• Avian,  meadowlark,  musings,  robins

    Natures Music

    This post is a continuation of the thoughts generated from Earls post on Embracing Chaos and from Tom Dills post on Noise. We all pretty much agree there is visual chaos within nature. I would like to suggest that for some people the sounds of nature may be considered chaos while for others it can be “exalting” music. Music has been an intragel part of man early on. Man has made musical instruments from pounding on hollow logs, carving wooden flutes and violins to our modern mp3 players. Man has chanted and sang for years. Some of us have rhythm and some us struggle to keep the beat. Some can carry a tune and some can’t. I lean more towards the latter of both. When younger I took guitar lessons with aspirations of being a rock star. Due to my lack of musical talent, and dad wouldn’t let me grow my hair long, the reality of that dream quickly faded. Over the past few years listening to rock and roll, country or jazz music no longer appeals for me. I’ve moved away from listening to music or even being around it, choosing quiet or the sounds of nature. So much more enjoyment in the sounds of nature for me.

    For me the sounds of nature offers a quiet where the chaotic noise of our society can’t. When March Madness started a couple of my crew members asked me to join them at Buffalo Wild Wings to eat and watch the earlier games. However, attempting to have a conversation with them over the man-made chaos of 20-30 strategically placed televisions is no longer appealing. That is chaos to me. For me the sound of wind blowing through the leaves, the meadowlarks morning song, the cadence of falling rain, or the clap of thunder from a passing storm, or the quiet of a snowfall is a soothing sound to me. Maybe I’m just getting old but it’s natures music that stirs me inside not the beat if a drum.

  • architecture,  Avian,  Canon Powershot G12

    Everything Changes

    Flying Around

    I love nature. I love being in nature, listening to it, smelling it, learning from it. Yet, I spend a lot of time venturing the streets of the city with a camera. Light is what gives our images power. The direction and reflection of light will show us the lines and curves of a building. These lines will hopefully direct the viewer to see, and feel, what we felt at the moment of capture or bring forth whatever feelings from their life’s experiences. Now add a bird against the blue sky and everything changes. But it’s still all about the light.

  • Avian

    Rainbow Lorikeets

    Parrots at Columbus Zoo

    The Rainbow Lorikeet, Trichoglossus haematodus is a species of Australasian parrot found in Australia, eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. In Australia, it is common along the eastern seaboard, from Queensland to South Australia and northwest Tasmania. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas. I figured most of you would not be able to continue through your day unless you knew the above information. 🙂 This image was take an year ago at the Columbus Zoo.

    Today is my oldest granddaughters birthday, the daughter of my oldest daughter. Hope you followed that. So I want to say, “Happy Birthday, Abbie!” I love you!

  • Avian

    Eye Contact

    Eye Contact

    How often do we make and keep eye contact with people? A few weeks ago I met a fellow co-worker and another man in the airport. The man he was with looked familiar to me but I was unable to think of his name or how I knew him. My friend and I exchange a handshake while my mind was focused on figuring out how I knew this other man. As I turned to greet the other man my friend would not let go of my hand. I turned and looked at him and realized I had not truly greeted him. I had quickly made eye contact, extended my hand and just as quickly turned away. It was a lesson for me to watch for eye contact and at times keep it a bit longer. I know that animals, birds will keep eye contact just as this gull does in this image. How often do we make and keep eye contact with people?

  • Avian

    Perched

    Yellow Breasted Blackbird

    The chirping sounds of these birds and their cousins the Red-winged Blackbird lets you know you have discovered one their favorite breeding habitat’s; cattail marshes. I enjoy finding these marshy areas with cattails where I can setup a tripod and long lens and shoot away. They forage in the marshes, in fields or on the ground and will sometimes catch insects in flight. They mainly eat seeds and insects.