Animal Kingdom, faces we all can love. From the cute little baby goat, to the beautiful Long Horn Texas Steer. Big and small, they each have a place in this world. Video below or click Link Here; Baby Goat
Javelina, Javelina also known as collared peccary, are medium-sized animals that look similar to a wild boar. They have mainly short coarse salt and pepper colored hair, short legs, and a pig-like nose.
Animal Kingdom
The Cedar Wax Wing Bird A treat to find in your binocular view field, the Cedar Waxwing is a silky, shiny collection of brown, gray, and lemon-yellow, accented with a subdued crest, rakish black mask, and brilliant-red wax droplets on the wing feathers.
We were sitting at a bird blind watching birds come and go, and all of a sudden this small group of Wax Wings flew in to get a drink of water. They are so colorful and yes waxy looking.
In fall these birds gather by the hundreds to eat berries, filling the air with their high, thin, whistles. In summer you’re as likely to find them flitting about over rivers in pursuit of flying insects, where they show off dazzling aeronautics for a forest bird.
It is hard to believe it is the end of April all ready. See you next month and have a wonderful weekend.
The Cedar Wax Wing Bird
2 or 3 New Birds to the List, 133 birds photographed.
This first bird here is part of the Jay family, this one is a Scrub Jay that we saw in Texas. There are 8 species of Jay’s and the blue is pretty on all of them.
This one below, we saw in the mountain area and I think it is a Mexican Jay. But, hard to say for sure, but we know it is a jay because of the size and the blue colors. It was pretty high up in the tree, so could not get a good look at it.
I believe this bird below is called the Hooded Oriole. Such a bright color and like all orioles they like to eat oranges.
2 or 3 New Birds to the List
Had to Evacuate Tunnel Fire AZ, I am jumping ahead on my blog post to what happened last week. Let me tell you, my nerves were on high alert as we were camping in the Coconino Mountains when all of a sudden smoke is gaining ground just south of us.
Let me start at the beginning. We have been on the road for 8 months now and I have a lot of photos still to go through from back in February. But I am jumping ahead to just last week on April 19th, we decided to head to some BLM land, (Bureau of Land Management), which is free camping just north of Flagstaff AZ, we were camping south of Flagstaff the week before.
Arizona and Texas are very dry, we have not seen rain for almost 3 months on this journey. The dust is so bad everywhere in the south when the wind blows and we decided to head north to get away from it. Even though the weather warned of high winds on this particular day. But the BLM land was only 1 1/2 hour drive north, so we figured we could get there before the winds picked up to bad.
This photo below is our drive right before the Coconino Mountains, we will be stopping just on the other side. As we pass the mountains on the left, we noticed some smoke near the mountain. I thought that can’t be good to have any kind of smoke on such a windy day.
We found a campsite not to far from the main road, one other camper was on that road as well. A beautiful spot with tall Pondarosa pine trees and lots of dry grass. There is a lot of burnt trees there already I noticed, as if a fire had gone through there not to long ago.
We set up camp and I made some lunch, as we were eating a strange looking bird landed on our jeep, it was really interested in the red brake lights on top and the red can on top of the jeep.
I have no idea what kind of bird this is, if any one does let me know.
Then my husband looked out the door and said, ” Is that dust or smoke?”. I went outside and I said this is smoke. Our phone’s started to alert of danger, I quick got into the jeep and drove down to the other campers to see what they might know of the situation. They said the fire from way over there by the west mountains had spread and it just jumped the road to where we are and they were leaving.
So I quickly went back to the RV and said we need to go now. We got to the main road and the police were already helping people to leave on the west side of the road and were blocking traffic from going south.
The map below shows a red dot, that is where we are camping and the pink and green area is the fire spreading across that area.
The winds are now gusting over 50 miles an hour, which is not safe to drive a high profile vehicle in. So I found a spot about 30 min north of the fire to stop and wait out the wind before going any farther. This is where I took the photos from shown below.
They ended up blocking traffic right where we were parked at and we ended up staying there all night. Exhausted and stressed to say the least, 2 other campers stayed the night there as well.
I looked out the window a lot that night, checking to see that the fire did not start to spread north towards us. By morning the smoke was still heavy across the landscape and the fire as of today has burned over 20,000 acres. I have not heard the source of this fire yet.
