ONE MORE POST FOR THE DAY

We're leaving soon to go walk the lake and then head up to Big Bear for a few hours.  It's been really hot here - we reached 90 yesterday.  I was miserable - not use to the heat anymore.

Yesterday I took these photos inside the house looking out with my plants in the foreground.  I uploaded them today and loved the way they looked so posting them here. 


I think my lens was dirty in this first photo - or was it the window!  We have so much pollen floating around - it's probably the window.

 My sister bought me most the birds I have.  Each time she would visit since we moved to the mountains she would bring me a bird - even that beautiful red bird watering can.

I had my houseplants outside for a few weeks - finally had to bring them in as the weather turned so hot.

TURTLES, DUCK AND NEW BABY

The baby ducks I showed before have grown and are much bigger now - (I'll post photos later) but there is one Mama and one baby at the lake.   Something is getting the eggs.  Mallards typically lay about 10 eggs or so and they do this because the eggs are stolen by hawks, owls, any prey that can get to them.  From what I have learned it's typical to lose many eggs and only have a few that reach adulthood.   This mother has only one left.  I still think there are more mothers who will be having babies soon because there are so few females out on the lake.

These photos of the mama and baby were in the same part of the lake - and with a change of shooting direction by about 20 yards or so - the green water looked blue - amazing to me how different it can look from the sky's reflection.

 Walking around the curve of this part of the lake and here the water looks so blue.

 For some reason I love this photo with the mama duck's foot in it.

Walking along we saw the turtles we see once in awhile.   

THISTLE AND WHATEVER - MOTH OR BUTTERFLY

I have to do more research on moths and butterflies - I'm sure moths fly during the day.  If not I had a bunch of extremely miniature little tiny fairy size butterflies land in the birdbath and end their life there.   I mean...these things were t-i-n-y.

Anyway, I'll title this Thistle and Moth.

The thistle is blooming down at the lake in one area particularly.  I was trying to take photos of it, and had to climb around this guy's gear that he had set up to fish.  I saw this moth flying around but didn't know I actually got a photo of it.  When I looked closer I was surprised and grateful that I caught one in motion.

FLUFFY BIRD

Walking along on a beautiful afternoon I see a movement out of the corner of my eye.  I tromp through some high grass and weeds to find a hole in the ground where water is seeping out of a drainage pipe.  This is one of the drainage pipes that after it rains, feeds water into the lake.  This little fluffy bird flies up on the pipe from the water below and sits there for quite a while as I snap photos.  It doesn't bother him apparently that the water is stagnant and murky - he was just enjoying his bath when I interrupted him.

Every day, brings more little surprises down at the lake.  I eagerly set out every day to see what it is that will surprise me most.

The more I get excited, the more nature lifts the veil on its' beauty - but then I think - no I'm just seeing more and more of  nature's beauty because I  am focusing in to see it - also an extra pair of eyes (thanks Mike) aids me in seeing more.  I may miss something and he will point it out.

"CALIFORNIA CHECKERED WHITE"

It took me some time this afternoon, to identify this butterfly.  I photographed it today while walking by a certain area on the path, where yesterday, I had the good luck of finding a sparrow drying off from its' bath.  I was hoping to find more song sparrows in this area but instead found this butterfly. 

An important thing I learned and never knew was the difference between a moth and a butterfly - that's where I had a problem - I kept trying to identify this as a moth.  Anyway - Butterflies are mostly brightly colored day-flying insects with long clubbed antennae and most moths fly at night and lack clubs at the end of their antennae.  

Will you remember this when you see a moth flying during the day with long clubbed antennae - that it isn't a moth - but a butterfly?  If you're like me you'll forget as soon as you read this.

 When I first moved here I loved to photograph birds - now everything catches my eye as a potential subject for a photograph.  I enjoy trying to identify what it is I come across.

Don't know what the flower is but this is a California Checkered White butterfly - whew!  - that took a long time today to find it on the net.

  I took a close up view and noticed the bluish yellowish body.  How pretty!

LAKE ARROWHEAD YESTERDAY

I noticed that a female mallard left her male partner to watch the kids.  It wasn't too long before he lost track of one of them.

He found the other one playing in the sand up on the beach. 

FUNNY BIRD

Out walking one day when this bird made me stop and shoot - He looked so confused.

HE'S BEEN RENAMED THE BULLY BY MY BROTHER IN LAW

I call him the Pirate.  He steals all the booty in the yard.


Last evening Mike and I were sitting on the deck watching the birds when the Bully Pirate appeared on the railing to take a few peanuts away.  They will not leave us alone.  They sit on the railing and squawk.  This particular one was on the deck right at the screen door looking in squawking - right before we put peanuts for him out on the railing.

I LOVE GREENHOUSES

This one happens to be at our local Ace Hardware.  We were there to pick out some annuals one day and because I always have my camera with me, I walked in to this one and took a few photos.

If you want to see some nice ones go to this GREENHOUSE LINK

 I saw a quote while looking around for greenhouses.

He who loves gardens loves greenhouses.  How could that not be a true statement.  I've never had a formal garden but have certainly done a lot of yard work and creating of spaces in my life, well, mainly in the house i lived in for 28 plus years.  I'm having fun though creating a lttle garden. 

OUT FOR A WALK