More Critters

I had planned to link yesterday's post to Saturday's Critters and The Bird D'Pot but will link today's instead.  For anyone interested in a Tupper (seagull) update, perhaps you could check out the post just before this one.  If you are short of time, the good news is that she was doing just fine as of yesterday though I didn't manage to get photos of her.

We rode our bikes to Lost Lagoon yesterday and walked with Black Jack around the pond.  Geese, pigeons, racoons and ducks were the main sightings of the day.  You could say they were of the ordinary variety, but I never seem to feel they are ordinary at all.

 

 We enjoyed the reflections,

 a lone seagull spotted wa-a-ay at the top of this very tall tree by Bill,

 some lovely Wood Ducks,

 and mallards..

 flying wherever they go as the sun falls.  

 There were four young ones, still with stubby wings, lined up close to the shore.  One of them..  there's always one..  declined the opportunity for a portrait shot :)

 Black Jack loves this walk and checked out pretty well every square inch available to her.  Bill was ever patient, giving her as much freedom to explore as he could, though keeping her and the resident critters safe meant reining her in at times.

 Invasive English Ivy has been a problem for a long time, and we were interested to see a new tactic is in the works after failed efforts to control it.  I'm sorry I only took a picture of the sign and not of the "bionetting" but will check this out more carefully on our next walk.

I was pretty happy with this dragon fly shot.  Getting them in the air has been a challenge all summer.  This one hovered long enough for my camera to finally get a focus. 

 Whether people or critters, it is always the story that intrigues me.  Bill spotted these roses..

in a tree hollow.  They seemed to have been there for quite a while.  I would so love to know who put them there and what memory was represented by their presence.

Though I love the bird memes, I hesitate to contribute as our rare sighting are zero to none this summer.  Even the Bush Tits, present in huge numbers, seem to evade my camera..

 most of the time.  Yesterday, they flitted about at the top of the tallest trees.  These two shots were the best I could manage.

I could resist taking photos of this swan yesterday.  (I don't take them normally because I disagree with the cruel practice of  pinioning.) This swan came close to shore and then plunged its face into the water..  quite an impression was made.

 Reflection shapes of their..

graceful necks are always different and often mesmerizing.

There are several beautiful Weeping Willows around the lagoon.  Bill and I always feel something special about their presence.  Yesterday, Bill told me a story about swinging from willow branches when he was a young boy.  I loved the story and with an intense sun coming through the branches, had a failed idea for a little photo shoot.

I wanted Bill to step behind the tree that you see above, and then peer out over the water's edge.  The willow branches would be draped behind him, with sunlight casting gorgeous light over all.  I stepped down to the spot to show Bill where I wanted him to go but my foot hit a soft patch of earth and almost ended up in the lagoon.  Phew!  So glad I tried this first :)  I never did get the imagined shot, but I did discover many spiders during my up close and personal grab onto the tree to avoid falling.  I'll call them Daddy Longlegs, though I'm not sure that's correct.  They were all over the tree.  I managed with my big lens to get one of them sort of in focus here.  

 Bill, bless his dear sweet heart, waited with Black Jack, not only while I stumbled around the edge of the lagoon trying to get the spider shot, but then waited some more while I tried to take this photo of him.  Too dark, change the setting, too light, try again..  and he stood, features frozen, with nary a word of rebuke.  As for Black Jack, she watched with a certain amount of curiosity, but was mostly just content to be in his arms.  I love this shot of the two of them for the memories they evoke and because they make me laugh at myself :) 

 Bill called my attention to the eyes below.  They qualify as a critter sighting, don't you think?

 As the sun dropped behind the fountain, I tried again for artsy shots.  They too, were not quite as I hoped they would be, but here's a sample of my efforts.

I conclude with three cormorants flying determinedly to wherever they spend the night.  My fervent thanks go to Bill and Black Jack for making the day fun, to each one of you for stopping by, and to Eileen and Anni for encouraging us to share our critters.  Have a very happy Saturday!