Best of 2019

I dedicate this collage to the last year of a decade. I hope you had a great 2019. Here are a few top images from my year. This year brought many, many changes. I welcomed all of them with open arms. One can't survive in this world without accepting change. I hope you enjoy a look back. ENJOY!

Sailing on the Lake

This beautiful sailboat was plying the waters on Percy Priest a while back. I had to snap a few images as I am an avid sailboat lover. I've only ever been on a sailboat twice in my life. Once in the Atlantic Ocean and once in the Gulf of Mexico. The Atlantic was on a sunset cruise out of Key West many years ago. The second was the Gulf of Mexico while visiting relatives. A strong storm came up between us and the dock. Thirty foot swells overtook us. I headed for the galley to minimize the rocking of the boat up top. Both experiences were ones I'll never forget. Not many sailboats sail on Old Hickory Lake. However, Percy Priest has a marina called Hamilton Marina which has a separate area for nothing but sailboats. So you can find the sailboats out on the water at Percy Priest often. I wouldn't trade Old Hickory Lake for anything. Living on the lake makes life so much more enjoyable. Perhaps it's the different scenes you take in as day turns into night. There's never a dull moment on the lake. And you never know what will fly in and stay awhile. Have a wonderful night. A holiday weekend is approaching. I love three day weekends. Gives you time to slow down a tad more than on a typical weekend. Back soon. ENJOY!

Best of Winter Birding

There are so many wonderful opportunities to snap bird photos during the Winter months. As I was cruising my archive, I noticed a trend. Many of my best bird images were taken during the Winter months. These images are from the states of Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee. Most were taken in the past five years. Birding spots include Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest and the Lexington Reservoir in Kentucky, to three popular lakes in Greater Nashville, Radnor Lake, Percy Priest Lake, and of course, Old Hickory Lake. There's even an image of a Sandhill Crane captured at Ewing Bottoms, in south central Indiana, on a sunny Winter's day. I'll be making my annual pilgrimage to Louisville soon and wanted to share another Winter post before I left. I hope you are having a Happy Holiday and you are getting ready for a very Merry Christmas. With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I'll try to post once more before the big day. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

One Seasons Ends, Another Begins

Fall is bringing a change in the leaves. Do you see it there?

Soon there will be yellows, oranges and reds. A new season is upon us. I wrap my arms around it relishing in all its glory. ENJOY!

Hamilton Creek Sailboat Marina

For as long as I can remember I have had a love affair with sailboats. I especially love the wooden sailboats I oftentimes see plying the waters in New England when I visit there. But I will take any sailboat, wooden or otherwise.

Aside from the occasional shower, the weather here has finally cooled off and last evening was gorgeous. After running errands, I stopped to capture a few images of the boats at Hamilton Creek Sailboat Marina in east Nashville. The marina sits on the west side of Percy Priest Lake about ten minutes from where I live.

One of the things I like most about where I live is being near two large bodies of water, Old Hickory Lake and Percy Priest Lake, not to mention two rivers, the Stones River and the Cumberland River. The weather has been perfect for sailing or any other kind of water sport. Blue skies, blue waters and soft breezes. Thanks everyone for all of your great comments on my images of the Elk and Bison I posted recently. I really appreciate it. ENJOY!

In and Around Nashville

Let's take a peek back at the many places I have traveled 'In and Around' the Nashville area this past Spring and Summer.

1. White Tailed Deer, Long Hunter State Park, Hermitage, Spring

2. Sailboats, Percy Priest Lake, Hermitage, Spring

3. Great White Egret, Cross Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Dover, Summer

4. Edgar Evans Mill, Smithville, Summer

5. Belle Meade Plantation, Nashville, Spring

6. Wood Duck Pair, Murfree Spring Wetlands, Murfreesboro, Summer

7. Ox Eye Sunflower, Bison Meadow, Nashville, Summer

8. Rare Tennessee Purple Coneflower, Couchville Cedar Glade, Hermitage, Summer

9. Great White Egret, Old Hickory Lake, Hendersonville

10. White Narcissus, Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, Nashville, Spring

I enjoy reading all of your kind notes you leave me in the COMMENTS section of each post. I hope you will leave me a note as to where you have been so far in 2015. ENJOY!

