This young grizzly spent time in the in the high grass while his/her companion, likely a sibling, tried to catch a salmon in the stream below. I was amazed how an 800 bear would appear and disappear just walking along in the grasses.
Still Point in a Turning World /
It is good, very good to find a place for solitude and quiet. To reflect and wonder. “You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations. Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy.” Psalm 65:7,8 NLT
Stretch /
This solo loon was calling in the twilight and there are few cooler sounds than listening to these magnificent birds from the campsite.
Discovery /
I’ve finally sussed out what I “think” this bird is… an immature Dark-eyed Junco the Slate Colored variety.
Onion Dome /
This dome is found on the circa 1900 Russian Orthodox Church in Ninilchik Alaska.
Alone /
The old tree stump on Alaska’s Kenai.
Lovely Color /
Deep on a trail in the Big Cypress in Florida we found some nice, mostly white flowers and this one that had a beautiful shade of purple.
Willie Nelson may have written... /
half his songs, like “Whisky River,” in a place like this.
Perspective /
This is a huge mountain and a slightly different view that one I posted several months ago. Denali is the highest mountain in North America. From this vantage point I am 41 miles from the mountain. It overwhelms the other peaks near to it.
“For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. 4He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains.” Psalm 95: 3,4 NLT
Island King /
buit a rather small kingdom.
Not Yet /
I keep trying for better photos at the Wright Brothers Memorial at the OBX. Each time I’m there the weather is rather bland or rainy.. Still keep trying and one of these days I’ll get a photo I really like. The benefit of this is opportunity to visit a really neat place.
Up Close /
Once you land at the Dry Tortuga’s you cross the tiny strip of sand where the plane is moored and approach the entrance to Fort Jefferson. The fort covers over 90% of the island and is constructed of 18 million bricks. There is a small adjacent isle that is connected at low tide. There is a third one that extends a bit further toward the mainland that is a roosting place for Magnificent Frigatebirds. This is the most northerly locale for these amazing birds.
Approach /
Our seaplane banks over the Dry Tortuga and Fort Jefferson.
Bonus Bird /
Or if you are a strict literalist - the last of the bird week VIII (and you know who you are!) This is an interesting shot of a Little Green Heron from over head as he sat motionless waiting for an unsuspecting guest for his dinner party. This angle provides a neat perspective on the color and pattern of this bird.
Terrible Twos /
This mom is shepherding her pair of two-year olds on a salmon hunt. Lots of fun to watch. They were interrupted by a wolf and after chasing him away are returning to the stream from the ocean side of the dunes. Katmai National Park, Alaska. We are about 25 yards away.
Worthy /
This monument to Clara Barton is on the site of the notorious Andersonville prison.
Clara Barto,n who founded the International Red Cross, also organized an office dedicated to finding missing soldiers after the Civil War. Barton personally spent the summer of 1865 helping find, identify, and properly bury 13,000 individuals who died in the Andersonville prison camp, a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp in Georgia. She and the man, a prisoner who wrote down the name, date of death and unit of each of the more than 13,000 who died here, worked just after the camp was closed. So today there are rows of tombstones with names on them rather than the usual for a Civil War cemetery of “Unknown Soldier.”
“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him.
Bird Week VIII: Divers, Dive-Ins and Diners - Patience /
I watched this Trip-colored Heron make the same move, miss and return to his perch at the water’s edge for 15 or 20 minutes. After many attempts he emerged with this small tidbit.
Bird Week VIII: Divers, Dive-Ins and Diners - Rare /
I have tried often and rarely been able to photograph the frenetic Belted Kingfisher. It flits and darts and dives and rarely rests. This one had just scooped up a frog and was sitting in a tree, partially hidden, to eat his lunch. That I was able to get a semi-decent photo pleased me as much as the frog legs (and more) must have pleased him.
If you are going out tonight to celebrate Valentines Day at a fancy French restaurant with frog legs on the menu, my apology. But Happy Valentines Day anyway.
Bird Week VIII: Divers, Dive-Ins and Diners - Speared (two photos) /
This bird, an Anhinga, is an accoplished swimmer and spears its prey. This fish was rather large and it was fascinating to watch the bird loose the fish from its beak without losing it back into the water. Then it swallows the fish whole, head first, while pointing its beak straight up. We watched the whole process that took at least 10 minutes.
Bird Week VIII: Divers, Dive-Ins and Diners - Silt Sifter /
The Rosette Spoonbill is a gorgeous, bright-hued bird with a comical bill. The tip is round and perfect for its feeding technique of sliding the bill side to side in the silt while wading near the shores of lakes and streams. It is a breeding bird of coastal Florida and occasionally north to South Carolina. Another morning specimen found at Everglades National Park where he must have just arrived from a long overnight flight:)
