Picture Of The Day

[FishyFolk]

My front yard a few miutes ago...

[Dreward]

You Lucky Man...the Northern Lights is a spectacle I'd love to witness.

[Ehecatl]

Wow!

[Humakt]

A couple of piccies.
Firstly, a shaggy inkcap - evidence that Autumn is with us...



And this second one is one of those lucky shots. I just happened to have the camera with me as I drove down the lane and there I saw, beside the road...



I get such a buzz whenever I see a kestrel. Apologies here - I'm going to get all sentimental and 'gaia' on you (I know - sorry), but if one can have a totem animal then mine's a kestrel. Or fox. No, it's a kestrel.
I saw this little lady by the road and my first thought was that she was injured - I passed by in my car just a couple of feet away and she didn't move. I pulled over into an opposite layby and looked. Still there. I really thought she was hurt. She looked at me. I didn't know what to do. Should I get her and take her to a vet? But I knew if she was injured there would be nothing they could do - at best they'd put her down to keep her out of misery. I didn't know what to do. Then she looked down and started ripping at whatever it was she caught (if you look at the picture you can see a clump of grey fur in her left claw).
I was relieved. She wasn't injured, just more interested in her lunch. I was less than ten feet away, leaning out of my car. I got my camera and managed to get a couple of pictures. Then another car came along. I was blocking the road. I had to move, and when I looked back the kestrel had gone.
Being that close has given me a tingle down the back of my neck. That same feeling I still get whenever I hear the ice cream van. It's probably the closest I've been to a living, breathing, fit and healthy, wild, bird of prey. And a kestrel to boot! I think she's going to be my kestrel now, wherever she is.

[Dreward]

The Kestrel...will always be the Adventurous School Boy's Bird....Great Photo....

[OakAshandThorn]

Dang Rune...now you're making me jealous . Don't think we've ever had auroras this far south - sure would be wonderful to see it one day .

Great story, Humakt. I've had a few close encounters with rather tame Wild Turkeys, one of whom was in the middle of a path I was taking. I didn't know the hen was there until I came within a few meters. She wasn't startled, and I decided to go a different way so as to not disturb her...and as I was walking away on the different route, I noticed she had come down that way originally, and left behind a beautiful 30 cm wing feather. I've worn it on my hat ever since. And speaking of raptors, the time a Red-tailed hawk swooped down close in front of me to nab a field mouse is something I will not forget. Glad I had my camera at hand . Apparently they are so focused on getting their prey that the world around them fades, and they can be approached (with care, of course). A few weeks after that spectacular occurrence, while taking a deer path as a shortcut, I caught out the corner of my eye amongst the leaf litter a Red-tail wing feather, which is also now fixed to my hat. Coincidence?...I think not - those feathers are near impossible to spot, because they blend in so well with the forest floor.

[-Tim-]

My front yard a few miutes ago...

Awesome, thanks for posting Rune

Cheers
Tim

[rossbird]

My front yard a few miutes ago...

That's one great pic Rune, thanks for sharing.

[Humakt]

[saxonaxe]

What a fabulous photo of the Deer! Amazing, well done. Left ear turned towards the camera click I wonder?..