A Little Piece of Me: April 2010

Friday

Mr. Personality

The Mockingbirds have such personality and are so feisty!

And they have such a beautiful voice too!

Nature themed gift ideas made from my images found at: Kreations by Kerri

Thursday

This is from one of my "outings" with the macro lens. I really LOVE that lens! The Macro has shown me how lovely some not-so-lovely creatures can be. I now have a new respect for flies! Who knew they could be so colorful? I sure didn't!

Wednesday

Surviving

April 2010 - Song Sparrow with missing leg

Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.

― Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Through the Needles

I find that the female cardinals are very shy. I usually have to shoot them through the glass door or through the pine needles. I am very blessed to have a lot of pine trees for these lovely ladies to hide in.

Tuesday

A Little bit Messy

It was quite thrilling for me to get so close to this little Downy Woodpecker who is a frequent visitor to our deck. I slowly approached and he didn't seem to be bothered by me at all and continued pecking on the seed bar. As you can see, he was a bit of a messy eater and has seed all over his beak. If you look closely you can see just a bit of his tongue sticking out too. And I LOVE that little out of place feather on top of his head.

Hope you all have a Terrific Tuesday!

Monday

A Journey Of Discovery

A little water droplet on the stem of a lilac bloom.

The seeker embarks on a journey to find what he wants and discovers, along the way, what he needs.

~ Wally Lamb

Sunday

Hiding in the Bush

A white-crowned sparrow hides in the bush near my deck.

Each situation is a blossom to be picked with a curious spirit.

~ Donna Quesada

Saturday

Squirrel ~ Balancing Act

I am AMAZED at how the squirrels can balance and hold on with just their TOES

And don't they have just the cutest little faces??

Wishing you a Wonderful Day!

Nature shop ~ Kreations by Kerri

Friday

Feathers and Flower Bud

Mourning Dove posing for me on my deck :)

To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of the arts.

~Henry David Thoreau

Thursday

Let's Take Care Of Her

~For all the Green and Growing Things~

~For all the Sweet Lovelies that Fly~

~For our Children and Theirs and Future Generations~

~Let's take care of this Wonderful Planet~

Tuesday

Little Bluebird Launch

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.

~ Henry David Thoreau

Monday

Going Green

The wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sometimes you feel like a nut ....

....or two or three! The Blue Jays LOVE nuts ~ shelled or unshelled ~ any way you serve them up ~ they love them. If I buy them shelled I make sure that they are unsalted. I LOVE the beauty of their "blueness" ~ such lovely feathers. I know there are some that have found them to be very agressive. That has not been a problem at my feeders. This guy was quite a treat to watch ~ he seemed to want to gobble up as many nuts as he could.

Sunday

Reflections

This is one of the sights I see when I walk along the Gateway Trail in Blacksburg. About a 1/4 mile or so into the trail there is a bridge that crosses a stream ( possibly Tom's Creek) and this is looking to the left off of the bridge. I've seen this sight many many times yet when I took this picture it was like seeing it for the first time. Maybe it was the lighting .... maybe it was the reflection that caught my eye .... not really sure what it was ..... but I must admit that I like that feeling .....when something routine becomes new again. Yes, I like that feeling a lot!

Saturday

Along the Huckleberry Trail

Each day as a set out on my walks I ask myself "what amazing thing will I find today?" It may be at the beginning of each walk, in the middle or at the end, but I do find something amazing each time. On this day it was this Eastern Towhee. I heard him WAY before I saw him and slowly approached. He sat there and "called" for several minutes ~ I think there might have been a Mrs. Towhee near by. Sometimes all we have to do is slow down or stop .... and listen to the world around us ~ Amazing things WILL happen.

Thursday

We Remember

Today is the anniversary of a terrible day in Blacksburg history ~ Our beautiful town was shaken by the Tragedy at Virginia Tech when a lone gunman killed 32 students and faculty on April 16, 2007. My heart aches for the families and friends who lost loved ones.

Through the Cracks

You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of it's own. It's just a matter of paying attention to this miracle.

~ Paul Coelho

Wednesday

Mourning Cloak Butterfly

To me, every hour of the day and night is an unspeakably perfect miracle.
~ Walt Whitman

Tuesday

I didn't know....

....that squirrels like strawberries. I put this out to see if a bird would come by and take a bite, but the squirrel came instead. Later I had another one out and a mockingbird came by and had a bite ~ so birds will eat them too. It was quite a treat for me to watch this little guy.

Monday

Time Well Spent

I may be biased, but Blacksburg, Virginia is an absolutely beautiful area. Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall - there are always trails/greenways/parks to visit that allow for great photo ops.
It wasn't until I was 39ish that my love for nature developed. Now it seems that every chance I get, I want to be outside. And it is ALWAYS - Time Well Spent.