Along A Country Road

On May the 12th I went out hoping to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse.

I decided to go out early enough to perhaps get a few other pictures and I am so glad I did.

While slowly driving along a country road I thought I noticed geese on a field.Taking a closer look I was excited to see Sandhill Cranes.

They were quite  far away,but still I got a few pictures which I am happy with.

Of course they were not particularly interested in having their pictures taken,so they very quickly took off.I was able to snap a couple of shots of them in flight.

I then headed to  small rural park where I knew I would be undisturbed.

Well,at least by humans,I did have some birds which drew my attention.

No photos of the birds,but I loved the warm evening light on the grass and fence.

Of course,I did not get to see much of the eclipse except for the lessening of daylight while the sun was still in the sky.

Somehow I needed to get at least one picture of the sun that day.

Here I partially hid it behind these branches,turned the F-stops down to F22.This was the resulting image.

Since not much was happening here,I slowly made my way home,stopping every now and then to check for photo opportunities.

As the sun was setting this old fence caught my eye.

I was shooting almost directly into the sun,yet I liked the sparkle on the grasses and the glow in the sky.

OK,maybe I see beauty where others would not,but that is just how I am.

 I hope you enjoyed spending some time with me as we looked for photos along a country road.

I know I enjoyed having you join me.Please come again real soon.

Birds and Blossoms At The Park

I have a few more pictures to share from my recent walk in the park.

This park is quite small and is more of a playground area for children,but it has a creek running through it.

Along this creek is where I find the things which bring me happiness.

These Cherry Blossoms caught my eye.

I like how this picture turned out,with just the flowers lit up.

As I was slowly walking along waiting for anything to catch my attention,I noticed movement in a small tree.I had heard the song of the Yellow Warbler but had not been able to catch a look at him.When I finally spotted him I started shooting in hopes of getting at least one decent shot.

Look what happened just as I depressed the shutter button.

I know that I was much too far away but I am still happy with this image.

Butterflies,like this Red Admiral are more tolerant of my approach.

I don't ever get tired of seeing a brightly coloured butterfly.

Here is another picture which perhaps breaks all the rules of good photography.

The light in the background is much too bright,the bird is in the shadows and too far away,yet somehow this image has a pleasing look to me.

I guess I could have brightened the bird somewhat in Photoshop,but I didn't.

I have two reasons for sharing this image. One there is a Spotted Sandpiper on one of the stones near the waters edge and two,I love the trees reflected in the water,turning it a bright green.

I spent about two hours at this same park just this Thursday,with a friend.

We had a great time and I have more pictures to share after they have been edited.

The unfortunate fact is that as we were winding up our time there my main camera quit working.It seems that the shutter release button is broken,so off to the doctor it is for my Canon 40D.I do hope they can repair this with limited expense to me.

Thought for today:

Develop a unique style.

Guess that's what I've done with some of the above images. :)

Spring Beauty

I spent some time last week in our local park.

I was looking for new spring birds,but found much more than that.

As I was walking along at the creek edge,I was struck with the beauty of last year's rose hips and this year's new leaves on the sam plant .

The sun was shining on this plant making it light up.

Oh yes,I did find some birds. For today I will just show this one.

This Chipping Sparrow sat among the Caragana leaves looking so shy.

I thought it was really cute the way he posed for me.

Yes,I had the nerve to show a picture of the Dandelions.

They are such a complex and pretty flower.

The early morning light just adds a special beauty to all things.

This Virginia Creeper is on it's way up the tree.

Once again it was the beauty of the new leaves that really caught my attention.

 I don't know what kind of tree these were on,but I was impressed with the loveliness of this.The bright green leaves and the touch of red were begging to be photographed.

After spending some time in tune with nature I felt peace and contentment flood my soul.I walked away from here feeling very rich indeed.

Thought for today:

If you want to be rich,count all the things you have that money can't buy.

A New Friend!

On Monday,May 14,I had the special privilege of meeting a blog friend from out of province. I have a couple of blog friends who live closer to me and do meet them from time to time. I cherish each meeting and each friendship.

On Monday I had the opportunity to meet a new friend,Karin Ristau.

I had no idea what to expect,but knew from other bloggers who had met that it went very well.

Our meeting was no different.It was like we had known each other for a long time.

Conversation flowed freely and two hours passed all too quickly.

As you can see from the background,we met in a mall.It didn't really matter where we met,but I felt that we were kindred spirits.

