images by date of photo

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Double-crested cormorant ~ Phalacrocorax auritus ~ Southern Outer Banks
“La terre est le probable paradis perdu.” ~ de Federico Garcia Lorca
Doublecrested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus Southern Outer Banks North Carolina Emerald Isle Bogue Banks bird diving bird inflight marsh
From *master gallery
song of the river ~ Huron River
"The song of the river ends not at her banks, but in the hearts of those who have loved her." ~ Buffalo Joe
river Huron River Michigan river banks water ripples rocks trees autumn sparkling birthday
From *master gallery
Lesson for a Canada Gosling ~ Branta canadensis ~ Huron River and Watershed
"What if I fall? Oh, my Darling, what if you fly?" ~ Eric Hanson
Canada gosling branta canadensis goose Huron River Watershed yellow young
From *master gallery
Something of Value ~ Great Egret ~ Ardea alba ~ Huron River and Watershed
"I have always believed, and I still believe, that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value." ~ Hermann Hesse
Great Egret Ardea alba Huron River Watershed Michigan holding pond birthday
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Camden and Penobscot bays ~ Eastern Seaboard
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." ~ Henry David Thoreau
Camden Penobscot Bay Eastern Seaboard Maine water blue islands seashore mist birthday
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Sky over Bagaduce Bay ~ Eastern Seaboard
"In dwelling, be close to the land. In meditation, delve deep into the heart. In dealing with others, be gentle and kind. In speech, be true. In work, be competent. In action, be careful of your timing." ~ Lao Tzu
sky Bagaduce Bay Eastern Seaboard Maine clouds pattern birthday
From *master gallery
Quiet Eventide ~ Eastern Seaboard
"The quieter you become, the more you can hear." ~ Ram Dass
Eventide evening Eastern Seaboard Maine water boats sky clouds green blue birthday
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common teasel ~ Dipsacus fullonum, Honeysuckle family ~ Huron River and Watershed
"What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it." ~ C. S. Lewis
common teasel Dipsacus fullonum Honeysuckle family Huron River Watershed Michigan green purple bokeh plant
From *master gallery
Happy Morning Glory ~ Huron River and Watershed
"Happiness... not in another place but this place, not for another hour but this hour." ~ Walt Whitman
blue flower morning glory Convolvulaceae twining nature backlight velvet iridescent color bloom vine floral flowers summer light plant garden flora birthday
From *master gallery
when the wind is right ~ Lake Michigan (Version II)
"Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see.... and if the wind is right you can sail away...." ~ Christopher Cross
Lake Michigan lake wind clouds sky water sailboat sailing birthday
From *master gallery
Sailing Ahead ~ Lake Michigan
"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind." ~ C. S. Lewis
sailing Lake Michigan sky clouds water
From *master gallery
early evening ~ Southern Outer Banks
"By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea!
You and me, you and me, oh how happy we'll be!"
~ Harold Atteridge/Harry Carroll
DSC8297
From on the wing
early evening ~ Southern Outer Banks
"By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea!
You and me, you and me, oh how happy we'll be!"
~ Harold Atteridge/Harry Carroll
evening Southern Outer Banks North Carolina Emerald Isle Bogue Banks Crystal Coast sea ocean Atlantic Ocean sand water sky dunes sunlight sea grass
From *master gallery
Cedar Waxwing, Juvenile ~ Bombycilla cedrorum ~ Huron River and Watershed
"Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must." ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Cedar Waxwing juvenile Bombycilla cedrorum Huron River Watershed Michigan bird
From *master gallery
Ring-billed Gull ~ Larus delawarensis ~ Southern Outer Banks
"The quieter you become, the more you can hear...." ~ Ram Dass
Ringbilled Gull Larus delawarensis Southern Outer Banks Crystal Coast North Carolina Bogue Banks Emerald Isle birdinflight bird gull acrobat island sociable nimble.flyer opportunistic.feeder coast Atlantic Ocean seaside ocean beach isle sea coast outdoor animal birthday
