Sunday, March 8, 2015

Beachcombers

We recently went on a little excursion to one of the barrier islands off SW Florida's coast with visitors from 'up north'. The morning started off with somewhat unseasonably low temperatures and we tried to huddle down as the small boat whisked us across calm waters.



After taking 'the tram' (a pickup truck pulling a wagon) to a beach on the far side of the island we set up base camp for the day's stay. I'm not sure when this fellow arrived - in fact, he may have already been there when we set up - but he wasn't shy at all. I was able to walk to within a few feet of him as he posed to have his portrait taken. You might wonder how I know this was a male - any self-respecting female would have straightened her feathers before allowing a photo.




While waiting for the forecasted weather to arrive, we decided to explore a bit of the island. After following trails for some time we returned to 'camp' along the shoreline. By now the fog had crept in and covered the strait rather than giving way to the promised sunshine but we hardly noticed as we discovered some of the life forms along the shoreline and marveled at the power of the Creator.


everything fits neatly inside the protective shell including the eyes



this one looked ready for action as I stared him in the eyes




and these sea urchins looked like they would give an inattentive beachcomber a nasty surprise


24 comments:

Ruth Hiebert said...

The never ending wonders of creation. Thanks for sharing these images.

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Great shots Rick - that crab is amazing. Must have been a wonderful time for photography - once the weather warmed a little.

Cloudia said...

Cool! And great shots!



ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
=^..^=

Stephanie said...

Fabulous shots, Rice! Lucky you to be south for the winter. I heard that Florida was chilly. My aunt lives there part of the year.

Linda said...

Rick, your photos are absolutely gorgeous and captivating! Thanks so much for sharing this series, I love it.

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hello Rick, greetings and good wishes.

Marvelous photos. The clarity and detail of each photo is astounding.

To me it looked like the weather was good with excellent sunshine to click such beautiful photos. The colors are astounding.

True the bird was indeed posing for the photo and your comment that the bird was a male and not a female because it did not straighten its feathers made me laugh.

How wonderfully the color of the crab matches its surroundings is an amazing sight. I have never seen crabs of these magnificent colors here in Kochi. Most of them are dull, dark creatures.

Your photos are truly magnificent.

Best wishes

Amazing wonders in my life said...

Wow... Awesome shots!

Marty said...

bonjour Rick
la première image est superbe, un endroit magique
and yes this is un mâle !!! you are right lol
you have found some strange and beautiful things j'aime les couleurs !
I wish you une belle semaine Rick
and here some bisous of the first spring days
merci tschüss

Pamela Gordon said...

Amazing photos of some of God's creation. I love the colours of the crab. Enjoy.

darlin said...

Rick I laughed out loud at your comment on the not being a female, good one!

I sure love seeing your photos, always to perfection! I NEVER look at one of your shots and not feel the picture. You're so gifted, these are absolutely stunning photos!

Have a wonderful week!

cath said...

Great shots!

Anonymous said...

ha, die Rick! dat was lang geleden!
leuke krabbetjes hebben jullie.
groetjes uit België

Waldameise Andrea said...

Welch prächtige Farben. Dinge, die ich nie zu sehen bekomme. Danke für die tollen Fotos hier.
Danke auch für deinen Besuch.

Liebe Grüße
von der Waldameise

Bethany Carson said...

What a gorgeous view! The egret is beautiful, and I love your shots of the sea creatures. They are indeed remarkably formed by the Master Artist!

Marja said...

beauriful photos of incredible creatures I absolutely love islands
Maybe that's why I live on a big one.
Hoe ben jij daar ooit terecht gekomen
Ik bedoel in america

Helma said...

Wow..... wat is dit mooi Rick. Je openingsfoto is echt prachtig om te zien. heb je die in HDR gefotografeerd? Er ziet een mooie diepte in je foto en dan die kleuren!!! Echt supermooi! Ook de zilverreiger en de mooie krabbetjes zijn geweldig om te zien. De schildjes hebben prachtige tekeningen en kleuren. ik had graag even naast je gestaan :-)
Groetjes, Helma

Magia da Inês said...

ه°·هჱ⊱
Passei para uma visita.
Fotos maravilhosas como sempre!
Impressiona a camuflagem do caranguejo e a preciosidade das cores!...


Ótimo sábado com tudo de bom!
Bom fim de semana!
Beijinhos do Brasil.
ჱه° ·.

Teté M. Jorge said...

I was blown away by the photos, honey! You did a pleasurable trip indeed! ...
I Hope all is well with you and I wish that your week is wonderful.
Lots of beijos, flowers, hugs, friendship and peace of mind.
Love.

magda said...

Τι υπέροχες φωτογραφίες Rick!!!
Η φύση είναι μοναδική! Τι όμορφα πλάσματα δημιούργησε ο Θεός!
Τι χρώματα!!!
Να είστε ευλογημένοι, όλη σου η οικογένεια!
Πολλούς χαιρετισμούς

Joke (Joke's Camera) said...

Wow, wat heb je een mooie dingen gezien, Rick. Prachtig! Ik ben er best een beetje jaloers op. Mooie serie. Groetjes, Joke

Leslie said...

Gorgeous color! And I love that first shot on the water.

Unknown said...

AWESOME SHOTS! By the say, was one of your subjects here rather crabby when you asked for a release to publish those pictures? Oh, and I should be back in the normal swing of things this coming Wednesday.

Katherine said...

The creatures of this earth make awesome subjects for photography, they're all beautiful and unique in their own way. Love these pics Rick.. cheers Katherine

Bob Carlson said...

Amazingly vivid photos.