Thank you autumn

I had a wicked headache this afternoon as I left work, and thus wasn't really feeling up to doing a whole lot of photography. So I decided to stop and take some shots of a maple tree that caught my eye yesterday, as the leaves were a really nice, vivid orange-red—the kind of color most folks associate with fall foliage in Vermont. The sun was low in the sky, the skies blue, there were some wispy white clouds passing by... basically, I'd managed to stop at a time when the conditions were pretty much perfect for me to take these shots. Hopefully, I did the moment justice:

Fall flowers

I keep trying to write some sort of interesting introduction to today's post, but my brain has been stubbornly refusing to cooperate with my efforts to actually use it for several minutes now. So, the basics: I went to Whimsy Pond after work, didn't see much in the way of bird activity, and decided I'd take some pictures of flowers and call it good.

First up, some Purple-stemmed Asters:



A New England Aster surrounded by Goldenrod:



I liked how this Goldenrod looked against the water:



And finally, my first foliage shot of the year:

Turkeys and a crow

I'm still feeling a bit of photo fatigue from the past few days, and had a few things to do when I got home this evening, so I only took a few pictures today.

First, a crow sitting on the... huh. I actually have no idea what that concrete thing on the lawn behind our office building is. At any rate, the crows seem to like it:





And some turkeys I spotted in a field as I drove home from work:

Birds. Kaylee. Need I say more?

One last round of pictures from Mom and Dad's, starting with a couple I took looking back toward the house this morning when Kaylee and I went for a short walk:





Some Blue Jays I photographed over the course of the day:









A Purple Finch dines from one feeder while a pair of Goldfinches have a meeting of the minds on the other:



It took a little while, but between me, Mom, and Dad we finally figured out the bird on the right was a young male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, caught partway between his juvenile and adult plumage:



After a few misfires and more than a little profanity on my part, I finally managed to get some shots of the Red-breasted Nuthatch I'd been getting glimpses of since Thursday:







Dad and I both laughed as we watched the nuthatch maneuver itself right inside the feeder:



A hummingbird working some of the flowers just off the back step:





I have no idea whether it did or not, but it certainly looked like this hummingbird was interested in grabbing a seed from the mesh feeder:



I just happened to be standing by the glass door when this hummingbird came in for a landing:



Thanks to the show Time Warp, I learned last year that hummingbirds store some of the nectar they drink in a reserve tank of sorts located between their head and their shoulders; this fluid, in fact, is what helps the bird hold its head steady when it's hovering in front of a flower as it feeds. And if you compare these next two photos, you can see that there's a bit of a hump on its back in the first shot, which was taken as the bird was drawing the liquid in, that's not present in the second:





Finally, one last round of Kaylee pics, at least for now...

I liked how her ears were out straight in this shot:



Elevating to grab the ball:



Once again demonstrating her ability to get some serious air:



Enjoying a green bean:



I don't even know what's up with her expression here; all I can tell you is that she was chewing at the time:



Even though I actually took this one after we got back from our morning walk, I saved it for last because I loved how her eyes seem almost golden here:

Kaylee Sunday

I'm sure it'll come as absolutely no surprise that I was feeling a bit of photo fatigue this afternoon. So when I got home from work, I grabbed my camera, went outside with Kaylee, took a few shots of her, and called it good.

Investigating some interesting smells:



Looking regal as ever:





Finally, a shot I snapped just as Kaylee got tired of sitting/posing and started to head towards me—I thought it came out kinda neat:

Scattershot 3: Water World

And finally, with part 3, I bring yesterday's crazy to a close. If you haven't checked them out yet, part 1 is here and part 2 is here.

This group of shots are of birds either on or in the water fountain on Mom and Dad's back porch; as will become evident, the increased shutter speed that worked so well to capture birds in flight didn't disappoint when it came to bath time either.

First though, a photo of a Blue Jay I took early on in the day; Greg was watching the bird when I was taking this (and other) shots, and neither one of us remembers ever seeing its head in this position:



A reflection that I really liked:



A Junco taking a bath later in the afternoon:



Loved how you can see a feather flying loose in this shot:



They're so cute when they're all puffed up:



Time to dry off:





A Titmouse that stopped by shortly after the Junco flew off; although it tested the waters, it chose not to bathe on this particular occasion:





"Seriously, dude, if you splash me one more time..."



"Okay, that's it: I'm outta here":



I really liked how the big splash of water in the middle looks as if it could be the bird's tail:



Done for now:



Seeing a Titmouse, a Goldfinch, and a Chickadee on the fountain at the same time was definitely a first for me:





Down to two:





Another reflection shot I really liked:



A pair of Goldfinches checking things out:



I like how it looks like the one on the left is dipping its toe in to test the temperature:



A somewhat soggy Titmouse:





And finally, a Chickadee shot I couldn't help but save for last:



Thanks for bearing with me through all 57 photos I ended up posting. Just don't expect the same later on when I go to tackle my official Sunday post...