This could be a bad year for fires, we all need to take care and be mindful of our environment around us. One gentleman we talked to that lives around here said, ” This place used to be paradise when he was growing up here and now it is a rat race”.
Had to Evacuate Tunnel Fire AZ
Water Gives Life, as winter disappears and the spring rains start to come back to quench the thirst of this earth. Those standing alone who thirst for this water of life will come back to life in full beauty, that which is given to everything under the Sun as is designed.
Video of Black Swans in a Pond Below or click Here, Swans
And the earth she became chaos and vacancy and darkness over the surfaces of the abyss.
And the
Spirit of God moved upon
the face of the waters.
Waters is an idiomatic expression for our spiritual nature
Water Gives Life, Nature/Creation speaks to us everyday.
He gives us life in the Garden of Trees
The One who moves over the face of waters In the Garden of Trees
Will never destroy us.
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of the Father, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Water Gives Life
Most Southern Wetlands Have These and this place in Louisiana has a lot of alligators. Some of them camouflaged very well.
Most Southern Wetlands Have These
New Bird to the List, this is a new bird I have never seen in this first photo. It was at this park in Louisiana high in the trees. It stayed pretty far away from us so I could only see a silhouette of this bird except for this one photo.
It is called a Black Crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night-Herons are stocky birds compared to many of their long-limbed heron relatives. They’re most active at night or at dusk, when you may see their ghostly forms flapping out from daytime roosts to forage in wetlands.
Another beautiful heron is the Green Heron shown below. There are about 60 different species of herons.
You can always spot some Egret in wetlands. We were to early to see their mating plumage but still pretty birds.
Great Blue Heron
New Bird to the List
Specular Highlight The specular highlight appears on shiny objects. It normally appears on a mirror-like surface. Its appearance is often found on the top of a rounded surface. The incident light hits the object and creates the specular highlight and the light is reflected off the object toward the viewers eye.
Also called catch lights in photography, Without catch lights, “light in the eye” viewers perceive the eye (and thus the bird) to be lifeless.
It takes patience and sunlight, but I like to try and photograph a bird with that touch of catch light on the eye. I think it brightens the eye, even though this Black Swan has such bright eyes even without the spec of light.
Specular Highlight
Desert Animals, I thought this little guy in the first photos was a chipmunk, but it is actually a squirrel called the Antelope Squirrel. One of the smaller ones in the species. Found in the desert regions.
Despite the hot desert weather, you will often see these squirrels dashing about in the middle of the day. They will stay out in the heat collecting food until their body reaches its maximum temperature and then they will rest in the shade until that temperature has lowered. Their tail is often held over their head like an umbrella helping to shade their bodies.
You will see a lot of these in southern Texas, the Javelina’s. These were wondering around the campground in the early mornings or evening right by the tents people were sleeping in.
Rock squirrels, below, are one of the largest members of the Scuridae family, growing to nearly a foot in length, not including their long, bushy tails which are nearly as long as their bodies.
Some of the Texas ranches have a variety of exotic deer. Like the two below. You will see them quite often as you drive through the state.
Desert Animals
Whistle as You Fly, yes these ducks are called Whistling Ducks, I have never heard of them and this first picture, that is what they actually look like when they are all trying to land at the same time. They look like they are going to crash.
This place where I photographed these ducks and the huge flock of snow geese is located in southern Louisiana at a Wildlife Refuge called, Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge. We were here in January and I was shocked as to how many birds we were able to see and photograph this time of year. I uploaded a video yesterday showing the wet lands of this area and some of the backroads we traveled on to find this place. Video Link Here; Louisiana Wet Lands.
I will have one more video this week showing the thousands of Snow Geese we saw in this area and then we are moving on to Texas.
The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is a boisterous duck with a brilliant pink bill and an unusual, long-legged silhouette. In places like Texas and Louisiana, watch for noisy flocks of these gaudy ducks dropping into fields to forage on seeds, or loafing on golf course ponds. Listen for them, too—these ducks really do have a whistle for their call.
Whistle as You Fly
Come Sit With Me , look deep into my eyes. What do you see? If you look deep enough, we will talk, you and I, heart to heart.
In the quiet of the morning, I can see the world around me.
Come Sit With Me
The Desert Quails, if you want to see quails the desert is the place to go. I have been seeing two main species. The Scale Quail and the Gambles Quail.
