Wildman's Best

[Wildman]

Ah, the rambunctious Rufus!

Buzz and Sketchy the Ranch Cat are inseperable.  Here Sketchy celebrates finding her buddy down in front with a full blown left sided body rub.



Both have an incredible set of senses and both hear something right at the same time.

[Wildman]

The warm weather is really getting all the feathered occupants of the valley active.  This is a Brown Thrush giving me the eye.



The view from the front porch last week.  The snow is almost gone now.  Only a few slivers in the high country remain.

[Wildman]

Sometimes I never know what will grab my eye.  As the clouds came and went today, the sun just glanced off of this flower my wife had bought.  I don't know the name but do know I wouldn't want to eat the stalks.



When in doubt, take pictures of hummingbirds. There are lots of them, they are fun to watch and take pictures of and when I don't feel like a real brain exercise setting up a shot, I shoot hummers.  (with my long lens, of course)

[rdnckgrl78]

The flower looks like a Gerber Daisy?

[Wildman]

Thanks, my wife says that it was a Daisy.  Never knew they had such stickery stalks.

[ForestGal]

That yellow flower above is a poppy - can't think of the variety right now.  They come in lots of bright colors - I love them! 

Your shots of hummers are always amazing, Wildman.  They look like they are sitting still, in mid-air.

[Wildman]

Speaking of sitting on air....this red headed fellow was giving me the eye.  From the dusty archives.  I have some new ones but haven't processed them yet.

[Wildman]

The warm Spring days mean all of the wildlife is getting active in our valley.  The Gambrel Quail that live here are no exception. 



Can you see the reflection of the Rufus Hummingbird in the glass feeder? Certain times of the day it is quite common as the light gets it reflective.  Almost a minature mirror image.  Normally, I can't get the entire body in the reflection.



Both shots from the archives.

[WWMtnGal]

Beautiful photos Wildman!!

Very cool!

[Wildman]

Thanks, WWMtnGal.  I am working on a few new ones in between other assignments.

[lagomorphmom]

Love the pix of Buzz & Sketchy!!!
Ditto ForestGal with all due respect to your wife, the yellow flowers are poppies. You're on your own for what kind.

[Wildman]

Thanks for the comments.  My wife shared that I had heard wrong...they were poppies.

From the archives...partial transparency is one of the bonus features hummingbirds that are comfortable around humans will often display.  Only a few of the species will show this trait. 

[Wildman]

The other day when the snow flurries blew through, I noticed this hawk sitting on a retaining wall.  I didn't have time to set the camera up correctly and just got off a snap shot as he departed.  I believe he is a Sharp Shinned or Coopers Hawk.  He hangs around a lot terrorizing the Quail.

[Wildman]

Here's two from the ranch.

One bird patiently waits his turn for the greedy Flicker to finish gorging himself.



A Quail doing the strut across the front.  It's Spring and the males are really trying to impress the females.

[Surfer_Dude]

Great shots as usual Wildman!  I always enjoy your nature photos both here and on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wildman66/

I just looked up your hawk in my Peterson's Field Guide and I couldn't narrow it down by the photo.  So just keep those hawk photos coming.

For now I am guessing Cooper's Hawk.

[Wildman]

Sounds right...there was some discussion that both Sharp Shinned and Cooper's are difficult to discern in the field.

This fellow made no bones about where he was.  It's Spring and the Quail are getting their coveys gathered up.  This male Gambrel Quail was letting everyone know he was king of the neighborhood.

[Wildman]

From the Archives....Sunsets over Mountain Top are more subtle then sunrises.  They kinda depend on clouds to really pop. 

[Wildman]

Mike's Sunrise

My brother-in law passed away the other day.

There is a saying that when a new soul is released and reaches Heaven, the sky celebrates with a beautiful sunrise.

Each morning, we can wake up and enjoy this rite of passage and remember, that one day, it will be our turn to light up the sky for all to see.

God Speed, Mike

[ChattyCathy]

that's an amazing photo - a great tribute to your brother-in-law.

[Wildman]

You know, it's amazing how we take the beauty of our area for granted.  Someone asked me if my sunrise photos were  doctored in Photoshop and I said no....all you have to do is get up at dawn and you get to see the same wonderous sight.  I have had incredible sunrises when I needed them the most and this is no exception.