Chiperality. Happy Sunday!

Chipmunk. Rachel Carson Headquarters, Wells Maine

After a week in Panama surrounded by exotic wildlife and a week in St Augustine Florida surrounded by nesting Egretsĥ, Herons, and Wood Storks (not to mention lots of dragonflies, butterflies, and lizards) coming home to Maine at the end of a long hard winter, with the snow barely off the ground, is, well, shall we say “different”. There are a few crocus up in the yard, and the Daffodils are budding (one is open), there are flowers on the Maple trees, and a few birds coming through on migration, but it is, relative to more tropical climes, pretty quiet. There is not yet much color in the landscape. We are still weeks of sunny days from dragonflies. I could not find a single Egret in the marshes. It is going to be a very late spring. Even the Hobblebush, generally in full bloom by now, is barely budding. I am only here a few days, and then I will be off to the warbler migration along the shores of Lake Erie in Ohio, but I am resisting the temptation to sit at the computer all day processing images from Panama and Florida. It is necessary to seize whatever photo ops are here! It might be only a passing Palm Warbler (my first in Maine I think, and certainly my first photograph in Maine), or, as in the case of my wander down to the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters yesterday, this Chipmunk posing against an irresistible backdrop of out of focus forest floor, displaying all his chiperality…or my seasonal pics of our blooming crocus or the maple tree flowers…but there is always something to celebrate in the natural world around us, wherever we are. After all, if we can not find the joys of home, what makes us think we will find joy anywhere?

So, though the best of chipmunks might not compare to a Three-toed Sloth or a White-faced Capuchin Monkey, it is here, and it is worth sharing and celebrating. Homage to the creator. Thankfulness for the day. Joy in life and in sharing life. Or that is what I think this Sunday morning. Happy Sunday!

Nikon P900 at 2000mm equivalent field of view. 1/200th @ ISO 400 @ f6.5. Processed in Topaz Dejpeg and Lightroom.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *