Around the Water's Edge~

I promise no pun intended, but this Frog croaked at the sound of it's last croak...
A week ago Friday, I was taking the pup-cub Silvie for a checkup at the Veterinarian and was arriving a little too early and so what better to do, than do a spot of birding. 
I know where a Great Blue Heron, or 2 hang out and I was close to a spot in Prospect.
No, none at the first lake. 
Then I tried the adjoining lake and at the far end, there it was. 
At first, I thought that it had a frog with a fishing bobber attached, and then quickly realized, oh my gracious, that was the lung of the frog, fully inflated. 
Poor thing! 
It took a couple of minutes and finally the lung deflated. 
The Great Blue Heron continued to drag it in water, until it was all the way dead, before gulping it down. 
This week, I will share some of the waders that we have in our area, and also a new one, that I had never seen ever before, and I am thinking that I am correct on the ID.

Remember to double click on the image, to view a larger slide show of the images shared ~

I am linking up with Mary for:

"Mosaic Monday"

at: 

http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com
and

I am linking up with Stewart at:

Wild Bird Wednesday

(http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/)
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The images of these Mallard Ducks gave me a quick giggle...too funny and so pretty they are too~
 

 

These images of another Great Blue Heron were taken as the sun was rising over Crystal Lake, 3 miles from my Tingsgrove. 
The morning sunlight upon the Heron made it look sun drenched~
 

 

 

 

Below is a bird that I have never seen around here before and I looked through my bird books and am pretty certain that this is a Bufflehead. 
It was really lovely and yet all alone, hanging near where the American Coot images were taken at Wendell Moore Park~
 

A Great Blue Heron flew over our home late one afternoon~
 

These American Coots did not seem to mind my photographing them too much~
 

 

Below is another bird, that I have only seen one other time and I am not totally certain of it's ID. 
It was pretty far away, but it seemed that it had yellow legs, as well as bobbed the tail end almost constantly. 
So, would this be a Yellowlegs, or something else..any help totally appreciated~

Yep, this is yet another Great Blue Heron hunting on a small pond on Covered Bridge Road in Prospect~
 

 

And another landing on the Ohio River pretty far away from where I stood~

 

 

My youngest daughter Ashleigh invited me to go out on a canoe one day a couple of weeks ago. 

I am totally afraid of the water and it took me a bit to get calm enough to where I could take my death grip from the seat and hold my camera steady. 

It was a good thing, that I gained a bit of control because a visiting Osprey that had migrated through, had stayed the Summer over on Crystal Lake... 

A very nice sighting~

An adult Red-Shouldered Hawk, with lots of missing feathers from a molt flew over too~

 

 

This morning we took the 2 pup-cubs to a park in Louisville and as we were en route home, I spotted a few Black-crowned Night Herons and another Great Blue Heron hunting together in a murky pond near the lane. 

My husby let me out of the car and I was still pretty far away, but did my best to at least get some distant images of them~

 

 

Let Me Begin With a Hummingbird Moth~

 

 For the past two weeks,I have been feeding the cat and pond fish across the lane from my home while the neighbors are away.  

I always enjoy photographing in Mona's garden and on this particular day, I saw one of my favorite visitors...

A Sphinx Moth, and. or Hummingbird Moth.  

They are truly such lovely, delicate creatures~

 

 I think either this autumn, or next spring, I must invest in a Butterfly Bush...
for then I might get such lovely visitors my way~

Below is a Fiery Skipper center and another species of Skippers along side~

* Note...there are so many species of Skippers, and I am just not certain what these are.
 

 We have oodles of the female Common Whitetail Dragonflies, flitting around~

 

 Before Mona left on her vacation journey, she called me on the phone one afternoon to say that I just might be interested in the 3 frogs she had just seen by her pond.  
When I got there, this is what I saw...3 American Bullfrogs, all piled on top of one another~

 

 One of the smallest butterflies seen here is the Pearl Crescent taking in the nourishment of a purple  Cone Flower~

 

 

 Such a handsome adult male Bullfrog below.  I love that deep voice he drums out~

Below is a gorgeous Spot-winged Glider Dragonfly.  
I had never seen one of these before, and it was an amazing species, taken right across the lane from my home the other day~

Below are Knock-Out-Roses taken at my next door neighbor Sue's garden.  I have to take so many of my summer images elsewhere, for the vast part of my 2 acres is shade trees~

 

 

Miniature Hollyhocks~

Below is the ever present summer resident, the Cabbage White Butterfly~

 

I enjoy so much watching butterflies, the way they glide from flower to flower.  

Their beauty is amazing, such gifts every one of them.  

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail below, such elegant beauty~

 

 

 

I am linking up with Mary at:

http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

Please join me, and Happy Mosaic Monday~