Posts in Category: Sunday
Different Drummers. Happy Sunday!
We have had a number of Great Egrets gracing the lower Mousam River marsh this summer. The first arrived while the marsh was still covered with ice from our winter-without-end. Of course, it did end, and more Egrets joined the first. Yellowlegs, in the past few years, have been rare here in summer, but we get fair numbers stopping over on their way south. (Attracted undoubtedly by the low post-Labor-Day motel rates. 🙂
I like this grouping. Apparently random. Putting a frame around it, however, gives it instant significance.
Sony HX400V. 1200mm equivalent field of view. ISO 125 @ 1/250th @ f6.3. Processed in Lightroom on my Surface Pro tablet.
And for the Sunday Thought: Two thoughts occur. One I started above with the comment about randomness and the frame. Actually I started it when I wrote the title of this post. Different Drummer is an interpretation of the image…a meaning read into it...that is certainly not intrinsic to the scene. We see a pattern in the positioning of the birds, and immediately attempt to give it meaning, or the find meaning in it, but the birds, of course, had no such intention. And, of course, that is what photography is all about. We have only the frame and limited range of manipulation of focus and exposure…but in simply putting a frame around any segment of the world, we demand that the viewer find meaning in it. We have confidence that the viewer will find meaning…because we do. It is an essential aspect of our humanity: this ability to see patterns and to find meaning in the patterns we see. More than ability…this imperative. It seems as necessary to us as breath itself.
And the second thought is in the title, in the meaning I assigned to the image. Different Drummers. It is inspired, of course, by the simple fact that the three Yellowlegs are intent to the left, while the Egret is so intent to the right. The overlap of the two birds only makes the dichotomy stand out more. And of course “Different Drummers” is a loaded phrase. Like most cliches it has a deep context, with rich set of historical cultural reference. It has an emotional burden as well. You either respond positively to those who “march to a different drummer” or you respond negatively. It is generally used to describe an acceptable, even an attractive, eccentricity. Different, but no so different as to be threatening. And certainly not aggressive…those who march to a different drummer are not in the business, or even the habit, of convincing others that they should march the same way. They are simply happy going their own way. And most of us admire that. If you are at all like me, you would be secretly pleased to counted among their number.
And for me, marching to a different drummer perfectly describes the life of faith and the faith in a loving creator, which for me is embodied in Jesus Christ. I do not choose to be different for difference sake…nor do I attempt to convince others that they should be different as I am…I simply move to the beat I hear…the beat of love and creation that is the heart of the world, of the universe, of all of space and time as I experience it. And I move so imperfectly that I am not tempted at all to expect others to follow. I know my limits. But it is okay. I hear the drum, and the drum gives rhythm and meaning to every move I make. It makes living a satisfaction, an appreciation, a celebration.
And that is something I could wish, that I could hope, for you. Happy Sunday!
Honey Bee. Happy Sunday!
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I was delighted to find the overgrown meadows at Emmons Preserve in Kennebunkport full of Honey Bees yesterday. I have lamented, several times here, the small numbers of Honey Bees I have been seeing this summer…I had seen perhaps two until yesterday. At Emmons that is particularly odd since they have an active hive in the meadow just down the Batson River Trail from the Conservation Trust building. There have been lots of bees at Emmons all summer, but they were all Bumble and Wood Bees. Yesterday they were mostly Honey. I am not privy to the workings at the Conservation Trust. I don’t know if they replaced the hive, or if the bees were dormant until now…or what happened, but the difference a week made was remarkable.
Sony HX400V at 124mm equivalent field of view. ISO 80 @ 1/1000th @ f4. Processed in Lightroom on my Surface Pro 3 tablet.
And for the Sunday Thought. Honey Bee populations are threatened in many ways right now. Besides all the known disorders a hive can fall prey to, there is Colony Collapse Disorder, where the worker bees suddenly abandon an apparently healthy hive…living queen, honey, and all…during the winter when they should be resting. No one knows why. Some recent studies are pointing to the effects of a common class of fungicides used on a wide variety of crops, from soy beans to apples, and in many lawn products. There is still a lot of work to be done before we really know what is going on, but no one disputes that Honey Bees are in trouble…which means, in fact, that we are in trouble. Honey Bees are the primary pollinator for an amazing variety of crops we depend on. Can you imagine a world without apples, almonds, fennel? Trucking hives of bees to where they are needed for intensive agriculture is a big business today. The fields of North Dakota are pollinated by bees from Texas. Take a look at the list of crops pollinated by bees on Wiki. Those marked essential are at risk if the populations of Honey Bees continue to decline.
