Peaceful Paddle

Late one evening at the end of June, my friend Theresa and I, drove to my favorite place to kayak: Lake Martin. She was taking a lesson from Pack and Paddle, so I hitched a ride with her.

Kayaking relatively late in the evening - 5:45 to 7:45 - was a most pleasant experience. Since I was alone (Theresa was with the P&P group), I stayed in the open areas instead of paddling through the abundant cypress. Alligators were croaking, but thankfully I never saw any. Being alone and mostly floating, I was able to get pretty close to the wildlife. A great experience!

Great Egret

Charming sign in the lake. Many people hate that the lake has become so touristy,
but it doesn't bother me.

American Lotus or Yellow Lotus

Male Anhinga drying his wings.

Male Anhinga vocalizing.

Female Anhinga

Tourists

Juvenile Little Blue Heron eating grub worms from the lily pads.

Female Red-winged Blackbird trying to scare me away or warn the others.

2014 Photo Overload

Happy Monday, y'all! Here are (hopefully) the last of my 2014 photos. Hope everyone has a great week! Will be checking in during the next few days.

The Leaning Gazebo at City Park Lakes

Male Ruby-throated hummingbird
Magnolia, MS, Sept 2014

Jumping spider - my back yard
Oct 2014

Anhinga readying for take-off - Lake Martin
Oct 2014

White Pelicans - City Park Lakes
Nov 2014

Snowy egret - City Park Lakes
Nov 2014

Lord, give us this day our daily fish. Amen.

Happy birthday to my dear daddy!

Kayak Shooting

Our anniversary on Monday was absolutely glorious! When Double D suggested going kayaking, my face lit up like a Christmas tree. He also insisted I take my camera in the kayak. After giving it a lot of thought and imagining my gear hitting the water twelve ways to Sunday, I decided to trust myself. My biggest fear was a spider landing inside the kayak which would cause me to go berserk, thus overturning the kayak and everything in it. Thankfully, only a tiny, emerald green frog made its way inside. It was so cute. My lens was too big so I couldn't get a photo of the little jewel, darnit!

It's not easy to get super sharp shots from a floating vessel, but these came out pretty good.

Double D preparing to take his own shots.

Anhinga drying its wings against a wall of Spanish moss.

Double D took this picture of me taking the above photo.

I was able to get pretty close, so these next images are only slightly cropped.

Happy Halloween! Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend! Catch up with y'all later.

Jefferson Island: The End

Well, not 'the end' forever. Certainly I'll be back to Jefferson Island at some point in the near future. Right now it is just too hot and humid to survive the sub-tropical elements. These are some stragglers from my June 7th outing. Hope you enjoy and have a great week!

Cattle egret

Roseate spoonbill and female anhinga

Breeding Louisiana heron (aka tri-colored heron)

Roseate spoonbill

Breeding Louisiana heron

Cattle egret

Nesting (L-R): cattle egret, white ibis, roseate spoonbill with chicks

View of nesting area, called Rip's Rookery

Sharing with I'd Rather B Birdin', Camera Critters, and Our World Tuesday.

Lake Martin, LA

I really have a good man with which to live out my days on earth. Nearly every weekend Double D drives me to various swamps, bayous, marshes, etc. to indulge my photography habit. And since I bought him a pair of binoculars, he is becoming quite a birding enthusiast himself. He even went to a hummingbird talk with me one evening last week. What a good sport!

These are from a couple of weeks ago. I've been knee deep in ibises, pelicans, and wrens so these photos haven't had a chance to make an appearance. I think they've waited long enough.

Anhinga - Lake Martin, LA

Lest you think I take only bird photos, here are a few landscapes of Lake Martin.

Marshy swamp filled with algae

A boardwalk at Cypress Island Preserve on the south end of Lake Martin

Gimme a C!

More algae

Notice the little snake peeking from behind the sign. Didn't see that until it was on my monitor.

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Gifts of an avian nature

For the last month I have been under the spiritual direction of my 2nd cousin, Sister Cynthia, a beloved nun for over fifty years. With her encouragement I am becoming more comfortable with who I am, how I relate to God, and how God relates to me. One of the ways God and I "talk" to each other is through creation. I continue to marvel at God's handiwork!

I realize the tufted titmouse is a common sight in many areas, but we don't often see this little cutie. Score!
Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center, 1/20/13

A bright and happy cardinal
Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center, 1/20/13

Not the clearest shot, but my first ever sighting of an American Goldfinch in this area
Hilltop Arboretum, 1/17/13

Common yes, but my first sighting of a robin this year. Spring is around the corner!
Lake Martin, 1/19/13

Anhinga drying his wings at Lake Martin, 1/19/13

Mockingbird among the berries, Lake Martin, 1/19/13

And now for my exciting encounter! All the rain that I moaned and complained about resulted in something really special. The park I used to frequent as a teenager is currently under a foot of water due to all the rain. Hundreds of White Ibis made a stop-over a few days ago and they're still there. My first time ever seeing this bird in our area. Another score! A big thanks to my bff, Michelle, for scoping this out! I love you little snowflake. :) In the next few days I hope to put up more photos since I have several shots of them flying.

French Kiss texture paper

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