Oh Deer...

When I take a second to plan for my walk (i.e., choosing the correct camera and lens) the results sometimes pay off.  I still can't find my spare battery for my Canon or my iPod, but that's another story.

Stormy skies (or the aftermath of stormy skies) - 10-20mm wide angle.

Feeling funky and fun ~ Lensbaby Scout and Fisheye op

But on most - since I try and hit the trail quite early - the 70-300mm w/a double image stabilizer - a lens I never would have bought for myself (the Mister can be quite generous) is usually a good choice. Because that's when the wildlife is about and in full wake up and grab some breakfast mode.  The timing (and the lens choice) did not fail me this morning.

I found this little girl

And then she found me and said, "I'm outta' here!"

But the best find was this trio ~ Mama and her twin Bambis.

She was a good Mama.  It didn't take her long to spot me.

The she was like, "We're outta' here, kids!"

"Come on!"

Exit Stage Left!

I said Left!

Sigh... Rebels - they were kicking up their little Bambi heels like gazelles!

I assure you ~ it was worth getting sand in my Keens. :)

And on a closing note... I've been inspired to start carrying "The Duck o' the Day" with me on my hikes again. (Rather than every shot being at dinner with a glass of wine. They enjoy nature, too.) It's a little challenge I like to give myself to find the most interesting backdrops/bokey. I've had a few printed on canvas wraps and oh my... I've created a monster (myself).  I see a whole new market opening up ~ baby nurseries, toddler's rooms/baths, people who won't grow up and have big houses... *wink*

So Water Baby and I did a little trial run on the trail this morning.

Oh hang on to your qwackers.. there will be more to come over the days and weeks!  

It feels good to back where I belong.  In nature.

Mothers. Don't Mess with Them.

The other day seemed rather uneventful in the park.  I noticed the armada approaching.

But they were harmless.

I noticed some "photographers." 

I put that in parenthesis because I kind of have a problem with nature "photographers" driving up in their big ass pickup trucks and whipping out their 100,000 mm lenses to shoot.  I think that's cheating.  (And what are they shooting?  The inside of a pelican's eyeball?)  And sorry, but I think using tripods for nature shooting is for sissies. (Granted I'm blessed with steady hands so maybe that's a little judgmental.)

To me shooting in nature is all about getting out there - getting a little dirty - taking a risk now and then - tripping over rocks (and hopefully not landing lens first in the creek). Really being IN nature. I mean John Fielder used to haul something like 75 lbs. of camera equipment as he hiked to the top of mountains for cryin' out loud.

But I digress.

I said things were uneventful ~ until I came up over the hill and saw this crafty fellow.

And I realized what he was doing.

He was at the market shopping for his picnic breakfast.  I realize a hawk's gotta' do what a hawk's gotta' do, but come on ~ these were babies!

Then he saw me.

And he was not happy.  As my friend, Karen, said,

"No one gives the stink eye like a hawk."

He may have remembered me from the other day.  He looks a lot like the same fellow. At any rate, he wasn't pleased with my presence.

But I did what any good Mother would do 

I suggested he move on down the road.

Or lake as it would be.

No sooner had I made that suggestion than I noticed Mama Duck skirting along the edge of the water drawing his attention away from the babies.

Don't ef with Mothers.

But, of course, like a typical Mom I worried about those babies the rest of the day...

Bird Walk

Now that I've resumed my morning walks I'm seeing that it depends which camera or which lens I grab that ends up influencing what I experience on any given day. Take yesterday for example.  I carried my Canon with my 70-300mm and ~ voilà ~ I'm on a bird walk.

The pelicans are always entertaining

The blackbirds were having a drink.

The geese were all in a row.

The great blue heron was as elusive as ever.

The mallards were doing their mallard thing.

The hawk was having breakfast. (I'm thinking this was a poor little snake.)

He saw me but convinced I didn't want to steal his breakfast (yuck), 

went back to his meal.

And then there was this couple. Who thought they owned the path.

She seemed to guard the way

And pose a lot.

While he chowed down. Or it's possible that he guarded the path as she chowed down. It is rather hard to tell...

And then they kindly invited me to leave.

See?  Bird walk.  Not a flower in the bunch.