Photos under the Sun

Southwest Florida Pet and Wildlife Photography

Monthly Archives: August 2009

Neptune the Osprey States His Case.

Saturday, August 29, 2009 Posted in Wildlife

Ms P. told me to go and introduce myself because she’s busy right now (between you and me, she’s bein’ doing too much twittering, wink, wink!). Actually, you met me some time back since I’m Juno the Osprey’s big brother and I was the one who got the shock of my life when Ms P. showed up on a bad hair day. For her, not me! Oh, yes, my name is Neptune, Goodall, Gore, Carson, Thoreau, Muir, Suzuki or Neptune the Osprey for short. Well, I just wanted to clear up some misunderstandings with Maya the Great Egret and I’m in a hurry because the pelicans are guzzling up all the fish out there!

[caption id="attachment_1093" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Does this ring a bell?""]

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First off, I AM Maya’s friend. I love her almost as much as I love my sister Juno but sometimes, these young ones get things muddled in their over-active minds, if you get my drift. But today, I want to dissolve the idea that ospreys are greedy. Greedy? GREEDY? GREEDY? Waille, lemme tell ya , Missy Maya, there are others out there far, far, far, far, more greedy than us! I could tell ya about the pelicans for one—they’re everywhere ya turn, gliding, splashing and diving! And please– have ya seen the pouches on them? They pack away a whole trawler in five seconds! But that’s a story for another time.

I’m going to tell you about my Buddy RV the Reddish Egret and the encounter he had with a pair of seagulls. No, he’s not named RV for the gas guzzler but for the Latin lover, Rudolph Valentino. Some say he’s the Johnny Depp of the barrier islands and others call him Mr. Makesmedroolsobad . Yeah, he’s that good-looking:

RV-1

Whatever, he’s my good buddy RV and here’s his story. One day, in Ding Darling he was minding his own business being happy with his shrimp-catching when:

[caption id="attachment_1095" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Whoop! Dinnint know shrimp was on the menu.""] "Whoop! Dinnint know shrip was on the menu."

"Whoop! Dinnint know shrip was on the menu."

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1096" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Go git yer own. I'm not sharing!""] "Go git yer own. I'm not sharing!"

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1097" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Ah, RV, c'mon!""]

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1098" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""What jest heppened here???? Did he jest .. did he ... wha'..""]

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1099" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Gulp!!!! Yeah, he did. Guess I'll hafta git another.""] "Gulp!!!! Yeah, he did. Guess I'll hafta git another."

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1100" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Yum, che buono, delizioso, even better than the first one.""]

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1101" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Wha' WHA'... is he for real? Back again? "] "Wha' WHA'... is he for real? Back again?

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1103" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Back off, back off, yer not gittin' this one.""]

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1104" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Aw, RV c'mon, you always get the best. Didn't yer mom and dad teach ya that you should share?""]

"Aw, RV c'mon, you always get the best. didn't yer mom and dad teach ya that you should share?"

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1105" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Yeah, they did and they also told me to fish for myself. Go git yer own.""]

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1106" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Please, RV I'm tired and hungry. I overslept 'cause I was up partying all nite over on the pier at Ft. Myers beach.""]

"Please, RV I'm tired and hungry. I overslept 'cause I was up partying all nite."

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1107" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""One last time, then. Ya gotta learn to git yer own.""] "One last time, then. Ya gotta learn to git yer own."

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1108" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Thank youuuuuuuuuuu, RV. You the best, man. Catch ya later.""] "Thank youuuuuuuuuuu, RV. You the best, man. Catch ya later."

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Well, I don’t know what all! I think that seagull was conning RV. I see him do that a lot! So, Maya the Great Egret, ya see now that you might have been mixing ospreys up with seagulls or pelicans?

Neptune2-1

Anyhow, thank you all for listening to my tale of woe. Thank you Ms P. fer letting me use the photos ya didn’t want ta show because they were taken at the wrong time of day. Whatever! Now, I must go and see if there’s any fish left after all those pelicans descended on our barrier islands! See y’all later!

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My Husband Announced that He Was in Love…

Wednesday, August 26, 2009 Posted in Pets

…with Stormy, the cat. Whew! No messy divorce, then!!! He went on and on about Stormy the Cat who resides at Dr. Amy’s. Dr. Amy is a fantastic veterinarian who has the kindest heart. Now, in these times, we hear more and more stories about unwanted or burdensome pets and Stormy was one of those unfortunates until he met Dr. Amy. He is now the Resident Cat, Greeter, Customer Care Purrson and in short, an all-around PR cat. And what a handsome, lovable creature he is!! Please don’t tell our kitties, Cherokee and Iroquois I said all this or we’ll have to sleep in the garage where the temperature reaches 200 degrees! You can tell, I too, was smitten and I can’t wait to see him again and take more pictures:

[caption id="attachment_1086" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Howa doin' Ms. P, pleased ta meet ya! What can I do fer ya?""]