From *master gallery
The Gathering Storm ~ Southern Outer Banks
“It is where the balance quivers, and the proportions are veiled in mist, that the opportunity for world-saving decisions presents itself.” ~ Winston S. Churchill
gathering storm Southern Outer Banks North Carolina Bogue Banks Emerald Isle water sky sand clouds waves blue
From *master gallery
tall grass ~ Huron River and Watershed
"Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable." ~ Mary Oliver
grass Huron River Watershed Michigan tufts birthday
From *master gallery
Morning Stroll ~ Southern Outer Banks
"I do believe in an everyday sort of magic ~ the inexplicable connectedness we sometimes experience with places, people, works of art and the like; the eerie appropriateness of moments of synchronicity; the whispered voice, the hidden presence, when we think we're alone" ~ Charles de Lint
beach sand sky clouds water Southern Outer Banks North Carolina Crystal Coast Bogue Banks Emerald Isle morning dunes shoreline coast Atlantic Ocean tide
From *master gallery
Solitude of the Sea ~ Southern Outer Banks
"The voice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude." ~ Kate Chopin
sea Southern Outer Banks North Carolina Crystal Coast Bogue Banks ocean Atlantic Ocean dunes Emerald Isle sea grass water sky sunlight perch overlook sand beach coastline seashore coast tide
From *master gallery
Time and Tide ~ Southern Outer Banks
"The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears and the sea." ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh
sea seaside ocean isle island Bogue Banks Atlantic Ocean time and tide tide Southern Outer Banks Emerald Isle outdoor coast landscape shore seascape blue shore sand water sky beach misty nature Crystal Coast blue salt water
From *master gallery
Northern Cardinal ~ Cardinalis cardinalis ~ Michigan
"There is no discovery without risk and what you risk reveals what you value." ~ Jeanette Winterson
Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis red bird perching bird sweet whistles in the morning songbird crest sunflower seeds nature outdoor animal
From *master gallery
European Starling ~ Sturnus vulgaris ~ Michigan
"If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin." ~ Ivan Turgenev
European Starling Sturnus vulgaris bird Shakespeare mumation songbird dark and glossy in summer perching bird Darwinian Dance roost nature outdoor
From *master gallery
seaside ~ Southern Outer Banks
"Do not grow old no matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the Great Mystery into which we were born." ~ Albert Einstein
seaside Southern Outer Banks shore sea grass Emerald Isle North Carolina Bogue Banks Crystal Coast Atlantic Ocean island sea ocean sky clouds light
From *master gallery
Great Egret, breeding plumage ~ Ardea alba ~ Southern Outer Banks
“On foot its movements are as graceful as those of the Louisiana Heron, its steps measured, its long neck gracefully retracted and curved, and its silk train reminded one of the flowing robes of the noble ladies of Europe. The train of this Egret ... makes its appearance a few weeks previous to the love season, continues to grow and increase in beauty, until incubation has commenced.” ~ John James Audubon
Great Egret breeding plumage Ardea alba Southern Outer Banks North Carolina Atlantic Ocean Bogue Banks Bogue Sound Emerald Isle Crystal Coast bird wings white
From *master gallery
Double-crested Cormorant ~ Phalacrocorax auritus ~ Southern Outer Banks
"We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time."
~ T. S. Eliot
Doublecrested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus gangly cormorant Intracoastal waterway marina North Carolina prehistoriclooking fishing.bird relative of frigatebird and boobie diving bird waterbird float low on the water bird black sshaped neck sun themselves with wings widespread Emerald Isle island Crystal Coast Bogue Banks seacoast Atlantic Ocean seaside barrier island
From *master gallery
The Harmony of Starlings ~ European Starling, Juvenile ~ Sturnus vulgaris ~ Michigan
"After a visit to the Wordsworths in the Lake District,
Coleridge caught a glimpse from his stagecoach
Of a gigantic flock of birds as it swooped, rose then fell
Above the frozen, wintry fields of a passing farm.

