Summer Shadows - Shadow Shot Sunday

The late summer sun flutters through the spreading feathers of the Raptor as he hunts.  He is so soft and quiet on wings of air, I almost miss his low flight over my back yard.

In evening breezes the sun shines golden rays through tree shadows, over the intricate woodwork of our neighbor's lovely old home.

Check out Harriet's blog for more fantastic shadowy photography, at Shadow Shot Sunday.

Bringing Home the, er, Bacon!

Every year, as we wait for evening fireworks on the Fourth of July, we have the privilege of watching a pair of  nesting Osprey.  This year was special.  She didn't bring home the "bacon," but something else entirely!  Over the space of a couple of hours, I watched this bird drop at least five fish into her nest.

Here you can clearly see the fish in her talons.

Her chicks within the nest put out quite a racket!  One could hear them over the noise of hundreds of people.  I felt so privileged to watch this bird in action.

This was the last catch of the day before the Osprey settled in for an exciting evening of fireworks.

I want to add here that I have a new blog, The Abandoned, dedicated to the photos Sissy and I take  on our walks through the abandoned mega church complex near where we grew up.  I hope you enjoy visiting!

 THE ABANDONED

Osprey Adventures!

Yesterday afternoon, my darling three-year old niece and I went to the park to play. We were throwing rocks into the river when I heard a sharp, piercing call directly overhead. Just above sat an Osprey. I grabbed my camera and clicked his picture.

He looked straight at me, and uttered another piercing cry.

Then feathers bristling, he turned back to watching the river. I'd noted the huge Osprey nest had at least three babies. This grand bird was fishing for his family's lunch.

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I had an odd sense he wanted me to know he was there. And just like me, he was watching over his little ones--providing for them.

He sat watching us and the waters the entire time we played on the bank. As my niece and I left, I called to him in his "language." He looked down with a fierce, kindly gaze.

As we continued walking, I turned to take another photo of him.

It seemed he said goodbye. As strange as it seems, I felt a certain rare kinship with this majestic bird.

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The Osprey is a large raptor with a white breast and belly. They sport a dark eye stripe with a white crown and forehead. They have a black back and very long wings.