juvenile hawk

This juvenile hawk has moved in to our neighborhood. 

Our resident mockingbird is very unhappy.

She dive bombed this young one relentlessly forcing the hawk 

to go from limb to limb on the tree in front of our house.

 

I don't think the juvenile hawk was impressed with the mockingbird's efforts,

as he returned shortly to enjoy his meal on the very limb of the confrontation.

As I look out the studio window there are 6 songbirds enjoying a bath at the fountain.

I just hope he stays away from our bird feeder!

 It's been a long time I know... Life has gotten in the way and posting has taken a back seat. 

Life on the point is busy with new life. 

For those of you who don't know we have a new puppy and her name is Maggie.

She is surging with youthful newness and so are our osprey chicks. This series of images highlights the two babies who have just begun to fly on their own.

 Landing on the nest can be pretty scary for them as well as for me witnessing it,
even Maggie sits on my lap and watches them out the window.

Coming in fast.

LOOK OUT!

And she's landed, well kind of. 

Together again.... briefly

egg shells

 On June 1st Nellie surprised me with this amazing sighting.

She removed her first chick's shell from the nest. 

I couldn't believe I was there with the camera to watch this event.

I've watched songbirds remove the shells but never the osprey.

She is amazing.

Now on June 13th I finally see the first little chick being fed by Nellie. 

The nest is deep so I haven't been able to see the babies.

There is a second little chick all peach fuzz and barely seen just to the right of the first hatched chick.

I imagine she is only days old.

So for now we have two littles and I wonder if we have one more to go.

Last year we had three, two males and a female. 

Nellie and Artie have done it again!

love is in the air

 We are home in LI and the birds are everywhere. 

I wake to their songs and watch them during the day. 

Even Nellie is back on the nest and keeping her eggs warm while we wait.

But my heart returns to Florida remembering our resident mama Mourning Dove 

who brought up her baby with commitment and love.

She was devoted to her little chick,

 and with a little help from us humans

she survived and is heard cooing in the southern trees.

When I hear our northern doves I think of her...

taking flight

 It feels good to be back to shooting.

I almost forgot the joy I receive being behind my lens. 

Tully

I lost my voice

The connection between my heart and my words shut down the day we lost Tully.

I couldn’t trust my emotions anymore because they came in like a storm and blew me off course.

I lost my constant companion, the little joyful spirit that fed my soul with happiness and joy.

No more fluffy rubs between her ears and dancing with her in the studio, 

No more listening to her low sleepy snores, and watching her curl into a tight ball on our bed,

No more coming home to a bouncing wagging so happy you’re home bundle of love.

She made us laugh when she carried her food bowl in her mouth around the house and plopped it down with a thud hoping we noticed that she wanted us to fill it again.

She made us laugh when she barked at the sailboats and attempted to herd them, or when she ran out of the house full force and scared away the geese from the lawn.

She made us laugh when we watched her open xmas presents with her teeth and her paws or when she ran through the house with the toilet paper unrolling behind her.

She made us happy to watch her sitting up tall in the gator doing errands with dad.

She had a big personality and she was very smart

When I was photographing with my tripod she would sit next to me and never move even when the birds were close, she knew to be still when the camera came out. She even froze when a chipmunk came within inches and they just starred at each other. 

She loved her walks on the beach and the wonderful smells along the way,

She would run down the dock and leap into my arms while I was in the kayak. If I went without her she would run along the beach barking at me the whole way. 

Tully taught me what unconditional love feels like and now she is teaching me how to let go. I'm struggling with this lesson but I must be making progress because here I am.

I’m finding my voice once again.

rare sighting

We had a wonderful trip to Merritt Island last week. 

The large flock of Blue Winged Teal were spending their day in the shallow waters. 

And there hidden in the grasses was the adult breeding Cinnamon Teal.

This lone duck joined this flock two years ago and migrates with them.

Somehow he lost his own and was accepted with this happy group.

I wonder if he knows he's different.

I wonder if he will find a mate among the group

I'm left to wonder without answers..

Happy we were in the car when this alligator decided to cross the road.

 

Black Crowned Night Heron

Incoming Black Crowned Night Heron

Landing on the edge of the pond at sunset,

to contemplate what to have for dinner.

 

I was invited for dinner.

The other guests included,

 a black crowned night heron, pied-billed greb,

an ibis, a snowy egret, a great egret, and a lovely juvenile little blue heron.

It was a buffet, everyone served themselves.

They all dressed for the occasion, red legs, green legs, yellow legs and black legs.

There was plenty of food to go around.

This green heron joined us, he preferred to eat alone.

They were all full of fish and I was full of happiness.

I'm looking forward to my next invitation.

 

all about love

This new year is all about love.

The kind of love that gives me joy

and the kind of love that hurts my heart. 

Because it's really about living fully.

It's about being grateful and finding love 

in hidden places.

The little crevices in life 

where if you look carefully you will find

yourself and the reason we are here

together.

 

new day

Look up

 

Look down

Go deep

balance

Life is a balance between light and dark, 

The interesting part starts when they acknowledge each other.

 

going in

I stopped and rolled my window down as I was leaving the house

 to go have a camera walk in the woods. 

The mockingbird was at the very top of our tree.

When I entered the woods I was greeted by this sweet sparrow showing me the way.

Into a world where everything else falls away.

and when I stop and listen I hear the dry chatter of the falling leaves.

I witness the dance between the stream and the branch

and I listen to the wisdom of the trees as they remind me that nothing stays the same. 

 

Nellie would not be happy

Well, times they are a changing!

 

rainy day in the garden

It's raining and chilly and pretty miserable out there.

 

The songbirds are really wet

and apparently very hungry.

The lineup in the garden tree was long.

While they waited their turn at the feeders.

Very orderly bunch, even the squirrels and chipmunks took turns underneath the feeder. 

All of this happening while I looked on dressed in boots and rain gear. 

Tully never heard me leave the studio and she missed out on all the action.