It was November 1799 and he described the phenomenon
As “a vision” in his Journal, then detailed the way
This “vast flight” drove along “like smoke, and expanded
Then condensed”, then continually shifted shape.

First he saw the starlings as an arc, then as a globe –
A force field of matter that changed from an oblong
Into an ellipse, “glimmering & shivering, dim & shadowy,
Now thickening, deepening and blackening!”

The vision stayed with him all his life – a mystery as to how
“The one be many.” How thousands of creatures
Operated as a single entity, performing extreme stunts
Of swirling acrobatics – free from gravitational pull.

Coleridge was at the time devising an ideal community,
A utopia, which he called a Pantisocracy,
And which, together with his fellow poet, Robert Southey,
He planned to introduce to America.

Now here were starlings creating a miraculous order
Just by instinct. It was an object lesson,
Spelled out by nature herself, as to how human beings
Might happily interact and co-operate.

Watching starlings, on Otmoor, two hundred years later
I saw them spelling out the same lesson:
A towering organism was moving in perfect formation
With no discernible leader. No President.

It whooshed through the air at forty miles an hour.
Each bird reacted to another bird’s movement
In a hundredth of a millisecond. They tumbled and banked
In synchronized, spatial symmetry – collision free.

They moved like iron filings drawn by a magnetic field
To create their sophisticated, aerial society;
A society that flies, instead of creeping along, suborned
By unnatural pressures and alien orders,

And the flock’s structure echoes the physics of magnetism
With each particle’s electron spin
Aligning with its neighbor’s in a symbiotic harmony
Like a metal entity becoming magnetized.

It hints at the discovery of a universal principle
Which seems to tap into a natural order:
A physiological mechanism, happening almost simultaneously,
In birds that are separated by hundreds of feet.

starling 2
Since they can mimic us with an unusual facility
It shouldn’t be too hard to mimic them:
To rise high on nature rather than wrecking it;
To enjoy a life that no one can condemn.

There are no controlling starlings exercising force;
Not a single bird’s left behind in isolation.
Not one wastes time voting – they’d lose height if they did –
It’s anarchy in motion, and a glorious revelation."

