Photographing a Landscape

Photographing a landscape image, and especially one in portrait can be difficult. At Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, in south Nashville, as I walked among the gardens filled with lush, beautiful Tulips in reds and oranges and yellows, I came upon this scene. My eye ran from one array of Tulips to the next moving slowing up the hill and finally my eye went up to the gorgeous Fir trees in the distance. Do you suppose the landscape designers and the gardeners who labored as they planted each bulb, knew this is exactly what they had hoped one would do? What a visionary if that was the case. My work was already done in capturing this perspective. All I need do was choose just where to position my lens to capture the essence of this scene. Just as I snapped the image, I realized too that the sun had gone behind a cloud. I was glad, because if I had taken the image with the sun shining, there may have been hot spots obscuring the beautiful Tulips. I hope I did the landscape designers justice with this capture.

I posted this image on a smaller scale. If you can't see it in its entirely on your viewing frame, click on the image and it will go to fill frame. I hope you are enjoying the weekend and your weather is as wonderful as mine is right now. As I am writing this post a Purple Finch landed on my patio, sat for a mere few seconds, and then, just as quickly as he came, he flew away. I so love Spring. Back soon. ENJOY!

Linking to Foodie Friday and Everything Else

Spring Perhaps

In May of 2011, I spent an afternoon at Bernheim taking in all that Spring had to offer.

This beautiful scene with the Canadian Goslings lazing about on the fresh green lawn next to Lake Nevin was just one of many beautiful scenes that I witnessed on that day. I long for those warm Spring days with bright green lawns and bushes and freshly grown leaves. If I could will it to be, I would have already done so. I know there are those who are still covered in Winter's snow, but here in the Bluegrass State I cannot wait for Spring to begin to burst forth. I have been absent this week only because I had to travel out of town for several days to a meeting. This was a rare time when I didn't even take my camera equipment. I felt lost without it, but didn't actually need it. I would be out of doors now, but the cloud cover is fairly solid with only an occasional stream of sunshine making it through. Tomorrow perhaps. Hope you are enjoying your weekend albeit warm and dry or cold and knee deep in Winter's cover. ENJOY!

Beautiful Sandhill Crane

Such a beautiful shot of this Sandhill Crane as the sun is beginning to hang low in the sky as is reflected on his wings. ENJOY!

Kildeer In a Row

While photographing the Sandhill Cranes last Saturday, I finally had to stop and attempt a few images of these three Kildeer. They were moving fast maneuvering their way through leftover cornstalks in one of the corn fields as I stood outside next to my car taking photos. Suddenly for no apparent reason, they all three stopped at exactly the same time and stood in a row. No movement, no chirping loudly squawking me to move away from the area. It was comical.

Then they began quickly moving away again and chirping noisily. ENJOY!

Blue Grosbeak

A surprise today. Last July I photographed this bird in Bernheim foraging around on the ground. I couldn't identify it at the time. And tonight I discovered after some research originally speculating perhaps a Pine Grosbeak that it actually is a female Blue Grosbeak.

The males are the bright beautiful blue which is where the Blue Grosbeak gets its name. The females not as beautiful with the gorgeous blue sapphire sheen, like it's male counterpart, that I love the look of this bird anyway. With her beak being so pronounced, hence grosbeak, I think she's a beautiful bird herself. There's something about this type of beak that just adds beauty overall. And before I close on this topic, this is a Life Bird for me.

Yesterday, before the storms, the temperature was in the low 70's. Today was a tad chillier. But the snow has completely melted. And it actually is starting to feel a smidgeon like Spring. We have a wintery mix scheduled for late next week, but that's typical late February and early March weather in the Ohio River Valley. I envision yellow Daffodils and purple Crocuses sprouting up out of the ground. Oh, Spring how I love thee. ENJOY!

Barn, Bluegrass Scenic Byway

A little bit of nostalgia coming your way for today.

There are so many old dilapidated barns hanging out in the fields around Kentucky. Every now and then I have to stop and snap an image to share with you. I love old barns. What is it about old barns that draws us in? I don't know. But I know they do and I hope you enjoy this one. By the way, the snow has completed melted here in the Bluegrass State and what with 65 degree temps forecast for a day or two from now, it's starting to feel like Spring here. ENJOY!

Spring is Coming

Spring is around the corner!

Remembering Spring at Bernheim is easy. I simply open my laptop, press the button to turn it on, type my password and click on my photo archive. And there in vivid color is Spring from the past. Spring with pink and blue and lavender and white. With the Crab Apple Tree and the Japanese Magnolia Tree and the Jasmine bush. ENJOY!

