Spring & Summer on the Horizon!

If Laura in NJ can photograph toads hugging each other in her post, “Not What You Think”, I’m going out on a limb and showing a little toad porn taken last Spring on my pond. Look closely or click to enlarge. See the on-looker waiting for a piece of the action? Now is the time that I am ready for fun in the sun! I’m so tired of dwelling on how short the hours are in the day so I’m dipping into my photo archives and concentrating on what I have to look forward to in a few weeks or few months.

By May 1st, I expect to see the canna growing and multiplying, and color around the pond as in this photo taken last May. It’s so dormant, depressing, and bland now. It’s a young pond and will grow more beautiful each year as I add my personal favorites around it. I'll be ready for the hummingbirds to return in a month or so, too, and adding more Koi and watching offspring grow.

Here's one of the residents who was responsible for a lot of noise and over a million tadpoles last year and still resides in that spot, all winter long.

The lizards like the western side of the house where they bake in the hot sun. Might sound weird, but I like the lizards.

The fragrance of a Magnolia blossom is so heavenly!

This pair was my first sighting this morning on campus. It’s possible they are Millie & Johnnie, as they were perched above the house they investigated a few weeks ago. I saw a different side of bluebirds today. Not the sweet song I’ve heard before, but I saw irritated wing flapping and loud songs as if they were very annoyed with each other. Could they be courting, or was there another male invading their territory? I found a link at Life Histories of Families of North American Birds that described the loving courtship of bluebirds. I'll be watching them closely.

Here’s an excerpt from the link:

The love-making of the bluebird is as beautiful as the bird itself, and normally as gentle, unless interrupted by some jealous rival who would steal his bride; then gentleness gives place to active combat. The male usually arrives a few days ahead of the female, selects what he considers to be a suitable summer home, and carols his sweetest, most seductive notes day after day until she appears in answer to his call. Then he flutters before her, displaying the charms of his widespread tail and half-opened wings, warbling in delicious, soft undertones, to win her favor. At first she seems indifferent to the gorgeous blue of his overcoat or the warm reddish brown of his ardent breast. He perches beside her, caresses her in the tenderest and most loving fashion, and sings to her in most endearing terms. Perhaps he may bring to her some delicious morsel and place it gently in her mouth, as an offering. Probably he has already chosen the cavity or box that he thinks will suit her; he leads her to it, looks in, and tries to persuade her to accept it, but much persistent wooing is needed before the nuptial pact is sealed.

The pond needed topping today. At the same time I dropped the garden hose in it and looked to the feeder, I saw a Tufted Titmouse preening itself, only twenty feet away from my face. He looked at me, square in the eyes. This is a bird I don’t see often it and made my adrenaline rush. It was too much for me to take and I blew five shots at this brave little bird…each one of them resulting in a blurry mess. At least I suppressed a primal scream before he fled. I really need to settle down and relax, but when you are new at photographing birds, you fumble. I have said this before…being a novice in bird photography is similar to being a novice golfer. You have your eye on under par then you wind up with a triple bogie more often than you’d like. And, each time that happens, you need to keep in mind that there is always the next hole.

I'm putting off the winter doldrums tonight. Husband is in VA and I have the house to myself. Now, I'll crank up Taylor Hicks on the Bose and clean the Beta tank.