Which is one of the reasons I pay attention to the number of Honey Bees I encounter in my time in the field. Not that there is anything I can do about it, or at least, not yet. It could be this is one of those “problems” caused by our attempt to maximize yields in our fields. Actually, I find the whole practice to trucking in bees to where the crops are so concentrated that the native bees can’t handle the pollination load to already be somewhat troublesome. Asking for trouble. When you combine that with the chemicals used on intensive crops…well…you just might get Colony Collapse Disorder.
I believe, as I have said before, that it is our job, a part of our essential spiritual nature, to care for all that lives on this earth. The way I read the Bible story and my experience of the Spirit both tell me that we were made to be the keepers. We can not deny that our attempts to keep ourselves fed have transformed much of the surface of the earth into crop factories. And that our attempts to keep the crop factories at maximum yield have effected more of the web of life than we currently in know in ways we do not know or do not understand. Yet. And that is an important _yet_. It is easy to feel both guilt and despair when confronted with a problem like Colony Collapse Disorder and the decline of Honey Bees. But, we are the keepers, and though we do not know enough to always foresee the consequences of our actions, we do learn. We adapt. We change. We solve problems when we see them.
Colony Collapse Disorder and the decline of Honey Bee populations is a problem. It is a spiritual problem. One that should engage our spiritual nature as keepers until we find a solution. It might be as simple as a change in the chemicals we use…or as complex as reinventing agriculture to eliminate the kind of crop factories that we currently rely on…but, where there is a will, there is a way. And the will is spiritual. Has to spiritual.
I could recommend that, today, as part of our Spiritual Sunday, we all go out and try to find a Honey Bee to admire. You have to start somewhere, and, in the spirit, that feels right
The Blue Beyond. Happy Sunday!
A week ago today in was still in Tucson for the Tucson Birding Festival and, since it was the last day of the festival and we were both tired out, my colleague and I made no plans to go out before the show hours. Still I walked along the river behind the hotel and, when the chance occurred, borrowed the car for a short drive to a city park that one of the locals had recommend. There was nothing much happening at the park…it was nice as parks go, but the promised birds were simply not there. There were of course Mallards, tamed by the daily proximity to the park patrons, and as I walked by one (you practically had to shoo them out of the path) I looked down into this amazing window of blue on the wing. Zoom. Snap.
Sony HX400V at about 900mm equivalent field of view. ISO 200 @ 1/250th @ f5.6. Processed in Snapseed on my tablet.
And for the Sunday Thought. For me the patterns of color in bird plumage, and the structure of the feathers themselves, will always be testimony to the actions of a loving creator. I simply can not believe that any sequence of random mutations could have resulted in anything as intricate and beautiful as the feathers on a Mallard duck. I can not conceive of any evolutionary advantage to the contrasting patch of blue fire that flashes when the wings are held just so…that glimpse of the pure blue beyond. Personally I find it that I am forced to consider the possibility of an intelligence behind the design…a loving intent expressing itself in feather and color…in the living being of the duck under foot. I take our ability to see and appreciate such pattern and such intent as central to who we are and to the nature of the universe we live in. It was exactly at the moment when I came to that conclusion I my life, that the Creator broke in in Jesus Christ and demanded that I consider his claims to be that intelligence, that person…the one who spoke the love in the blue beyond the structure of the universe. Honestly I resisted the idea, but when he offered me, in the simple act of opening myself to belief, whatever proof I might want, I surrendered, and he has been proving the truth of a life of faith ever since…one day at a time…speaking in every second in every circumstance…in every encounter…in the blue beyond the beautiful feathers of an apparently random semi-tame duck on a pond in Tucson AZ on a Sunday morning in August. And I have every reason to believe he will prove himself again today. And I an confident he will do the same for you if you can open yourself to believe. His love is always there, speaking in the blue beyond. Happy Sunday!
