In a world of so many great photographers and writers, I am venturing into some unknown territories, leaving comfort zones, finally very willing to practice the art of seeing. By maintaining the practice of posting daily photos, I hope to continue learning about the possibilities that I trust are out there for the taking.
Duckling check this morning!
Mom let me get pretty close before she moved off into the water.
Just trying to shoot different things.
Tonight's crescent moon.
At 6:30pm tonight I convinced Ray we had to go looking for baby (story in earlier post today) to see if mom had found her lost third duckling. Now for me to get Ray out of the house in this 111 degree temperature is a testament to how concerned Ray was for the duckling’s safety too.
Ray and I walked back to where I placed baby near the lake earlier this morning. As we continued walking the shoreline, no sign of baby was a good sign. We walked further down the lake shore towards two ducks swimming by the 16th green. We needed to find mom and see if she had two or three ducklings. As we got closer Ray elatedly shared that he saw there were two baby ducklings in the water with mom and one duckling on the bank.
Mom circled, looking back, and baby quickly jumped in the water and swam right over to join her.
Oh, I like happy endings.
Mom has her 3 ducklings again.
p.s. Saving this duckling makes 2 lives I’ve saved here at Mission Hills CC. Remember the dog I saved…… you know, the dog that bit me after I jumped into the weed covered end of another golf course lake?
I didn’t get up with the 5am alarm to shoot in the morning light. However, while at the kitchen sink (after coffee and breakfast), I couldn’t resist heading out with the 70-200mm lens once spotting this Great Blue Heron land by the 15th green lake. I shot a couple of frames before the Heron became disturbed by my presence. I followed him as he flew off to the 16th fairway, landing by the lake’s edge.
By 8:00am after having shot over 325 shots of baby Heron (of which I only selected 80 for another review), my sore back from the weight of the heavy lens, convinced me it was time to return home.
An immature (young) Great Blue Heron.
Walking towards home, I spotted something moving in the lake. It was a solo one or two day old duckling swimming and calling out in the water maybe a foot into the lake. I never see ducklings without a mom around. Strange. I picked up the heavy camera and lens one last time (I thought) to capture this little bitty guy. Just as I was attempting to focus the lens I was startled by a big splash and reflexively depressed the shutter, capturing this photo below.
Under this splash is a large (more than 12 inches) fish with baby duckling in its mouth. The fish dove under taking the duckling down with him. I was furious. I was sure that was the end of the duckling. Until, mere seconds later, baby was swimming, seemingly not at all harmed, toward the shoreline. I just knew the fish would get the duckling again before the duck got out of the water.
So far to swim to shore.
But the duckling did make the shore.
I still thought the fish would appear.
Come on.
Alas. The safety of land. HA!
Phew.
Isn't he cute?
But now what? Baby duckling is all alone without the protection of mom. I don’t see any ducks nearby. I don’t know what to do. I’m trying to figure out if I should take baby home and research how to feed and raise him. But what if mom is looking for baby. How sad would that be.
I decided to leave the duckling, all alone.
As I walked along the lake shoreline toward home, off to the right in the lake, I spotted a mom and two tiny ducklings that were the same size as MY baby. I hurriedly walked back to baby, ever so gently picked him up, walked back and deposited him on the shoreline opposite where mom and her other two were now swimming away, out toward the middle of the lake. Great. Now what do I do? Mom hasn’t a clue that her third is still alive and in need of her.
It was getting hot. I couldn’t stand feeling helplessly sad for baby. I gave up, hoping for a good ending.
Now hours later, I’m afraid to go back and see if baby is still out there all by himself, or worse, dead.
Ray catching up with me as I'm photographing the Canada Geese.
Cloudy day, light rain just stopping. Muggy and hot afternoon. Lucky geese.
It was seeing these geese from my kitchen window that got me out and because I was going out, Ray came out for a few muggy holes of golf and I walked along with him, shooting.
Indecision made me post this view too.
Ray is trying to keep his hands ahead of the club. He succeeded.
Trying out shutter priority while Ray swings. I don't like it.
While looking at the first of the bird photos, Ray says, “You’re supposed to write what kind of bird that is.”
I said, “I know, but I don’t know.”
Help. Do you know??????
(Hours after I posted, Carol Leigh identified the birds for me! Check out what she wrote in the Comments section below. She’s the best.)
A foggy Friday, 6:30am at Balboa Lake in Encino, CA.
Friday morning subject at Balboa Lake before I left to pick up Milly to come back for a walk around the lake.
Tee box at the Encino Golf Course on Burbank Blvd. on my walk to pick up Milly. Post processing added medium grain filter.
Walking shooting photos with a 70 -200mm lens fitted with a 25 teleconverter.
Habituated bird posing nicely for me.
Milly pointed out this bird's crossed legged pose.
Birds quite comfortable with the worker hosing the dock down.
Saturday morning's sun (as opposed to Friday's foggy morning) left me with few captures I liked.
All photos taken indoors at night with no flash, ISO 1600 using the Canon 5D Mark II fitted with the 24 – 70 mm lens.
Stewart, Ray, Robert (birthday boy) and Jim - 4 generations!
Katya and Gina (birhday girl)
Katya, Yvonne, and Gina
Gina and Ange playing some characters I forgot the name of.
Gina and Yvonne hamming it up.
Xochitl and Courtney.
I won’t be posting for a couple of days. Just found out my sponsor will be speaking in the LA area at 3 different meetings over the weekend. Because she lives in Oakland and I don’t get to see her much I’m headed into LA tomorrow for a couple of nights.
Ray wasn’t happy yesterday when he heard I was getting up at 4am to meet Mary Kay and Linda at 5:30am for our hike this morning. Ray said something like, “Now I’m going to have to worry about you driving home from LA tonight.” I know the four other ladies in the car will help keep me awake while driving home late tonight. We do enjoy our drives in to the Baby Meeting once a month.
Looking down on Mary Kay and Linda, little specks in the lower left corner of photo.
Hikers on trail as we are 10 minutes from our 1 hour 50 minute hike.
Mary Kay and Linda.
I did something I often suggest others do, I made a list of 3 things I wanted to get done today and DID them all.
The day started out with a wonderfully relaxing easy workout before the sun got too high. Sandi came back to the house for some 7th step work.
I’m in the phase of the month where I like to get organized. So I first organized some files and folders on my computer that hadn’t been transferred over properly. Next I cleaned out two different closets to make room to re-organize my photography related items. With all the new lighting gear I needed to make room to store everything. Poor Ray had to ask me to please put away the lighting stands, the tripod and a suitcase filled with lighting related parts that was on the floor as the carpet cleaners are coming tomorrow. Lastly, I sent out the Baby Meeting reminder for our meeting in LA tomorrow.
Water workout with Sandi.