Winter White

Winter in the Bluegrass leaves icicles dripping from every branch as it clings to each leftover Fall leaf while a blanket of snow covers the fields and lawns.

Ice and snow linger on the surfaces of everything out of doors. And every now and then a beautiful scene is born out of it as was this scene I photographed earlier this week. There is no real warm up in sight until perhaps next weekend. We will see what the week brings. ENJOY!

White Tailed Deer in Snow

A beautiful White Tailed Deer stood across the stream as I sat safe and warm bundled up in my car.

Every now and then when the snow flies I will make my way from one area of our city to the next via a back road in hopes of seeing a scene such as this. It gives me a little pick me up in the course of a busy day. It also left me wanting to photograph more wildlife in this snow covered world. Tonight brings more snow. Perhaps tomorrow I will see what foal and fowl there is to capture. Have a good weekend all! ENJOY!

Winter Along Anchorage Trail

What better way to give you a brief glimpse of the snow and ice from this week's winter storm than a little nostalgia thrown in.

A beautiful old fashioned wagon greets you as you begin your walk on the Anchorage Trail in eastern Louisville. It's a beautiful area of town that is even more gorgoeus with a fresh blanket of snow and ice. I generally pay at least one visit each season to see just what landscape Mother Nature has painted. ENJOY!

St. Michaels, Maryland

Beautiful St. Michael's! If you ever have a chance to visit the Eastern Shore of Maryland, you must plan a stop in St. Michael's. The itinerary I planned for my Eastern Shore trip was the perfect mix of small town charm, bird and pony watching, beach walking and lots of photo taking. One of my main stops the day after arriving on the Eastern Shore was in St. Michael's where I spent several hours walking around the town checking out the shops and grabbing a bite to eat. Michael's is situated a short drive south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on the Eastern Shore, just across from Annapolis.

The best part of visiting this small town is how nicely it plays host to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum which is situated right in the middle of town within walking distance of the shops and eateries. The museum houses tons of beautiful exhibits depicting the history behind the bay area mariners and fishermen. While visiting St. Michael's, I soon became aware that the town was playing host to the Plein Air Arts Festival which drew open air artists from throughout the United States to display their wares for the week. It was such a treat to watch the artists in action painting the landscape. The water images were taken while I visited the maritime museum that afternoon. It's a great museum, but is all a beautiful place to visit too. I especially have a fondness for the beautiful Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse, which is a somewhat famous lighthouse often depicted on Eastern Shore tourism websites.

Here's the breakdown for the wintery mix received here in northern Kentucky so far this week. We received six inches of snow Monday, a quarter inch of freezing rain Tuesday evening leaving all things out of doors covered with a frozen glow and today we received two tenths of an inch of snow. Winter Storm Nika really packed a punch. Oh, boy are we having fun! ENJOY!

Winter, Hocking Hills

Beautiful Old Man's Cave, Upper Falls, in Hocking Hills, Ohio.

I captured this image and several others in mid January 2005 at Hocking Hills State Park near Logan, Ohio. It was bitterly cold and the temp was around 25 degrees. The wind was up a tad and made it seemed even colder. That winter reminds me a little of this winter only this winter might have that one beat by miles. This week we began with a six inch snowfall when I awoke Monday morning and looked out the window. Now this evening around 4 p.m. snow and freezing ran moved into our state. It's now turned to freezing rain and will continue until early tomorrow morning. I am daydreaming about the Caribbean or St. Martin or somewhere where there is a beach with blue skies and sunshine and the average temp is 75 degrees. ENJOY!

A Few Pounds

Is it me or has this female Cardinal put on a few pounds. Seriously, no doubt she's trying to keep warm for the Winter, but she does look like she's been putting back a few carbs. Love it. ENJOY!

Song Sparrow

What does a Sparrow do when he's hungry? Shovel the snow, what else. It was a beautiful day to walk around Bernheim taking in the snow and see how beautiful the trees and bushes were covered in a blanket of white. As I walked around the Pavilion, a Song Sparrow headed for the ground beside the sidewalk and began clearing away the snow.

Snow was flying everywhere. He would peck with his beak and shovel with his feet. It was comical watching the snow fly as he dug and dug. My presence standing within a feet from him didn't seem to bother him all that much. He would dig and look up and peck and look up. But for the most part, he was busy with the task at hand. I'm not sure exactly what he was foraging for in the dirt, but I hoped that he would find it. There are several nights of minus zero degree temps ahead. Heavens could it get any colder. Hope wherever you are, you are staying warm. ENJOY!

