Shore Birds and Their Reflections ~ Swan Lake

Goodmorning everyone...well today I'm home sick and I was home yesterday as well. I'm not one to be couped up in my house for days on end.....unfortunately as much as parents look forward to having the children go back to school after the two month off for summer. Children have that extra special way of coming home and sharing their germs with the rest of the family. Kenton my oldest within being back to school came down with a lovely cold..you know the kind fever, chills, heavy cough, swollen glands, snotty nose...yep and as much as I disinfected the house guess who got it next. ME!! Love the way children share...hmmmm NOT. Hopefully I can head back to work tomorrow in the mean time fluids, fluids and more fluids. But for today I thought I would post these lovely shots I got at Swan Lake another of my favorite places to go. My focus was on the REFLECTION not the duck I wanted my bang for my shot than just the birds. Enjoy everyone....back to bed I go HIGH HO :)

Turkey Vulture Spotings In Victoria BC!!!! The Lost Bird

First I would like to say WOW!!! for what ever reason these Turkey Vultures have shown up here. Some how they have gotten lost or caught an outflow that brought them up here. Apparently this happens from time to time. According to local birders they are patiently waiting for the proper outflow again to get back home to the Mexican area. Are they lost I would say so. So when I was walking the other day I saw them in the sky about three of them. I'm so sorry for the quality of these shots...but I don't own an SLR so this is it. Look at their wing span amazing and you can see their white beak and red face. I did try to track them to see where they would land...but they just flew even further away. So what I got is what I've posted. I did go out the next day...there had been sightings at Cattle point but I couldn't find them.

Dew Drops Part 2 ~ The Dynamic Dandelion

Well I'm very pleased with the results of my Spider's Web pictures. Thank you everyone they definitely look like the spiders during the night decked out their webs with special jewels!!! You can only see them if you get up early enough in the morning to catch the decor. Well for my follow up encore of the same them......right within the same location actually I took these shots. I at first just zoomed in to see if the detailing of the dew would even be visible to see... or if you just had a soaking wet Dandelion. WELL to my amazement you could actually see every individual dew drop. I was totally stunned and awed with the beauty in what I was seeing again through the lens of my camera. I have to tell you I just love my camera it's like my third eye into a world I would never ever see or notice. If I was just going for a walk without my camera I would have never ever have notice this.

The Morning Dew ~ A Spider's Dew Jewels

Well I took a day off on Friday...just because I needed one now that I'm working 7 days a week. I wanted to capture some of the things we at times don't notice or even see. I wanted to capture dew on many different forms of nature...the sure sign of fall with all the wonderful moisture in the air that naturally collects on a variety of things. Like these spider's webs. I wanted to show you what the sun can do to make these wonderful works of art just explode with excitement. The Spider's Web....stunning...so stunning.

Fabulous Fruit Friday ~ Fall Apples Harvest Time

There is nothing more appealing to me than coming across an Apple Orchard in the fall. Looking at these trees reminded me of my Grandma and Grandpa. They had 5 apple trees in their yard when I was growing up. Fall time was time to make apple sauce, apple pies, apple dumplings and apple crisp. Ahhhhhhhhh the smell was a piece of heaven......I will never forget the way my Grandma's house smelled during September. I simply loved going there and licking whatever bowl was offered to me. :)

Victoria's Beautiful Birds ~ The Peacock

Today I wanted to show all of you the wonders of our fabulous peacocks. They live in two locations around Victoria. One location you will know right away being Beacon Hill Park. The other location is out in our rural location at Hatley Park. These wonderful birds are stunning and so beautiful when they dance around it is such an eye candy that everyone stops to admire the show. The males and females are extremely loud with their calls...you can hear these birds literally from a mile away wow!!! You know when it's breading season that's for sure. I'm hoping come spring time to find a nest and do a small feature on them and their babies. A goal I would like to achieve. But for today enjoy the beauty in the Peacock.

