Happy July 4, 2012

 Fireworks!

Thanks to everyone, past and present, who make our daily freedom possible.

Green Herons

This is a Green Heron.  I saw four of them this weekend at dawn.  They are beautiful.  They have so many different appearances.  They are intense while sitting.

 

 

 

 But they can stretch their necks way out when they see something.  And the feathers on the top of their head get all out of whack.

Off he goes!

 Their take-off is so fun to watch.

 There were four of them, so I waited awhile, and sure enough, another one showed up. 

Praying Mantis Babies

Have you ever seen a Praying Mantis?  Sure you have, but have you ever seen one as a baby?

These guys are very tiny.  If you didn't see their triangle shaped head, you may think it's a mosquito!  These are only a few hours old.

I let them play in the flowers for awhile, then I set them free.

I can't wait to see them grow!

Killdeer

 

These birds are so small and blend in quite nicely to the sandy and rocky places where they like to hang out.  But on a particular day, I noticed two of them.  And they were having some fun.

 

I tried to give them privacy, but my camera had a different idea.

 

My, that was fast!!!!

White Egrets

 They are White.  They are beautiful.  They are graceful.  And they are back.

 It's such a gift to see one of these beautiful birds standing by the shore.   Or in a tree.

  

To watch them fly should put anyone in a good mood.

I Like Deer

I'm always amazed when I see a beautiful deer in the wild. They are such beautiful creatures. One of our local Metro Parks has several that will let you get rather close if you are respectful of them.

When I see two ore more at a time, it's even more exciting.

 This poor guy must have had an accident that cost him part of his leg.  But he seemed happy and very well adjusted. 

 Then there was Mister "I'm in charge".  He ruled that day.

 Mostly, they just wanted to graze.

 And stick their tongue out at me.

Red Squirrels

Red Squirrels are very shy and very FAST.  These guys can travel at the speed of sound, I swear.  But this guy was chomping on his lunch, and sat still for a few seconds for me.  If you look closely, you can see pieces of his walnut flying through the air.  He was on a mission.

 This guy also posed for me.

I guess lunch time might be a good time to capture these tiny critters.  They make a rattlesnake-type sound so be on the lookout for them on your next walk in the park.