Broad-billed Hummingbird. Happy Sunday!
Before the Vendor hours at the Tucson Birding Festival yesterday we went to Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon and sat by the Hummingbird feeders for 30 minutes or so. (We also did a bit of hiking in the canyon and spotted a Montezuma Quail, a very good Southern AZ speciality bird…undoubtedly you will see that bird here soon.) The usual number of species were present at the feeders…which, in Madera Canyon is an impressive number. Two thirds of them though were Broad-billed Hummingbirds like this specimen. Brilliant!
Sony HX400V at 1200mm equivalent field of view. ISO 160 @ 1/250th @ f6.3. Processed in Snapseed on my tablet. Cropped for composition.
And for the Sunday Thought. I can not help but feel that the Broad-billed Hummingbird got shorted in the name department. I mean it is certainly as spectacular, or more spectacular than, many of the other Hummers it competes with, and most of them have names with much more character. Costa’s, Calliope, Lucifer, and Magnificent, even Anna’s conger more beauty than Broad-billed. The rare Brown-capped Starthroat which was also frequenting the Santa Rita Lodge feeders, is, in fact a drab bird compared to the Broad-billed, but you would not suspect it from a comparison of the names. I mean, look at this bird. Such green. Such blue. Such a red bill. So vivid. Okay, so the bill is a bit wider than the norm at the base, but is that any reason to ignore all its other beautiful attributes and saddle the bird with that single feature as a name? Why not the Red-billed Hummingbird? Or the Red-billed Emerald? On the Blue Flame-throat? Or even the Crimson-billed Blue Flame-throated Emerald! Though it would not make the bird any less common at Southern Arizona feeders, it would certainly give this Hummer a boost in the Hummer popularity ratings. I mean who is going to say “my favorite Hummer for beauty is the Broad-billed” (a certainly reasonable statement for anyone who has looked closely at the bird)? But “my favorite Hummer for beauty is the Crimson-billed Blue Flame-throated Emerald”, now, that has the proper ring to it!
God only gave Adam a very few jobs, but one of them, the first of them, was naming the animals. Which is totally enough. We only give names to the things we care for, and by extension we care for the things we name. It is the way we were created, and, I have always believed, God’s intent for us. We are to care for creation. Creatively care for all our fellow creatures. We are the namers. We are the care givers. We have the capacity to love what God has created and work for the good of all. It is a job that we are always an inch from failing at, as we forget and concentrate on what seems to us to be our own good…but it was our first job and is likely our most important.
Which is why I feel we really ought to find a better, more fitting, name for the Broad-billed Humming bird…something we can really care about. It is a place to start anyway. 🙂
Day Lily Greets the Day. Happy Sunday!
Our Day Lilies are always the last to bloom on our street, and, I suspect, in town. We evidently have a unique combination of tree shade and some kind of micro-climate effect that keeps us about one to two weeks behind the prevailing season. It is what it is. Our Day Lilies are no less beautiful for being late.
I caught yesterday’s Lily just as the first sun of the day hit it. Remember our shade. It was well after dawn, but the light still held some of the early warmth and the angle was still closer to horizontal than vertical, picking the flower out against a predominantly shaded background.
Sony Alpha NEX 5T with ZEISS Touit 50mm macro. ISO 100 @ 1/160 @ f8. Processed in Snapseed on my tablet.
And for the Sunday Thought: Our particular micro-climate is evident in everything that grows in our yard. We are always significantly out of sync with the world around us. It is just a little strange, but we have gotten used to it. It is even possible to take some pleasure in being different. And indeed, there is a definite up-side. We get to experience every change of season twice: Once when it reaches the neighbors’ yards up and down the street, and once when it reaches ours. 🙂 And honestly, anyone who pays attention to the spirit, and certainly anyone who attempts to live by faith, is going to have to get used to being slightly out of sync with the surrounding world anyway. The spirit has its own micro-climate, even more radically different than the climate of our yard. I remember the cartoon from the Sunday Papers of my boyhood where one of the characters was always drawn with his own personal rain cloud hovering over him. I would like to think that those who live by faith should have their own personal ray of sun, no matter the prevailing weather. But of course experience does not bear that out. If those who walk by faith have a micro-climate, it is one they create around themselves despite the prevailing weather. If they have a personal ray of sun, it shines out of them, not on them. Yes the seasons of the spirit will always be slightly out of sync with the world. The trick is to be able to take pleasure in the difference…to celebrate the up-side and let your ray of sun do its work on the world around you.
