Wordless Wednesday Wings

Wednesday Wings The Beautiful but Elusive Hooded Oriole

This is the third Spring that we've had a Hooded Oriole pair return to our hummingbird feeders. They arrive with a bang - you can't miss their raucous call! Yet, despite the fact that they always announce their presence, they're very shy, and leave at the slightest disturbance. I can't blame them, but it's made getting good photos of them a definite challenge. I've only been able to try from inside through a window. So far, these two shots are about the best I've taken. Not the greatest, but they show how gorgeous these birds are:-)

Mrs. Hooded Oriole

We take the guards off a couple of the feeder slots to give them easier access. I think that's part of what's kept them coming back. We're so happy to have them! They're a definite bright spot around here. They'll be here for a little while, nesting and such, then move on again. In the meantime, I'll keep practicing sneaking up on these wonderfully vibrant visitors, and getting some outside shots (fingers crossing!).

Mr. Hooded Oriole

If you're interested in more info about Hooded Orioles, check out All About Birds, a wonderful bird id site! You can even listen to their song. It's a lot prettier than the noise they make when they land at our feeders, but I love that sound, too - it always makes me smile:-)

Blossoms!

If pink and white flower blossoms are your favorite, then this is the post for you! It doesn't seem to matter how many photos I take of these beauties, I can't get enough:-) This first photo was actually taken by my mom, Nancy, and edited by me. She realized she could see a different perspective from where she was sitting in the car, said how good her view was, and so I handed her the camera. She was right - look at this gorgeous view, and what a great photo!

"Pink Path"

"Pink Think"

"Pretty Pink Petals"

"Light Up"

"Soft and Bright"

"Delicate"

"Reach Out"

"Bright Beauty"

"Clouds of Pink"

"White Light"

Bees!

I have lots of new photos to share, have been taking way more than I can keep up with, lol! Starting with just a few bees, though, because I love them so much. Plus, while they might make some people nervous, when I'm in an orchard or around flowers with the sound of bees buzzing in the air, it just feels like I'm surrounded by the most wonderful energy:-) As you probably know, honey bees are in crisis right now, so plant lots of flowers and garden organically to attract them to your garden - bee prepared to bee mesmerized;-)

"Embrace"

"Bee-lieve!"

"Don't Let Go!"

"Eye Spy"

"Bee Ballet"

I don't think I've ever shared any bee wisdom or medicine on my blog. I've researched them on several sites - here are just a few of the traits they represent:

*Accomplishing the impossible - looking at the bees above, hanging on determined to get their pollen; they prove you can reach your goals:-) Also, the way bees are built, they shouldn't be able to fly, but they do.
*Be productive without overdoing it, remember to "savor the honey of life". Also, are you actually working and being productive, or just being busy?
*Bees show the value of working as a community.
*Enjoy the sweetness of life.
And, two of several traits from my favorite quick reference site Animal Spirits:
*Prosperity
*Understanding female warrior energy

These photos are of honey bees and Anthophora urbana (I believe, but if not, please let me know). All are available in our shops (which the photos link to), because I bee-lieve I'm not alone in my love of bees:-)

"I Wanna be a Cowboy"

Well, okay, not really;-) Last Saturday, though, we took a drive, and stumbled upon a big round-up/branding gathering on our favorite road. We stopped, I asked if I could take photos, and was told yes. So, parked, hopped out, and got to see our first-ever real-life round-up. It was so cool! The action took place in a fairly small pen with a tall fence around it, not the greatest for photos, but at least we got to see it and I got some fun shots.


Yes, it can be a bit harsh (which is why no branding photos here), but to me, it was so great to see this lifestyle still in existence - especially here in California. Plus, though they may eventually head to market, the calves up in the foothills still have much happier lives than the ones down here in the factory dairy farms (veal crates, anyone?). The foothill calves get to stay with their mothers until weaning age, and enjoy freedom and green grass for a while. They get to be cows.






It was really awesome to see all of the cowboys at work! I've seen reining and roping in the show ring, and have to say that the real thing makes you appreciate just how hard it is to rope and wrangle a calf. It was a great trip back into the past, and I hope you enjoy this short photo journey into being a cowboy for a day:-)

Merry Christmas!

