Photos on a Whim #2
Random pictures from my most recent outings
So I must give a rousing welcome to all the new subscribers to Paws, Claws, and Landing Gear! I’ve had a nearly 700% increase in people receiving this newsletter in just over a month. I’m not sure where you all came from (except for ‘when a Mommy Substacker and a Daddy Substacker love each other very much…’), but whatever, I’m really, really glad you’re here! While you are here, please note that I try to put in as many reference links as I can. Almost all of my photographs have a larger, higher resolution version that is available by just clicking on the picture. If you want to know more about a detail in my posts, there will usually be a link, so feel free to follow it. Also, don’t forget to click on the heart-shaped “Like” button at the bottom of the page! Again, welcome, and now on with the post…
Last August, I published Photos on a Whim #1 with several pictures I had taken that I wanted to share but didn’t have a theme or story. I have some more here, many of which are ‘also rans’ for my entry into the Virginia Beach Winter Wildlife Festival photography contest. They run the range from good to really good, but weren’t contest-worthy good (here is the link to my entries: One of My Photos Won an Award!).
First, here’s a picture that was taken last week (well after the contest was over) after our near record-breaking snowfall. This is the North Landing River in Virginia Beach, taken from a bridge over the river:
This particular viewing point has all sorts of potential, but really looks its best with snow. During the spring and summer, there isn’t much water flowing so a lot of duckweed grows, covering the water’s surface with its tiny, bright green leaves. It makes the whole thing look stagnant…probably because it is, as stagnant water is where duckweed grows.
Next up are my contest entry wannabes.
I managed to capture a Double-Crested Cormorant during its take-off run. Like many waterfowl, cormorants need to get a running start before they become airborne.
The word ‘Amazon’ appears in the titles of these pictures because they were taken at a retention pond next to a recently built Amazon distribution center near home.
Speaking of which, here’s a Great Blue Heron headed from one side of that pond to the other:
This is a gull, probably a ring-billed gull, going after breakfast. It came up empty-beaked on this face plant.
This was taken at the Lotus Garden Park, a Virginia Beach city park. It is a favorite hangout of herons and egrets, including this Great Egret.
This picture was also shot at Lotus Garden Park, about 90 minutes after sunset. The moon and Venus are visible, with Venus at the top, left of center.
This picture was taken at Munden Point Park, another Virginia Beach city park. This was taken just a few minutes after the award-winning sunset picture.
The sun is rising behind the clouds, as seen from Sandbridge Beach on the Atlantic Ocean.
The Wolf Moon, January’s full moon, rose just a few minutes after sunset. I got this shot at Sandbridge Beach. There are two dolphins swimming together halfway between the top of the breaking wave and the horizon. There are also numerous seabirds floating around.
If I hadn’t grabbed the Munden Point Sunset shot that I did, this likely would have been the Landscape/Scenic picture I would have submitted to the contest. But it’s not nearly as good as the sunset shot.
Finally (and I know, you’re thinking, “Whew! Finally.”), we have an absolute ton of Hooded Mergansers wintering over here. The problem is that they’re very shy and it takes a very long lens to get an even halfway decent picture. This guy, photographed at Stumpy Lake Natural Area (yet another city park) was the best one I could get during the contest period.
So that’s it for now. See you next time I get a whim!
2W:LYK
Loved all of them!!!