Who We Are

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Serene Scenery Sunday

Ha roo, pups and kit-cats.  It's me, Zim, here with some photos I lifted off my mom's camera that are bound to help you find that inner Zen of Zim Zone.  Are you ready to get going?

Yeah, so there I was, strolling across the open field ...

IMG_3393Coyote

Just kidding.  That's a coyote!  A coyote!!!  Mom and her friend headed out to Tuttle Creek State Park again yesterday to do some birding and they saw my cousin there on the way in.  Isn't he handsome?

Mom saw this bird hard at work, building a nest on the walls of the outdoor chapel:

IMG_3401nest

Mom isn't quite sure what kind of bird it is, but thinks it might be an Eastern Kingbird.

A lot of the birds there were apparently teasing Mom and her friend - they'd fly by real fast, then zoom off before they could focus and shoot their photos.  That would explain this shot:

IMG_3404QUICK!LOOK!
"Quick!  Look!"

Mom said the Great Blue Herons kept doing fly-bys, so that could be what she missed there.  She did manage this one shot:

IMG_3453GreatBlueHeron
Great Blue Heron

They also saw Mrs. Red-Winged Blackbird:

IMG_3424Red-WingedBlackbird
Female Red-Winged Blackbird

... and her main squeeze, Mr. Red-Winged Blackbird:

IMG_3428Red-WingedBlackbird
Red-Winged Blackbird

He was nearby, watching over her.  Very sweet, Mr. B!

Here is a pair of Blue Winged Teal ducks that were swimming by:

IMG_3434BlueWingedTeals
Blue Winged Teals

Lovely couple, aren't they?  And remember - the family that dives together ...

IMG_3436BlueWingedTeals

... thrives together.  Or something like that.

IMG_3438BlueWingedTeal
"You have a little algae coming out of your bill, dear."
"Quack."

This shot is an Eastern Kingbird:

IMG_3458EasternKingbird
Eastern Kingbird

Mom said not only does she do better with slow, larger birds, but it's much easier when the leaves aren't on the trees, too.  I think she mentioned it took her 87 hours to get this shot.  Something like that.

Here's an Eastern Bluebird!

IMG_3478EasternBluebird
Eastern Bluebird

And here's another shot I got off her camera:

CollageMossSeamus
Border Collie Birds?

Hmm.  Funny looking birds, Mom!  Oh, well.  At least I know she and her friend were well-protected! Good job, Seamus and Moss!  I hope you two had a blast out there!

Mom was really happy to see some Baltimore Orioles.  They were hard to photograph, as they didn't sit still very long and hid in the trees ... but Mom and her friend were patient and persistent and Mom was able to get these shots:

IMG_3484BaltimoreOriole
Baltimore Oriole

IMG_3492BaltimoreOriole
Baltimore Oriole

On her way out of the park, Mom saw one hopping around in the field and stopped to take some more shots.

IMG_3524BaltimoreOriole
Baltimore Oriole.  Must be an outfielder.  (Ha roo roo roo.  Baseball joke.)

He did some yoga stretches on a pipe:

IMG_3546BaltimoreOriole
Baltimore Oriole stretching

Then struck a nice pose:

IMG_3533BaltimoreOriole
Baltimore Oriole - Money shot

There are also a lot of wildflowers in bloom now, and Mom saw a new one to her:

IMG_3558 New Jersey Tea
New Jersey Tea

Mom thinks it's New Jersey Tea, Ceonothus herbaceus.  All I know is I bet it's tasty!  (Not that I'd try to eat it or anything.)

That's a wrap for this week.  We have tons more of serene pix to show you, so I think we'll be doing some nice peaceful posts this week.  If you'd like to see more of the shots Mom took yesterday, they're all in this set on FlickR

Remember to take in all the beauty around you - and keep it serene.  Have a great Sunday!

Play bows,
Zim

13 comments:

  1. Some birds are difficult to photograph unless you have something to attract them to. Nice job getting the Orioles picture.

    Millie and Walter

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  2. Bonus! I got my serene early today! WOW this is just a beautiful beautiful post. And those duck butts made me laugh. I have never seen a Boarder Collie Bird before. This is rare indeed. The coyote shot is just...wow. I remember when MOM and I were in Wyoming and we got a photo of a WOLF!! No kidding and the cool thing was that just above the wolf about 10 or 15 yards was two deer watching him. MOM thought she had died and gone to heaven to get such a shot. I will admit, it was pretty amazing. Thanks for the early Zen of Zim, I am ready for the day now.
    Blessings,
    Goose

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  3. The Baltimore Oriole is just beautiful but our favorite shop has the be the Teal's hineys in the Aire! hehe

    Love ya lots♥
    Mitch and Molly

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  4. Have a serene Sunday. You made are day. Pawsome lix.
    Best wishes Molly

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  5. LOVE ♥ the Oriole pics.. they fly through here butt never stay. We get all excited when we see them though..

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  6. Hi Zim, If you lived closer, I'd be calling your mom and asking if I could tag along. I love birds but we don't get as many beauties as you do. Hope you are having a wonderful day!
    Wags, Noreen & Hunter

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  7. Beautiful scenery today in the Little Apple! We love the birdie shots even the two Border birdies! The coyote photo is pretty cool too!

    Hope you all stay safe with the storms coming across KS today! Our Grandpa from KS has already taken important stuff down in the basement and is watching the skies like a hawk. Get it, a hawk is a birdie! :)

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  8. I watch the heron commute to and from work over my estate every day. I think he goes to the nearby reservoir (at least now he does since he ate all the fish in our neighbor's pond).

    It is indeed happy and serene to be able to watch birds close up.

    Kisses,
    Dexter

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  9. Wow that is a lot of birds! I could have a really Good Time with those birds.

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  10. So many lovely photos! My favorites were the diving ducks.

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  11. Those are certainly some funny birds! Hmm....

    Nora

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  12. Great pix. We hope you had a serene Sunday and have a marvellous Monday too.
    Best wishes Molly

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  13. Those birds posed very nicely for your momma!

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