“I sometimes forget that I was created for Joy.” - Hafiz
Hello friends! It seems like overnight spring turned into summer. All the warm clothes have been put away and the sunrise comes earlier than my body is ready for it some days. I hope we get through storm season very soon as well. My file of photos that need to be sorted through and processed has grown to over 4000, which is not unusual for this time of year but does still feel a bit overwhelming!
Meanwhile, I just have to share a few more photos of the Caspian tern and the prothonotary warbler because I’ve never had such close views of those two marvelous birds before! Here are today’s choices:
Sunrise May 11, 2024. This trail has been great, but with all the rain and warmer weather the mosquitos are eating me alive down there! Time to move out where the breeze is a little more protective.
Look at that dive position! (Caspian tern)
I just liked this one for how free this tern looks against those clouds.
That bill too! I love my carrot-beak friends. (Caspian tern)
There is my prothonotary warbler friend singing as usual.
Doing his angel impression.
Excited he stuck the landing?
Ruby-throated hummingbird doing his morning stretches.
“You put your right wing in, you put your right wing out…”
“…you put your right wing in and you shake it all about.”
Tail flaps open...tail flaps closed.
Mr. beaver going for a swim on a foggy morning.
All that moisture in the air has produced some nice sunrises, including this one with a lovely halo.
Mrs. tree swallow showing you her wings.
I’m pretty sure whoever coined the phrase “birds of a feather” never watched birds up close. “One of these is not like the other…” 2 tree swallows and one cliff swallow. One main identifier for cliff swallows is that patch of white on the forehead.
Another cliff swallow identifier is that light patch on the rump (the bird in the air). They have colors similar to barn swallows but they don’t have the big forked tail.
Barn swallow for comparison - can you see the differences?
Barn swallow, incoming. Notice no white patch on the forehead. Also, anytime I get a shot of a bird coming at me in focus, especially one as fast as a swallow, it’s a bonus!
I really love it when the barn swallows pose in the most amazing light.
Jerome Braggs says that beauty and joy are literally food for the soul. They are key nutrients like protein and vegetables are for the body. I hope this post provides a nourishing snack for your day!
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Okay, Karen, I’m going to be a little nosy now. How many photos do you need to take to sift out enough of the best ones for a post?
The birds’ coloring notes and detail are so helpful. Photos of birds in flight are amazing!