MOURNING DOVES bring back memories. Was born and raised on a hilly farm in southern Indiana, life was good, but harsh. Remember setting on the front porch with my Grandmother , after supper, she said "Listen to the Rain crows" will rain soon !!. Our heritage is German, don't know if this a German name for doves. Back then, some 70 years ago, it was a rarity to see doves. As I write this blog ,there is 10 feeding outside my window. Thought for the day....Have a good 2009 and may all people find peace.

Red Fox on early morning hunt....Once or twice a year I see a quick glimpse of what I think is a fox. The remote camera caught this one several times in the last 2 weeks. Usually at the edge of the pic or out of flash range, resulting in very low quality. So ,why not bait in the right area, whatever it takes to get the pic.

BLUE JAYS in an ice storm. Interesting to look at the feather structure under unusually conditions. Note the head-on shot of the 1st. pic exhibits a different feather pattern than usual. Maybe to retain warmth.

Images from remote camera in shade garden. Wild turkeys scratch for food after a dusting of snow. Deer forages for food during an early morning morning snowstorm. Flash highlites the snow flakes.

SHADE GARDENS attracts a lot of wildlife. Started to clean out about 3/4 acre, of a southern exposure hillside,several years ago to create a shade garden. My idea was to plant shade-loving flowering plants, however the deer started to use it for a food plot. So I just planted it in grasses and mow it every month. I left 3- 50 foot circles of original brush as animal and bird habitat. Recently the wild turkeys seem to like this area . Have mounted the wild game camera in this area for the winter. The area contains a lot of small trees, white ash, white oak, red oak popular ,elm ,black walnut,red cedar ,red bud ,native flowering dogwood ,persimmon ,catalpa and black cherry. This blend give a lot texture and color thru the spring and fall. Note the black camera on the foreground tree.

White-breasted Nuthatch is a small song bird of the nuthatch/creeper family. It is a stocky bird, with a large head, short tail, powerful bill and strong feet. Seeds form a substantial part of its winter diet, thus it is a frequent visitor to my feeder. Nuthatches talk a lot,a sort of grunting chatter. I photograph from a blind about 7 feet away ,and even with my bad hearing I can still hear the chatter. Has a tendency to go down a tree head first.

Red-bellied Woodpecker ready to leave it's perch. A medium sized woodpecker of the Picidae family. We have a nesting pair,has raised an offspring this year. Its name is somewhat misleading, as the most prominent red part of its plumage is on its head, with a tinge of red on its belly. This a male (with red from beak to the nape) , they are very noisy and have a tendency to take feed from the feeder and store it in the bark crevices of near by trees. Many hours can be spent watch ing this bird.

Coyote working 3rd shift....Have not seen a coyote in our meadow for 2 yrs. Just purchased a wild game camera ,as an extension to my wildlife photography. The game cameras are usually strapped to a tree in a remote area to monitor animal or wildlife behavior.The IR beam senses motion and /or body temperature that triggers the shutter,thus 7/24 observation. This photo was taken at 3:53 am; 10 minutes before, a raccoon was recorded in the same place. 10-06-2008

Feeding Wild Tom Turkeys .... Several months ago ,I noticed 5 male turkeys were hanging around my meadow area. One day I had some stale bread, so I took it out side for wildlife feed, the 5 turkeys were hanging around ,so I sailed the bread toward them,they came running to eat it. Next I put shelled corn in a plastic bucket, shook it around to make noise, an they came running.Recently I saw a flock of turkeys in the same area ,got my corn and plastic bucket ,shook it and they flew away,WRONG TURKEYS. Pics show how close they get and size of them,note the beards.( feathers protruding from the middle of chest)

NORTHERN CARDINAL with bad hair day. Was photographing song birds today, when this cardinal came by to have a snack, the wind was gusting to 18-20mph,turning his head ,the wind caught his top-knot ,standing it straight up. For the next hour,I did not see this happen again,thus it must be uncomfortable to them. Anyway, I find this interesting.

Canada Geese on Byrd's Lake,Tenn. Photographing Canada Geese is an easy and common subject. They are quite tame in most areas and are looking for easy food supply. When I was a kid (a long time ago) the only Canada geese we saw was the migration "V" and the honking going over head in the fall and spring. While at Bryd's lake the foliage was showing a lot oranges and reds,I noticed the reflections in the water,so I tried to call the geese into the reflected area,and it worked.However, the secondary gooses head was hid behind the foregound goose,at the last moment the secondary goose turned it's head and this composition occured. Maybe a combination of luck and talent

Bridge /Dam at Cumberland Mountain State Park.

