Rose Buds

photograph of red rose buds beginning to bloom

Sun, rain, plant, earth, and gardener all played a part in producing these magnificent buds.  How many hours of sunlight, drops of rain, atoms of nitrogen, and beads of sweat have gone into them?

Curious Horned Grebe

photograph of a horned grebe with a curious look

I spotted this Horned Grebe swimming in one of the canals at The Great Dismal Swamp.  It didn’t seem to mind me watching it at all.  It just swam around, in and out of the shadows and would occasionally dive under water.  I was able to get quite a few photos of it but this is one of my favorites.

Flamingo 1

photograph of a flamingo

This flamingo stood out among the group of its peers.  It was a bit more relaxed and kept lifting its head, lending itself to a nice avian portrait.

Forster's Tern

photograph of a Forster's Tern hovering over a river

During a hike near the James River, I came across a group of Forster’s Terns flying above a stream.  I watched as they floated, effortlessly in the air above the water.  After a few seconds they would dive out of view and then come flying back up, circle around, and start over.  I assume they were catching small fish but I couldn’t get close enough to be sure.  The tern pictured here is hovering in position, waiting to dive.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lost in the Details

photograph of crossing lines of light and wicker

While having lunch I noticed the intriguing pattern of lines at my table.  The wicker place mat was crossed by the shadows of the blinds, which were themselves crossed by the stitching.  All this seemed like a fun way to make something out of the utterly mundane.

Steaming Stump

photograph of steam coming off a log as snow melts

When I arrived at the edge of the lake, this stump was absorbing the sun.  As the dark wood warmed snow was converted into a small cloud of steam.  As a result, this photo shows all three forms of water:  frozen (snow), liquid (water), and vapor (steam).