View allAll Photos Tagged naturebokeh
Female green kingfisher, still seems to be pretty accepting and willing to pause in her activities so I can photograph her. She poses so nicely. This is the smallest of the kingfisher species native to Texas and the US.
Montell, Uvalde County, Texas.
Perched on a stick and looking straight into the camera with those striking green eyes!
Montell, Uvalde County, Texas in September 2021
"Hey, waiter! This feeder is empty and I would like a refill." Male painted bunting in my backyard.
Montell, Uvalde County in May 2022
Immature white-eyed vireo wet from a recent shower in the water sprinkler. I just love these curious, happy seeming little birds. Always singing very loudly for such a tiny bird.
Montell, Uvalde County, Texas.
Black vultures differ from turkey vultures by the color of their head, shorter tails and dull black feathers overall. They are just as good at their job of cleaning up dead animals from the area. This one posed on top of a dead and broken tree trunk.
Montell, Uvalde County, Texas.
A true blue wildflower. This one has common names of erect dayflower, white-mouth dayflower, or widow's tears. This bloom was seen in June 2020 near Rockport, Aransas County, Texas.
Yellow-throated warbler enjoying a bit of rain in Montell, Uvalde County, Texas.
They tend to forage among the foliage, crevices in tree bark, or along the ledges of buildings looking for spiders and other insects.
This mourning dove was seen in my backyard in Portland, Texas. Because the populations of white-winged doves and Eurasian collared doves have grown and both are bigger and more aggressive, I see fewer of this species.
Northern parula is a small warbler with blue-gray upperparts and yellow breast and throat. They usually present a darker orange patch across the breast and mature males have a brown "necklace" (band between neck and breast), bright white belly, 2 white wingbars and a yellowish patch between the shoulders help round the ID markers. They have a distinctive simple song that sounds like a rising buzz, ending on a single high-pitched chip. Our property is at the western-most edge of their summer range. In 2021, I saw the first fledglings of this species so I know that they will nest here.
Montell, Uvalde County, Texas in August 2021
I know, I know...this is way too busy and you can barely see the details on the flowers in focus....but the colors and the glorious bokeh make me happy. Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!
Pour les curieux: non, il n'a pas réussi à l'avaler!
For those who were wondering: no, he couldn't swallow it!
These are similar to the black-capped chickadee, the main difference being that this species is smaller and has less white on the wings. Carolina chickadees can be found in the Southeastern portions of the US from New Jersey to Northern Florida and across to Central Texas and up into central Ohio. Black-capped are found strictly across the Northern US, including Alaska and portions of Canada.
We are fortunate to have a year-round population of Carolina chickadees.
Montell, Uvalde County, Texas in May 2022
Sachem is a species of skipper butterfly with a lot of variation in colors. I think this is a sachem based on size and coloration. Some of the skippers are difficult for me to confidently identify. They like the wildflowers in our area. In May 2020, we had a good variety of blooms because there had been some rains in the previous month (April showers do bring May flowers). Wish we had some of that rain not that it is August and we have had blistering heat and no rain for weeks.
Montell, Uvalde County, Texas during May 2020
Montell, Uvalde County. Adults were nearby but this individual was independently perching in different spots for photographs.
Very similar to the ash-throated flycatcher. The main differences are the vocal sounds and the brown-crested flycatcher has a brighter yellow belly. The ash-throated flycatcher is more common on our property so I was happy to find this one. In Montell, Uvalde County, Texas.
Ladder-backed woodpecker perched on a fence post, cooling off with the spray from a lawn sprinkler. Montell, Uvalde County, Texas.
The peach blossoms on a couple of our trees were spectacular in January and we were thrilled to think of the bounty of peaches coming in the summer. Alas, some freaky late winter/early spring freezing temperatures pretty much eradicated all of them for this year. Luckily a couple of other trees were late bloomers (literally) but they just are too young still to have many peaches. We still have some in the freezer from last year so we can still have a peach cobbler.
Montell, Uvalde County, Texas.
