I'll start with a pretty photo! One of my favorite blooms, the allium is short lived but so fabulous while it lasts!
Rick and I joined the many others in the world trying to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights last week. I had visions of taking marvelously splashy photos of pinks, purples and greens in the dark night sky. I would do watercolors of them all. Ah, the stuff dreams are made of.
We missed the first night. I realized -- about 11 (Rick had just gone to bed) -- when I saw FB posts of beautiful skies that I had missed something big. When I went outside to look, the sky was black. I chalked it up to too much light spill in the city. But we knew it was due Saturday too, so we'd go out and see them and I'd get my fabulous photos after all!'
'The next evening, after a classical concert and a stop for snacks till it was fully dark, we set out, heading north of the city. Rick knows these roads well from his cycling but most were new to me. We were definitely in dark places. Finally we found an open, north-facing field with a group of others. So we pulled over to the side of the road, got out of the car (in the mud, my poor shoes!) and joined them. This is what we saw. (Well, in "real life," you could actually see the shadow of some trees and stars.)
"Use your night setting," one helpful person said. None of us could find one on my phone. When I got home, I thought maybe with editing I could get something from the photo. I present to you my version of the aurora borealis.
Well, it was an experience.
Swimming Lessons
We were a little worried about the goslings, too. Rick and I went for a walk at the Ditch and there wasn't a goose to be found. We know they often move to the golf course across the (very busy) road but usually not till the kids are a little older. So, the next day I went back. It was a great critter day and I was not disappointed!
The family was out for a late afternoon swim. And it was a jolly time for all.
The family was chowing down and I have to say their stomachs are stronger than mine. I would never eat anything out of that ditch but they are in their element. Watch mom and learn!
(The lighting on these is erratic. I messed with the camera settings which was a mistake and they got too much light into some of them. Then I moved around without changing them. But you get the idea. Live and learn.)
The babies were the cutest. They were less successful at getting the greens out of the water than mom, but they were diligent.
And would succeed!
These little ones are so darned cute, sweet little fluff balls that just can't help but make a person smile.
I didn't just see the goslings, though that would have been enough. Bunny Seventeen was hanging out...
.... and so was the red-winged blackbird. They are everywhere this year.
On days like this, I wish the world could join me on a walk. But this brief (and slightly shaky) video is the closest I can come.
Time for a nap!
Happy week ahead.
Sharing with: Share Your Style / Friday Face Off / Saturday's Critters / Love Your Creativity
68 comments:
Oooooh, I love those fluffy little sweeties, so gorgeous! Thanks for making the video, too. And your aurora borealis is lovely, too! We couldn't see anything here either! Have a great weekend, hugs, Valerie
That is funny! That's how Fred Groundhog sleeps!
What an adventure!
...those cute little fuzz balls will grow quickly!
Thank you, amusing post... I love your picture number one and the northern lights are very special - I didn't see any here - but on the Vesteralen I saw the northern lights in the most beautiful colors.
Your photos of the goslings are adorable... I hope you continue to enjoy them :-)))
I'm also excited about your blackbird with the colored wing tips, here they are black... and now they sing so beautifully, early in the morning or even in the evening.
Many greetings to you from Viola
I love the blooms. Your posts bring me joy. Thank you. I’m doing a secret project. Would you be willing to send a postcard or small trinket that describes your home state? Love and hugs.
Thank you, Jeanie. That was the best close look at the little fluffy family! So cute I almost bought a ticket to fly over to see them! Changed my mind , by the time I got there they would be grown and look just like their parents- I see those frequently here. AND their mountains of slippery stinky poos! I missed the sky show as well. Sleep , a priority- I do appreciate your version! Unlike all the others which look identical really.
Glad all six of them are okay. :)
I have even had red-winged blackbirds more than usual on my patio this year, too. Hearing them reminds me of being a kid growing up with a small lake a block away. So many good memories. That's what I think about every trip you take us on to the ditch, so I thank you so much for bringing us with you. We didn't have Canadian geese but had a ton of mallards and green frogs. An abundance of critters.
Sorry your pics of the northern lights didn't turn out. I couldn't see anything here but have seen lots of amazing pictures and videos from around the world. What an amazing time we live in, eh?
Have a sweet day. :)
I was shocked the northern lights were visible this far south.
I enjoy your wildlife photos.
These are fantastic photos, Jeanie! How do you get them???
These are beautiful pictures of the goslings, especially the close up stills, full of life! I love the sound of birdsong in the Ditch, too. Such a good place to have on your doorstep. Is it a local nature reserve? I have always assuemd it is.
Superb opening photo featuring alium flowers!
The cuteness of the gosslings and of the brown rabbit - uplifts the spirit.
What great photos. The red-winged blackbird is striking. Sweet little goslings! Geese are elegant creatures, but have an unbelievable temper.
Well that's the cutest thing I've seen today, Jeanie! Darling little ones learning their way. The last photo says it all for the sweet little one!
