turned and noticed this guy standing beside me proudly displaying his feathers.
Inquisitive GiraffeMy wife, Sue, getting a suprising admirer!
Wildlife: Sea Anemone (Sunset Beach, OR)This is from one of our many journeys out to explore the trails and shores around Sunset Beach just outside of Charleston, Oregon. While excitedly adventuring around a rocky shore filled with tide pools, I found an area with brilliantly green sea anemones!
