Wednesday I drove a usual route N. into the Hills, making a few typical stops for a look-see as I headed for Hwy 385 and the Rochford junction...
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I didn't get but a few miles down the road before I passed a red-tailed hawk perched near the road...I turned around and went back, stopping a good distance for these two shaky shots...
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Cramped knees? This black-capped chickadee is having a reeeally good stretch, not overly concerned about my presence...in fact, clearly I bored him...
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The thistles are in bloom, always a pretty shock of wildflower red...well except for the rare white ones which I haven't seen yet this year...these two thistles are musk thistles (note the 'artichoke' type base), there are several types here in the Hills...
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A wood nymph on alfalfa in the glowing yellow sun...this alfalfa is the farm-grown kind...there is a more scraggly looking wild alfalfa that grows in the Hills also...
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From the road, crown vetch looks like this...non-descript mass of pale pink...I suspect it's an escaped garden flower (legume), now spreading well around the Hills...
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Up close, it is quite pretty, white and pink...
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The white water crowfoot is adding a pretty sprinkling of white to the creeks now...
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And the ebony jewel-winged damselflies are flitting about along the creeks too...I"m still working on a good, sharp photo of one...
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A crescent butterfly, small but packs a colorful punch...grabbing some gravel...
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My favorite of the clovers, the Alsike clover is creamy white with pink at the bottom...
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Not overly impressive, but hey I'll give it five seconds of fame anyway, the manyflower stickseed...
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I was back at the Mickelson Trail near the tiny town of Rochford, at Bloody Gulch Rd., when I rounded a bend and discovered I wasn't alone after all...open-range cattle...they were scattered all over the area as it turned out...who do you suppose was less trusting, them or me? I turned around and went back from whence I came...the birds weren't cooperating anyway...
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The fireweed has bloomed despite the bovine and their destructive invasion...
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By the way, this is a 2-parter also...come back soon!
I really enjoy your photos.I agree with your personal note along the side of your blog.
ReplyDeleteI haven`t been able to get up close to a hawk yet this year,so seeing this one makes me want to try harder,thanks for sharing,phylliso
I'm always impressed by your bird photos. I finally got a hummingbird last night, but my camera doesn't have a good zoom lens and his tiny self was perched in a tree too far away not to zoom. Someday, when I win the lottery, I'm getting a better camera. ;)
ReplyDeleteThis beautiful place will not be the same without your photos Jann, when you move to Alabama..
ReplyDeleteI like the look of your butterflies Jann. Anychance of some more pics of them, even the common ones to you are interesting to us :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Jann. As always I'm impressed with the variety of wildlife and flora that you see and capture for us to view. I agree with Warren..more flutters please. Not sure what camera and set up you are using but when shooting against light or dark backgrounds for the tiny objects exposure compensation +/- should help. Sorry if you already know this. FAB.
ReplyDeleteMy favorites today Jann are the little open-mouth stretching chickadee, the crown vetch closeup, the Alsike clover and of course the Hawk!
ReplyDeleteThe conquest of the red-tailed hawks put on a screen on which fly in wide circles at high altitude. The male dives sharply, sprouts, and again in so steep an angle. After several of these approaches, it obscures the woman from above, spreads her legs and touches briefly. Sometimes the container on the other pair, claw clip, and immerse yourself in the spiral to the ground before pulling away.
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