Dave W.'s photostream  

This Canada Goose in flight was taken the same day as the Tundra Swans in the previous image. While it would have been nice to have had a brighter, sharper image, I like the wintry feel the grass-covered hill behind the goose gives the image.

January 7, 2011. Lake Campbell, Massanetta Springs, Rockingham County, Virginia.

While Tundra Swans can appear in the hundreds or thousands along the mid-Atlantic Coast at this time of the year, they are considered rare visitors in our area and usually are seen in November or March.

I took this image at a small lake a short distance from my home. The swans were distant and I took photos for identification purposes. Yet, cropping one of the images very tightly produced sort of a watercolor effect that I liked.

I found that separating juvenile Tundra Swans from juvenile Trumpeter Swans can be quite challenging. This site was very helpful: www.trumpeterswansociety.org/juvenile-swans.html

January 7, 2011. Lake Campbell, Massanetta Springs, Rockingham County, Virginia.

As I've mentioned recently, it's been a busy time with stray cats at our home recently. This handsome Maine Coon showed up in our neighborhood during the fall. I think he was eating some of the food we put out for the mother and kittens we were trying to trap (and eventually did).

When it became clear that he was not going home at night, I started to feed him on the other side of the property from the momma cat.

He developed a routine of sleeping in the sun under a neighbor's shed during the day and spending the night under our back deck.

He was very affectionate and gentle and had wonderful odd vocalizations. When it turned really cold, we brought him into our garage. We took him to a vet to see if he was microchipped (he wasn't) and to check for disease and get his shots.

We called the local shelter, notified the neighborhood association, scanned the newspapers, searched online and made a major effort to find his home. I made flyers and had started to post them.

After more than a month, we succeeded.

His owner had moved into a new home in August and let him join her in the garden where he seemed to be comfortable just sitting. But, while she was attending to something, he wandered off and didn't return.

I'm not sure how he survived the three months and a half months before we started feeding him regularly.

We had started calling him "Norbert," which seemed fitting for a big (13 pounds plus) gentle, quirky boy. His real name is "Big Foot," and he does have the biggest paws I've ever seen on a cat. I thought he might have extra toes until checked.

I'm going to miss him, but glad he got home safely.

December, 2011.

This is a very tight crop of one of the daylilies in my garden. The splash of color provides a pleasant contrast to the somber winter day outside.

July, 2011.

I had this image in my archives waiting until I had time to identify the dragonfly. I had gone quickly through the guides I had, but didn't have much luck.

I recently received "Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East" by Dennis Paulson, which had just started to ship. With the excellent photo illustrations and line art, I quickly found a number of clubtails that resembled the one I had photographed. I have other good guides, but this is the comprehensive guide to the Eastern U.S. that I have been waiting for. I already had Paulson's guide to the west, which I have been using in trying to ID some of the dragonflies I've seen in Central America. I highly recommend both.

I believe the dragonfly in question is a Dusky Clubtail, Gomphus spicatus, but as always would welcome additional ID help. The photo was taken a long a slow stream through a wide area of low growth in an area of large lakes and forest close to the Canadian border.

July 27, 2011. Milford Road near Grand Lake Stream, Penobscot County, Maine.