Doggy Christmas Surprise … too cute!

Last of the Leaves

Floating on Dolans Lake

Happy Birthday Jan!

This is one of my favorite shots of you …. I took it in 2005.  You and Trish were sitting on Milly talking and laughing.  Of course you weren’t all “gussied up” but this is they way I like to see you …. just Jan …. the Jan that I have known and loved ever since we were tiny little tots.

Many years have come and gone …. some bad and some good!  You have managed to make it to a very important milestone in your life.  I hope you continue on a happy path for many years to come.

Happy Birthday Old Friend

 

Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)

He had his eye on “lunch” so he let me walk very close to him. 

Among the bird world’s most skilful flyers, Cooper’s Hawks are common woodland hawks that tear through cluttered tree canopies in high speed pursuit of other birds. You’re most likely to see one prowling above a forest edge or field using just a few stiff wingbeats followed by a glide. With their smaller lookalike, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawks make for famously tricky identifications. Both species are sometimes unwanted guests at bird feeders, looking for an easy meal (but not one of sunflower seeds).

Look for Cooper’s Hawks to fly with a flap-flap-glide pattern typical of accipiters. Even when crossing large open areas they rarely flap continuously. Another attack maneuver is to fly fast and low to the ground, then up and over an obstruction to surprise prey on the other side.

Verizon Wireless Launches More Anti-AT&T 3G Network Commercials

Even though AT&T filed a lawsuit against “Big Red” they are still coming out with new commercials.  You go VZW!!

These are just too cute ….

 

 

CHICKADEE

Cutie!

BABY ALERT!

Grandma Cruser called me a 5:30 this morning, screamed in my ear … We’re having a baby!  Yes, Lindsey is finally having the baby.  Grandma & Grandpa Cruser are on their way to Lexington.  Poor Ryan is probably a nervous wreck  …. first babies tend to make fathers that way :o) 

I hope everything goes well for Lindsey … can’t wait to see a photo of that sweet baby girl.

And, on another happy note …. I’m picking up my son today!  He will be arriving at 2pm from Rhode Island.  YaY!  He will be here for almost 2 weeks ….. so, it’s a GOOD day for everyone!

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris)

Two more hummer shots from several days ago.  Most of the hummingbirds have departed from this area.  I have a couple that are still buzzing around the feeders.

 

Duckies at Burdette

These images were taken at Burdette Park in June and July of this year during a couple  of my visits to Heavensville.  We always go to Burdette early in the am and sit for hours …. she reads and I shoot a gazillion photos ….. always loads of Ducks and Geese around the water.

 

 

  

 

Hummingbirds

I haven’t shot any hummers this summer so I decided to take a few shots today. 

 

Fungi …..

I took this photo in August when I was at Dolans Lake.  It is some kind of Fungi but I don’t have any idea what kind it is.  It was just gorgeous!

I grabbed the little Canon P&S, jumped out of the car and started taking shots  …. Mother was with me and she was just amazed at the beauty of this thing.  Now, I could kick myself for not taking the time to change lenses on the DSLR and getting some decent images.

View this image at the larger size to see how pretty it is.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

“Old Blue Beauty”

 

 

A couple of intruders in his territory

A Double-crested Cormorant Take-off (Phalacrocorax auritus)

One lone Double-crested Cormorant on the lake yesterday ….

 

 

 

 

The double-crested cormorant is a little more than two feet long with a wingspan of about four feet. It has dark brown to black feathers, a long hooked bill with an orange throat pouch, a long tail, and webbed black feet. Adults have tufts of feathers over their eyes. Males and females look alike.

Cormorants dive for fish and marine invertebrates from the water's surface. After catching a fish, the cormorant surfaces, flips the fish in the air and swallows it head-first.

The double-crested cormorant doesn't have well-developed oil glands and isn't waterproofed very well. It often dries its feathers by perching on a pole or tree limb and stretching its wings out.

9/11

Leaves in the early morning …….

 

 

 

“The Government Can”

It will make you laugh …..

Top 100 Web Sites of 2009

Two sources for the Top 100

PCmag.com

Time.com

Some I agree with , most of them I don’t!

25 Best Blogs 2009

Time.com

The Huffington Post???  give me a break ……

Assassin Bug

Wheel Bug, Arilus cristatus

This silver-gray insect is the largest assassin bug.  The “Wheel Bug” gets its name from the structure on its thorax which resembles a gear or saw blade.  It has a 

hinged Beak used to inject poisonous digestive fluids into its prey, which can immobilize it in seconds.
It is then used to extract the digested Insect or Caterpillar,
leaving only the empty skin of its victim as evidence of the event

Although assassin bugs  are not considered dangerous, most can bite, and should not be handled.

I was outside talking on the phone with Jan when I saw this  “assassin” on my old petunias.  They are truly one ugly bug!

Look at the larger size to see just how ugly he is :)

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

  The Great Egret is a large bird with all-white plumage that can reach one meter in height and weigh up to 950 grams (2.1 lb)  It is thus only slightly smaller than the Great Blue Heron.  The Great Egret can be distinguished from other white egrets by its yellow bill and black legs and feet, though the bill may become darker and the lower legs lighter in the breeding season. In breeding plumage, delicate ornamental feathers are borne on the back. Males and females are identical in appearance; juveniles look like non-breeding adults.

There were plenty of Great Egrets at the river yesterday, along with several Great Blue Herons and Cormorants.  This image is my favorite of the day. 

Red-headed & Pileated Woodpeckers

He was far away but I got off one shot!

 

Nearly as large as a crow, the Pileated Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in most of North America. Its loud ringing calls and huge, rectangular excavations in dead trees announce its presence in forests across the continent.

 

I was trying to hide in some low hanging tree branches but the Red-headed Woody  spotted me anyway .. ha

 

An unmistakable bird, the Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)  is striking at rest and in flight, showing its colors of red, black, and white. It is one of the most aggressive members of the family and one of the most omnivorous

 

 

Wild Flowers

In the early morning sunlight ….

 

 

 

 

 

The little orange flowers are “Jewel Weed” (Impatiens capensis)