When Plants Go To Seed ~ The Next Phase Of Beauty

Another find in a Field......Now that fall if officially upon us, the plants realize this as well. Going to seed is that beautiful final stage of life for the majority of plants on earth. Their reason for existing to reproduce oneself is a high priority. Or as we know it the plant will cease to exist. As I take the time to look at things from a different perspective with my camera, I have come to notice the small things. The simple things in life and I'm finding I'm more and more interested and intrigued I become. This is just one plant I found very interesting as it prepares to release it's future to the wind. Do you notice the small...if not walk around your yard with your camera...you might be amazed.

How Do They Do It? ~To Walk On Water Would Be Glorious

These bugs I'm posting today have been a wonder of mine since I was a child. I was very fortunate as a child to have the fortunate attribute of living only 10 steps from the lake. All summer long I would watch them walk on the water fascinated with what they could do and could not. Just think if we could walk on water....what a wonderful concept that would be. I took the time to really get a close shot of these Water Skaters on how their legs are shaped and how they can just sit on the water. Amazing little bugs (animals) I'm not too sure what they do or their purpose but I'm sure it is something amazing and important. All life has a purpose...it's just hard to determine what that can be sometimes. This is one example of that.

The Forest Floor ~ The Beautiful Gastropod

Morning everyone.....A one time before I had this many followers I mentioned in one of my posts the wonders of the Natural recyclers. The animals that we miss that work so hard in our forest floors cleaning up decaying debris and helping the ecosystem take care of the break down of large materials can turn into natural compost. Compost that our forest floors rely on for nutrients to sustain all levels of life. From the growth of plants that feed our larger animals and birds to the small. The animals we don't notice like ants, bees, centipedes and other small living things we tend not to notice. This silent Gastropod or slug as some of you would call it plays and important roll in the forest...I love them. So shy, so quite they go about their business in a very determined manner. Which is to help decompose matter and help make compost. A very important animal in our forests. So the next time you go for a walk take a blook at your feet. You will me amazed at what you find.... Happy Monday everyone

Out Of The Mist ~ My Attempt At A Scenic Shot

As all of you know scenic shots are the shots I need the most practice with. Here is a shot I took at Beacon Hill Park last week. It was the same day I captured the Red Breasted Nuthatch shots. As I explained before Beacon Hill Park also butts up to the Ocean and sometimes you can see the Cruise ships either leaving or coming in. Here is a ship coming into the Harbour...but what I found so lovely is the mist or fog just hovering over the ocean. As summer merges into fall the warmer water and the cooler air meet and sometimes the images are quite mystical with the mist just above the water. I also like the images of the mountains behind not quite clear but part of the mystical scene.

Fabulous Fruit Fridays!!! ~ A Day Early ~ Squash Are Fruit

Hey everyone I know I'm a day early with the post. But it's Thursday evening and I thought that since I'm up early and don't have time to post before I go to work that I would post instead before bed. Some of you who are in Europe are still asleep anyway so I don't think the early post will matter in the whole scheme of things.
Did you know though that Squash are actually classified as a fruit!!! Yes it's true. I had a little niggle and thought I would investigate my thought process. I knew that Tomatoes are a fruit because they bare seeds.....so that lead me to believe that foods that we call Vegetables who have seeds could actually be a fruit. So foods like Pumpkins, Squash, Zucchini's and Tomatoes although we associate them as Vegetables they really are a fruit. Cool isn't it!! So since I have such a lovely fall theme going here I thought I would throw this into the mix. Happy Friday everyone. Oh and before I forget....I had a hard time deciding which photo to post I like them all. So I posted them all even though they all look very similar, I just couldn't decide :)

The Forest Floor With Fall Images

You can tell that the weather has definitely changed and things are progressing into the Fall season. For one Victoria has received some rain fall and with that comes changes on the Forest floors. Yes something you don't see allot of in the Summer...mushrooms have popped up everywhere. They are not small at all......so large are they that they topple over with their own weight. I call this photo: How the Mighty Have Fallen. I took this next photo in Beacon Hill Park on the same day I took the pictures of the Red Breasted Nuthatch posted below. The light in this shot is what I like the most about it. Catches your eye.

