Beautiful Animals

Redback spider:

Eeeeeek!

A ladybird - the gardener's friend.
Photograph: bloghopperuk

olga, No eeking. I think the spider is a beauty. SPECtacular photo of the ladybird. Truly gorgeous.

Giant panda:

OK, I'll try to avoid eeking, Roberta. (But they're poisonous! Though indeed beautiful to observe - from a distance!)

Yes, isn't the ladybird lovely? I can't recall when I last saw one in the garden. Where have they all gone?

Beautiful, that giant panda!

A carpenter bee collects pollen from a flower in Cincinnati, US
Photograph: Al Behrman/AP

another toad (or a same toad, i'm not sure, much like the deer up north, they don't wear name tags)



butterfly on the wall (i couldn't get it to open it's wings, beautiful orange markings)

Africa "In Focus"
by Kirker on Jul 10, 11:00 am

Photographs taken during an 8 week Photographic Safari through 12 countries in Africa. Our Canada magazine is publishing a 10 page spread of my trip in the August/September 2009 issue. Enjoy!



for more photos follow the link below

Africa "In Focus"

Wow, those are amazing pictures. I like the cheetah stare, from a distance, wouldn't want to be up close to one in the wild.

olga, Great bee shot. You've been finding some sterling pics.

dj, You don't recognize the toad? Isn't that Fred? If it's not Fred, it's Fred's twin. Amazing likeness.

So the butterfly isn't a ham. Happy to be seen without its dazzling wings open. I love those shots against the rock.

I love the pics from Africa. (I'm sure that comes as a great shock to you.) Did my eyes deceive me, or is there an airborne lion in there.

Wonderful lizared. What is that?

not sure about the lizard, it's from the african pics and the photographer didn't label them

the rock the butterfly is resting on is the wall of my house

I came home to a yard full of birds (well, it seemed it). Ma and Pa robins were harassing Ma and Pa blue jays aver their fledglings' use of the yard. The robins won, somehow and the blue jays flew off to some high branches with their young in tow. The robins watched as their three speckled babies hopped around the yard (I watched too). The babies each had their own peep as did the parents and they'd all peep in rotation. One parent sat up in tree keeping an eye out (for the blue jays one would think) while the other spent time on the ground modeling good worm-pulling techniques. I sat in a chair and waited to see if I'd get any good shots. my camera is bad with things in motion. I did take some video, but here are two stills. This little guy eventually hopped across my toes! I jumped and he fluttered a few feet away.

Wonderful shots and narrative, k. Surprised that the robins won the turf war. Jays can be ornery.

The losing side--a fledgling bluejay:

In all honesty, the robins had a little help <ehem>.

not a great pic, but i've been trying to get a pic of the squirrels all summer

littlek, I'm shocked that you would interfere. Shocked and smiling.

dj, Ok, not a great pic of a squirrel, but a fantasic silhouette.

Roberta, I love blue jays (I love all the jays). But, the robin fledglings were younger and likely a lot meeker.

DJ, digging the squirrel shot. I always want to get good squirrel pix, too, but their too damned...well...squirrely! I did get some cute video of two squirrel pups (kits?) playing.

littlek, Robins usually get the short end of the stick in my neighborhood too (pigeons are bigger). I love jays. Rarely see any.

Blue shark:

Bee hiding in a Rose of Sharon Flower


Bee on a Cone Flower


Bee on.........a yellow flower


Dragonfly