Tigers Together! Happy Sunday.
This is an all tiger shot. Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly, and Tiger Lily. I started to write, “sometimes images just happen” …but of course, images always just happen. Be there. Be aware. Be ready. That is the only secret to satisfying photography, especially nature photography. This one is in a stand of Tiger Lily by the bridge over the Mousam at Old Falls Pond. It is a not a safe spot for photography, as the cars come whipping around the curve and over the bridge far too fast, and there is precious little room at the very edge of the pavement to stand, but I am always tempted across the bridge to try to get both the Lilies and the falls in the same frame. Yesterday there were Swallowtails. Such fun!
(Yes I do know that this is not a genuine Tiger Lily. It is only an orange Day Lily. But it is what everyone in Southern Maine calls a Tiger Lily. Actual Tiger Lily is very rare here, even in plantings.)
Olympus OM-D E-M10 with 75-300mm zoom. 600mm equivalent. Shutter preferred. 1/640th @ ISO 320 @ f7.1. Processed in Snapseed on my tablet.
And for the Sunday Thought: Be there.
Since I am recovering from a heart attack, I tire much more quickly than in the past, and every adventure is an exercise in marshaling my stamina to get where I need to go and home safely. Yesterday I was on an errand to Walmart, looking for a storage solution that would tidy my “office” corner of the bedroom enough so my wife does not kick me out. 🙂 (Which she would be completely justified in doing. I seem to create a little pocket of chaos where ever I sit for more than a few moments at at time…and, I have learned the hard way, most people, including my wife, have a much lower tolerance for chaos than I do.) To get to Walmart the short way goes by the Kennebunk Plains, and, of course, I had to stop to see if the Wood Lilies are in bloom yet. They are, just, a few plants here and there, so I did some tramping around and photography there. Then the store itself, and an hour of shopping (there were other things on my list besides the storage). I had planned, on the way back, to take the long way around by Old Falls Pond to see if there were any interesting dragonflies, but I had a five minute debate sitting in the car after loading the 40 pound bag of dog food into the trunk as to whether I had enough energy left to make the detour. Still: The sun was shinning. A nice fresh breeze was blowing. There were white clouds of several descriptions decorating the blue sky. All in all a wonderful July day…so I talked myself into the visit to Old Falls. And there were Swallowtails in the Tiger Lilies! I made it home with enough left in the tank to get me to my chair. (Though I still have not taken the 40 pound bag of dog food out of the trunk 🙂
I have hopes that over time, I will build my stamina back to the point were “being there” is not the major obstacle to what I need and want to do…especially to doing the things that I love to do. I have a plan. I bought a bicycle, and a heart rate monitor, and I am eating even more sensibly than before. Still, the days when I can take “being there” for granted are clearly gone. (And in more ways than one.) And that should, and does, make me even more thankful for Swallowtails in the Tiger Lilies…for Wood Lilies on the Kennebunk Plains, for Snowy Owls on the chimney pots in Kennebunkport, for raindrops on Foxglove in the yard, for dragonflies at the little ponds in town…for all the wonders that are still in easy reach. God is. God is good. God loves us more than we can ever deserve. God is everywhere. We are surrounded by the wonders of creation, where ever the there is that we find ourselves. If we be…we be there. And for that I am profoundly grateful. Happy Sunday!
Wild Rose. Happy Sunday!
I took the loop down to the beach and back through the woods via the boardwalk at Laudholm Farm yesterday. The overgrown fields on the hilltop above the farm buildings are full of roses…both the common wild New England pink rose (probably Virginia Rose) and the invasive Asian Multiflora Rose with its delicate white blossoms and overpoweringly sweet smell. The wild roses were buried well down in the tall grasses, but were no less beautiful for it.
I shot this with the ZEISS Touit 12mm f2.8 wide angle lens. One of the things I like about the lens is the ability to get in close and frame something like this rose in its habitat. The depth of the wide angle, combined with the amazingly crisp image quality, produces a unique rendering of the scene.
