Full Bloom

(135 views)
by Bryan Costales

Our pink rose bush between the house and the pond was in full bloom

Bloom

(135 views)
by Bryan Costales

Our red rose bush against the back fence was in full bloom.

Two Blooms

(135 views)
by Bryan Costales

Two blooms had apppeared on one of our border lilies behind the Well Raised Garden Bed. It exhibited two bright yellow blooms.

Dark

(133 views)
by Bryan Costales

The Queen Of Night tulip was dark against green leaves.

Had Grown Wide

(129 views)
by Bryan Costales

Our candytuft plant had grown wide next to our driveway.

Our First Foxglove Blooms

(127 views)
by Bryan Costales

Our first foxglove blooms in our Snake Raised Garden Bed.

Leaves And Stems

(125 views)
by Bryan Costales

The leaves of our rhubarb plant were growing full and healthy.

Lovely Pink

(89 views)
by Bryan Costales

Lovely pink flowers bloomed on the end of the tall plant growing in our Snake Raised Garden Bed.

Avocet non-breeding plumage

(85 views)
by Terry Costales

This photo was taken late March of this year and many birds were still in just black and white. For courting and breeding the necks and chest acquire a rusty or tan color. They really seem to enjoy their mud-flats.

Buds Hung

(83 views)
by Bryan Costales

Buds hung down on a single tall stem in our Snake Raised Garden Bed..

Only One

(82 views)
by Bryan Costales

Only one of our pink hanging flowers had bloomed on one of the plants in our Snake Raised Garden Bed.

Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)

(79 views)
by Terry Costales

Of course England has it's fair share of "flying rats". For some reason this one in Hyde Park seemed more like an actual bird to me than just feathered vermin. I'm sure if I was there long enough they would become just as annoying as pigeons are here at home.

Black-crowned Night Heron

(76 views)
by Terry Costales

The bird on the left is a young adult who won't achieve the look of the mature bird on its right for another year.

Harbor Seal

(75 views)
by Terry Costales

This photo of a Harbor Seal was taken very near the Lucy Evans Interpretive Center at the bird sanctuary. I was very surprised to see it but the ranger verified that they have been known to occasionally appear.

Great Egret

(75 views)
by Terry Costales

The Great Egret has just caught a small fish.

Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron

(74 views)
by Terry Costales

Taken late March, this bird is probably a year or two old and has the yellow legs you see on both juveniles and non breeding adults. They get their full adult plumage in the third year. If you look at this shot and the thumbnail below it, you can see they are roughly the same size and shape. Nice of them to pose for their comparison shots.

Great Egret (ardea alba)

(74 views)
by Terry Costales

This shows all the markings you would look for in identifying this bird in the breeding season. The lacy plumes on the back and the green/blue "mask" that extends from the base of the bill to the eye are only present during this time. The Audubon Society came into existence to stop the extermination of great Egrets by plume hunters and has this bird as it's logo. Great Egrets are found world-wide, even in Australia .

Great Egret

(73 views)
by Terry Costales

I got this shot just as the egret was landing. Look closely and you can see the feet haven't quite come to rest on the pipe.

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

(73 views)
by Terry Costales

The female Killdeer in this picture is adopting a wounded bird pose and making a distress call. She is trying to lure me away from her nest by convincing me she is easy prey. Luckily for her I only wanted her photo.

Great Egret and Pheasant

(73 views)
by Terry Costales

I didn't see a pheasant when I looked at this tree, only the Egret. As the boat drew nearer to the tree the pheasant burst out, startling the egret and me. I tried to get a shot of them as they flew past, but I was much too slow. It wasn't until I looked at the photos at home that I had the pleasure to see I had gotten a shot of the pheasant after all.

Great Egret flying

(73 views)
by Terry Costales

To get a shot of a graceful bird flying is always a coup.

Great Egret

(73 views)
by Terry Costales

I think I am addicted to taking shots of flying egrets.

Killdeer in Flight

(73 views)
by Terry Costales

Killdeer are a shy and fast bird. Consequently I rarely get a good shot of one. I was lucky this day to get that elusive shot.

Great Egret (Ardea Alba)

(73 views)
by Terry Costales

These large egrets are graceful and breathtaking in flight. I watched this bird flying back and forth several times bringing nesting material back to it's mate. There was only one pair that I saw amongst dozens of the smaller Snowy Egrets.

Great Egret

(73 views)
by Terry Costales

I was fascinated to watch this egret hunt . He moved very patiently and slowly, then his head would dart into the shallow water and he would come up with a little fish. It must take a lot of little fish to fill such a large bird.