…have in common? Come back in a few days and you will see! Meanwhile, take a little stroll through my site for some information on the American White Ibis by clicking here.
The gorgeous Ibis:
Taking a stroll with the family in Ding Darling:
See you in a few days!
…even when that flow is rain and thunder and lightening. Even when it means that you cannot see the Fall colors in the Smokey Mountains. Even when you waited for months for this adventure. Jim and I set out to go to the Smokies via Savannah last Monday. The evening approaching Beautiful Savannah was fraught with scary downpours on unfamiliar, dug up roads that sizzled with whiter than white lightening. Thankful that we got there in one piece, I held out hope that the morrow would bring amazing light and that we could go on to savor rushing streams and waterfalls crowned with spellbinding fall colors. It was not to be. Deciding to head back home, we made the best of the day in Savannah.
Our first stop was Tybee Island to the east of Savannah. There, heavy skies presented an insipid landscape. Even the Laughing Gulls were listless:
[caption id="attachment_1273" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Hey guys, no tourists--no food. Let's go!""]
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A dreary mood covered everything until, suddenly, masses of Skimmers and Least Terns slashed the skies with their red and orange beaks:
My mood changed into a “fever” of anticipation that photography always creates for me. We spent a wonderful hour with Pelicans, Skimmers, Gulls and Least Terns who, following the food, would swoop upward and swirl around until, in unison, they found more lucrative feeding grounds. Next came the Lighthouse on Tybee Island:
But my favorite image is the startling red roof over grey walls:
On we went to Bonaventure Cemetery which is infused with history. The sun made an appearance and provided some back lighting.
I felt like a poet contemplating life amongst those grave monuments:
[caption id="attachment_1279" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption="I know, I know--I just LOVE backlit Spanish moss. "]
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And there, I got a sighting of Fall colors:
We made our way back to Tybee Island on the strength of those few rays of pale sun and would you believe that the sun came bursting out and infused the Low Country with gorgeous color:
The butterflies came out and danced:
And showed off their colorful patterns:
To top it all off, I saw this Low Country Snowy Egret who still had a little wisp of mating feathers:
[caption id="attachment_1285" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Oh, maaaaan, even up here we can't get away from Ms P. Dang!""]
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So, you see that it IS always better to go with the flow ! ;D Keep smiling, singing and dancing. And, to help you, here’s Kenny Loggins with “Footloose”. Enjoy!
The mystique that encompasses the art of fishing would take tomes if justice were to be done for this sublime endeavor. From the narratives of Mark Twain on the adventures of Huck Finn to the evocative story “A River Runs Through It”, fishing takes a noble place in the arts. Today, I’d like to show how birds, too, partake in this heady venture—not for the love or art of it but for survival. You can tell, though that they’re having the absolutely best time of surviving!
Here’s a cousin of RV (Rudy Valentino) the Reddish Egret, one of Neptune the Osprey’s friends:
[caption id="attachment_1252" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Is that a fish I see before me--its fins beconing to me???""]
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Now, you have to forgive The Cousin for mixing Macbeth in with his vernacular–he’s not feeling too well these days. poor baby is molting:
[caption id="attachment_1253" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Sheesh, it is, it is. Come hither, lil' darlin'""]
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[caption id="attachment_1254" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Ah, but you're a feisty one, aren't ya?""]
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[caption id="attachment_1255" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Whoopee, one down and more to go!""]
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[caption id="attachment_1256" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Bam, wait 'til Emirille le chef sees this one.""]
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[caption id="attachment_1257" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Aaaaaahhhhh, the joy of fishin'--I jest cain't git enuff.""]
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Then there’s the Snowy Egret:
[caption id="attachment_1258" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Hahaha, that one just hopped right in, it did!""]
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[caption id="attachment_1259" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Dish one is a cutis pootis, yum!""]
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[caption id="attachment_1260" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""OK, so Ima double dippin' thar's billions of 'em out there.""]
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And, like everywhere, there’s the scamp like this one below who probably “appropriated” this calamari from a nearby restaurant:
[caption id="attachment_1261" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Doant lissen to Ms P. I had it shipped special to Ft. Myers, so I did.""]
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The perils of an alligator nearby become secondary to the possibility of the awesome catch for this Great Blue Heron:
[caption id="attachment_1262" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""i got an eerie feelin' that I'm not alone!""]
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Speaking of alligators, here’s the Great Egret ballet in the face of such peril:
[caption id="attachment_1263" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Hey, I'm not afraid of ya, Great Blue. There's a wHAT........""]
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[caption id="attachment_1264" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Now, now lads, calm down: remember, there's safety in numbers........""]
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Of course, there’s always the daredevil who will want to show off her prowess:
[caption id="attachment_1265" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Ya cain't skeeer the Great Maya, so ya cain't. Anyways, I know you guys jest got yer Chicken a l'Orange.""]
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The Cormorant is an avid fisherbird around these parts:
[caption id="attachment_1266" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Oh, mama, this is breakfast AND lunch, mhmmhhhmmmhhmm.""]
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This little seagull has no fear of stormy waves:
[caption id="attachment_1267" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Ride like the weeeeeeeeeend, yay!""]
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I won’t get into the fishing habits of Pelicans here:
[caption id="attachment_1268" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""Whazzat, Ms P. You woke me from my nap.""]
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…because I’ll be devoting an entire post to them in a few weeks.
And while the setting for “A River Runs Through It”, this is not but it IS a capture of the love of my life, Jim, flexing the ol’ wrist flyfishing over on Sanibel Island:
[caption id="attachment_1269" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption=""I know, I know, I'm just here to entertain the fish.""]
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What concentration that man has!!! So, if you’re looking for something awesome, head down to the water and do a spot of fishing or watch the birds fishing. Click here for a song to put you in the mood. And have yourselves a ball, now! ;D
Usually, I love to take pictures of the stormy skies that we get in Southwest Florida during the hot summer months. Here, though, is the sky’s reflection with a smidgen of a rainbow in a newly created pool:
Now that you know what Cattle Egrets love to do, check back in a day or two to see what other birds love to do! ;D