Oh, Jeanie! What a wonderful post!! I especially loved your video ~
Hugs ~ bobbie
A charming series of photos and delightful video Jeanie. The allium one is gorgeous! We missed the eclipse. And you know what? You got more than I did. It may not have been what you were looking for, but it’s very artsy. Your photos of the goslings are a treat! Loved all your captures and on top of that, you found a bunny AND a red-winged blackbird. Thanks for the cuteness overload. I leave smiling from ear to ear. Have a great end of the week :)
Love your blooms and all of the animal photos. Have a very nice day today.
Your northern lights experience sounds better than mine. I also forgot the first night, but I had no luck any night afterwards. And wow, you had a great trip to the ditch and got some fantastic photos. Those goslings are just adorable! Have a great FRiday. hugs-Erika
Love seeing the baby geese. We had a "moms day out" a few days ago where 6 adults and 25 babies showed up in the back yard at once. It was crazy. a swarm. They are a bit older than yours. More brown and not quite as cute as they get a little older, but no hint of the adult coloring.
You did get some grand critter shots and an excellent vid.
The Northern Lights were hiding from me too. Sigh.
The fluffy little ones are so adorable!
oh those sweet goslings Jeanie! So cute. I am a real bunny girl so I adored that photo of course. It was amazing checking out all the aurora photos around the world including southern australia. we are too far north up here but wow! Such an amazing phenomenon, not to be repeated for many a year i think. Have a great weekend.
cheers
sherry
That little duckling looks like he just passed out as he sleeps. Love your flowers shots - I've never grown those flowers. They are so pretty.
I wanted to see those lights in the worst way. My great-niece down near Kalamazoo lives in the country and took some great photos the first night and she kept her little kids up late to see them the next night. She never misses an opportunity to teach nature to her kids. I'm so proud of her.
I didn't even try to see the aurora borealis because I live in a well lit area of the biggest city in KS.
Those goslings are adorable. But they sure leave loads of poo wherever they go.
I checked my spam folder a few minutes ago and there were NINE (yes 9) comments from you in my spam folder. No wonder I never answer any of your questions you ask. I must be more diligent in the future.
Nature is amazing in every way. Have a wonderful weekend!
What a sweet springish post with all of those cute photos. You had an experience with the aurora, so that is good.
Lovely pictures!
The Northern Lights are spectacular, of course, but those little goslings are hard to beat. Before you know it they will be as big as their parents.
I had no interest in staying up..I wasI thought I heard a noise peeked outside at the best time never even thing of the sky show:) LOL It was my neighbours bday party:) A fine young man.
Such cute gosling pics:)
No success here with the Northern Lights either. Your adventure to see them made me smile. I love your visits to the ditch and those sweet, fluffy yellow ducklings are the cutest. That last picture!!!! I didn't know they would sleep like that. What a sweet picture.
We were so excited to see the Northern Lights so far south and they really put on a show! The goslings are so cute and I know you love seeing them getting along so well. Happy Weekend, Jeanie!
Sorry about the Northern Lights Jeanie, you certainly tried! I didn't get to see them either but love seeing the photos others took. Those baby geese are so so cute! Have a great weekend~
Jenna
We have baby ducks galore now, but the real treat this week was a quick sighting of a rabbit on my way to work. It was in a place where I've seen them before, but it's been a couple of years, so I was glad to see another one. That photo of the sleeping gosling is adorable; it clearly is feeling secure. I suspect mom and dad weren't far away!
Too bad you didn't get the kind of night show you had hoped for, but you tried. Of course, we here in Hawaii saw nothing. Haha. Those goslings are super cute!
Our car was chased by Ma and Pa Goosie the other day! They can be vicious!
I love your gosling pictures. Nothing sweeter. I hope there aren't any snapping turtles where they are swimming. Are used to lose a lot of ducklings every year from them. You are brave playing with your camera settings. I just keep it on automatic!
I have not seen the aurora borealis yet ...your version is very interesting
I planted three allium around my birdbath when I first moved here. They came up the next year but after that they were done. Maybe somebody like a squirrel or rabbit got them.
Have a good weekend..
Great seeing the goslings, specially the ones where they are eating. Sweet bunny and the blackbird too. Your northern nights picture is very creative. I like this version very much!!
-Soma
Fabulous photos Jeanie, and the goslings are adorable. Word of Warning, the goose with his head up giving you the side-eye...is in a Warning Stance, just before he turns and charges...so when you see that holding stance...by all means back up a bit. Grins...learned that one the hard way, lol. Hugs, beautiful spring for you! Sandi
Little ones look like they have grown so much already. I have never seen a red wing blackbird before. That sure does break up that dark black. As for the Northern Lights, I did not change my settings at all....all I did was point my camera at the sky, without the flash. All I saw with the eye was a tad pink in the sky, then I would point that way, and shoot.
Lovely post, Jeanie!
Your Northern Lights adventure sounds memorable, even without the photos you hoped for.
The goslings are adorable – such fluffy cuteness!
And your allium photo is stunning.
Have a great weekend!
Your experience with the Northern Lights was like mine with the eclipse---a bit underwhelming. Perhaps I had too many expectations?
Thanks for taking us on a walk with you. No geese here. I guess it's too hot. Those little ones are a delight.
