Just Another Day With Mother Nature

Communing with nature is always a lesson full of color and mystery.

She is very straight forward in her methods. I spent the extended morning in

the company of a friend in the wetland wilderness north of my home.

We were gifted with the cycle of life and death, and what beautifully

raw gifts they were. I was able to shoot my first Kingfisher.

He is a camera shy bird and doesn't tolerate people in his space.  Thank

you, Kingfisher, for the brief chance to see you in action.

Then we were able to see a Cormorant fishing for his mid-morning snack.

Much to the fish's dismay, he succeeded.

As if this weren't enough, the highlight of the day was the opportunity

allowed us by Mother Nature and this otter who was sleeping on the bank.

We were able to sit in the grass about 15 feet away from her and shoot.

She would occasionally raise a sleepy head and glance in our direction,

then after about 15 minutes she rolled playfully and then dove back

into the water and was gone.

Not to be outdone, the Sandhill Cranes began their mating rituals and flew in 

right in front of our vehicle and began their calling and prancing. The flashing of

the feathers and the calls back and forth were exhilarating. The colors on 

these large birds are incredibly beautiful during mating season.  The mixture 

of browns and grays is something only nature could pull off successfully.

Oh, lest I forget the absolute opposite of the spectrum, there was the

alligator and his duck.  He was a rather large gator also, I stayed in the car.

You never know when they might lose interest in the duck in their mouth and 

find larger prey more inviting.

All in all it was an exciting day in the Viera wetlands and I left as I always do, 

wanting more, much more.  The messages in the outdoor arena are the ones that

remain with me the longest and carry the strongest resonance for me.

I wish I could take you all for a visit.  It has become a sanctuary for my soul, 

a place where I know I can go and drink in the sacredness of life.  I leave filled

with wonder, joy and absolute gratitude that I am tolerated in such a 

holy place.

Peace, B

For a larger assortment of photos you will have to visit me on Facebook, if you are my friend.