Sony NEX 5T in Superior Auto. ISO 100 @ 1/125th @ f13. Processed in Snapseed on my tablet.
And for the Sunday Thought. I had an interesting week, starting on Monday with a heart catheter test which showed that I had indeed had a heart attack, probably back in April, which left an artery blocked and significant damage to the heart muscle. That was followed by what was probably just a panic attack, some chest and upper arm pain and shortness of breath which inspired me to call 911. I was in the hospital for two days, and they did a treadmill stress test and echocardiogram to make sure that the heart is still functioning up to its ability. It is. I have a whole pharmacy of new medications to adapt to, and lots of follow-up, which I am sure will include diet and exercise, to look forward to.
And that last phrase is the key: to look forward to. It could have been different. I could easily have died, apparently almost did die, in April. And, during my episode this week, even if it only was panic, I had to seriously consider the possibility, as they loaded me into the Kennebunk Rescue Ambulance, that I might be living my last day. And it was okay. I am by no means “ready to go.” There are still a lot of roses, life birds, sunsets, and other wonders left to see, to enjoy, and to celebrate. There are people, I think, who would miss me. There might even be yet some good I am meant to do. But I live by the will, by the grace, of a loving God, who has promised in Christ to bring me to the last day, whole and upright, completed and complete. And I found, somewhat to my own surprise, that that faith is sufficient, even in the face of death. To live is Christ. To die is Christ. And I am good with that.
One of my Facebook friends commented that I was one of the people she hoped would hang around this planet longer. I thought of replying: “I don’t know. If they offered me posting to another planet, I might just have to take it. Think of all the new lifers…birds, flowers, landscapes. Think of the wonder.”
And I do think of the wonder. Many people find a renewed purpose in their lives after a heart attack. For me, I intend to go on as I have started…finding and celebrating the beauty in this world, on this planet, that is living testimony to the love of a creator God. I have a lot to look forward to, and I intend to spend every day looking for it! I am not sure what it is, but, as always, I expect to know it when I see it.
Even if it is only a wild rose among the tall grasses. Happy Sunday!
Rhododendrons in the Sun: Happy Sunday. Happy Father’s Day
I have been patiently (okay, maybe “impatiently”) waiting out the rain and gloom of the past week…hoping for a sunny morning to catch the Rhododendrons in our yard. Though they are late this year, they are particularly lush…as though making up for lost time. The early sun this morning showed them off to good effect.
Sony NEX 3N with ZEISS Touit 50mm f2.8 macro. I am really liking this lens! It is sharp and contrasty whether used as a normal short telephoto (75mm equivalent) or as a wonderfully close focusing macro. Absolutely brilliant! Processed in Snapseed on my tablet. Panel assembled in Pixlr Express.
And for the Sunday / Father’s Day thought: twofer today! Not only Sunday but Father’s day to boot. Somewhere there is an even more beautiful display of Rhododendrons than in my yard at the moment. I even know where it is. At the tip of Mt. Desert Island in Winter Harbor Maine there is a world class Azalea and Rhododendron garden that I have visited several times in June. Now that is a display! But I am not there. I am here, in my own yard, and the Rhododendrons are beautiful enough to feed any soul…to set the spirit soaring…and gladden any heart. I have a lot, this Sunday / Father’s Day to be thankful for. 7 wonderful daughers, each as complex…as beautiful…and, in the end, as simple as a Rhododendron flower in the sun. Happy Sunday! Happy Father’s Day!
Goosey, Goosey! Happy Sunday!
Canada Geese have gotten so numerous in New England, all year around were there is enough food and some water they can keep open with their coming and going, and so tame in some locations, that, if you stand relatively still, they will feed within yards of you. These are big birds to have at your feet, but, except when defending young, they are the most peaceable of aquaintances…far less agressive, in fact, than your average barnyard goose. This specimen was on the grounds of the Grange Insurance Audubon Center in Columbus Ohio. I was there early yesterday for the Birding Optics and Gear Expo, while the promised sunny day was still well cloaked in clouds, the temperature was way too low in the steady wind, and the light was just barely adequate for photography…but I could not resist a few close-ups of the feeding Geese when they offered to pose.