Winter at Bernheim

The weather has been playing cruel tricks on us this winter. As I awoke this morning, there was more snow on the ground. Checking the radar online, it seemed the skies might clear in the afternoon. So off I went to Bernheim.

As I entered through the main gate, the road had not been plowed and had about four inches of snow on it. Only a few car tracks were imprinted in the snow so I made a few new ones. I made my way slowly until I reached the parameter road that leads around the entire lower section of Bernheim. The road to the left which takes you to Isaac's Cafe was closed, but the road to the right leading to the Pavilion was open. I captured a few images of Lake Nevin as you see in the first few images.

Fortunately, the skies cleared and blue could be seen through the clouds and eventually the sun peeked out as well. Just what I had hoped for. There were about 5 or 6 cars max at the Pavilion parking lot. Only the brave were venturing into Bernheim today. One person had made their way to the Pavilion as was evidenced by the tracks in the snow. It was beautiful walking around the Pavilion and checking out all of the snow covered trees and branches and snow laden bushes. As was expected Robins, Cardinals and a few Song Sparrows were foraging for food kicking up the snow and digging out so as to reach the ground and any food that might be hidden under the snow.

I visit Bernheim in all seasons and while I may be partial to Spring with it's gorgeous Japanese Magnolia blooms and blooming Crab Apple Trees and Fall with it's golds and reds and orange leaves, I am starting to have a fondness for Winter especially when the snow flies. There are so few visitors on days like today and I love that because it makes for a more personal feel when you are out in nature.

I thought I would leave you with this beautiful image of a Red Cardinal who allowed me to photograph him for a few minutes before he took off. He was in one of the beautiful craggy, moss covered trees that surround the Pavilion. What a beautiful walk in nature. ENJOY!

Colorful Chincoteague

I have shared various images from my trip to Chincoteague of all types of Egrets and many types of Herons, various sizes and shapes of Gulls, even a photo of a strange looking bird called an Oystercatcher. And, of yes, let's not forget the Ponies. Brown, black, checkerboard, tan. Well here's an image I like to call Colorful Chincoteague. Scrounging around in my archives I found these photographs I had taken on my trip to Virginia's Eastern Shore in mid July, in the throws of a heat wave no less, to visit Chincoteague Island and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. On my first day out, after trekking to the wildlife refuge, I drove back across the short bridge to the main island and headed for the road that ran parallel to the bay on the north side of the island. One of the first things I noticed and stopped to photograph was an old fishing shack which had a nice array of crab traps stacked up outside right off the porch.

As I made my way back to the road that lead to the wildlife refuge and my hotel, I noticed this sailboat. The guy at the helm was readying to bring down the sails so I grabbed a quick pic before he did. Not far from the sailboat hanging off the side of the dock was this life preserver shrouded in rope. Who could resist such an image. A few days later, I found myself on the east side of the island right the bay cuts through and, more notably, where the Ponies make their way across the water for the Pony Penning every year. As I drove the road traversing the bay, I looked over to see this large group of kayaks sitting idle. What a colorful array. It's been a mainly 'single digit' temperature day here in the Bluegrass State. If you go outside, your breath travels through the air leaving you to wonder if it just might freeze mid air. My God is this what the Upper Midwest has been dealing with all these years? Not to mention the Canadians. I feel for all of you. ENJOY!

Black Capped Chickadee

A few weeks ago with the sun shining brightly and the skies as blue as I had ever seen and the temps in the 40's, I took a drive up to Mustatatuck NWR. That was the same day I captured some nice images of the ever elusive River Otters hanging out around Persimmon Pond in the back of the refuge. Before I captured those images, however, I had stopped at Myer's Cabin at the end of the road in the back of the refuge and sat in my car watching this Black Capped Chickadee. I had already made my routine drive around the swamps and had seen little to no waterfowl. Bummer. So I sat watching this little guy busily foraging for something to eat.

First he was in the middle of the tree hanging off of a large branch with his back to me which was ok as he is so beautiful. Then he moved on up to the very top of the tree. Can you believe it? Well, that is ok because I had my 300mm on my camera and I just kept shooting. I love Black Capped Chickadees but can never get decent images when they come to visit my feeder as they are so busy up and down grabbing a seed and then off to the brush in the field behind my house to eat it. These aren't the best images either as this one was moving fast too. Working on vacation plans, but haven't picked an exact spot yet. Winter is playing cruel tricks on us here in the Ohio River Valley and keeping temps in the single digits. UGH! ENJOY!