A project of the Company 3464 of the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) built from 1935 to 1938. The dam created Byrd's Lake as the parks central focus. The 347-foot long dam proved to be the largest masonry structure constructed by the CCC in the entire nation. Near Crossville,Tenn

Annual visit to FAIRFIELD GLADE ,Tenn.

Photo of one of many lakes on the property. We go down every year in the fall, just to get away. The GLADE is on a large plateau in the Cumberland Mountains , a place were every thing slows down.Nobody is in a hurry; near Crossville,Tenn.

TRUMPETER SWAN at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary .Similar to the Whistling Swan, America's common native swan. Wing spread 6 to 7 feet. Photo shows the gracefulness of these large birds. This bird kept putting its bill in the water ,scooping up something,aquatic material or maybe it was thirsty. Note the drops of water coming off the bill.

RED -TAILED Hawk photographed at Kellogg. Red tail colour show when the hawk is soaring. Range: Alaska,Canada,to Panama . Habitat:Open country, woodlands, paririe groves, mountains, plains. This bird was caged,the wire was digitally removed.

GREAT HORNED OWLS at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary. A large owl with ear tufts or horns. I assume this pair to be parent and offspring. Several forms of this owl ,this is typical, also a subarctic (lighter colored) form. Note the yellow eyes.

BARRED OWL photographed at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary . Only owl to have brown eyes except for the Barn Owl. Range ;Canada to Honduras Habitat ; Woodlands,wooded river bottoms, wooded swamps.

Mature BLACK SWANS at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary. Black swans are mostly black feathered with a line of white flight feathers . Cobs (males) are larger than pens( females) with a longer and straighter bill. The bill is bright red, with a pale bar and tip.The neck is long and curves in an "S". Wingspan ; 5 to 6.5 ft. ;Weight 8 to 20 lbs.;Length 40 to 55 inches. Native of Australia. First photo ; swan on land really looks awkward but a beautiful bird. Second photo, swan on water in an aggressive position. This bird charged us, standing on a small walkway bridge for about 20 minutes. It would bite our shoe toes, time after time,swimming away then returning at full swimming speed. Note the neck feathers standing on end.

BLACK SWAN CYGNETS at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary. Generally, black swans nest in the wetter winter months(Feb. to Sept.) native to Australia and adjacent coastal islands. A clutch contains 4to8 greenish-white eggs ,incubated for about 35 to40 days. After hatching, the cygnets are tended to by the parents for about 6 months ,until fledging.....REF..Wikipedia..Black Swan

Tundra Swan (Bewick's race) photographed at Kellogg Sanctuary in Michigan. Found it interesting as to the structure of the bill. Must be a very interesting reason for all the contours and ridges.

Kellogg Bird Sanctuary a part of the Kellogg Biological Station (given to Michigan State University 1951) is one of my favorite places to observe and photograph birds. Photo shows Wintergreen Lake (40 acres and 20 feet deep) and some of its residents,most waterfowl is free to come and go. Check it out at birdsanctury@kbs.msu.edu

Miniature Wood Duck carving by the author. Many years ago,I did a lot of wood carving ,last year I planned to do a set of 12 duck species carvings in miniature. (3 to 5 inches long ). Somehow I lost interest ,but since the winter months are approaching ,hopefully the interest will return. Posting of this practice piece should be encouragement,well,at least the colours all seem to match.

Quote for the day.....All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered ; the point is to discover them .-- Galileo Galilei

Blue mist bluebeard shrub is a breath of fresh air when the mid-summer garden starts to look tired. This lightly fragrant plant, produces flowers to frost. Very hot summers and very cold winters are not good for longevity,however these plants are easily started from cuttings. The photo is my first year planting. Quote for the day.....Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind,it doesn't matter----- Mark Twain

Red-crowned Crane...Cincinnati Zoo. The red-crowned crane symbolizes good luck and long life in Asian culture, yet it is the second rarest crane in the world .It's critical habitat is threaten by industrialization and population increases.( IUCN -Endangered ). Life span ....25+ yrs....Habitat...wetlands...Wingspan..7 to 8 ft....Height..5 ft...Weight... !5 to 22 lbs. Diet.. aquatic animals and plants...Mate for life. Quote for Day...A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues.--Cicero,from De Amicitia

Macro-photograph of grass seed with insect eggs attached. Also find small insect down from the eggs.

