Glimpse

Female Common Grackle

Something so common, like a bird on my car in the parking lot, can be some of the most fragile and perfect moments during the day.  Most just walk right by without really taking the time to observe.

Or the simple "ducks taking flight" from the water can relax the mind and inspire creative thinking.

And while not all shots on camera may be perfect, they are still lovely to recollect.

Within every moment, a gem hides waiting to be discovered.

A pause.  A brief moment.  A glance upwards.  Downwards. And behind reveal greater things.

But careful where you tread because you never know who will come your way.

But most certainly something is bound to glow and catch your attention.....even if it's just a glimpse.

Nooks and Crannies

Baltimore Oriole

Over the course of several months, I have been collecting a group of pics demonstrating how watchful one must be out in the wild.  Somedays, my eyes are sore from investigating every nook and cranny.  For example, during our education on cranes(post coming up), this beautiful Baltimore Oriole flew out of nowhere!!!  I had to take my eyes off the instructor briefly for this shot!!  This is the male with his bright colors out for the world to see.

And then there were the Barn Swallows.  For me, these birds are very tricky to capture on camera in Arizona but while in Wisconsin I had better luck as many of them were nesting up in the rafters.

Barn Swallow

Love this particular shot.  Again, they hid among the cranes.  Sometimes they stole the show:)

And while here in Tucson, our reptiles certainly put on a great show.   This little guy slinks around a post as I try to capture a hawk in flight!

Western Whiptail Lizard

Along a trail, the edge of my eyesight sees a slight movement.  I feel the power of the heebie jeebie take over me.  My body shakes.  I turn around and keep calm to film this guy along the edges of the reeds.

Common Kingsnake

Beautiful.  Dark.  Mysterious.  I watch from a distance as this Common Kingsnake sticks out his tongue to check out what's going on in the area.  Was I food?  No.  But I better move on.....:)

Sometimes appearing as a pebble, I discover what appears to be a juvenile Abert's towhee along the path.

Juvenile Abert's Towhee

Of course other things jut out from the sides and briefly make appearances.  But the sun holds their attention long enough for me to snap a pic.

Desert Spiny

The clouds start to roll in.  Darkness begins to fall.  But there is still action going on......

A Cooper's hawk feeds in between branches.  A night snack after a long hot day.

Cooper's Hawk

And as I leave the trails, my eye catches a Night Heron hiding in the reeds. Playing detective is really enjoyable since everything likes to quietly disappear in the nooks and crannies of our cities, parks and gardens.

Night Heron

Sometimes you may walk by and not realize that a branch is really an owl.

And that's what's exciting about each and every hike.  You never know what will turn up:)

The Letter "S"

I thought I'd have some fun here. A random post.  Actually a lot of folders with pics of unused shots.  So I thought I'd have some fun with the theme.  Okay.  First.  Several of you asked how my "Supermoon" shots turned out.  I said that I failed, but really I got a great shot of the moon.....just not of the canyon below it.  I think I've figured out the trick after doing the shoot with the Solar eclipse.  In any case, this is from the Supermoon evening back in early May at Saguaro East National Park.  If I had gotten the canyon in the shot, this pic would have been posted sooner:)

Lately it seems that I have been encountering all kinds of Snakes.  Not that I want to as they give me the heebie jeebies.  I was birding near some water and these two "little" darling Common Kingsnakes swam into view.  I have to be honest, this pic and being so close creeped me out.  I DO NOT like snakes at all. They were mating/going after a certain Pied Billed Grebe near the reeds.

This bird was quite expressive and showing signs of "anxiety".  I picked up on that feeling and watched the area closely.  It moved quickly out of the way as these 2 huge snakes came out of the reeds!!!!  They were a little too close to me and so I moved back.....they followed.   If you do find this snake in our desert, don't worry.  It's not poisonness. Did you know they eat rattlesnakes?  It was a strange night because this all happened during our Solar Eclipse.

The final pic below is the one that I like the most from this series of snapshots.  Why?  It's the dragonfly on the branch that makes this shot magical for me.

So there you have it. Snakes, Supermoon, Solar eclipse.  More tomorrow......