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Just look at that cute pink nose. Reminds me of cotton candy and Umbez, my little one who’s in Kitty Heaven:

[caption id="attachment_1087" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Oh, thank ya, Ms P. Vurry kind a' ya!""]

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1088" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Waill, speakin' a' cotton candy, gotta go eat a nice juicy kibble bit.""]

[/caption]

So, we’ll say ciao to Stormy for now until I get more pictures of his adorable size. Did I mention that he’s the BIGGEST cat I’ve ever seen? BIGGEST and most HANDSOME. Shhhhhh!!

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Neptune the Osprey Takes a Bath.

Saturday, August 22, 2009 Posted in Wildlife

I was chatting with Maya the other day and she told me — in her inimitable fashion — of how ospreys wash themselves. She added that she and her kind spend hours preening their feathers to make them look spanking shiny but Ospreys take the shortcut and go for a bath instead. She elaborated by assuring me that they do that because they are greedy and want to get the best fish before the rest of the plebeians dive in! Well, I don’t know how she developed her logic but here she is to tell her story:

[caption id="attachment_1071" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Yoo hoo, Mr. Neptune the Osprey, what are ya doin' down there?""]

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1072" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption="Why, I'm taking a bath, Maya! What a strange question to ask!"]

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1073" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""How do I get my feathers spanking shiny? Well, first I squiddle down and give a good shake to those feathers.""]

"How do I get my feathers spanking shiny? Well, first I squiddle down and give a good shake to those feathers."

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1074" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Then, I hoist up the tail feathers a bit.""]

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1075" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Then i squiddle the life outta the tail feathers.""]

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1076" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Then I hafta plunge right in, headfirst.""]

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1077" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""I hafta be very careful not to choke, though!""]

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1078" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Whaddya mean I look like a wet owl? That is soooo rude, Maya. You need to watch your manners. Where's your mother?""]

"Whaddya mean I look like a wet owl? That is soooo rude, Maya. You need to watch your manners. Where's your mother?"

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1079" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Well, I gotta go get more fish before nightfall. And you watch your manners, little missey!!""]

"Well, I gotta go get more fish before nightfall. And you watch your manners, little missey!!"

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1080" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Sheesh, Ole Neptune is getting the cranks a bit soon. Eh, Maya? He's only 6 months older than Juno, right?""]

"Sheesh, Ole Neptune is getting the cranks a bit soon. Eh, Maya? He's only 6 months older than Juno, right?"

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1081" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Oh, Mr. Cattle Egret, sir. I didn't see ya there. Mr. Neptune put a dagger right through my heart, so he did. He just flattened the tiara right outta my head! An' I thought fer shuurre we were friends!! I need Mom or Dad, no, Mom, no Dad, Oh Ms. P, whatta Ima do????""] "Oh, Mr. Cattle Egret, sir. I didn't see ya there. Mr. Neptune put a dagger through my heart, so he did. An' I thought fer shuurre we were friends!!"

"Oh, Mr. Cattle Egret, sir. I didn't see ya there. Mr. Neptune put a dagger through my heart, so he did. An' I thought fer shuurre we were friends!!"

[/caption]

Oh, my goodness! Trouble in the Avian Paradise. I hope they’ll patch things up, soon. Meanwhile, treat yourself to a little dance and remember:things are not always as they seem to be! ;D

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The Beauty of Black and White

Friday, August 21, 2009 Posted in Wildlife

A few days ago, (on August 18, 2009) I posted the first in my series of “Cutting Room Floor” photos. The picture was a dingy, over-saturated, murky rendition (and that was AFTER Photoshop help!!) of a duck sharing its water with many fish. I said I didn’t want to get rid of it because it gave me a mental giggle but the rendition and colors were depressing, to say the least. Now, here’s a trick! This a perfect example of a bad photo that you want to keep but would be embarrassed to keep, not to mind publish!!!! All I did was convert it to grayscale and make it into a black and white picture. Now I can keep this without cringing at the colors! I’ll be delving into this and many more areas in my upcoming website addition. I don’t know what to call it yet but it will be incorporated with the current website and blog. So, here’s one possibility:

B&H-1