This first photo is the Scale Quail and I am guessing it is named that because their feathers look like scales. Video below or click on Link Here; Desert Quail and Giant Squirrel
The Gambel’s quail is named in honor of William Gambel, a 19th-century naturalist and explorer of the Southwestern United States.
Have a Wonderful Weekend
The Desert Quails
The Turkey Vulture, If you’ve gone looking for raptors on a clear day, your heart has probably leaped at the sight of a large, soaring bird in the distance– perhaps an eagle or osprey.
But if it’s soaring with its wings raised in a V and making wobbly circles, it’s likely a Turkey Vulture. These birds ride thermals in the sky and use their keen sense of smell to find fresh carcasses. They are a consummate scavenger, cleaning up the countryside one bite of their sharply hooked bill at a time, and never mussing a feather on their bald heads.
Vultures lack feathers on their heads so that they can more easily keep themselves clean when eating.
The Turkey Vulture
Who’s Feathers Are These, they are the back of a Peacock Bird, these are the most colorful birds and I have not seen one in awhile. But I sure love looking at them.
When I was very young on my parents farm we had a few of these beautiful birds. When his tail feathers fell out we collected them and put them in a large vase. I wish I still had those feathers, I don’t know what ever happened to them.
Who’s Feathers Are These
Some Unique Animals Along the Route, well I love all animals not just birds and we stumbled apon a Mercantile store in the desert that provided everything you need for animals, like feed and farming equipment. But they also had an assortment of beautiful animals that folks can see up close.
They are all well taken care off also. Plenty of fresh green hay and water here in the desert.
The next two photos below I will let you guess what it is and who it belongs to. I will show those photos tomorrow.
This of course is a white Camel, very friendly and look very healthy.
Lots of goats, they are always fun to see along with baby goats.
Some Unique Animals Along the Route
In the Garden of Trees is where you will find the spring bees. Nature is waking up after its long winters nap, a time to see bees working their magic as they pollinate the earth going from tree to tree. Video Link to see pollen falling from all these bees, Link Here; In the Garden of Trees
We were camping under a tree and one morning I woke up and went outside and could hear a loud humming noise but could not see anything. Until I looked very closely at the tree hanging over me, it was filled with bees. Video below of pollen falling from the bees in trees or click on this link here; In the Garden of Tree
I got my camera out and to my eyes surprise, through the morning light, a glow appeared around the bees and pollen was falling ever so lightly all around me.
In the Garden of Trees
The White Ibis When we left the state of Mississippi, I found a small campground in southern Louisiana that was our next stop. On this trip we are doing this year, we try not to travel more than 3 hours on travel day. That way we don’t get so tired when we get to the next spot.
We have been meeting so many nice people this year, everyone is very friendly at the campgrounds, it is such a joy to visit with folks. Plus getting to know some of the campers that live in the areas we are visiting has been so helpful with finding the hot spots for birding and they also share where the good restaurants are and sightseeing locations.
That is what happened here in Louisiana, I was looking on google maps around the area we are camping in and found a National Wildlife Refuge, I am always looking for these. So off we went traveling on a road I found that goes to this park. Well, there was not one bird there and this is back in January, so I thought maybe we were to early to see birds in migration here.
Two days later we got to visiting with some other folks that just pulled into the campground and they were from the area. So, we told them about our lack of birds found at their wildlife refuge. They proceeded to tell us that we were at the wrong side of it. He gave us directions to a road that was very hard to see on the map and we headed out there the next day.
What a surprise for us, this is where I got to see the Ibis for the first time and lots of them. Not only this strange looking bird, but as we entered the Wildlife Refuge, my heart skipped a beat I think, there are so many birds here, many that I have never heard of and the best part is the flock of snow geese we came upon out in a field. I will be showing those photos soon.
As we continue this journey around America, I am so thankful for the people that we are meeting. The kindness from others is a wonderful thing to experience and it gives hope that this world is still a beautiful place.
So much has happened over the last couple of years for everyone. But for me the one constant in my life and in my heart is the faith that I have in our Father and His children.
Sometimes we need to just turn off the news, Go Outside and Breathe, you were not meant to carry the burdens of the whole world.
