Christmas 2008 For the Birds part 3

Just off the east side of the Bay Bridge (which crosses the Chesapeake Bay) is Kent Island. Here we saw 2 swans feeding.

Christmas 2008 For the Birds part 2

In a runoff pod i spied this great blue heron......just wandering around.
Then he did as herons do...he started to catch fish!

Christmas 2008 for the birds!

(bottom) As we drove down the road to get gas on our way to meet 2 of my children for Christmas lunch, we found these 4 Bald Eagles sittings around. One had a kill, the other 3 wanted it.

(the picture in the middle) Two ofthe eagles take wing...they sparred for a moment trying to gain rights to the kill.

(Top picture) One lone eagle flies into the trees with the kill!

A Break in the Storm

Today during a break in the storm we went back to the beach. The waves were not as high as I would have expected, but this break jetty offered some interesting shots

Firethorn

"November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring."

- Clyde Watson

The plant in the picture is Firethorn - Pyracantha coccinea - the berries are a wonderful food for birds and small mammels through the winter. The thorns provide great protected habitates.

Autumn Leaves

"How silently they tumble down

And come to rest upon the ground

To lay a carpet, rich and rare,

Beneath the trees without a care,

Content to sleep, their work well done,

Colors gleaming in the sun.

At other times, they wildly fly

Until they nearly reach the sky.

Twisting, turning through the air

Till all the trees stand stark and bare.

Exhausted, drop to earth below

To wait, like children, for the snow."

- Elsie N. Brady, Leaves

"Dull November brings the blast,

Then the leaves are whirling fast."

- Sara Coleridge

Autumn

"When the trees their summer splendor

Change to raiment red and gold,

When the summer moon turns mellow,

And the nights are getting cold;

When the squirrels hide their acorns,

And the woodchucks disappear;

Then we know that it is autumn,

Loveliest season of the year."

- Carol L. Riser, Autumn

The Change Begins

And fall slowly sneaks up on us....sending the beginnings of the cold tendrils of winter down our collars and whistling around the corners.

A Bird in The Bush

This little guy couldn't resist posing

Wild Turkeys

Look who I found strolling around recently. A whole flock of young wild turkeys!

Mums

Chrysanthermums are some of the most prolific fall bloomers. Aren't they colorful?

Fairy Village

Look closely now, you just might see a fairy peeking out!

A Day After Hurricane Hannah

Here are a few shots of the Atlantic Ocean the day after Hurricane Hannah blew through. I was disappointed that the wave activity was so low. The rip tides on the other hand, were deadly!

These pictures were taken off of Rehobeth Beach, Delaware

Milkweed Seed Fluff

It may seem silly to some, but until this year, I have always missed this stage of the milkweed! I made a point of looking, and looking for it this year.

The seeds have little threadlike fiber attached to help in wind dispersal. The fiber used to be collected and used to stuff things like life jackets.

If you feel it, it is so silky! soft, almost sensuous in the feel of it!

The Black and Yellow Garden Spider

This spider greeted me along a roadside....I say greeted because she was 2 - 21/2 inches long!
She was huge, her body was soft and her legs were long. I almost ran into her, so I wonder if she is poisonous???

Update: I have been informed by a friend that this is called the Golden Orb Spider, and she is NOT poisonous. Thanks for the help!

The Osprey

The Osprey, nicknamed the sea eagle, perched on a dead pine with his daily catch in his talons and taking flight.

Sooooo Pretty

To pretty for words

The Painted Desert

The Painted Desert is in Arizona west of Monument Valley and east of the Grand Canyon......it is so beautiful!

Monument Rocks

After a long, dusty drive down a dirt road in the middle of the plains is Monument Rock National Park. The only thing to note that you have arrived at the right place is a small sign and the Rocks, which stick way above everything else around them.

In the days of the wagon trains with their conastogas, this was a way stop....it was a major achievment to reach this point. As we looked around we were baffled by this choice.....was it only because it couldn't be missed? Because we saw no water in the immediate vicinity!

Dandelions

The dandelion...the scourge of the well kept grass lawn. You can dig it out, but leave a thread of root behind and it comes right back!

Persistant, and useful as well, it is a mild diuretic, makes a great addition to a salad (picked young), and a fanciful wine!