Unexpected

I happen to look out my bedroom window one morning and found this Black Capped Chickadee just a few feet away.

Enjoying a crabapple.

A pretty male Northern Cardinal.

This coyote was in my backyard in the middle of the day!  She  appears to possibly have had mange.  Her coat is ratty and just growing back in.

A Muskrat that did not mind posing for his picture.

Day at the zoo

I spent a chilly winter day wandering around the zoo practicing my photography.  The animals were not overly active, but I managed to get a few photos to share.  Enjoy!

Female Mexican Grey Wolf.  She was watching something in the grass.

Same wolf, different angle.

A pair of the wolves.  I liked the cinnamon cast the one on the right has.

American White Pelicans enjoying the day.  As our winter has been unusually warm, they still have open water to swim in.

A Pelican close-up.  The bump on the end of it's bill is a sign that the bird is old enough to breed in the next breeding season.  After the breeding season ends, this bump will fall off. 

Of course I spent most of my time in the aviary area  : )  Some beautiful birds I will never see in the wild.

A White Crested Turaco native to Central Africa.

Blue Crowned Motmot

An Oriole Warbler with a small stick in it's mouth for a nest.  They are native to West Africa.

White Crested Laughing Thrush native to SE Asia.

Two Green Wing Macaws

A gorgeous Red-crested Cardinal.  These birds are native to central South America, but have been introduced in Hawaii.

I enjoyed capturing the expression of the this orangutan.

The sweetest baby orangutan!  He only peeked his head for a minute, but I was able to take a few shots.

The lions being lazy like most of the animals.

Just a Few More!

Leopard Frogs

A few photos of the frogs I enjoyed watching in my pond this year.

Kingfisher triumph!

I was surprised to still see this female Ruby-throated hummingbird around in early October.  She was in the last patch of flowers I seen left.

Taking a rest before the long migration flight.

A rare glimpse at the inside of a Copper Hairstreak butterfly's wings.  These are little tiny butterflies that never  rest for a photo!

After chasing these Belted Kingfishers around for years, I finally got an opportunity to capture one when the lighting was decent.  This is a young female I found very early one morning.

If you have ever heard the loud chatter of a Kingfisher, you can imagine the noise coming from this adult females mouth.  One of the young birds was trying to land near her and she did not want him there.  I loved  that I was able to catch her in this pose.  Was worth the wait!

A young Red Headed Woodpecker so proud of  finding this acorn.

The parent Woodpecker watching from high in the same tree. 

A Killdeer in search of food along the shoreline.

Fall friends

Male Eastern Bluebird 

"Myrtle" variety Yellow Rumped Warbler

Why is it so easy to capture a Turkey Vulture soaring and so hard to capture a Bald eagle???

While enjoying a warm fall day walk, this Praying Mantis flew by me and landed nearby.  I thought it was unique how he positioned his front legs stretched out instead of the usual praying position.  I am assuming it was to fool his prey.

A Monarch enjoying nectar from the asters.

I found this Bluebird in the early morning light searching for bugs along the beach.

An Eastern Phoebe, a member of the flycatcher family of birds.

Botanical Garden Treasurers

I took these photos on my annual fall trip to the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis.  Like much of the mid and south west, it was a long, hot summer there.  Many of the plants were stressed and were not at their best.  For a different take on the flowers, I played with closeup rather than the whole flower.  Many of the flowers had damaged petals or ones that did not open to their usual splendor.  Hope you enjoy seeing the beautiful colors.

A red Dahlia with white petal tips.  These were softball sized blooms.

A huge spiked petal Dahlia that was dinner plate size.

This tropical plant was called a hanging lantern.  Very appropriate name and a lovely flower.

A Toad Lily bloom and bud.

A water Lily.

This was a newly hatched Dragonfly that I happen to find along one of the water lily ponds.

The next two photos caught me by surprise.  They are both in complete color, no photo tricks applied.  I had not expected the flower to appear in color and seem like it was in a black and white background.  Loved the effect, and it was just a product of the lighting and the dark foliage of the lilies.  Hope you enjoy.