River Otters

I knew eventually I would have an opportunity to photograph the River Otters at Mustatatuck. I just wasn't expecting it to be in the dead of Winter. If you know there are Otters about and it is a frigid cold day with ice covered ponds look for clumps of ice on top of the frozen pond and you just might see an Otter. They carve out holes so they can dive and hunt for food.



River Otters spend most of their time on land mainly to keep their fur from getting waterlogged and only take to the water to hunt or travel.



They eat fish, but will also eat small mammals. I have no idea what is alive in the bottom of Persimmon Pond, but they would dive down into the frigid water and disappear for a minute or two and then their heads would pop back up.


Then they jump up on the ice and lay there eating whatever food they've captured. Sometimes they sit and peer out and occasionally I would see one checking me out with his head arched up looking at me like the one in this last photo. He gradually moved down away from where I was standing, too far to get any decent photos, but the other Otter stayed pretty much where I originally found him and his hole in the frozen pond.

On another topic, we received several inches of snow yesterday, and low and behold, we have more on the way tonight. It has been quite cold and very snowy this Winter. I think the meterologists are saying they haven't seen a Winter like this in years. And I have to agree. Brrrrr. ENJOY!

The Cranes, Up and Down

Up, up and away the Sandhill Cranes lift off traveling to an adjacent field to graze. And then as surely as they fly away . . . more come in for a landing having foraged nearby. Cranes are creatures of habit repeating flight paths, repeating overwintering roosts, and so forth. As my third year of photographing the Sandhill Cranes comes to a close soon, I know I will miss them.

Afer the Polar Vortex moved decidedly into the deep South of the United States last week, I drove last weekend to the Bottoms to see if the Cranes had made it through the cold, blustery days and nights. They chose to move on either closer in to the wildlife refuge or points farther south. Having heard some chatter about Crane sightings in various nearby Kentucky lakes and farm fields, my guess is some headed farther South.

Before the overwintering season wraps up, I wanted to share a few more images specifically of the Cranes lifting off and landing. The most interesting is the landing. They point their long beaks downward toward the ground and allow their long feet and legs to fall towards the Earth as they glide slowly in and fall to the ground and touch down. It's a remarkable experience to watch as they are such large birds. Getting really good images can be tough. While I enjoy the Cranes and try to photograph them foraging and performing their mating dances on the ground, I really enjoy photographing them in flight more. Wouldn't it be something to see a nest with a fresh clutch of Cranes with their little tan fuzzy, furry bodies. They're at least a good sized bird as they emerge from their huge eggshells.

Obviously, I have to keep the winter doldrums from setting in so on the sunny days when the dark, dreary clouds have parted, I have traveled to the parks and refuges to photograph the wildlife and Winter scenery, especially if we have had snow. The new banner I posted today reflects the wildlife images I have taken since mid December. It's hard to believe that I have captured all of these images in a short month's time, but when you set your mind to it you can accomplish most anything. Now tell me, how is your Winter fairing? Are you outdoors participating in Winter sports or inside with a warm drink in hand? ENJOY!

Otters, Persimmon Pond, Mustatatuck NWR

As I drove up to Ewing Bottoms today, I wondered if I would catch any Cranes there today. As I had suspected the Sandhill Cranes had flown further south after the Polar Vortex hit earlier in the week. I couldn't imagine how they would make it through -15 wind chill Monday night. I did see some Cranes flying around and read earlier in a post from ebird that there are still Cranes at Mustatatuck in the sanctuary area of the refuge. They return each night to roost and during the day hang out in farm fields south and west of Seymour.

After leaving the bottoms, I drove to Mustatatuck to check out the waterfowl. Not much happening as most of the lakes and ponds and swamps were almost totally frozen. Even though it was 50 degrees today, the weather hasn't been warm enough to thaw the ice on the water. As I left Myer's Cabin in the back of the refuge, I was driving past Persimmon Pond and turned to look at the pond. When I did I thought I saw something dark slip into the water. So I stopped my car, got out and me and camera trekked over to the edge of the pond. These two Otters were busily eating, diving back in for more food and jumping back out of the water to munch down their catch. They also occasionally took a peek in my direction.



They were absolutely adorable. And boy do they have appetites. I'm glad I don't have to pay their food bill. This is the first time since about 2008 that I had seen these guys. The last time I saw them they were much young and slipping and sliding all over the ice in one of the main swamps. I hope it is that long before I see them again. ENJOY!