Olympus OM-D E-M10 with 75-300mm zoom. 600mm equivalent. Shutter preferred. I had to crank the shutter speed down to 1/500th to keep the ISO within range (6400) at the maximum aperture of 6.7 on the zoom. Shooting off my bean-bag head monopod gave me a sharp shot…and with this amount of detail in the frame, the E-M10 did just fine at ISO 6400.
And for the Sunday Thought: The sound and the sight of huge skeins of Geese headed North used to be one of the joys of spring, one of the first signs of the changing season. With climate change, and, more significantly, changes in goose behavior and food availability in the winter, those skeins are pretty much a thing of the past in many parts of North America. The Geese, like the poor in Jesus’ parable, are, today, always with us. We can make a good thing of it, or a bad thing (especially as a sign of changing climate), and it has certainly changed the ecology of many New England lakes (and not, so far, for the better) but it is certainly a fact…a development…a major change in the way the natural world works that we have seen, those of us in our 60s, in our lifetime. And that has to be, no matter what we think about the causes, a bit disconcerting. There should have been something eternal in the skeins of Geese headed North in the spring, and, as it turns out, there wasn’t. Or maybe it is just that it is too easy for us brief creatures to confuse eternal with static…unchanging…when in reality whatever is truly eternal must change…certainly if we are talking eternal life. All that is living changes…and changes the living world. True whether we are talking Geese or humans…days or years or centuries. The difference is that we humans have the burden (and the priviledge) of thinking we can, or even that we have to, do something about it. We have the feeling that if we had only managed better the skeins of Geese would still stream North in spring. I am, honestly, not sure that the Geese would agree. But then, what do they know? (Or what do I know for that matter?) Questions. No answers. But that will have do to for this Happy Sunday!
In-flight Pelican. Happy Sunday!
On every trip to San Diego, I attempt to get out to Cabrillo National Monument at least once. It is a beautiful place, with an interesting lighthouse, great tide-pools and sea-side cliffs…and decent birding as well. The California Towhees at Cabrillo are the tamest I have ever seen. On a hot day, there are lizards too! And always the view out over San Diego Harbor and the city, and the sea stretching away to the west…whether it is fog shrouded or clear…whether the sky is solid blue or there are masses of clould.
Yesterday we drove to Cabrillo in heavy rain, and got there between stroms. We had just time to get into the Visitor Center were we waited out the last, and heaviest, rain of the morning. Coming out of the VC we had fresh washed landscape and amazing skies. Great stuff. Cabrillo as I have rarely seen it.
This shot, however is from the tide pool area a little later. One of the attractions of Point Loma is the soaring Pelicans as they ride the up-draft from the sea cliffs. They are, relatively speakng, easy birds-in-flight subjects and I am always tempted to try. As my equipment has developed year to year so has my success rate…Pelicans are pretty easy with the Olympus OM-D E-M10 that I am currently learning to use, even at 600mm equivalent. Good practice!
Camera as above. I got the flight-shot settings I am trying from another Olympus user on a forum…9 spot, continuous focus, 4 frames per second continuous shooting. Still learning, but I am happy with many of my Pelican shots. 600mm equivalent. ISO 200 @ 1/1600th @ f11. Processed in Snapseed on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014.
And for the Sunday Thought: Birds-in-flight are always a challenge, but, as I say, soaring Pelicans are about as easy as it gets. They are still in the air with locked wings, their flight pattern is predictable, and, at least on the cliff-tops at Cabrillo, they are close. Great practice birds because you have some chance of success on every attempt, and because, given the bird, the results can be spectacular when you do succeed. And really…those are ideal conditions for learning. Swallows can come later 🙂
I have a feeling that in the spirit it is much the same. Kindness, for some of us more than others, is always a challenge. The easy kindnesses are great practice…great practice for the times when real self-sacrifice is called for. The smile (with eye-contact) is maybe the Pelican in flight of the spiritul. You have some chance of success on every attempt, and when you succeed the results can be spectacular. 🙂 It is easy to distain the easy stuff…but if we don’t do the easy stuff whenever we get a chance…we simply will never be ready for the hard stuff when it comes. Smiles and Pelicans today…Swallows and who knows what some day soon.