I hope you and yours are enjoying a wonderful holiday season!!! No "white Christmas" here, but the hills are coming alive with green:-) This photo was taken yesterday, and this first deer we've seen in the entire time we've been taking drives on our foothill road - perfect timing!

Cowabunga, dudes! Oh, those silly cows...

That's right, it's an ode to the cow - the silly cow, that is;-) When we take our drives up into the foothills, if we don't see anything else, we know we'll see some cows. Unlike the ones on the valley floor in factory dairy farms, these actually are happy California cows. They have lots and lots of land to roam, grass to eat, and mighty oak trees to lie under. Yes, some will wind up as hamburger, but at least they're able to enjoy life before they do, and just be cows.

Being cows, they're a pretty mellow bunch, though wary of strange humans wearing weird things around their necks;-) They actually have a really good energy. Standing near them, I can feel their calm, and it's very soothing. I looked up their "wisdom" on Animal Spirits, and it's no surprise that two of the things they represent are love and contentment:-)

That said, they should also represent silliness! It seems every time I take cow photos, I wind up with something funny. So, I finally put some of these silly shots together, gave them goofy captions, and am presenting them here for your viewing pleasure:

Aka "Stank Eye" ;-)

This young bull had escaped from his pasture, wandered down the road (leaving lots of ploppies), and wound up here. Looking for love in all the wrong places, I guess;-)

Dragons and Damsels

Flies, of course! ;-) Yes, I know it's been a long time again. Getting back into the swing of things, though. Edited to remove link/info no longer valid (08/12). Anyways, lots to do, including getting my blog back up to speed! So, here are some recent dragonfly and damselfly photos. I've always thought they were the coolest insects, but it wasn't till I started photographing them that I learned just how fascinating they really are! So many parts, so much intricacy in something so small - I could watch them all day:-)

"A Little Blue", male Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)

"Smile!", female Variegated Meadowhawk, (Sympetrum corruptum)

"Freeze!", male Desert Firetail (Telebasis salva)

"Dragonfly Diner", female Variegated Meadowhawk chowing down

"Gripping", female(?) Neon Skimmer (Libellula croceipennis)

"Steady", Variegated Meadowhawk

"Ready for Liftoff!", male Flame Skimmer (Libellula saturata)

"The Aviator", female Variegated Meadowhawk

"A Little Privacy, Please", pair of Common Blues last May - this was taken while leaning over a barbed wire fence, and I actually didn't see Mrs. Blue until I processed the photos. I couldn't figure out what Mr. Blue was doing "standing up", lol!

"Copper Collision", the same Meadowhawk as "Steady". This beauty stayed long enough to get different angles and backgrounds:-)

Hope you've enjoyed this little montage! If I've identified any of these incorrectly, please leave a comment and let me know. I've tried to match them up to what I've found online, but dragonfly id is all new to me. Several of these are in our shops, so I've included links in the photos when you click them. I find them irresistible, and thought others might, as well:-)

P.S. A little Dragonfly/Damselfly medicine - They represent transformation. They help us break down illusions and find truth, and provide help with learning what we need to change/breaking bad habits. They represent much more, but these are the things that stand out to me the most.

The Monarchy is in Control!

"The Monarchy"

Okay, this might be the last all-butterfly post for a while, as I don’t want to bore you. However, the Monarchs made me do it;-) Actually, what happened was that last Sunday, it was a tiny bit cooler than it had been, so we took a drive. We had no expectations, we just wanted to get out. We figured we'd see lots of dry grass, and not much else. However, we happened upon a couple of small spots that weren’t dried out yet. We also saw lots of calves (for another time). As we came upon the second little green spot, we suddenly realized there were several Monarch Butterflies (Danaus plexippus) flying about. We pulled over, and lo and behold, there were small patches of milkweed on each side. There were about a half-dozen Monarchs flying around, along with other creatures. These are some of their photos, which I hope you enjoy:-)

"Upside Down"

"Connoisseur"

"Magical Monarch"

"Copper Glow"

"Spots!"

I will be adding some of these to our shop. I’d love to know which is your favorite!