July 7 through December 12, 2020

I can hardly believe how long it has been since I blogged. It's been so long that my embed from flick isn't working. The photos below are on my flickr site and I put them in the same as always but they aren't showing up. I tried a lot of different things but I give up. I ended up inserting through blogger and not doing the embed.

I intended to post at least once per season so I could look back and easily remember seasonal changes.

It has been almost six months since my last post.

You can't see it but behind my laden pecan tree branches is a 3 person wooden swing.

We've had such a wet summer that the greens stayed almost as fresh as spring.

The shot above is my backyard. I've let it return to woods to the point I can't even make it up to my storage building.

The high stepping egret above cracks me up.

I haven't been anywhere to speak of over the past six months so these are mostly home and neighborhood lake and parks.

I voted on the very first day of in person voting.

It wasn't too bad but did make me think, over the river and through the woods to vote for sanity I go.

I was glad everyone was wearing a mask.

We've had a mask mandate since last spring and I was hoping no one was going to be there making a mask-less statement. 

Fall was very pretty this year and went on a long time.

We're well into winter now and mostly the trees are bare.

Weather is all over the place with one night having a hard freeze and the next rain.

My oak trees are always the last to change colors but they're worth the wait. Below are my oaks and above is my neighbor's maple.

The most excitement I've had recently is an attic full of squirrels. 

I am having a bunch of repairs done after they are trapped and removed.

Above are cedar waxwings. The waxwings come in the late fall and early winter and then move on.

The bittersweet berries have all fallen.

They are a big hit with the birds.

I think the blue jay below was talking to me.

I hope everyone stays safe, healthy and happy as we approach another new year. Man, I sure hope 2021 isn't like 2020 although I shouldn't complain. I am doing well myself.

May 31 through July 6, 2020

I am used to seeing turtles when walking at Shelly Lake but rarely do I see them on dry ground.



I liked the addition to the butterfly drawing on a greenway path.



I recently saw a video interview with authors who were asked about where they found hope.
Great Blue Heron Below


One of them said he found hope in nature.
Toad Below


I guess that's true for me too although there's a lot to worry about in terms of threats to the environment.
Brown Thrasher Below


The American Robins are constant visitors to the water I provide on my deck.



The juvenile is trying to get the adult to share below.



Below is another juvenile American Robin who managed to find a time when the adult wasn't hogging one of the baths.



The mourning dove below was taking a rest in the sun after a bath.



I think the bird below is a female house finch although it could be an immature male house finch.



The catbird below is resting on the deck but it seems to be warning off any potential company.



The resting robin is another juvenile.



The catbird is having a bath below. I also see carolina wrens, chickadees, nuthatches and bluebirds in the deck baths but I haven't managed to photograph them this season.



I seem to have a lot of shot of the juvenile robins. They crack me up.



The one below is close to adulthood.



I photographed 3 rabbits together but I liked the solo shot the best.



The female rufous sided towhee took a long bath. I also shot a male rufous sided towhee but that shot didn't turn out.

March 16 through May 24, 2020

The world keeps getting weirder and weirder. The photo above is the new me.



On a positive note we've had a particularly beautiful spring.



I think it's helped that the temperatures have stayed relatively cool for a North Carolina Piedmont spring.



I'm lucky to live somewhere that it's possible to get outside and walk.



We've had a lot of rain but in between rainy days there have been days where I've been able to get outside.



I'm curious about what the photographer below was shooting.



When I shot the great blue heron I didn't even see the turtles.



Once I downloaded the shot above I was able to crop it so the turtles are visible on the right.



I love surprises in photographs.



We always have a lot of rabbits in my neighborhood but this year they seem to be even more abundant than usual.



It's been cool hearing and seeing places where wildlife are able to roam the streets without the car traffic that's usually out.



I've noticed a lot more traffic lately even though my state is still in the very early stages of opening up.



It annoys me when I see less people wearing masks in publilc.



Durham, NC has a city ordinance requiring masks in public but Raleigh, NC where I live only has it as a recommendation. 



Although I live in Raleigh and normally work in Durham, I'm working from home for the time being but still glad to see Durham being sensible. 



The flag above caught my eye on a neighborhood walk.



I think the heron below may be a juvenile.



I'm running out of anything I feel like saying.



The craziness in the world is hard for me to avoid.



I went through a long time of actively avoiding the news but that's been hard to stick to this year.



Bill spotted the goldfinch below when we were walking.



I would have missed it otherwise.