Picture-A-Week 2022 - Week 16

[pierces]

Pictures taken between Monday, April 18 and Sunday, April 24.

 

Pick a subject...take a photo...share it!

 

Rules: See above

That's it. This isn't a contest.

All photos taken this week are welcome (not just cruising).

Prizes will not be awarded. Discovering the joy of photography is the prize.

The idea is to get folks out using their cameras for more than vacations and toddler birthdays.

Post one. Post many. Up to you.

Have fun with your camera and share your fun with others!

[zackiedawg]

What else would you expect from me - more wetlands action from the weekend!  If I'm not out of town on vacation or business, then I'm usually in the wetlands during the day.  Other than being quite hot, it was a nice weekend, no rain, and lots of activity to see again.

 

A red-shouldered hawk, drying off on a branch above a pond after a recent bath:

 

Beware of an overdose of cuteness...this wood duck momma had her recent hatchlings all around her, and they're very cute:

 

Almost looks like a game of musical chairs as the ducklings were ringed all around mom in the middle:

 

Now that's just a cute little duckling.  Even more amazing is that these ducks are born in holes in trees, up to 30 feet off the ground (hence the name 'wood duck').  When they hatch, the mom heads down to the ground and calls them, and they hurl themselves out of the tree, falling 20-30 feet to the ground, bouncing due to their lightness and fluffy-ness, then joining mom in the water:

 

A female red-winged blackbird:

 

A red-bellied woodpecker hanging under a branch as it hunts for bugs:

 

A wood stork after a recent bath, drying off its wings:

 

This alligator had some of the nicest teeth I've seen on a reptile - pearly whites for a lovely smile:

 

I need to brush up on dragonfly IDs more - I think this one may be a seaside dragonlet species:

 

When I got home, it had been very hot out there in the wetlands so I jumped in the pool to cool off...I always bring the camera in case there are any interesting things in the backyard.  I was surprised to find an uncommon backyard visitor - a grey catbird, which is normally a bird I only see in the wetlands...enjoying my birdbath:

 

When he got out, all wet, he showed off that rusty orange rump that helps identify the catbird:

[pierces]

This year we decided to take a short cruise from a local port for Kim's birthday. It seemed like a good idea and the prices were ridiculously low for five days of pampered leisure. Our first attempt was shot down by son Dan’s abrupt need for a copilot to drive his car out from Houston. Reschedule number two was due to the “sometime in May” date our daughter gave us for our grandson’s first communion suddenly solidifying smack in the middle of our cruise. We rescheduled once more and notified the family that this was the last time, no matter what. Nobody suddenly scheduled anything, got sick or worse, so off we went on our trip. Five days of relaxing and just hanging out together. Could be a disaster for some couples, but we did just fine.

 

Let There Be Lighthouse!

 

 

 

 

Dave