WordPress weekly photo challenge: from lines to patterns

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Today I’m participating in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is “from lines to patterns”. You can click on the photos below for a larger view. If you like what you see, feel free to subscribe and receive nature photography updates a few times a week.

I love the color patterns created by the lines on this monarch caterpillar.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: from lines to patterns - monarch caterpillar
WordPress weekly photo challenge: from lines to patterns – monarch caterpillar

Take a look at the intricate lines and patterns that make up the wings of a dragonfly. No wonder this is the fastest flying insect in the world.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: from lines to patterns - wings of an orange dragonfly
WordPress weekly photo challenge: from lines to patterns – wings of an orange dragonfly

The leaves of the bloodleaf plant (Iresine herbstii) display some beautiful lines all across.

Bloodleaf plant - Iresine herbstii
Bloodleaf plant – Iresine herbstii

I love the beautiful patterns and lines on the wood duck.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: from lines to patterns - wood duck
WordPress weekly photo challenge: from lines to patterns – wood duck

Waves create lines and patterns, even if it’s just the small ripples of a lake.

Lines and patterns of a lake's waves
Lines and patterns of a lake’s waves

Dandelions in seeds displays a lot of lines sorted by clusters.

Lines and patterns of a dandelion in seed
Lines and patterns of a dandelion in seed

I chose the lines of the paper kite butterfly (Idea Leuconoe) for last. I hope you enjoy them!

Lines and patterns of the paper kite butterfly (Idea Leuconoe)
Lines and patterns of the paper kite butterfly (Idea Leuconoe)

The colorful wood duck

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Remember you can click on the photos below for a larger view. If you like what you see, feel free to subscribe and receive nature photography updates a few times a week.

I went to feed the ducks with my kids the other day and since I had brought my camera, I thought I’d trying taking a few pictures. Since last time I photographed ducks, I mostly managed to snap mallard ducks, I thought I’d try to focus on wood ducks this time.

Well, it’s great to attract ducks with duck feed, but it doesn’t help if you want to photograph them. Besides getting suddenly surrounded by several dozens of birds, I quickly realized all they wanted was fight for their food, chasing one another back into the pond and landing on top of each other. All of that while moving a lot and letting me snap lots of blurry pictures. Here are the few decent photos I managed to capture of out 15 minutes of feeding frenzy.

Wood duck in water
Wood duck in water

The wood duck has to be the most colorful and beautiful duck in North America.

Wood duck swimming in pond
Wood duck swimming in pond

I love this last front angle shot, where you can see the beautiful markings of the wood duck.

Front of wood duck with colorful markings
Front of wood duck with colorful markings

Travel theme: Ripples

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Today I’m participating in Where’s My Backpack’s Travel Theme photo challenge. This week’s theme is “ripples”. Remember you can click on the photos below for a larger view. If you like what you see, feel free to subscribe and receive nature photography updates a few times a week.

Ripples can be very subtle if there isn’t much water and that water isn’t disturbed. You barely see a few ripples in the water reflection of this seagull at Coronado Beach.

Travel theme: Ripples at Coronado Beach, Pacific Ocean
Travel theme: Ripples at Coronado Beach, Pacific Ocean

When ripples are more numerous and wider, they can distort the water reflection more. I like the shape of this white pelican’s reflection in the water because of these specific ripples.

Travel theme: Ripples - water reflection of a white pelican
Travel theme: Ripples – water reflection of a white pelican

And when ripples are even more numerous, the reflection becomes unrecognizable. This pelican’s white feathers give a nice glow to the ripples in front of him.

Travel theme: Ripples - White pelican reflecting in the water
Travel theme: Ripples – White pelican reflecting in the water

WordPress weekly photo challenge: The world through my eyes

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Let me start this post by announcing that you can save 50% on any poster, print or canvas in my online Zazzle store today only, June 21, 2013 by entering coupon code DEALS4PRINTS at checkout. See a photo you like on my website but not in my store? Just ask me what product you’d like to purchase and I’ll create it for you.

Today I’m participating in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is “the world through my eyes”. Remember you can click on each image to see a larger view. If you like what you see, feel free to subscribe and receive nature photography updates a few times a week.