I do not like having my picture taken,yet wanted to have this one done.

I do hope that we can meet again and also that I will have the joy of meeting more of my blogging friends.

It is amazing what the world of internet can do for us.It brings people together who otherwise would never have met.

Thanks Karin for a wonderful visit.Both my sister,who had come along with me, and I came away from this visit feeling richly blessed to have spent time together with you.

Thought for today:

I do not ask for many friends,but give me Lord,a few,

Whose loyalty and faithfulness are first of all to You.

Blue Jays Again

Before you read any further,if you don't like Blue Jays,you should go do something different than reading this post.

For those who enjoy the antics of this bird I share with you some more feeder action.

I don't think these pictures need a lot of words,so enjoy them if you will.I know I did.

Sometimes the only way to get what you want is to do a head stand.

I do have many more images similar to these,but because I would like to keep at least most of my followers,I will refrain from posting them right now.

I may however throw in a picture or two as I go along.

Thought for today:

Friendship is something you consider for a moment but cherish for eternity.

Tim Traynor

Photography Course Offer

To all my blogging friends I have a link for you to look at.

 Have you ever wanted to learn how to better use that camera,well here is a source where you can learn from the comforts of your own home.

I will admit that I may be just a little biased,but I do know that the information you will learn here is from some great instructors.

Visit this link and sign up for a unique experience: www.photographybasicsandbeyond.com

Photography Basics & Beyond is offering a seminar running Sunday June 3 at 2:00pm CDT / 1:00pm MDT.

Regular price is 99.00 use coupon code: camera60 to save 60% (39.60) for a limited time.  Space is limited.

These guys have taught this same course to numerous people in person and now are expanding to offering it on the web.

I hope that some of you will find this to be just what you have been looking for.

The Bird Feeder

Today I have some news that to me is exciting.

I received a unique bird feeder for Christmas and it has only taken the Blue Jays 6 months to feed from it.

I was very excited when I saw this bird picking at the  peanuts.

I had seen a few Woodpeckers at the peanuts,but really wanted the Blue Jays to find them.

Thankfully,I was sitting on the deck,camera in hand when it happened.

The red feeder and the Blue Jay make a lovely contrast.The added sunshine made for some good photography.

Persistence pays.

He had to work fairly hard to get a nut out of it,but finally succeeded.

When I had restocked this feeder,they quickly figured out how to get the peanuts out of it.

When there was a lull in the bird activity I turned my attention to the new leaves,just pushing their way out.I love how all that new growth looks.

These leaves are on the Silver Maple tree standing in the middle of my yard.

A variety of birds have been visiting my rock feeder.

The Grackle is another bird which I have failed to get a decent picture of,until now.

I love how the sunlight shows all the beautiful colours of this bird.

A few days ago,I stepped out on the deck early in the morning.I was struck by the patterns in the clouds.

The dark clouds were like strands of fibbers across the sky.

Thought for today,has no connection to the pictures,but I like it:

Forget the past and future and dwell wholly on today,

For God controls the future and He will direct our way.

Birds On My Yard

May 1 already! 

Today I have pictures of a few birds seen on my yard recently.

I will start with the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.I had several of these birds around for a few days,but they liked to hide in the branches of this tree.

This was unfortunately the best picture I could get,but it shows the bird in its natural environment. They like to drill rows of holes on the tree trunks and then feed on the sap which collects in these small wells.

Talking of having a bird which is almost impossible to photograph.The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is just such a bird.Can you see him there among all the branches.If you look closely you can see that little touch of red on his crown.These birds are almost constantly in motion so I was happy to get a picture like this.

More common and more relaxed is the House Finch. I love the bright colour of the male in spring.I have these birds on the yard all year,but in spring the males really show their colours well.This one was making his way down to the feeder on the deck.

A closely related bird is the Purple Finch.I read once that it looks like this bird was dipped in red wine. This helps me to see the difference between the Purple and the House Finch.I love the the song these birds have as well.It is a treat to sit and listen to the singing at this time of year.

Finally,not a bird,but a pretty Pansy.No these are not growing in my garden,but I treated myself to a basket of these flowers recently. I have them on my deck and enjoy the bright faces of these flowers each time I step out of the house.With a few raindrops,they look extra pretty.

I love watching all the bird activity on my small yard.Their songs stream from the nearby trees,filling the air with music.

Thought for today:

Time is not measured by the years that you live,

But by the deeds that you do and the joy that you give.