Sunset clouds reflected in the pond glow softly behind these developing seeds.
D5100 f/5.6 1/125s 55-300@155mm – Summer 2012
Seeds at Sunset
Tag Archives: pond
Ssso, What Else Is in the Pond?
Bridger was up fishing at the pond when he spotted a snake swimming by.
D5100 f/22 ISO 800 1/250s 55-300@260mm – Summer 2012
Later that morning I went up to take some mid-day photographs. Usually I am there just after sunrise or just before sunset, but it turns out there is plenty going on in the heat of the day. Bridger’s snake swam by a couple of times, looking mighty cool and comfortable in the pond water. It surely was more comfortable there than I was on the bank in triple digit heat!
It is a pretty powerful swimmer if we can judge by the ripples it is creating! Does anyone recognize the variety of snake?
One more visitor to the pond.
Nikon D5100 f/6.7 ISO 400 1/60s 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012
He trotted casually up to the pond while I was standing stock still waiting for a dragonfly to return to a stump. He didn’t notice me for some 25 minutes, but he was hidden in some brush where I could only occasionally glimpse an ear when he moved. Consequently, I only have two photos of him from that morning.
The photo is somewhat out of focus. It is amazing there is any sort of focus at all, as I had done something I rarely do, turned it to manual focus in an attempt to capture a dragonfly skimming the pond surface. My autofocus kept bringing the reflection into focus instead of the surface of the water. When I saw the coyote, I forgot all about focusing and just snapped a photo – I did, barely, remember to roll the little wheel, changing my aperture to allow for switching from sunlight to shadow.
Competition…
Lest you think humans are the only threat to these fish, let me show you a photo I took the other morning.
Fishing in the Early Morning – 2012
These raccoons are smart, choosing to fish in the cool hours of the day. This one was after one more snack before heading off to bed.
The Catch!
What was on the line?
A Small Bluegill – Summer 2012
A nice little fish. Probably a little bewildered. But it was his lucky night; Bridger didn’t feel like cleaning and cooking any fish for dinner this evening, so the fish was released back into the pond.
Strike!
Not as in “Strike out,” but a fish just struck the bait!
Yes, a fish took the bait! – Summer 2012
Now to reel it in. Buttercup would like to help, but she has been told to stay on the bank.
Ripple
The grasshopper rests at the center of this ripple.
These fish eat grasshoppers every day – Summer 2012
Will the fish take the bait?
Dad is wondering if there are fish in the pond to take the bait, but we have seen. We are believers – and eternal optimists 🙂
Cast
What better way to end a hot day in Oklahoma than at the pond?
Trying grasshoppers for bait – Summer 2012
Buttercup is just waiting her chance to get in the pond with those fish, and her boy.
Blue and Green Summer Afternoon
Today is bright and sunny, triggering today’s afternoon flashback. It is quite a cheerful looking day. But step outside and your mood may change; it is brisk, to put a nice spin on it. Cold, frigid compared to recent days in the 60s.
Does this summer sight help you smell and hear echoes of summer? 2011
Looking out the window, feeling the heat through the windows, called to mind this summer afternoon in Harlan, Iowa, 2011. Warm in the sun, slightly less warm in the shade. Humming insects, gentle lapping of waves, soft susurating breeze…
Ripples
Teal ducks? A blue heron? That large buck drinking? Something was here. It left as I climbed the pond bank, leaving only the widening ripples as evidence that it had been here. Soon they smoothed out and the pond was once again smooth as glass, reflecting the changing sky as the sun slowly rose.
Sunrise at the Pond on the Back Forty - Winter 2012
Damming the Ice
From the log to the shore was all ice while the other side of the log was all open water. And so this ice incursion was successfully contained by the log!
No Ice Allowed Beyond This Point
Back Forty 