Photo-a-Day Challenge

Nature’s Gifts

All I need for Christmas

Sunday began with light rain, which we needed, and ended with a heavier downpour (1.5 inches). My garden is happy and so am I. ☺

A thick, cold blanket of gray covered Monday. The cats didn’t even ask to go on the porch until late afternoon when Sébastien watched me feed the ducks and White Ears, the squirrel under the chair.

Rain was the theme for Tuesday — another 1.5 inches — and, of course, the rain ushered in a cold front, as is often the case in late fall and winter. Poor Syau only had pee runs to a nearby tree during the day. It was evening before we could actually get outside and walk.

On Sunday, Syau and I walked to a residential neighborhood at the start of our boulevard to take photos of an obscenely big Santa. There’s a small man-made pond at the entrance where I usually see Muscovy ducks. But, on Sunday, I saw three smaller ducks in the water that I couldn’t identify. I took photos with my cell phone. But, at home when I looked at the photos, they were grainy and blurred. I returned to the pond on Monday but the ducks were gone. I returned again Tuesday and there they were! The All About Birds website identified them as Hooded Mergansers. I’ve never seen these ducks before. What stunning ducks they are! The duck on the left (above) is an adult male and the one on the right is a juvenile male.

And, this female is rocking an afro!

Thursday, Gina and I went on another of our photography road trips but this time, her wife Candace joined us. We returned to some favorite bird-watching spots and visited a few new ones. Several were duds — no birds at all. But, we found enough birds to consider our efforts worthwhile and to make my photo selections difficult.

Above is a Snowy Egret, which was my favorite photo of the day.

The day’s surprise was all the Hooded Mergansers we saw at two different locations. I’d never seen one until the three in a neighborhood lake earlier this week and now they seem to be everywhere. Gina and Candace also had never seen or heard of Hooded Mergansers.

And, any birding day with a Wood Stork is a success!

It’s rare that both cats and Syau share our bed. Usually, just Syau and Tango, but Sébastien has decided to be a bed-kitty this week.

I am working at a client’s office on this Christmas Day and noticed that the Japanese Camellias in the backyard blossomed just in time for the holiday. Both the red and the white Camellias are budding and blooming. What better Christmas gift could there be?

© Dennett 2021

In July 2020, I started the Photo-a-Day Challenge to help combat the virus blues. I take photos every day and choose one (maybe, two) to represent the day. Then, add a one-or-two-word descriptor and maybe, some narrative. A simple way to observe and preserve.

Want to join the fun? It’s all about noticing and appreciating your environment and sharing it with us, as these photographers and story-tellers have:

Erika Burkhalter / Eileen Vorbach Collins / Anne Bonfert / Sasha Meyer / Tracy Aston/ Lisa Bolin / Juan O. Aguilera / David Wade Chambers / June Nguyen / Mia Verita / Susan Alison / LensAfield / Barbara Radisavljevic / Diana Lotti / Barbara Dalton / Kim Zuch / K. Barrett / Sandra Barrett / Shruthi Sundaram / Gustavo Mendez / Olive Wilson / Jane Frost (Jane Grows Garden Rooms)

(If you participated in the Photo-A-Day Challenge and your name isn’t listed above, please let me know.)

Please follow the Snapshot rules:

Lead with a photo/title and subtitle follow No more than 10 photos per post No more than 750 words per post Yes, we know that the photos are yours but you still have to state that they’re your work

And, have fun!