Tri-Colored Pine Cone

photograph of a pinecone

I’m not much of a pine cone photographer (is there such a thing?) but the colors on this cone really caught my eye.  It grew from the branch of a fallen tree that was clearly still very much alive.

Alpaca 1

photograph of an alpaca

This alpaca was standing with the sun on its back when I approached.  In order to properly expose its face I had to massively over expose the background.  In this case that was probably for the best.  There was nothing particularly scenic behind the alpaca and the white background really focuses attention on the animal.

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.

Mourning Cloak

photograph of a mourning cloak butterfly on purple flowers

This Mourning Cloak butterfly stops to rest and feed in a patch of tiny, purple wild flowers.  I encountered it while hiking with a friend this spring in the Great Dismal Swamp near Suffolk, VA.

 

Unlikely Fisherman

photograph of a spider sitting on a leaf in a pool of water

Five of the eight legs of this spider were on the surface of a small pool of water.  The other three were resting on a leaf floating on the surface.  At first I thought this spider had been stranded on the leaf but I later realized it was probably waiting there for lunch to come along.

Like all the photos on my blog, you can click on the image above to see a larger, high resolution image of this photo.

King of the Mud Puddle

photograph of a red southern toad sitting up in a mud puddle

 

Walking in a park near the James River on spring afternoon, I stopped to see if there might be anything interesting in a large puddle adjacent to a small pond.  Sitting, quietly a few feet from the trail was this red toad.  It remained so motionless as I photographed it, I began to think it might be a toy frog somebody put there as a joke.

Stones Along the Shore

photograph of stones along the shoreline

This photograph was taken on Hog Island Wildlife Management Area, along the James River, near Surry, VA.  It was a cold February morning, just after dawn.  While the entire scene looks wet, it was actually frozen.  The sand along the shore was a hard as cement and the foam around the river stones had been turned to ice.

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.

Brown Headed Nuthatch

photograph of a brown headed nuthatch hanging under a pine cone

I encountered this brown headed nuthatch in a grove of pine trees along the south shore of the James River.  I later learned the James River is the northern edge of their range, which explained why I had never seen one before; I live on the north side of the river.