Reader Stephen Barnard is monitoring the bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and swans on his ranch in Idaho.
The first photo is of Lucy, one of the breeding pair here. Her mate, Desi, was nearby and they were calling to each other incessantly
The next two photos are of an immature Bald Eagle, an interloper. It may be an offspring of Desi and Lucy come home for a visit, or it may be an interloper into Desi’s territory. (Desi’s looking a little haggard.) I saw all three roosting on a favorite perch last evening, with the long-term couple shoulder-to-shoulder and the young bird 8-10 feet away.
They’ve been carrying on with calls like I’ve not heard before.
And a majestic trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator):
And these photos, by reader Ken Phelps, aren’t really “wildlife,” but I like them a lot. He sent a bunch more photos of water, animals, plants, and landscapes that I’ll be featuring in the coming weeks.
Dew on a spider web:
Dew on a moss:
The note on this one says, “And since you like pareidolia, a border collie found in some ice”. Can you spot the d*g?
The dog looks more convincing than some of the Jesuses-on-toast I’ve seen. Praise Dog!
Perfect border collie in the ice. Much easier than nightjars…
Lovely pics! Great photography. Always nice way to start the day.
Love all the photos! The interloper eagle looks a bit worried all skinny like that. I haven’t seen a juvenile bald eagle & the colours are nice.
The dew pictures are quite nice too — I need to try some macro this summer!
I love the Border Collie in the dew drop. Would you mind if I shared it with some BC friends?
Is that an accident, like Jesus on toast, or is it a reflection of a real Border Collie? It looks real to me, proof that God spelled backward exists.
Share away, it’s genuine B.C. ice after all. No actual dogs (or gods) were used in the photo. Like most of my pareidolia photos it is pure accident, discovered during editing and cropped from a larger image.
Shot at a rock bluff on a logging road going up the side of Mt De Cosmos. It drips water year round and, being on the north side of the mtn, gets no sun in winter. It’s at about 2200′ elev, so colder than down near the salt chuck, and for a good share of the winter the rock face (maybe 15′ high) grows a fantastic collection of icicles, and the rocks and brush in the ditch get covered with a thick layer of ice from the splashing. For a devotee of macro it’s like a candy store.
I have a few pics of the Nanaimo Lakes area on Google Earth, although none of the icicle-fest. I may just upload some to Panoramio today, as it is raining pretty good and the fireplace beckons.
Beautiful feathers on those birds.
Love the dew pics!
The dew and moss are great.
Superb photos, all!
It’s interesting to observe Lucy in mid molt, with lighter, worn feathers being replaced by darker, crisp feathers with their pale edges intact.
Amazing dew shots! The reflections in the droplets are fascinating.
Yeah…I remember last summer Stephen’s photos of Lucy showed a rather worn out coat of feathers. Looking much better!
‘Dew on a spider’s web’ has inspired much art and philosophy (Indra’s net) and some of the kind of science and pseudoscience done by heavy pot-smokers. Which may include parts of quantum field theory (did Feynman indulge?)
Border Collies, not so much.
After Feynman was diagnosed with cancer, he did indeed indulge, but I think his quantum field theory work was prior. I could be wrong, it’s been a while since I read ‘Genius’ where this was documented.
I have to be more observant of dew. Wow, what terrific shots.
If you want cheap entertainment, find yourself some very light dew on a dandelion seed head.
Thanks for the tip; now if only Summer were around the corner!