Hello, Jeanie
It was too cloudy here for us to see the Northern Lights, I did enjoy seeing everyone's photos. Your goslings images are adorable and I love the cute bunny. Take care, have a great weekend.
Sorry your borealis trip was a bust! We missed them too... but I did see some lovely photos on Facebook from others. Did you know that 1 goose can eat 4 lbs of grass a day? We have 2 large families visiting our yard everyday and while they can drive me nuts I do get sad when I see the number of goslings dwindling.
We have allium in the garden for the first time this year. You are right, it's a lovely flower and very tall -- at least ours are tall. We have a few white ones as well a purple. So neat that they are in the onion family -- they look like overgrown chives in bloom.
best, mae
I agree...they are so darned cute! That last one all stretched out is the cutest!
Hello Jeanie
The Alium are so pretty. The gosling are so cute and fuzzy, adorable photos!
The bunny is cute ! Great shot of the Red-winged Blackbird.
Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great day and happy weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
That bunny looks like the one that hangs in our front yard. I swear there's one for every house in the neighborhood:)
Hope your weekend is joyous.
Those little fluff balls are so cute. The alium are such a lovely flower, especially when grown in mass.
the alium are such a pretty flower and they are my color as well!! and goodness, you captured some amazing images of those little ones, the last 2 pictures are so cute!!
I love your little video tour!
Lovely photographs on this post.
The Allium is such a wonderful colour.
The gosling are just so cute, as is the bunny.
Great picture of the Red-winged Blackbird.
Enjoy your weekend.
All the best Jan
Oh, I love that close-up of the baby, so precious. And what a great photo of the red-winged blackbird. It's hard to get that red in its wing, as it is sometimes hidden, but you got it well. I'm so glad to hear that Mama goose is doing well. And very neat that you saw some of the northern lights. I've always wanted to experience that. The Alium is gorgeous. What a striking color.
Have a pleasant weekend, Jeanie.
~Sheri
Jeanie,
We were not able to see the Northern lights here either even though many others were able to not too far away... Your pictures of all the wild life and birds are spectacular...Thanks so much for sharing with us and thanks for always stopping by and for your kind and encouraging words....
Hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog
How adorable. I could watch them for hours. Lovely photos Jeanie.
I think those are the best northern light pictures I have ever seen!
Love the gosling pictures, they are so cute when they are young and such a nuisance when they get older.
Beautiful blog
Bunnies and goslings and blackbirds - all gorgeous. Too bad about the Northern Lights, but they might come around again in a couple of weeks, I hear. Have a good week, Jeanie.
How precious is that last photo of the sleeping gosling, just too cute!!
Blooming gorgeous, lovely to see the life down your way! I subscribed to your YouTube channel after watching the goslings video too, happy days Jeannie!
Wren x
This is Lisa. I somehow missed that we would have an opportunity to dee northern lights. I don’t know that I would have had the energy to go see them though as awful as that sounds!! But I will hopefully see them someday!
The baby geese are so cute and fluffy! We have not seen any babies yet but I am keeping my eyes out for them on runs and walks. The boys would love to see them!!
This is Lisa. I somehow missed that we would have an opportunity to dee northern lights. I don’t know that I would have had the energy to go see them though as awful as that sounds!! But I will hopefully see them someday!
The baby geese are so cute and fluffy! We have not seen any babies yet but I am keeping my eyes out for them on runs and walks. The boys would love to see them!!
That's hilarious about the Northern Lights adventure! At least you got a cute goose family out of it. The gosling pics are adorable!
The first day the Northern Lights were visible, but we didn't know we can see them in UK. So, the second day when they should have been visible we went to see them - drove 30 minutes to a beach - it was cloud and we could see nothing, beside the flash-lights that other people had, who were hopeful to see the lights as we were. It's a funny memory now though.
The birds are so cute! I love the pictures with them.
I love the purple in your first photo and those goslings are so cute. They grow up so fast.
You have a lot of lovely subject matter all around you to use in drawing, painting and photography. Well done! I also love your neighbour's garden. I know what you mean about gardening not being your thing. Despite me doing every year and wanting to get better. I'm really not the best and I don't enjoy the process (physical ailments get in the way). But I always love anything that grows. I also think of new growth as miraculous. Enjoy your week Jeannie. (Oops, I already left a comment but no harm in another one, lol).
Supposedly it is very hard to capture the Northern Lights with a phone camera. When I read up about it, a dSLR was recommended. My daughter saw the Northern Lights on Juist, a German island in the North Sea. She wasn't able to photograph them with her phone, but the guy next to her got all the shades on his dSLR - which, of course, confirmed what I had read. - A wonderful walk that you had - isn't that the best?
Jeanie, this is amazing ~ what awesome photos! I enjoyed the video of the ducklings. That's the most interesting photo of northern lights I've seen ~ I have no idea what's going on, but it's colorful! It was cloudy both nights where we live, so I didn't see them. I was disappointed because the northern lights are amazing. I saw them a lot when I lived up north during my childhood. I hope that you are enjoying your week!
Loved watching the video and looking at all the photos. That last photo sums it all up after a busy day.
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