Artsy

There was an art class at the Sertoma Art Center.  What was my clue?  The cars in the parking lot of course!

This car was there the longest.  Teacher's car?

This one took me a minute.

This one is environmentally conscious.

Good Morning!

Early dawn on a cloudless day.  It's good to get up early enough to see the dawn every now and then.

U turn

This plane must have gotten lost.

Ruby crown

This Ruby crowned kinglet moved around in the trees so fast, that I mostly got pictures of bare branches where he had just been.

Just in case you don't believe me, this fuzzy picture shows his little ruby crown.

Old Man Heron

This Heron reminded me of a bearded old man.

x rated

Ooops, I think these Red Bellied woodpeckers were starting spring early...

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker

Sounds like you're insulting this bird to call him by name, but he really is a Yellow Bellied Sapsucker. 

You can see the yellow belly better on this female.

Killdeer

These little guys run around at water's edge.  They're hard to notice because they are the same color as their background.  Good adaptation.

Tulip Magnolia

Here comes spring!

Red shouldered Hawk

This red shouldered hawk watched quietly while everyone walking around Shelly Lake looked for eagles.  Lately I've seen more hawks than pigeons.  A sign of a healthy ecosystem?

Bald Eagle

There is a breeding pair of Bald Eagles living at Shelly Lake.  We've looked and looked, and finally found a man with a very large camera lens who was willing to show us the nest.

We watched the eagle hunch over in the tree.

And finally saw him fly!

Carolina Wren

One of the most common bird songs around here is that of the Carolina Wren. ( Listen here)  This little guy was in full throat.

Partly cloudy

The sun was hiding behind the clouds.  

Who knew mushrooms could save the world?

Listening to NPR's program, Here and Now, I heard about Paul Stamets, a mycologist who says that fungi have amazing properties.  They can save the honey bees, protect humans from microbes and viruses.  According to him, mycology ( the study of fungi) is critical for the survival of life on this planet!  I just thought they looked cool.

See here for the program.

Sky

The sun was hiding behind clouds and trees.

Cormorants

The cormorants were fiesty on Shelly lake.  They were fighting for a place on the pilings.  They finally settled down to drying their wings in the sun.

More mergansers

We found a small flock of Hooded Mergansers swimming and diving in the lake.  They're shy, and moved off as soon as we came close.

Looks like they're already pairing off.

Physics again

In a small creek, there was an interference pattern set up in the water.  As waves from reflections off different rocks came together, they formed a standing wave pattern. Explanation here.  Also, here's an interesting simulation. (link)  Well, interesting to me...

Hermit Thrush

Cornell lab of ornithology describes this bird as a "pot-bellied thrush"  and yes, he had his belly puffed out.  He was happy to sit in the tree and pose for me.

Pollinator garden

It doesn't take a lot of room to create a space for pollinators, just creativity.  This park used the turn-around in their parking lot to make a place for bees and butterflies.

Woodpeckers

Woodpeckers have been visiting the suet feeder.  

Red bellied woodpecker.  (I've never been able to see the red belly)

Downy woodpecker. (I guess because he's smaller than a hairy woodpecker)

This red belly is waiting his turn.

Boney fingers

When I looked at the reflected branches of this sycamore tree, it made me think of boney fingers reaching out.  Now when I look at it I see lightning.  Or maybe it's just a tree.

survivor

I know our cold snap was nothing like the rest of the country, but it did make a difference for this flowering tree.  Only a few of the early flowers made it through.

Long Shadows

When the winter sun is low in the sky, the shadows get long.

Super Bowl afternoon

Maybe it was because Carolina wasn't playing in the Super Bowl, but people found better things to do.

Blue sky winter day

Sometimes the brightest blue is after a rain.  It rained 3/4" the night before, and then the clouds blew away.

Icicle

A little bit of ice dripping into a pond.

We've had our little bit of winter, with temps in the 20's.  

Theme day: White

The theme for this month on City Daily Photo is "White".  The photographers from around the world are challenged to post a picture representing white.  See here for the entries.

This is my entry, not exactly white but it seemed like a white world (last December), except for a visiting red bird.