Picture-A-Week 2019 - Week 20

[pierces]

Pictures taken between Monday, May 13 and Sunday, May 19.

 

 

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!

[cruises42]

Mama and baby groundhog strolling in our backyard on a wet, rainy Mother's Day.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great pictures of the ground hogs.  We have one and can't get rid of it.  They eat too many things.

[pierces]

Yes, "that" Blarney. The magical "Stone of Eloquence" that will enhance your ability to articulate your thoughts and convince others if you lay on your back, hang you head and shoulders over a 90' drop and kiss the rather plain stone embedded in the battlement surrounding the top of the main tower of Castle Blarney. One smooch and you are better able to convince anybody of anything? That would ne a nice-to-have. Its attraction faded after I saw the line of people waiting to climb the 120 steps to the top of the tower. The get-on-your-back-slide-and-kiss procedure isn’t quick and I wasn’t in the mood to stand in line and listen to lawyers, politicians and car salesmen for that long.

 

Blarney Castle

 

 

Dave

[zackiedawg]

Wetlands Weekend Activity here in Florida:

 

Hiding in the shadows in a cypress pond, almost hidden when your eyes are adjusted for the sun, but noticeable once you adjust to the shade - an alligator:

 

This took quite a sneaky look though dozens of leaves and branches blocking my way, but with careful focusing, I could thread through to this red-shouldered hawk, sitting on a palm snag with a frog dinner in his talons:

 

Two turtles - the one on the bottom didn't really have much choice as the one on the top decided to balance himself on the other...just after snapping this shot, both of them tipped off the log into the water:

 

A big, fat and colorful knight anole lizard hanging out on the side of a tree, in the shade on a very hot day:

 

An anhinga doing an unusual little dance - sitting there on top of the tree with his wings folded back, he was pumping his wings up alternately, left then right, over and over again like legs pedaling a bike:

 

The secretive, and beautiful, least bittern working his way through some floating plant islands looking for small fish hiding in the roots:

[boeckli]

Is this the pose you wanted?

 

[puppycanducruise]

Great pictures.

Thanks for sharing.

[zackiedawg]

4 hours ago, boeckli said:

Is this the pose you wanted?

 

 

The classic 'wings out' pose!  I love when they do that, but this guy was doing something different - I believe it's part of their mating dance.  I searched around for a video and found one example of an anhinga doing the 'pumping wings' routine:

https://youtu.be/BiJGC1VHwh0

 

You see after the bird lands and moves up near the female, he starts pumping the wings alternately up and down...that's what my guy was doing!

[kenevenpar]

I realized I had not shared some shots from our trip to Palm Desert, CA and area:

 

 

From the Palm Springs Tram - Near the top of Mount San Jacinto (97degrees at the base, 60 Degrees at the top)

 

 

Chilean Flamingo (wild, but stays in the ponds of the JW Marriott)

 

 

White Pelican working on a fish

 

 

Costa's Hummingbird

 

 

DW donating her bracelet to the POW-MIA museum (in the Palm Springs Air museum)

[pierces]

The hummingbird is remarkable!

 

 

Dave

[PurpleHays]

LOVE the hummingbird!

[kenevenpar]

On 6/28/2019 at 4:14 PM, pierces said:

The hummingbird is remarkable!

 

 

Dave

 

16 hours ago, PurpleHays said:

LOVE the hummingbird!

 

Thank you very much!

[cruises42]

Cedar Waxwing about to catch dinner.

[ski ww]

That's a good action shot, got to be ready. 

[cruises42]

15 hours ago, ski ww said:

That's a good action shot, got to be ready. 

I think it was really dumb luck!