The world through my eyes seems pretty young right now. Besides my kids, I’ve been enjoying a lot of baby animals all around. Here are just a few I happened to spot yesterday and the day before.

A couple of days ago, I spent a little time by a local pond. While there, I noticed a lot of young birds, including this  juvenile black-crowned night heron. He wasn’t shy at all and let me take a nice picture of him.

WordPress weekly photo challenge: The world through my eyes - juvenile black-crowned night heron
WordPress weekly photo challenge: The world through my eyes – juvenile black-crowned night heron

I also got to see plenty of ducks, like this young wood duck, who doesn’t have all his fancy markings yet. You can see more photos of ducks here.

WordPress weekly photo challenge: The world through my eyes - juvenile wood duck
WordPress weekly photo challenge: The world through my eyes – juvenile wood duck

I was lucky enough to spot these two juvenile great blue herons in their nest at the very top of the tree. Check out the hummingbird who came to say hi to them. They seemed quite intrigued. If you ask me, these young herons are way too big to wait for home to bring their food and should go fly out on their own already.

WordPress weekly photo challenge: The world through my eyes - great blue herons
WordPress weekly photo challenge: The world through my eyes – great blue herons

There are plenty of swallows around San Diego, specifically cliff swallows, who come in the spring to breed. They build their gourd-shaped mud nests on the outside walls of many homes, including my neighbor’s this year. I heard a lot of noise yesterday afternoon so I felt compelled to check it out. This is what I saw: many cliff swallows chatting with each other, while a juvenile swallow was sitting in the nest. There were actually a few more of them but they left by the time I grabbed my camera.

WordPress weekly photo challenge: The world through my eyes - cliff swallows
WordPress weekly photo challenge: The world through my eyes – cliff swallows

I hope you enjoyed these quick snapshots of the world through my eyes, at least for these past few days.

Let’s Be Wild Weekly Photo Challenge – Birds of a feather

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

I’m participating in LetsBeWild.com’s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge. This week’s Challenge is: Birds of a Feather!

I’ll start with a couple of photos I took yesterday of my neighbor’s house, right under their roof. We have tons of swallows (swifts if you don’t live in the U.S.) in San Diego and it’s nesting season right now. This swallow couple started building their mud nest just this week and they’ve been busy finishing it up to lay their eggs.

Let’s Be Wild Weekly Photo Challenge - Birds of a feather - swallows in their nest
Let’s Be Wild Weekly Photo Challenge – Birds of a feather – swallows in their nest

Here’s another shot of just one of the parents. I can’t wait to see little chicks in there. I love watching the swallows hunting for insects every evening. It’s amazing to see so many of them moving so fast through in the air without flying into one another.

Let’s Be Wild Weekly Photo Challenge - Birds of a feather - a swallow's nest
Let’s Be Wild Weekly Photo Challenge – Birds of a feather – a swallow’s nest

Talking about nests, here’s a dove sitting on its eggs. We have tons of mourning doves here too. I love listening to their soft cooing in the quiet of the morning.

Mourning dove sitting on its nest and eggs
Mourning dove sitting on its nest and eggs

Here’s a West African crane taking a nap. What a cool hairdo!

Let’s Be Wild Weekly Photo Challenge - Birds of a feather - West African crane
Let’s Be Wild Weekly Photo Challenge – Birds of a feather – West African crane

I can’t help but laugh when I look at the next photo, where the duck is acting like he’s a flamingo, although his legs are about two feet too short. I guess he’s the real ugly duckling.

Let’s Be Wild Weekly Photo Challenge - Birds of a feather - Flamingo and duck
Let’s Be Wild Weekly Photo Challenge – Birds of a feather – Flamingo and duck

This great blue heron below was a freeloader at the San Diego Zoo, eyeing the small fish in the crocodile pond. I wonder if the crocodiles were eyeing him too…

Let’s Be Wild Weekly Photo Challenge - Birds of a feather - Blue heron
Let’s Be Wild Weekly Photo Challenge – Birds of a feather – Blue heron

Talking about herons, my last photo is of a green heron, which is a lot smaller than the great blue heron. A good looking little guy I should add.

Let’s Be Wild Weekly Photo Challenge - Birds of a feather - Green heron
Let’s Be Wild Weekly Photo Challenge – Birds of a feather – Green heron