Rose of Sharon petal,showing structure and texture. Quote for the day......Minds, like parachutes, only function when they are open--Anonymous

Update on Nightbooming Cereus....Just aborted it's bud.....Bummmer!!!!! Quote for the day.....You can't depend on your judgment when your imagination is out of focus--Mark Twain

Nightblooming cereus bud is starting to develop. Had this plant for about 30 years, bloomed several times,last time 7 years ago. Cereus is a genius of plants of Cactus family,Southwestern U.S ,Mexico and South America .Leaves are thick and rubbery,heavy veined. The veins, at edge of leaf, produces new growth,sometimes it produces a flower bud.

Cloud Formation coming from North to South, cold front moving in,good sun bounce at sunset. August 07, 2008 at 8:39pm. f4.0 at 1/160sec., Iso 100 ;35mm Focal length 144. Love to watch clouds!!!!

GOLDENRAIN TREE is a species of KOEREUTENIA native to eastern Asia,in China and Korea. My tree has survived cicadas, whitetail fawns and its last tragedy was a high wind that split it in half.(taped it back together with duct tape) and it bloomed for the first time this year. The photo shows the fruits that form after the yellow flowers. P.S. 73 years ago today,in a thunder storm,in an old farm house, the author came into this world. Life is good.

Cockatoos have a much more restricted range than parrots,occurring naturally only in Australia and nearby islands. Have characteristic curved beak and a zygodactyl foot (two toes forward and two toes backward). This one, at the CINCINNATI Zoo, moved around on his tree perch like a clown, first ,using it's beak then it's feet. Like the way its looking at the camera. What's it thinking?????

Steller's Sea Eagle...breeding range:Northeast Russia, winter range Korea,Japan and Alaska. It's favorite prey,the salmon has an extremely tough skin for which the eagle is equipped with a specialized hatchet-like beak. Weighing up to 20 lbs.;length 3.5 to 4.0 feet; wingspan 7.5 to 8.0 feet. Cincinnati Zoo,Cincinnati,Ohio

Styan's Red Pandas is the first in a series of animal exchanges between the People's Republic of China and the Cincinnati Zoo. Red Pandas are classified as endangered. Red Pandas eats mostly bamboo, they are excellent climbers and forage largely in trees. Red Pandas are hunted illegally in Asia for their fur. ( Ref.....Wikipeda)

Sumatran Rhinoceros feeding calf (born April 2007) at the Cincinnati Zoo, both covered with mud.The world's most endangered rhino,it suffers from deforestation and poaching for its horn. In 2001,the Cincinnati Zoo breed and had born a Sumatran Rhino calf in captivity,the first in 100 years. Calf is said to weigh over 400 lbs.

This time of year , bucks seem to pair off and hang out together. Later they will compete for breeding status. Since I see bucks from year to year, have noticed that some of the 2nd and 3rd year buck have similar rack shapes. Also since we are in a limited hunting area,I saw these two, last year ,doing similar things, however the racks have more points this year. 7-23-2008

Zebra Swallowtail.....an eastern species more common in the South, varies in marking and size. Spring forms are smallest; later broods larger and longer tails. Larva feeds on pawpaw.( Ref..Butterflies and Moths..Golden nature series 1964) Saw this one drying under a Eastern Red Cedar.

When you see a flash of color, as a hummingbird zooms past it seems to be a color flash from the human eyes. As I looked at this photo,some dark colors but some very vivid,I had forgotten the reason for this, so I did some research.Most birds attribute their color to pigmentation,but the hummingbird is said to have special cells within the top layer of the feathers. These cells diffract the light into different wavelengths(i.e. producing different colors),depending on the viewing angle, only specific colors,at that angle, are seen by the human eye.Guess I have a lot more questions as to why this specie of bird was made this way? Nature is fascinating!!!!!!

It has been said "A picture is worth a thousand words", this is just summertime beauty.

Like to photograph a variety of subjects,the Bullfrog was well hidden and hard to see in the water. The light colored butterfly in geranium flower also is partial hidden. Don't know specie of butterfly,we used to call them Cabbage butterflies ,back on the farm.

Went to Oliver Winery, Bloomington, In. not only do they have excellant wine but the grounds and landscaping is wonderful. Hugh waterfalls and flowering plants.

Portrait of a Whitetail fawn....don't need to say much more.

A bee finds lunch on this beautiful flower I bought this year.( Prairie Sun Rudbeckia)

Small female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird with a pleasant look is intrested in the camera

Carving in the TULUM MAYA RUINS, at the Facade of the TEMPLE of FRESCOES. Image of the Descending God ,feet up ,head down, guide said it indicates birth.