Linking to Saturday Critters and Our World Tuesday

The Life of a Great White Egret

First, the back story on this area. Two lakes meander through east Nashville. The northern lake is Old Hickory Lake while the southern lake is Percy Priest Lake. Both lakes are born out of two rivers. The northern river is the Cumberland River while the southern river is the Stones River. Old Hickory Lake is situated northeast of Nashville winding snake like east to west. Priest Lake is situated in southeast Nashville and runs north to south and can be quite wide. 

Hendersonville lies directly north of Old Hickory Lake which is where I photographed on this day. The small town of Hendersonville was made famous when Johnny Cash, one of America's iconic country music stars, made it his home late in life. Now the area is dotted with many country music stars' homes. The town itself lies about 50 miles northeast of downtown Nashville.

On this particular afternoon I drove to Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville to photograph the beautiful Great White Egret. I had seen several throughout the area. The sun was bright on this day and the Egret basically waded through what seemed about a foot of water on Old Hickory Lake near Drakes Creek Park. The Egret was a tad bit away for a really decent image, but then he lifted up out of the water.

And as luck would have it, he had spotted a large branch sticking up out of the water closer to me and landed on top of the branch. What a perfect place to perch and take a rest while at the same time keeping an eagle eye out for fish.

As the Egret settled in, I realized that he was sporting breeding plumage noted by the small patch of neon green skin on his face. I imagine long plumes called aigrettes will grow from his back further into the  breeding season. Imagine if you will the life of a Great White Egret. One of the largest wading birds on the planet, with few animals to stalk you as prey, your day comprised of flying from one location to the next, wading shallow waters of lakes and swamps, occasionally fishing when hunger sets in. As evening approaches you settle in for the night. What a life don't you think? ENJOY!

Linking to Saturday Critters

Sailboats, Percy Priest Lake

The afternoon light was emitting a warm blue. The perfect light of the day, we outdoor photographers long for, as it settled over Percy Priest Lake Sunday. Walking along the shores at Seven Points, several sailboats were off in the distance floating aimlessly along the water.

A little something you may not know about me, but I will share. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for sailboats. Always. Today is a copy cat of yesterday's weather with perfect blue skies, warm temps and tons of sunshine. I could not be happier especially since I took the day off and I am headed outdoors. ENJOY!

Common Loon

Yesterday was in the low forties with a tad nippy wind, but I drove my new 'route' past the Priest Dam. Looking south to the lake there was a flock of waterfowl floating in a V formation making their way to the farther reaches of the lake. I snapped a few quick shots to see if I could identify them in my software later. Turned out they were Redheaded Ducks and no, the images were not usable.

My goal was to drive to Hamilton Creek Recreation Area on Priest Lake which is about ten minutes further south. It was overcast with no evidence of much in the way of birds so I drove to the edge of the boat ramp for the best view. There was a pair of 'something' fishing in the lake far off but just close enough to capture an image. Much to my amazement as I checked the images in my software later, the pair were Common Loons. A life bird for me. Yippee!

After the Loons moved farther off, I drove over to another boat ramp and stopped. The Loons were pretty far away but I had my 300mm so I captured a few more images while, as luck would have it, the sun had peeked out between the cloud cover.

A quick note to everyone. I discovered that my post from earlier in the week on Bear Island turned out to be Goose Island. And Hermitage Island from several weeks ago, well that post was accurate. I can see this is going to be a challenge what with 38 islands situated on Priest Lake. I will persevere. Have a wonderful Sunday all. ENJOY!

Linking to Sunlit Sundays

Winter, Goose Island

When I realized I was going to relocate to Nashville, I decided that I should try to find a place close to a natural area albeit a forest or a park. So I chose the east side of the city and ended up only a quick hop, skip and a jump from Percy Priest Lake. As I mentioned in an earlier post, there is a dam on the north side of the lake. And I have just discovered a map outlining 38 small islands that are situated thoughout Percy Priest Lake. The jury is out on whether the post I put up last week on Hermitage Lake is really Hermitage, as it could be another island name. It is hard to tell from the map.

