Sandhills Crane

Sandhills Crane, 2022 The light was pretty good for this mid-morning shot. Not too hot yet, and the birds were active. This photo was taken at the Wildlife Safari Park near Ashland, Nebraska. The drive-thru park has a wide variety of animals, all native to Nebraska except for the lonely Black Bear. Animals have plenty …

Pretty Bird

Great Blue Heron The J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Reserve covers over 5,000 acres of Sanibel Island in southwest Florida. It is a prime spot for bird watching. Thought for the Day: Children are apt to live up to what you believe of them. Lady Bird Johnson

Israel’s Wildlife

There really isn't much wildlife to see in Israel, every square inch of fertile land is used for growing crops to self-sustain the country's food supply.  National Parks are reserved for historic sites.  No land is set aside to let the "deer and the antelope roam". The nearest thing I saw to wildlife in Israel was …

2-Headed Swan

With the help of a telephoto lens, I could tell this was NOT a freak of nature, but with the naked eye, it sure looked like a two-headed swan.  This shot was taken at Squaw Creek Wildlife Refuge near Mound City, Missouri. Thought for the Day:  In my many years I have come to a …

Mr. No-It-All

Wise old owl.  Those eyes stare right through you, like he knows more about you then you do yourself.  He knows what you're thinking.  He's forgotten more than you will ever know. I've seen those eyes; they belong to my third grade teacher, she had a hook nose too.  She had fire-red hair and wore …

The Ugly Duckling

 The story of the ugly duckling is about one who is different from the rest.   Hmmm, which one is the ugly duckling in this photo?   In the children's story, all of the ducklings look alike except for one, who is cast as an outsider because he is different, he is therefore, ugly.  Maybe the author …

Donkeys

I was driving through Custer State Park in the Black Hills, where the buffalo roam and the deer and the antelope play.  I had read about wild donkeys being in the park, but that wasn't my main interest; I really wanted to see a buffalo up close in its natural habitat with no fences.  But …

Reflections

Thanksgiving, a time to reflect on all of the good things in your life, a time to give thanks for all of your blessings. This pelican was one of six that was rescued from the Gulf oil spill and adopted by the Henry Doorly Zoo.  They are kept at the Zoo's Safari Park, where this …

Out of the Mouth of Babes

On a beautiful fall day, we took three grandkids, ages 10, 7 and 2, to a safari park, where you drive through the wildlife in their "natural" habitat.  The wildlife get used to seeing humans in cars so they are unconcerned about your presence, but aren't tame enough to come up to your car and …

Black Hills, South Dakota

Altogether, I was in the Black Hils area for a week, five days with the fam and two days visiting our friends, Chuck and Karen, who now live in South Dakota.  Chuck and Karen took us along the Needles Highway through Black Hills State Park. It was such a pretty stop, we had our picture …

Death Valley National Park

My wife was reading an article about Death Valley in the Travel section of the local newspaper.   She said, "Let's go see Death Valley!"     I was not interested.   "Why?", I asked, "There's nothing there but heat and desolation".   This is how I pictured Death Valley, but without the snow capped Panamint Mountains in the …