nature photography

A Word A Week Photo Challenge – Frame

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Today I’m participating in the A Word A Week Challenge. This week’s theme is “frame”. I encourage you to click on each photo to see a larger view. If you like what you see, please subscribe to this blog to receive updates of the new photos I post, usually 3 to 5 times a week.

I recently took these two pictures while walking in a San Diego County park. They show the same tree branches arching over the path, but I took each picture from one side of the path. I think I like the first one better but I’ll let you chime in.

A Word A Week Photo Challenge – Frame - tree branches curling over walking path — A Word A Week Photo Challenge – Frame – tree branches curling over walking path

Tree branches create opening over walking path

This is another walking trail in a different county park. I love how the leaning tree branches and tree trunks frame the downhill path.

Tree branches leaning over the walking path

I like the framing created by this wooden fence right on the edge on the walking path, especially when it’s lined with wildflowers.

Wooden fence and spring wildflowers in San Diego

Wisteria behaves like an invasive tree if you give the vine the space and the structure it needs to grow on. I loved photographing these beautiful wisteria blooms hanging from the wooden frame. Here are a few photos of wisteria flowers from further to closer.

Finally, here’s a mama panda bear who doesn’t mind being framed to pose for a picture.

A Word A Week Challenge – Atmospheric

Today I’m participating in the A Word A Week Challenge. This week’s theme is “atmospheric”. I encourage you to click on each photo to see a larger view. If you like what you see, please subscribe to this blog to receive updates of the new photos I post, usually 3 to 5 times a week.

Here are a few photos to illustrate my take on this atmospheric photo theme. Clouds have the ability to create a very distinctive mood, as they affect the natural lighting, both during the day and at night. I like how they can affect the light reflecting from the moon.

A word a week challenge: atmospheric - moon behind the clouds — A word a week challenge: atmospheric – moon behind the clouds

On a winter morning, the fog can create a strange atmosphere as it softens the light from the rising sun.

When rain clouds crawl over the hills, they can create a creepy atmosphere. They’re fascinating to watch, especially because they can crawl quite fast.

Rain clouds crawling over the hills in San Diego

At the time I photographed these crawling clouds, I also noticed the eerie atmosphere created by the winter scene in the foreground. When I saw the “atmospheric” theme, this is the first photo that came to mind, and so I’m showcasing it last.

Winter cloudy, raindy day with an eerie atmosphere

February 26, 2014February 6, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: California Photos, Cloud photos, Forest Photos, Landscape Photos, Sky Photos, Tree PhotosTags: A Word A Week Challenge – Atmospheric, A word a week photo challenge, California pictures, crawling rain clouds, crawling rainclouds, eerie cloudy scene, eerie foggy atmosphere, eerie rainy scene, full moon with clouds, moon hiding behind clouds, nature photography, rain clouds creep over hills, winter fog in trees, winter fog san diego 2 Comments

Small white egret looking for fish in the water

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: the color white

Today I’m participating in Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge and her theme is “the color white”. I encourage you to click on each photo to see a larger view. If you like what you see, please subscribe to this blog to receive updates of the new photos I post, usually 3 to 5 times a week.

I was going to feature flowers for this photo theme until I realized that I’ve taken quite a lot of photos of birds recently, and a number of them happen to be white. So here’s an all white bird series of photos, starting with the white great egret, who loves to hang out by the water, looking for some yummy fish to catch. I have yet to capture that moment on camera so for today, the bird looking for food will have to do. By the way, the birds in the water are American coots. You’ll want to check out their super weird / cool looking feet in my previous post.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: the color white - great egret — Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: the color white – great egret

The white egret is a lot smaller than the great egret (probably a third of the size) but it hangs out by the water too since it eats fish. Those birds are so used to standing next to people with fishing pole, they aren’t scared easily, which makes it a lot easier for me to photograph them.

Finally I found these two white ducks swimming together in a pond at another park. I was wondering when I’d have a chance to feature them, so here they are. By the way, I love the almost still water reflections in this photo.

White ducks swimming in water and their reflections

February 24, 2014February 6, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: Animal Photos, Bird photosTags: Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, duck reflections in the water, great egret fishing, great egret San Diego, nature photography, water reflections, white ducks, white ducks swimming in water, white egret bird, white egret fishing, white egret San Diego, white great egret 16 Comments

Paddle feet / lobbed toes of an American coot

Macro Monday: the feet of the American coot

Today I’m taking part in the Macro Monday photo challenge. If you like what you see, I encourage you to subscribe so you can enjoy the new photos I post a few times a week.

At first sight, the American coot looks like a duck. It’s shaped like a duck, including its head and bill. It spends a lot of time on the water, and it hangs around other ducks. But the American coot is actually a hen, and the dead giveaway is the absence of webbed feet.

Now, if you ask me, this bird looks nothing like a hen, even with non-webbed feet. I’ll let you take a closer look at the feet of the American coot. Technically, they have “lobbed toes”, which allow them to not only swim but also walk well on uneven ground.

To me, the American coot looks like it has paddle feet so it can be good at swimming and walking. Can you imagine if your toes were shaped like this?

Close-up of the lobbed toes of an American coot

February 23, 2014February 6, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: Animal Photos, Bird photosTags: American coot duck, American coot hen, American coot is a hen, black duck with flat toes, black duck with white head, lobbed toes of the American coot, Macro Monday, Macro Monday photo challenge, nature photography, paddle feet of the American coot 6 Comments

WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Threes

Today I’m participating in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is “threes”. Remember you can click on each photo 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’m not sure how many ring-tailed lemurs are actually piled up together for a nap in this time, but I can count three full-length ring tails (and a very small part of a fourth one on the left).

Wordpress Weekly Photo Challenge: Three ring tailed lemurs sleeping together — WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Three ring tailed lemurs sleeping together

I photographed this wood duck swimming on a pond because I liked the wavy reflections in the water, in this case the reflections of the trunks of three palm trees.

Wood duck swimming on pond with the reflections of three palm trees

How about these three wood ducks, who seemed very hungry for bird seeds?

Finally these two baby lions (brother and sister) were cuddling with a stuffed blue monkey at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on the weekend morning we visited.