Have a Wonderful Weekend
The White Ibis
The Northern Shoveler, I put one photo of this bird on a few weeks ago and I got to see them again last week at a small swampy kind of lake where they love to hang out. Now it says the males have an iridescent green color on their necks this time of year. But this one here looked purple to blueish color in the sun.
Either way it is very colorful this time of year.
One of these photos below is a digital painting and the other is a regular photo. It is really hard to tell the difference unless you zoom in, but the one on the left is digital oil painting. Gives it softer lines, I like using that feature on certain photos when I can.
The Northern Shoveler
Desert Surprises, it has been very dry in the desert this past month, I was beginning to think we were to early to see any flowers on this trip. But, we walked down to the Rio Grande river one morning right at sunrise and this lone yellow flower was blooming right in the middle of rocks and dry dirt.
A lovely surprise for sure.
Along with this one growing at the base of more rocks.
Even the cactus has just a touch of color with their red pointy needles.
Now this plant below, I believe is in the Agave family, you definitely would not want to trip and fall on one of these. Those things do not bend at all. They are as hard as a rock.
Desert Surprises
Spring Is Coming Soon, the left overs of last fall are still intact around the country side. But the seeds are holding strong after the long winter and soon will be drifting off into the spring winds and rain to replant and grow into new flowers and lush green grasses.
That is always a refreshing time of year, when I can smell the green grass after a rain. We have been traveling in the south all winter and everything is brown and very dry where we have been, just no snow is all. We did not go far enough south to enjoy winter flowers and green grass.
Spring Is Coming Soon
Artwork In Nature, this morning there is a bit of humidity outdoors and on my way back from my early morning walk, the sun started to makes its way through the trees and light up all the different cob webs hanging in the forest next to the path.
I did not even notice them until the sun touched them all and boy there is lot of them. One would not want to walk in the forest on a cloudy day. Good thing there are paths everywhere to walk on.
Nonetheless, they are very artistically made by the small creatures of the woods.
Now this little guy may look like a spider, but it is actually a crab on the beach.
Artwork In Nature
The Last Hour before sunset is referred to the Golden Hour. The golden hour is known for producing beautiful natural light that is easy to work with. “It’s hard to overexpose or underexpose parts of an image, because the light is very even and has a beautiful golden hue,”
The Last Hour
The Wings of a Dove
You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And its pinions with glistening gold.
The Wings of a Dove
Oh What a Beautiful Morning, some of my favorite dock photos.
This first one is on the gulf coast.
This little dock on the left is on the Mississippi River
And these last two are at one of my favorite lakes in Iowa. Great places to sit and dangle your feet over the edge and watch the sun come up.
Oh What a Beautiful Morning
Rocky Shoreline and Rainbow, I was photographing the sunrise on this day facing east and when I turned around to look at what was behind me I found a different kind of light. It was an off white hue and I actually did not even see the rainbow until I looked at the photo later.
I love that about photography, the little surprises you see in your own photos.
Rocky Shoreline and Rainbow
Dramatic Sunrise Colors, The best sunrises and sunsets seem to be associated with middle to high clouds rather than lower level clouds.
The more clouds the better chance of seeing some vibrant colors of orange and yellow at sunrise like these photos below.
Have a Great Weekend
I may not have internet yet, I scheduled this post a couple of weeks ago just in case. If I have not responded to any comments that is why. I will be moving from this area on the 12th and will have internet again by then. 🙂 thank you
Dramatic Sunrise Colors
New Tree to Photograph, this is a new tree for me to photograph. They are Cyprus trees and are very easy to identify because of how they start growing and the base of the trunk.
It can reach 130 feet tall, developing prominent roots or “knees” above the ground. The bald cypress is usually found in swampy areas and along riverbanks. These locations provide the trees with the plentiful water they need to thrive and with the wet conditions necessary for reproduction.
All the little stumps you see are what they call knees.
In the wild, cypress trees play a very important role in soaking up floodwaters and preventing soil erosion. Environmentalist love them for their ability to trap pollutants. Frogs, toads, and salamanders prefer cypress swamps for breeding grounds. Wood ducks nest in hollow trunks and catfish spawn in submerged hollow logs, while bees, wood ducks, barrel owls and raptors nest in the treetops.
Bald cypresses are slow-growing trees that can live to be 600 years old.
New Tree to Photograph
