Monday, April 19, 2010

(Day 109) Spring's bounty

People aren't the only living things that appreciate the return of spring. Today's photos show 2 creatures I found (well, my wife actually spotted the 2nd one) that were quite happy to no longer be under winter 'wraps' and were enjoying the fresh bounty served up in spring time - nectar and tree buds.

 (70-200mm  f5.6  1/1250 sec  ISO200enlarge for better view
















(70-200mm  f16  1/80 sec  ISO800)   

21 comments:

Scott Law said...

Those are incredible. Is that a porcupine in that tree. Wow, I've never seen anything like that. Love those.

darlin said...

Well Rick, when I thought I've seen your best photos you continue to amaze me almost daily. These are by far the best of the best I've seen you take! Awesome photos! I can't even pick one over the other, they are both astounding!

Rick said...

@Scott - thank you Scott; yes, that's a porcupine - my wife spotted it in a tree a few hundred feet in front of our house. It kept on merrily munching on the buds as I approached it - no fear at all (I guess not with those quills!)

Rick said...

@darlin - thank you *blush* (I read the Ansel Adams quote daily - if I didn't, I might develop a swelled head :)

Chad said...

Rick;you have to understand Scott never gets out of the city.He just bought a trailer,so my wife and I are going to have to change that.You've always got photos that interest and entertain me.Great job.

Katherine said...

Oh wow ... these are fantastic! A porcupine in a tree.. who would have thought.. Just amazing.
They are wonderful photos as usual Rick & thank you for sharing your little corner of the world with us. Love the photos!

Sarah Knight said...

Wow, I love the shot of the bee. I suppose I have a thing for pictures of flowers with bees (or butterflies). Excellent compositions!

My name is Riet said...

Prachtige foto's Rick. Ik zag je naam en die is echt Nederlands hè. Leuk en je spreekt het perfect. :))

S. Etole said...

Those pesky porcupines that eat the bark off the trees ... glad he decided to play nice! Great shots.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful candids. Love both a lot.

Is that a Koala?

chasity said...

great photos.
i have never seen a porki in real life...
but i would love to.

imac said...

Wonderful shots Rick, you caught them well

Rick said...

@Chad - LOL; and I thought (based on his photos) that he lived far away from the city! Thanks for the positive comments Chad.

Rick said...

@Katherine - thank you. We do have a lot of wildlife around here but the trees usually hide them well - spring makes it easier to find some of them.

Rick said...

@Sarah Knight - thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.

Rick said...

@Riet - dank u wel Riet. Mijn nederlands is een beetje eenvoudig - ik was maar 6 toen we emigreerden. Bedankt voor u commentaar.

Rick said...

@S. Etole - yes, pesky indeed - our dog 'loves' them but each time she has an encounter we have a vet bill to remove the quills. We kept her distracted and far away from this one.

Rick said...

@M - thanks. No, we don't have eucalyptus trees here; it's a porcupine (stekelvarken).

Rick said...

@chastity - thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. Come on over - we have lots; take one home if you like :)

Rick said...

@imac - thank you!

Rick said...

@chasity - oops! got your name wrong the 1st time - I let my mind tell my eyes what they saw instead of vice versa :)