Best of 2018!

It's that time of year when I share the best of 2018 captures. We visited several botanical gardens, a national wildlife refuge, an artist's village, a state park, and I even spent an afternoon capturing images of Elk and Bison at the prairie at Land Between the Lakes. And least of all, I threw in a few images from around Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, Tennessee. While I didn't travel far out of state, I still managed to capture some unique images. I hope wherever 2018 took you in your travels you were able to stop and smell the roses and take a few pics to tell your story. Have a wonderful 2019 and here's to lots of new adventures and journeys with your camera in tow. ENJOY!

Drive the Refuge

Come along as I drive the Duck River Unit of the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, a birder's paradise. Here's a collection of images as I made my way into and out of the refuge.

The refuge is home to birds in all shapes and sizes and colors and in all the varying habitats within the refuge. A twist in the road and you scare up a large wading bird who takes flight from the intrusion. You don't mean to intrude, but with the grasses along the road obscuring what lay on the other side, and the swamps adjacent to the road much lower, it is inevitable. A few of the birds I encountered:

Great Blue Heron, Great White Egret, Mallard Ducks,
Eastern Kingbird, Indigo Bunting, Dickcissel, Bobolink, Yellow Headed Blackbird

I hope you enjoyed the drive and would love to know if you have a favorite photo.

If you are in the Eastern United States, we're in the throws of a full blown heat wave, so be careful out of doors. Have an enjoyable weekend all. ENJOY!

Boblink, Life Bird #2, Duck River Unit

The Duck River Unit of the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge is a huge haven for birds who love grasslands, reeds and endless fields of wildflowers. Yesterday, I captured this beauty along the side of the road where the grasses were a tad taller. As I neared him, he would fly off obviously. He was accompanied by four or five other Bobolinks. This is a second life bird in one day for me!

Sorry for the very cropped image and horrific background, but I had to share as this Bobolink's markings are so unique. A yellow backed head and white wings. I read Bobolinks breed in the north central and north east areas of the United States. They migrate to the Southern states. The Duck River Unit would be a perfect habitat for them to breed. No doubt why they chose to stop over here. When I can't identify a bird in the field, I snap images and crop tightly in my software to identify them. This was the only descent image worth posting and I only post it as it's a life bird. I couldn't help myself. My bird life list is growing. It's a scorcher today if you are in the Midwest and especially the South in the States, so hydrate. ENJOY!

Dickcissel, Duck River, TN National Wildlife Refuge

Say hello to the Dickcissel. He is a life bird for me. I hadn't anticipated finding a new species today on my visit to the wildlife refuge. I visited the Duck River Unit of the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge today. This little bird kept flying from stalk to stalk. When he got close enough, I stopped to snap these images. All the while I sat and snapped away he sang to me a beautiful song.

Dickcissels migrate from the Deep South north and and generally breed in the Midwest. With the many grasslands in the Duck River Unit, I venture to guess this little fella could make this his home. Many of the roads were closed for the season, in late 2016 when I last visited here, but they were open today, so I was able to drive deep into the refuge.

I encountered many species of birds today including Great Blue Herons, Great White Egrets and Cormorants. I'm fairly certain I even caught a glimpse of a Yellow Headed Blackbird before he flew away.

We are in the throws of a heat wave here in Tennessee and the South. The next three days will be sweltering and will no doubt reach the 90's. I had planned to travel to Gibbs Gardens this weekend in northern Georgia. I opted out of that trip as the heat wave isn't conducive for walking two or three hours in the hot sun taking in the gardens. Perhaps it will cool off in a few weeks and I can get there. Stay cool out there. ENJOY!

Best of 2016

As 2016 draws to a close, I wanted to spend a few moments and look back through the year. From left to right here we go!

The Bridge at Giverny sets the stage as we meander through the Waterlily Gardens at Gibbs Gardens in northern Georgia. In late Fall at the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge in central Tennessee, I photographed a gorgeous wetland scene. Next we are on the shores of Old Hickory Lake where I captured an image of a beautiful Great Blue Heron fishing one early afternooon. Next featured is a gorgeous pond in the Japanese Gardens at Gibbs Gardens, resplendent with foliage and aviary sculptures.

Follow me to one of the many flower gardens at Gibbs Gardens where a Gulf Fritillary Butterfly basks in the hot Summer sun. Next we have a quaint thatched cottage found at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville, in late Fall. As we go back to Gibbs Gardens we meander among a plethora of Waterlilies . . . from a deep blue, a lavender and finally a dark blue duo.

Back at Cheekwood, I captured this splendid image of the Tulips display during Cheekwood in Bloom in early Spring. Let's go back once more to Gibbs to find a gorgeous white Waterlily displaying a beautiful reflection in the water in the Waterlily Gardens. For a bit more of Fall, we have an image of Radnor Lake with the woods of Radnor Lake State Park in the background in its Fall splendor. Spring found me in north central Tennessee, just outside the small town of Portland, photographing a gorgeous yellow Canola field in full bloom with a beautiful blue sky as its backdrop. Moving on we find a scene at the Japanese Gardens at Gibbs Gardens featuring a sweeping Weeping Willow Tree draped over one of the many ponds in the gardens. Finally, as I took in the variety of decorated Scarecrows on display at Cheekwood's Fall Harvest Festival, my favorite of this Farm Girl Scarecrow stood out among the rest.

I hope you enjoyed my look back over the past year. I enjoyed Spring, Summer and Fall with each season's beautiful colors. As I wander from home in the New Year, I promise to snap a few pics to share with you upon my return. I trust you are all having a safe and Happy Holiday. ENJOY!

Linking to Wednesday Around the World and Wild Bird Wednesday and Metamorphosis Monday

Scenic Bald Cypress Trees

Such a beautiful view of the Bald Cypress Trees and Fall colors of the surrounding forest at the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, Duck River Unit, on my visit recently. Hope you are having a wonderful week. ENJOY!

Duck River Unit, TN National Wildlife Refuge

There are several units of the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, and the Duck River Unit is one I have wanted to visit for some time. I knew from being a frequent visitor to Tennessee's page on the bird.aba.org website that the majority of waterfowl are located in far reaching areas of this refuge. That was quite accurate, as way off in the distance I could see a flock of American White Pelicans, not to mention quite a few Great White Egrets, wading in a huge wetland area. Choosing to stay on the gravel roads, I stopped in several spots to capture images of the wetlands and waterfowl as best I could. Bald Cypress Trees were plentiful in one swamp and had turned their customary burnt orange hue for Fall.

Not far from the Bald Cypress Trees in my first image there sat four Cormorants perched on a large tree branch in the middle of the wetland sunning themselves, accompanied by a lone Turtle. It was very difficult to get a decent shot as they were a good distance away so I had to crop significantly. My apologies. I snapped a few images in the car and then as I went to get out they flew off.

Just to the right a distance from the Cormorants stood a Great Blue Heron wading in the water as he fished for a meal. He too was not happy as I exited my car and hightailed it flying off making quite the ruckus as he went.

Down a side road I traveled quite a distance, got out of my car and walked a bit finding myself between two large wetlands. I scared something up as it lifted off and flew away in a hurry. I snapped a few images not even knowing what it was. Turns out it was an American White Pelican of all things. I didn't get to see it up close at the refuge, but my software helped hone in on it. It's Hunting Season in the refuge which could explain the waterfowl being so skittish. I didn't get to the west side of the refuge. Perhaps another day. ENJOY!