~ Heathcote Williams
perching bird Michigan European Starling Sturnus.vulgaris Shakespeare songbird bird dazzling like fourpointed stars in flight serial ballet Darwinian dance murmation juvenile slender beak outdoor nature animal
From *master gallery
Thick with Lilies ~ Michigan
“I know a little garden close
Set thick with lily and red rose,
Where I would wander if I might
From dewy dawn to dewy night.
And have one with me wandering.”
~ William Morris
lilies Michigan garden lily lilium herbaceous flower plant beautiful beauty perennial bulbs rhizomes yellow latespring nature botanical leirion true herbaceous border Turk's Cap flowering outdoor flora blooms birthday
From *master gallery
Columbine ~ Michigan
"'Tis my faith that every flower enjoys the air it breathes." ~
William Wordsworth
columbine pink flower garden beauty bloom nature Michigan plant
From *master gallery
Canopy of Wisteria ~ Michigan
"Under a canopy of dangling wisteria...." ~ Lisa Fantino
wisteria wistaria wysteria flowers plant nature dripping woody climbing vine vine twining stems fabales fabaceae faboideae millettieae pea family purple fragant toxic canopy outdoor garden beauty dangling cover
From *master gallery
Bearded Iris ~ ~ Huron River and Watershed
"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." ~ Lewis Carroll
iris bearded iris flower beauty nature outdoor Michigan garden purple plant bloom
From *master gallery
Berry Brush, with Cedar Waxwings Feasting ~ Bombycilla cedrorum ~ Croatan National Forest, North Carolina
"The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself." ~ Henry Miller
berries Cedar Waxwing feast Bombycilla cedrorum Croatan National Forest North Carolina Eastern North Carolina masked bandit
From *master gallery
Forster's Tern ~ Sterna forsteri ~ Southern Outer Banks
"Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different...." C. S. Lewis
Forster's.Tern Sterna.forsteri Southern Outer Banks Atlantic Ocean North Carolina tern commashaped black ear patch forked.tail coastal beach plunger bird birdinflight Emerald Isle Bogue Banks Crystal Coast ocean seaside Atlantic outdoor water splash
From *master gallery
Red-breasted Merganser, Female ~ Mergus serrator ~ Southern Outer Banks
"The truth is, of course, that what one regards as interruptions are precisely one’s life." ~ C. S. Lewis
Redbreasted Merganser Female Mergus serrator Southern Outer Banks Crystal Coast North Carolina Bogue Banks Atlantic Ocean bird duck Emerald Isle water birthday
From *master gallery
Song of the Brown Pelican ~ Pelecanus occidentalis ~ Southern Outer Banks
"Those who wish to sing...always find a song." ~ Swedish Proverb
Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis elegant Atlantic Ocean Crystal Coast Southern Outer Banks bird birdinflight soaring Bogue Banks glider surf coast coastal Carolinas seashore seaside sea isle island echo of the waves diver seabird Emerald Isle ocean outdoor nature cover
From *master gallery
lichen ~ Southern Outer Banks
"If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing." ~ Marc Chagall
lichen Southern Outer Banks North Carolina Crystal Coast Emerald Isle Bogue Banks composite organism symbiotic not plant sea level bark some considered among the oldest living things first to grow after landslide
From *master gallery
The Light and Dark of Water Lilies ~ ~ Huron River and Watershed
“We find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates.” ~ Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
water lilies water lily pads Huron River Watershed Michigan flora water lake
From *master gallery
Osprey ~ Pandion haliaetus ~ Croatan National Forest, North Carolina
for Richard GG ~ fellow photographer and friend ~ who showed me the way to the Osprey
Osprey Pandion haliaetus Croatan National Forest North Carolina birdinflight soaring bird of prey raptor
From *master gallery
Willet ~ Tringa semipalmata ~ Southern Outer Banks
“Each fresh peak ascended teaches something.” — Sir Martin Convay
Willet Tringa semipalmata Southern Outer Banks Emerald Isle North Carolina island Atlantic Ocean ocean seaside seashore sea nature bird
From *master gallery
Brown Pelican ~ Pelecanus occidentalis ~ Southern Outer Banks
"I knew when I met you an adventure was going to happen.” ~ A. A. Milne
Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis elegant Atlantic Ocean Crystal Coast Southern Outer Banks bird birdinflight soaring Bogue Banks glider surf coast coastal Carolinas sea shore seaside sea isle island echo of the waves diver seabird Emerald Isle ocean outdoor North Carolina nature
From *master gallery
Willet ~ Tringa semipalmata ~ Southern Outer Banks
"In the end, we all become stories." ~ Margaret Atwood
willet tringa semipalmata Southern Outer Banks North Carolina Atlantic Ocean seashore Emerald Island Crystal Coast Bogue Banks island sand water shoreline beach bird
From *master gallery
View of the Sound ~ Southern Outer Banks
“If we assist the highest forms of education – in whatever field – we secure the widest influence in enlarging the boundaries of human knowledge." ~ John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
sound harbor barrier island Bogue Banks Crystal Coast Emerald Isle Southern Outer Banks North Carolina outdoor water sky trees reflection morning intracoastal waterway Bogue Sound
From *master gallery
Horned Grebe, transitioning into breeding plumage ~ Podiceps auritus ~ Southern Outer Banks
"If we could see the miracle in a single flower clearly, our whole life would change. " - Buddha
Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus breeding plumage Southern Outer Banks North Carolina bird duck redeyed marina Emerald Isle island Intracoastal Waterway Bogue Banks nature
From *master gallery
Red-breasted Merganser, Male ~ Mergus serrator ~ Southern Outer Banks
"Our greatest experiences are our quietest moments." ~ Friedrick Neitzsche
Redbreasted Merganser Male Mergus serrator Southern Outer Banks Crystal Coast island Emerald Isle Bogue Banks water bird duck birthday
From *master gallery
Double-crested Cormorant ~ Phalacrocorax auritus ~ Southern Outer Banks
Harbor Master
harbor master Doublecrested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus Southern Outer Banks North Carolina Crystal Coast Bogue Banks Bogue Sound Emerald Isle bird sunning birthday
From *master gallery
White Ibis ~ Eudocimus albus ~ Southern Outer Banks
"We are always the same age inside." ~ Gertrude Stein
White Ibis Eudocimus albus Southern Outer Banks marsh Crystal Coast North Carolina Bogue Banks Emerald Isle birdinflight bird sky
From *master gallery
Double-crested Cormorant ~ Phalacrocorax auritus ~ Southern Outer Banks
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the places and moments that take our breath away." ~ Unknown
Doublecrested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus Southern Outer Banks North Carolina Crystal Coast Bogue Banks Bogue Sound Emerald Isle bird
From *master gallery
Great Egret, in flight ~ Ardea alba ~ Southern Outer Banks
“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”
Great Egret Ardea alba Southern Outer Banks North Carolina Bogue Banks Crystal Coast Atlantic Ocean Emerald Isle birdinflight bird
From *master gallery
White Ibis ~ Eudocimus albus ~ Southern Outer Banks
“I turn my heart to the light and receive its beauty and nourishment. I turn my heart to the shadows as they reveal hues, shades and textures that contrast the light. I turn my heart to them both and embrace their gifts, for they have graced me with blessings untold.” ~ Kristin Granger
From *master gallery

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