That being said, on this bitterly cold visit to Percy Priest Lake I captured a few images of the snowy shores along Goose Island. Goose Island is situated far out into the lake south of the dam. There is actually primitive camping allowed on Goose Island. The sun was bright and the sky and water was a beautiful blue which did help considering how cold it was. Most of the gulls and ducks opposite the dam stayed hunkered down while I snapped photos.

As you can see there is are quite a few outdoor surfaces still covered in a thick layer of ice from the ice storm earlier in the week. There was an ice storm two years ago in Louisville that reminded me of this ice storm in Nashville. If you live in the Midwest or South, it's almost a given you will experience an ice storm every couple of years.

The sun would shine on icy surfaces leaving a shimmering sparkle effect. There were entire fields and woods still totally covered on my outing although some surfaces had melted and others were just starting to melt. As you may have noticed, my Spring header is up. For those of you who weren't here last year, it bears mentioning that each February, late in the month, I put up my Spring header. It is my personal afront against Winter. I am soldiering out Winter while ushering in Spring. Nothing would make me happier right now than to see Crocuses peeking up from their Winter's bed. ENJOY!

I revised this post as I discovered Bear Island is actually Goose Island and Hermitage from an earlier post is actually Hermitage.

Linking to Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Mud Hens

After a long week of icy, snowy weather with sub zero temperatures, it was time to get out for a quick trip over to Percy Priest Lake. I was only there for a few minutes, but did manage to snap a few close ups of the American Coot which inhabits the area. These birds are oftentimes called 'Mud Hens' and while most people believe they are ducks, they aren't. They are actually in a distinct order of birds called Rallidae.

Several Coots came up on the shoreline which allowed me a chance to view them up close. These birds are hard to photograph well in water as they have such dark bodies and jet black heads. Their dark red eyes blend right into their heads. The only distinct markings are their white beaks and strangely bright green legs and toes which are scaled and lobed so they can be folded back for walking on dry land. The males have a larger ruff on their head than females.

You will find Coots all over North America and even as far south as Panama. Coots live around wetlands and large bodies of water and prefer areas where the water is sluggish. They eat algae, aquatic plants, vertebrates and invertebrates. In other words, they eat almost everything.

These past few weeks the weather has been less than desirable here in Tennessee, however, I am holding out hope as I believe we have slightly warmer temperatures and some sun predicted for the upcoming week, and might I add no real major storms to speak of. I hope this finds you safe and warm and with fairer weather wherever you are. ENJOY!

Percy Priest Lake

A mere hop, skip and a jump from my apartment in Nashville sits Percy Priest Dam. The dam is situated between mile six and seven of the Stones River. The reservoir and lake is so large it is situated within three counties in eastern Nashville. There are parks and wildlife management areas all up and down the reservoir and lake in all three counties. It's a pretty impressive area.

Today I drove over to the opposite side of the dam to Percy Priest Lake. Before you cross in front of the dam, you can park and look out over the lake to the south. This small island is Hermitage Island and couldn't be any bigger than a quarter acre all told. A few days prior I had taken a short road to the back side of the dam to watch the birds feeding. I want to go back there when its sunny and warmer.

Off to the left of Hermitage Island, the shoreline was busy with Gulls. I noticed a Northern Shoveler fishing for a meal in the water off shore.



Once you drive the road crossing in front of the dam there's a parking lot to the left. I pulled in and stopped to take a few images of the Sea Gulls there. I knew this was the last I would probably see of the sun today as a Winter storm is making its way into Nashville. We are expecting several inches of snow and possibly freezing rain.

I really can't complain about this Winter in Kentucky or Tennessee because we have had virtually no snow, but for two quickie storms that dropped a few inches, and just like that the snow was melted and gone. I am, however, ready for Spring to show itself. I promise to post more images of a state park I visited today later in the week. ENJOY!

Linking to Sunlit Sundays and The Scoop