Yellow Warbler At Avalon

Wednesday, July 12, 2017,

20170612084006 (1)-5x7wt2wwThese two admittedly similar photos are of a male Yellow Warbler. I came across this guy about a month ago while hiking through Avalon Park and Preserve in Stony Brook. I was walking along one of the paths that are along the edges of the farm fields when I caught a glimpse of this handsome little beast flitting from branch to branch in the canopy above. He wasn’t spending much time in any one place so I considered myself lucky to have gotten these shots. I hope you like them despite their similarities. JK

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Minx: Three Final Shots

Thursday, July 6, 2017,

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This is Minxosaurus, the cat formerly known as Minx. She’s graced these pages twice before. These three pics were taken within the past week, so you’re seeing her as an old lady this time. Minx died last night while we were watching the movie “Gross Pointe Blank“, which was one of her favorite films. She always had a thing for John Cusack. 

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Minx and I had a good run. I adopted her when she was just a wee lass of about three months of age. Eighteen years later, she’d become a grand old lady while remaining a sweetheart every step of the way. This is not to say that she never had her moments. Minx was, in fact, the most annoying cat I’ve ever had. And then some.

I can still recall multiple bloody encounters when it came time to visit the vet. My blood, not hers. She was a biter as well as a scratcher. And she was quite adept at both.

Minx was very nearly named ‘Mouse’ because, as a kitten, she would follow, and attack, my mouse cursor across my computer monitor. This was both endearing and frustrating at the same time. The phrase “I’ll make Minxmeat out of you!” was uttered quite often back then. After she got over this “catch the mouse” phase, she still made my desk her home. That spot, front and center, was her favorite spot in the house. She did the lap cat thing from time to time, more so as she got older, but right in my face as I was trying to work was her favorite place to be. Thank goodness for roll-out keyboard trays.

She was also the most vocal cat I’ve ever known. That isn’t what made her so annoying, but it didn’t hurt. She meowed when the food bowl was only three quarters full. She meowed when I took too long to refill it. She meowed when she felt she was getting enough attention. She meowed when I rubbed her wrong. She meowed when I rubbed her right. She meowed when I couldn’t figure out what she meowing about. I would tease her, saying, “What is it hon? Is Timmy down a well?” That would really set her off because she hated Lassie and any other dog show and, boy oh boy, she’d really let me have it then. But there was never a minute that I didn’t keep loving her.

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Goodnight and goodbye, Sweetheart. You were wonderful, every single moment.

JK

Racing Stripes

Monday, June 19, 2017,

This is a White Slant-line Moth on a Dame’s Rocket. I am not making that up. I mean, White Slant-line? For real? How boring is that? I looked up the guy that named this beautiful moth and it turns out he was a lawyer, so maybe that explains it. Hard to say.

20170602100944-5x7w2twwNow, Dame’s Rocket, that’s a moniker and a half. I got nothing to say about that, except maybe, Vrrooom! Clearly, the person that named this pretty little flower is much more interesting than the moth guy.

I’d like to thank my good friend Sue Avery for identifying both the moth and the purple flowers. Sue has been my main go-to expert for anything botanical for the past year. Sue has her own blog, The Tangled Wood, which is really beautifully written. Check her out, you won’t be disappointed. None of that wiseguy stuff that you find here, Just wonderful prose and some very nice photographs. JK

Big and Ugly

Thursday, May 25, 2017,

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Really big. Really, really big. And really, really ugly. But check out that eye. That eye is magnificent. Click on the image for a larger view. This is a Common Snapping Turtle that I caught a glimpse of at Frank Melville Park in Setauket. She’s so ugly that she’s downright beautiful. Beauty is everywhere, even where you can’t see it. JK

Tiny Terrapin

Tuesday, April 18, 2017,

This is a Diamondback Terrapin. A brand new one. Handsome little beastie, no?

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These pics were taken almost a year ago at Sunken Meadow State Park. (Yeah, I’m still behind on my posts). It was the start of a good day. I didn’t know that yet, or rather, I didn’t know how good it was going to to be. I did know that it was a fine morning to be walking the beach and maybe for taking some decent pics. It was late May and I was enjoying a morning before the sweaty days of summer here on Long Island. I couldn’t know it yet, but before my visit was through I’d get some fairly decent shots of a Piping Plover patrolling the beach. Not to mention these pics.

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When I came across this little one – (check out the photo below to see how tiny he was) – I was looking to take pics and video of the hundreds, heck, maybe thousands of Fiddler Crabs that inhabit this little spit of land when I noticed this guy booking away right beneath my feet. I very nearly stepped on him. I failed, completely, to get anything useful of the Fiddler Crabs that day, but just look at what I did get. You can never know what you’re going to find when you step out the door.  

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All we need to do is take that step. Just look and see what’s waiting for us. This and other little wonders are out there every day.  JK