Good Morning Sunshine, From the Iris

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I just love the deep sunshine yellow of this Iris, no pale shinking violet this iris (sorry for mixing my flora).  Also love that it is a rather large bloom on steady stems, no falling over here either.  Make me smile!  Thank you.



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Good Morning Sunshine

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(For my friend, footnote Maven, and, selfishly, for me.  It has been some kind of week around here, and looking at this sunshine and it's mate out on the deck, well, it makes me smile.)

* Photo digitially artistically edited.
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Jacksonville Florida Zoo and Gardens :: Egyptian Geese

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Thanks to the staff at the zoo for the identification via email.

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Jacksonville Florida Zoo and Gardens :: Pink Backed Pelican

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Jacksonville Florida Zoo and Gardens :: Bonobo

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What interesting creatures they are.  This is a youngster, I believe they said about 2 years old.  The clan/family are always grooming each other and seems they have pretty well picked all the hair off this kid.  You can read lots of interesting stuff about bonobos, or as they have been known, the pygmy chimp at this Wikipedia page.

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Jacksonville Florida Zoo and Gardens :: American Bald Eagle

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Gander at Four Goslings

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We have multiple sets of goslings and their parents every year here at the stick built.  Here are 4 and one of the parents.  Photo taken May 7th, and they are still showing quite a bit of yellow, so they are young.  Sony was zoomed about to the max.

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First Ever Capture, Orioles

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We have lived out here in the countryside since 1995.  I believe we may, note the word, MAY, have seen orioles here once or twice, flitting by, never stopping long enough for us to be sure they were really orioles.  Then, the other day, there they were, sitting and eating from the hummingbird feeders.  Well, I'll be.  Photo taken from at least 20 feet away, I was in the house.  I was afraid to move any closer to the window, I just knew they would fly off.  So, I shot through the window, Sony zoomed to the max.  They only stayed a few moments, and I have not seen them since.  Photo was digitally enhanced.

It was a fun capture moment!



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Columbine

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Last Tear Drop

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Dedicated to friends and family who are suffering, illness, death, personal sadness.  Praying for no more tears.  May this be the last.




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Jacksonville Florida Zoo and Gardens :: Wood Stork

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There was a nice colony of wood storks at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, I was fascinated by their nesting in the trees.

Below, nests in the trees, one occupied (look to the left side of the photo).

There is an informative page at National Geographic about wood storks,  Mycteria americana, where you can learn that they live from 11 to 18 years, weigh 4.5 to 5.8 lbs, stand 33 to 45 inches and have a wing span of 4.9 to 5.8 ft.  That makes this tree nesting even more fascinating to me.  Creatures that heavy nesting that far up in trees, brings new meaning to the phrase, swinging in the wind.  The signage at the park indicates that a pair of wood storks must find 440 pounds of fish to feed themselves and their chicks each nesting season.




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Jacksonville Florida Zoo and Gardens :: Rhino Zzzzzzs

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I guess it was a napping kind of morning at the Jacksonville Zoo.  Looks kinda sweet and peaceful when it is sleeping, doesn't it?

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Jacksonville Florida Zoo and Gardens :: King of the Jungle and His Mate

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