Storks!

When we went to Florida in Feb./March

we saw lots of fun tropical birds.

I had never seen a real stork up close

and a friend of mine knew of a little pond to take me to

in a subdivision that has storks that visit there

all the time, along with ibis and egrets.

I was all for that, so off we went with my camera in hand!!

My first impression was that they had a face

only a mother could love.

They have a turkey buzzard type of face:

But as I stayed near them a while, they began to fascinate me:

They had these neat black feathers under all that white...but they walked and didn't fly, so I never did get a shot of their beautiful black and white wings.

Their faces looked more reptilian next to their white, soft feathers...like it was a mis-match of parts that The Force put together:

He used his long beak like chinese chopsticks:

Pretty brown eyes though:

I LOVED the fluffy chin tuft of feathers under his face:

Oh MY! He spoke!:

Wow...the texture in his face!:

All those ibis and only two storks! They are royalty in the neigborhood and they feed them:

"I should be GETTING royalties for all the pictures you are taking, lady!":

"You probably can't tell (because my eyes point to the side), but I AM staring at you right now!":

Okay--I admit it now...I think he has his own unique beauty.

"I always win over the ladies, once they get to know me!":

"Look at this handsome profile!":

 That's it....keep posing for me, pretty bird!

An action shot!:

Preening!:

When we went to Homosassa Springs Nature State Park, there was a whole BUNCH of them!:

I wonder if they were looking at US...

and

saying how ugly they thought WE were....

but maybe we convinced them that we have our own kind of beauty, too....

*********************************************************************

Ok now..you are OUT of time! (almost)

You only have until midnight TONIGHT

to get me your montly photo for the FREE PHOTO CONTEST!

The theme is:

REFLECTIONS

Just follow THESE RULES..but hurry!!

Still This and That from Winter Photographs!

Even though where YOU live,

you may have already raised a small farm and eaten produce...

up here in the North, we had snow very late,

spring weather came for a week and a half,

and then we got hit with major cold and snow AGAIN.

So during this confusing time we call Spring up in the U.P.

(where you can never put your longjohns away for more than a few weeks)

I still had winter to shoot with my lens.

Here are some random shots of the end of our winter (and the beginning of our spring!)

Lovely tree mushrooms:

Moss on a snowy tree:

Rapids in the melting river:

More 'shrooms:

Love those twisted roots:

In black and white too!

Didn't need snowshoes, but I did take my poles to help steady me when I sunk into random spots in the melting snow:

I love these little stalagtights hanging over the rushing river water:

Everywhere, texture and mushrooms!:

Nature accomodated the rock and the roots grew right over it into trees:

This woodpecker thought it was pretty convenient that the loggers brought the wood down to HIM:

The woods were very quiet that day, until I heard the tap-tap-tap of this little guy:

I hope you have lovely memories of winter and that your spring is more

progressed than ours.

Our snow melted quickly during a week and a half, and then on April 16th, we got another snow storm

that dumped us with a bunch of snow.

I am pre-publishing this blogpost, so hopefully by the time it posts,

our snow will once again be only a memory here too....

Canyon Falls Late Winter Hike: Part Two

This is part two of a late winter hike into Canyon Falls.

If you missed Part One, just drop below this post and you will find it.

The river had begun melting.

Which meant only ONE thing...

perhaps the falls were now visible under all the snow and ice at the end of the gorge.

Perhaps  NOT....

So, we hiked on and heard water rushing.

Lo and behold, through a tiny fissure in the snow we saw running water:

But just a crack of it...

And the icy cliffs beside the falls still had clinging snow and ice:

The falls were running, but only in a small cracked area of the snow and ice:

I had to climb over a safety fence and lean

wayyyyyyy

over to get this shot.

(No one should try this at home).

The weirdest thing happened.

We were out there about 14 hours after the big earthquake in Japan.

And RIGHT as I was leaning way over the cliff (with Paul holding on to my coat hood should I slip)

we heard and felt this tremendous rumbling in the rocks...

it sounded like thunder but the sky was clear blue...

He grabbed me to the fence and said "get back!!"

so I scurried (as much as a fifty-something old  year old can scurry)

back over the fence immediately.

The only thing we could think of was that it was, indeed the rumbling through the rocks from far away Japan's incidence.

It was very weird.

And scary.

So, I stayed in safe distance from the edge from thereon.

This is the last shot I got whilst on the edge:

Loved those gynormous icicles on the opposite cliff:

And the ones hanging over the water:

I love snow and ice in black and white:

But, remind me again, (the next time there is an earthquake somewhere in the world)...

to wait at least 24 hours before attempting to go to a rocky canyon

to take waterfall pictures over the edge of a cliff, will 'ya?

(I may be too old to remember by then)......

***************************************************************
Did you submit your

REFLECTIONS

photo yet for the FREE AMATEUR PHOTO CONTEST???

No???

Well, get moving!!

Get me your photo no later than midnight on April 30, 2011.

Just follow THESE RULES.

You don't have to be a blogger to enter.

Canyon Falls Late Winter Hike: Part ONE

Late this winter, about a month and a half ago,

we decided to take our snowshoes and hike into a waterfalls near us.

We had been receiving our first early spring warmth, and we knew

the river would be breaking up its ice and the water would be

beginning to flow again.

When we got there, there had been enough people that had hiked in

and packed down the snow,

so we didn't even need our snowshoes to walk the path.

And, as I had hoped...

the river was flowing

and the snow settling made for some very nice snow sculptured art on the banks:

A very cool "ice cave" I couldn't get to..to explore!:

I have always loved the little "ice shelves" the banks make when the snow starts to melt on the river:

Swirls of snow and melting icicles in the middle of it all!:

Winter surrounding one break in the river, trying to search for Spring:

Winter river rapids:

I loved those winter riverbank icicles here too:

Snow swirls, shadows and the river peeking through:

We will take a rest here from our hike and continue on the next blogpost.

Anyone have a bonfire and some hotdogs??: