12-25-2012

 

 

 

 

 

12-24-2012

 

12-23-2012

 

 

 

10-27-2012 Frosty mornings

 

I was up early this AM.

 Coffee brewing smell does that to me sometimes.

Picked up the old canon and went outside.

 The man in the moon was snoozing.

 The air was crystal. Temperature low to mid--30s

 

 

The Top of the hill held a spectacular morning view.

 

The vista at the pond wasn't too bad either

 

If you look close, you can see the ice crystals.

Yea, I laid down on the ground for this shot

 

 

As the sun rose, so did the mist.

This a close up of a couple old broke pilings from days gone by.

 

This little bird didn't care if his picture was

being taken. He was after that bug.

 

 

 

 A Downy working over the twig like it was

a milkshake made with blue bell ice cream

 

Some kinda Grebe , I think.. Maybe you know.

I know he is sorta ambitious. That is more than a mouthful of fish.

I apologize for the lack of quality in the pic. He was on the far side of the pond .

 

 

Next in a long sequence of beating  that fish into submission.

 I think it took the bird maybe 5~6 minutes to get the

 fish positioned to swallow.

Unfortunately I didn't see the fish being caught

 

Bottoms up!

 

Waal, its not as dramatic as the alligator crunching the turtle,

 but I didn't know these quiet little unassuming duck like birds ate fish.

  

 These two waiting food.

 



 

Later in the day down closer to the river, these birds were out socializing.

Full Moon On the Sabine

Saturday Morning, 0530 found me waking to a full moon. I was pretty sure all the animals would be out and about. I was looking forward to a full day and a full flash card on the canon.
I wasn't disappointed. As I got my camera gear and mosquito food (me) ready for a walk, the local Red tail hawk felt it was necessary to tell everyone I was there. That Red Tailed Hawk roosts well below the canopy of trees that cover the old railroad bed. He started his whistling as soon as I went through the gate.

The volunteers at this refuge work really hard to make it a great experience for all.  It looks as though they may be getting ready for another water feature. The observation deck has been erected and will be enjoyed by all.

I'll share a few shots with you. I usually hike past the new bridge that was recently installed towards the river. Initially I referred to it as the wandering bridge. I think it has found a home for a long time.

Mornings on the Sabine are always beautiful.

I can never walk past a posing dragon fly

 

It is a little hazy this AM, but not bad.

One of the crossings that I look at every time I pass this way was really busy with indigenous creatures as well as visitors.

A resident of the park later in the day

 

 

 

carry out.....doggie bag.....

A member of the Heron Family. Saturday morning I was set to take more pictures of one of the gators eating another turtle. I was not prepared  to see the gator eat one of the resident herons. Sorry, no pictures. I was not fast enough. The heron was on same limb as this one Saturday. I also went back Sunday in hopes of catching a repeat breakfast selection. Sunday morning was a bit different. The gator spent his time watching me watch him.

 

 

 Perch for bk'fast hmmmm!

 

 

 

 

I guess all the Lilly pads were taken

A Humming bird in the wild is pretty hard to catch setting down

I'll try to post more this week