Tuesday, December 23, 2008

My Back Yard...


When the temperature falls the Cormorants come into my backyard. They arrive in big numbers for some concentrated fishing. They're mesmerizing to watch as they work together diving and driving schools of fish to the end of the cove.
Once they reach the deadend they turn and in a synchronized swim they push the fish out toward the open water. As though a dinner bell has sounded droves of gulls arrive plunging and screaming as they pull fish off the surface of the lake. Then in come the Great White Egrets and the Great Blue Herons. They soar and squawk and land and rise and swoop and settle for a moment before once again looking for the best place to land their claim. Today we even had a Bald Eagle glide in to roost in one of the tall pines at the water's edge.

I can only capture a sliver of the real scene that includes over 50 Egrets doing their 'cove ballet'. The sound is just as exciting as the movement.

5 comments:

  1. I love the shot of the red leaves and the stark white feathers - nature decorating your environ with some of the traditional colors of the season! How wonderful to have the variety and numbers of feathered friends homing near you.
    The egrets really are a gabby, funny bunch. They used to just make me laugh out loud as the filled our orange trees when we lived in Arizona - such a bizarre sight!

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  2. Exquisite pictures! Ditto on Karin's comment on the top pic. This is your backyard? Beautiful! What is the name of the river?

    m.a.

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  3. Thanks K & M.A.
    The water is part of a large fresh water lake called Lake Smith...my home sits back from the edge about 100 steps. I'm actually back on a little cove zone where all this activity takes place. Yesterday there were two Bald Eagles mixed in to the action. I get so awed out even though my brother (in Alaska) sees eagles by the dozens on a regular basis.

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  4. hmmmm, this wonderful ballet sounds like a painting in the making!
    Thanks for sharing,
    Susan

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  5. What a beautiful backyard to have. The photos are very nice and I thank you for sharing a piece of your life.

    Happy New Year to you,

    xoxo,
    Leslie

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Thanks for stopping '-)