This Little Bird ~ Red Breasted Nuthatch

On Sunday my family and I went out for the afternoon when I got home from work and headed out to Beacon Hill Park. Beacon Hill Park is one of our more popular parks that is located down town Victoria. The park also boarders onto the sea side walk way which would take you down to the break water where the Cruise ships dock when they come into town. My objective was to try to spot some birds before they start to migrate to warmer locations for the winter. I didn't really have much success, but I did spot this little red breasted Nuthatch up at the very top of a tree all fluffed out and making it's usual beeping noise that they make. They sound like little broken horns don't they. I like the sound and was drawn to it's location because of it. My husband though will argue that this isn't a Nuthatch but I'm positive that it is....if I'm wrong let me know guys...some of you are expert birders and would know in a heart beat if I was wrong. In this first image I was having a little fun and wanted to give this bird an aged look. It's the same image at the bottom. Just wanted to add a little texture into this shot...mainly because the bright blue sky was just so intense that I wanted to tone it down and show off a little more detailing on the bird. Rather than featuring the sky. I really like the effect.... Warm feeling.

Native Art ~ The Totem Pole And The Stories They Tell

Ahhhh ....another weekend come and gone. Working weekends really taps into my Photography time....so much so that I'm not sure I will be able to post everyday anymore. But I'm an optimist and we will see. Anyway I wanted to show you some of the wonderful work our Native Aboriginal People do here on the Island. Totem poles are carvings made out of wood (Cedar) that tell stories from the bottom to the top. These stories I believe come from life experiences. They then tell the stories in carvings, paintings and verbal story telling. These carvings also have a spiritual purpose with all plains of life for the Native Aboriginal People. At the University of Victoria these beautiful totem poles stand in the middle Court yard. So many people come to admire them and to sit on the grass under them to talk or do homework. Quite a popular spot.

Fabulous Fruit Fridays!!! ~ The Zestful Orange

Goodmorning and yes Happy Fabulous Fruit Friday!! Today's feature is the orange and I did three different things with this fruit to add some drama and flair to this particular shot. So under each photo I will tell all of you what I did!! In this top shot I got the boys to take a eye dropper and place it under the water to shoot air across the mirror that I have placed under the orange...this effect then made the water shimmer adding some depth and excitement in front of the orange rather than just a simple reflection.

In the middle shot again I had the boys use an eye dropper and I attempted to capture a water drop hitting the water as you see here in the middle. I should have used a higher speed shutter but I still like the effect I have here...soft and dynamic.

Then in the final shot I simply took a nice shot utilizing the mirror and water under the orange. So tell me which shot is more appealing to you? Happy Friday everyone!

Managed To Fit In A Walk Between The Drops ~ Part 2

I'm posting the second half of my walk....I tend to notice the smaller things the simple things that seem to make me happy. Doesn't take much does it? But does something need to be large to make us happy....I figured out long ago that Grandma was right it truly is the small and simple things in life that make us happy or what you make of life makes you happy. One or the other are strong and true statements. Take your time and you will see nature reflected back at you in these lovely drops. In the leaf in particular you can see the reflection of a tree turning color. Have a wonderful day :)

Manged To Fit In A Walk Between The Drops ~ Part 1

Well I managed to get out yesterday afternoon late....I watched it rain like Cats N Dogs all day! So between all the rain drops I headed out for my very favorite walk to UVIC's Gardens, since it's across the road I knew I could get some lovely shots off before it got dark on me. Notice how it's getting darker sooner...bummmer....that's one thing about summer I enjoy the most. The fact you can still be outside at 8 or 9 at night and it's still nice and bright out before sunset. So here are some lovely flowers I found...a bit wet but lovely none the less.