Serene Scenery Sunday

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie, here with Serene Scenery Sunday.  Mom took this week's photos out at Tuttle Creek State Park and at the Steve Lloyd Wetlands --- or at least on the way there/back.  We hope these pictures will help you relax and feel all kinds of serenity!  Ready to take a look?

First up are a couple birds Mom has never seen or photographed before!

Yellow Warbler

Orchard Oriole, 1st Summer male

Later on, that Orchard Oriole will turn bright orange!

Mom got this guy sitting on a sign:

Eastern Kingbird

I sure hope he had a permit!!!

Here's a cool-looking froggie:

"Shh!  I'm camouflaged; you aren't supposed to see me!"

Mom made sure to not say anything to the herons in the area about Mr. Froggie!

Those pix were all taken out at Tuttle; here are some Mom shot yesterday at the Steve Lloyd Wetlands!

Dad spotted this birdie way out in the distance!

Baltimore Oriole

Mom had to zoom way in on him with her bazooka (I mean the 600mm lens) and then crop it.  She couldn't believe Dad saw him!

They saw lots of Indigo Buntings; they were way more cooperative than the ones at Tuttle!  Here's one of them:

Indigo Bunting

Blue is one of Mom's favorite colors, so she just loves the little Buntings!

Speaking of little ... here's another very small birdie:

American Goldfinch in a Mulberry Tree

Mom thinks the Goldfinch might want to give the mulberries a little more time to get ripe!

Mom and Dad also saw a lot of Dickcissels.  There was one who let them get SUPER close to him - and he sang for them!  Here he is:

Dickcissel 

That photo is not cropped -- that's how close their pet Dickcissel let them get!  (Dickcissels are about the size of small sparrows, just to give you a size gauge!)

Speaking of up close and not cropped ... here is a shot of some much larger birds:

Turkey Vultures

Sure, they're a bit spooky-looking, but mighty cool in their own right!

And for what was the most unexpected bird they saw ...

Peacock!

Yes, a Peacock!!!  In the middle of totally Nowhere, Kansas!  Isn't he beautiful?!!?  And wow, he just looks as proud as a ... well, OK.  Now I know where the phrase "proud as a peacock" comes from!

Does seeing all of those photos get you to your serene place?  They sure do it for me!

"So serene ... so relaxed ... so ... Zzzz...."

Have a wonderful Sunday, everyone! Keep it serene!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher