I had a wildlife-filled day yesterday. (Not human wildlife -- I mean animals!)
In the morning my stepsister and I took care of some banking errands, and then I had the whole day to kill while she was at work. I went back to my family's property and took photos of some of the zebra longwing butterflies that hover around the bushes by my stepmother's house. I have no idea why the butterflies are attached to these azaleas, because there are no flowers on them at this time of year -- and perhaps that's why they just kept flying, and flying, and flying. They would not settle for a photo! Fortunately I managed to catch a few in mid-air, after about a thousand attempts.
Then I decided to drive over to the Violet Cury Nature Preserve, where I've been a couple of times before. (About ten years ago I was almost struck by lightning there! Well, not really, but I was afraid I would be.)
Right after I entered the park, this huge cicada flew past me and perched on a low branch. I always hear cicadas but I seldom see them alive, so this was pretty cool.
Of course there were squirrels. (I thought of Bailey, who is apparently doing fine in my absence and in fact doesn't seem to miss me at all.)
I terrified this poor ground beetle, trying to take its picture at just the right angle. If beetles are capable of feeling relief, it was relieved when I departed.
There was a wizened-looking gopher tortoise. They always seem like such unlikely creatures.
And there were lots of birds, including a blue-gray gnatcatcher...
...a red-bellied woodpecker...
...and a Carolina wren.
All in all, a good day out and not too hot!
Today I'm driving down to Anna Maria to see my college friend Sue. Coming to you tomorrow from the beach! (Yes, I brought sunscreen.)
Nice to see a Reed blogpost in which God's living creatures are the stars and not blinking plants as usual! Is Anna Maria a place or a woman?
ReplyDeleteA pretty day for a nice walk.
ReplyDeleteNice photos! The cicada sure is a complex looking creature.
ReplyDeleteChanneling Attenborough today. I'm glad there's still plenty of wildlife.
ReplyDeleteLove your description of the tortoise as an unlikely creature - they really are!
ReplyDeleteI was aping Attenborough as I scrolled through your photos!
ReplyDeleteThanks for that beautiful outing , wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrific day! You had some wonderful sightings. How do you tell if a beetle is terrified?
ReplyDeleteYou got some great shots, Steve. I bet you're loving that new camera.
ReplyDeleteI love gopher tortoises. They always look so pissed off. I feel like something ancient is still among us when I see them.
Have a great time at Anna Maria. Doesn't Steven King have a home down there somewhere?
Your pictures bug me! 🤣 (well...not the bird ones...)
ReplyDeleteThat gnatcatcher is a sweet little bird. I saved the picture for inspiration.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos of all the creatures you found. A cicada attached itself to my screen door on the balcony and died there. Cicadas are rare here in the desert but we do see a few. I was very surprised to see that one.
ReplyDeleteThe nature reserve sounds like a great place for walking and photojournalism. Your pictures are outstanding. The woodpecker is striking and the wren and blue-gray gnatcatcher are gentle soft colored little birds. Nice shots. Each bird posed nicely on their branch or tree of choice.
ReplyDeletegood to see all that wildlife..nice shots too, you're getting used to your new camera well
ReplyDeleteGreat photos of familiar things! I've had a fascination with cicadas since I was a child. Hearing them (the annuals) is a comfort sound for me. Three birds I hear frequently, too!
ReplyDeleteLovely! Cicadas are so fascinating to me. I think the first time I encountered them was at our apartment in Ohio - we were having one of those cicada events & they were EVERYWHERE!
ReplyDeleteI thought cicadas are green. That's a nice collection of wildlife photos taken in one day.
ReplyDeleteButterflies re very hard to photograph. They won't sit still and pose.
ReplyDeleteI love the birds, but that cicada is nightmare inducing. I'm hoping we don't have them in Washington.
ReplyDeleteNice photos! Have a good time...
ReplyDeleteGreat photos, Steve! Thanks for bringing us along.
ReplyDeleteChris from Boise
Great wildlife photos.
ReplyDeleteGlorious! Great photos.
ReplyDeleteI think pet dogs are quite trusting. They just know you are coming back eventually so don't get too worked up about your absence.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE tortoises 💚 I had one when I was a child.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great photo outing, Rob. The gnatcatcher and the woodpecker were wonderful captures perhaps with your new camera equipment.
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