I went for plenty of hikes on the Washington and Old Dominion trail in July, often without seeing anything to take pictures of. But August 3rd made up for all of them. My first Monarch pic of the year! But there was much more. Starting off towards a little creek that goes under the trail, I sighted what appeared to be an enormous bird. "Shirley there are no 7-8 foot birds in North America!" I thought. It was a Great Blue Heron standing on a wooden fence. Vegetation obscured the fence, so from a far, it seemed as big as an emu.
I think the bird has a sore wing, it headed down the trail and circled into the woods rather than fly.
Next I saw a pair of goldfinches. (I often see those, but they won't let me get close...and my G15 isn't great at distance shots.)
Some of the local pollinators:
So as I headed back home, I figured I'd check that creek to see if the Great Blue Heron was in it. It was! But all I got was a shot of a leg headed into the vegetation.
I panned up, and...
Here's another pic of that Monarch:
Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.
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31 comments:
Hello, awesome critter post. I hope the GB Heron is ok. It seems to be able to get around, that is good. I love the cute deer and the pretty Monarch. I have not seen a Monarch yet!
Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!
love the herons - well, goldfinches, too. sweet, sweet deer.
Wonderful shots of blue heron and deers.
ahhhhhh
the rewards of visiting with Mother Nature.
Wow! what a wonderful collection of critters!
Love the deer fawns!
Have a great week-end!
You're right of course. Our bird names often lend themselves to a little joke- as do bird watchers. I hope those Monarchs can do well this year - another declining species.
I do hope the heron will be okay after all!
Excellent images of such a beautiful nature post. From the deer, to the birds and butterflies.
Thanks again for dropping in to add your link to this post to share with us at I'd Rather B Birdin'
Loved the Deer adnthe gorgeous Monarch butterfly. Have a great weekend.
Poor Heron, I hate to see injured wildlife when I'm out.
You did have a great hike. The butterfly is gorgeous!
Have a wonderful weekend :)
Gosh you live in a great place!
Jackpot critter finds! Love them all!
I have get to see a monarch...lots of milkweed though.
An excellent monarch shot. I do hope the heron was just resting, not injured!
Hello!:) Lovely nature encounters and photos. Splendid shots of the deer and sweet fawn, and great images of the Monarch butterfly. I saw my first of this year a couple of weeks ago. It's nice when you get to see both large and small species of birds. I too hope the Heron will be OK.
Splendid images, I love the Monarch Butterfly.
Wonderful nature post of varieties of lives♪ Love the sweet looking deer especially the little ones. Wish I could see goldfinches in my area as well :-)
Sincerely from Japan, Miyako*
The deer photos were quite a treat to take. They are usually on the run as soon as you see them. And how interesting about the heron. You had quite a walk! Wish I out and about today but we are finally getting some much needed rain! Hugs, Diane
Wonderful deer and butterfly photos. Have a wonderful Sunday!
awwww, the tiny little bambi, with their cute little spots, priceless!! i enjoyed your monarch, the butterflies have not been visiting me!!!
Fine collection. Love Bambi!
Lovely array of photos ~ great egret and the little deer ~
Happy Week to you ~ ^_^
The deer are so cute!
Aww, I love the adorable fawns. Have a great week ahead!
Oh how cute! I love to see the baby deer, and that is rare because their moms are usually taking off about the time I see them! Nice selection of photos today- have a great Monday!
Yay monarchs! The ones in this corner of the Southern Hemisphere are still hunkered down for the winter.
Looks like your local pollinators like teasels.
Beautiful nature and critter captures, and I hope that bird's wing is okay, I'd like to think he/she is perhaps dancing about! Enjoying life!
Beautiful Monarch and birds. Those Great Blue Herons are truly tall even without a hidden perch. I cannot fit them into my camera viewfinder when they walk along the lake only about 40 feet from our back windows. Ours are very skittish and usually fly when I try to get close, so that one must indeed be impaired.
That little spotted fawn is adorable and I love herons. But the wonderful monarch is my favorite. It's wonderful that you have them -- they seem to be so scarce these days sadly.
love those cute fawns. :) And their mom too. :)
I've never seen a great blue so far from the water. Also, that fawn is too precious.
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