This owl was a surprise visitor and even better that it was out in daylight so I could get decent shots. Barred owls are large and this is the first time I have seen one. I have to give credit to my husband who spotted it first as it swooped down to snag a dove from the backyard feeding area. Luckily it waited around for me to go grab my camera. This was in January 2019.
Montell, Uvalde County, Texas.
I have two very depressed dogs right now...I can't believe it raining again and another 2-3 days of more rain on the way :( Hey, at least the squirrels are happy the dogs are indoors!
A butterfly in the group known as skippers. Not sure why the name sachem was chosen as it refers to the chief of some Native American tribes. Anyway, they are nice to see fluttering about as they seek nectar and pollinate the Texas wildflowers.
Montell, Uvalde County, Texas
I had the pleasure of observing a family of ladder-backed woodpeckers. Adults teaching the youngsters how to forage for food on the tree bark. They didn't pay much attention to me as they worked away. In Montell, Uvalde County, Texas.
I didn't see many of these birds this year. I sometimes see them around with the painted buntings, but we had lots of painted buntings and few of the indigo. It was a nice surprise to see this brilliant male pose for a brief moment.
Montell, Uvalde County, Texas
"Everyone is wise until he speaks."
I suppose there's really nothing technically correct about this shot... but something about it still caught me.
Lechwe are graceful antelopes found in wetlands of south-central Africa. They are golden brown in color with white bellies. Males are darker than females and only males have horns. The horns are long, spiral-structured and are vaguely lyre-shaped. The hind legs of lechwe are somewhat longer in proportion than in other antelopes; this is an adaptation to ease long-distance running in marshy soil.
I did not have to go to Africa to see these. They are imported exotic animals. I found these on a ranch near Leakey, Texas in September 2021
Papilio multicaudata
This is a large and flashy butterfly and I have been pleased so see so many of them this spring. All these images were taken in Montell, Uvalde County, Texas.
This handsome bird was seeming to make a point of pausing to pose on different interesting perches in my yard. The black-and-white upper parts show a striking pattern and the yellow throat really stands out.
Montell, Uvalde County, Texas in August 2021
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In this photo: A view of a dragonfly, that you don't normally see. Most of the dragonfly photographs that I've seen have been from the side or frontal view - but not above/behind.
Dragonfly bodies are so amazing. Just the way that they are put together & the way they work.
DID YOU KNOW? Dragonflies have 6 legs, but they cannot walk - only fly & land.
Pretty interesting huh? I always thought that was a cool fact. :]
Enjoy.
Have a great Tuesday everyone!
My mother and my aunt have planted zinnias the past two years. Butterflies and other garden critters love them and so do I. This painted lady butterfly was really partaking of the nectar in the zinnia patch and gave me some good shots.
In Montell, Uvalde County, Texas
"I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special."
--Shelby, "Steel Magnolias"
I believe this is the smallest butterfly I have ever seen. Luckily the bright orange color pops against the low growing foliage and grass that this species seems to prefer. I bet two or more would fit inside the diameter of a US dime.
Montell, Uvalde County, Texas.
Yellow warblers tend to be seen during spring and summer on our property. I guess these will be migrating away once fall arrives. I was happy to see several of them on our property in Montell, Uvalde County, Texas. They particularly love water and came to the spray of a lawn sprinkler. I also find them drinking and bathing along the bank of the river.
One of the species of dragonflies that I find on our property near the Nueces River. The name setwing comes from the habit of perching with the forewings set forward rather than straight out to the side as other species of dragonfly typically do.
Montell, Uvalde County, Texas in August 2021
I have been hoping to see one of these birds for a long time. Their range includes my home area of Uvalde County, Texas. But had to travel all the way to Big Bend National Park to see my first one. A flycatcher species, there were quite a lot of them around the lodges in the Chisos Mountain Basis, include some fledglings. The adults were very busy catching flying insects to feed the hungry youngsters, alas I didn't get photos of the feeding.
A few shots from our family vacation (mini-reunion) in Big Bend National Park - June 2019.