Nature Happenings with Dennis Waters: "Winter Time and the Living is Easy"

Nature Happenings with Dennis Waters: "Winter Time and the Living is Easy":   Today was a stay home day. Any and all weather conditions are always rite for photographing some  kind of wild critter, however, there  ar...

"Winter Time and the Living is Easy"

  Today was a stay home day. Any and all weather conditions are always rite for photographing some  kind of wild critter, however, there  are days when just looking out the window at the rain and sitting beside a warm fire is best. I have worked on my photographs and read today with the curtains open wide to watch the rain..My bird feeder outside the window has been busy this morning. We had predictions for snow during Christmas but it has been removed and just rain remaining.

  The weather finally matched the season, it has been like spring for the past few days. We have had many geese frequenting the pond behind our cave. Yesterday there were two groups circling over the cave and finally they joined together and landed on the lake.

   I wish Christmas day could be spent with family in a cabin in the mountains with snow falling and a big fireplace roaring. I get tired of the same activities each holiday, they are always spent inside . It would be nice to celebrate in the Rocky Mountains or Smokey Mountains with plenty of family and friends on hand having a good time and watching the snow pile up. The aroma of dressing and deserts floating around in the cabin with kids and new toys playing on the floor and NO ELECTRONIC GADGETS beeping and farting. 

   The birds outside the cave window are forging on seeds and insects in the grass. They are so accurate with determining any changes in the weather and their actions always predict the changes coming. I feel that winter has arrived and we can expect some serious winter weather, maybe even a some snow.
   I guess the authors of the Christmas songs and tunes like: Winter Wonderland, Frosty the Snowman and Jingle Bells had the same thoughts and mine are not unique.

Hanging with the Rain

 A perfect day for hanging here in my cave reading and editing photographs. There is no rain falling at this time, but looks like it can anytime now. I went to the T A 2 eagle nest yesterday and photographed some of the activities at the nest re-construction for the upcoming nesting season. The eagles (pair) or staying close to the nest area. They leave for short periods of time and return to the area sometimes on the nest or on a nearby limb. It seems as though one works on the nest while the other watches. I know they are bringing in limbs and other items but I have not been there when they do. I want a photograph of one of them with a big stick flying into the nest.
  While we were watching the nest yesterday we had visitors, three beaver showed up and played in the river bed. The mallard ducks were busy on the water. On the way to the nest we traveled down Sparks Lane to see if any critters were at the slough. The nutrias were sunning on their pads and some hawks were observed and of course there was the great egrets fishing.
  The weather was like a warm spring day. It seems so strange that we are near Christmas and still have had no winter weather. I hope it turns cold before Christmas Day and maybe even snow here in East Texas. The leaves are falling like snowflakes and the ground is covered with all different colors, Jane loves to watch the leaves falling.
  I would like to spend the holidays in the Arkansas mountains with snow falling and a big fire in a fireplace and quietness  all around. I would like to photograph the different critters in the snowfall and watch the Cossatot River roll over the river rocks with snow capping the round river rocks.
  Well the mist has arrived, no rain just heavy mist and darker sky. There is some kind of change in the weather coming, there are few bird outside my cave window. I am going to put out fresh food for them.

"Hawks of the Bottoms"

Here in East Texas we refer to the river bottoms as "The Bottoms" the one most referred to for me is the "Red River Bottoms. The Red River Bottoms separates Arkansas,Texas and Oklahoma. It has an array of wildlife for the wildlife lover and photographers. One of my favorite are the "Bird's of Prey" , the eagles,,kites and the many species of hawks. These birds are all so majestic and graceful.

Waiting on the Rain

  When I got up this morning and went out to get the newspaper I discovered it was raining. First time in a long while. It feels like autumn has arrived. I think the colors are starting to show up in the Arkansas Hills. I seem to have missed them the past few years for one reason or another. Today would be a great day to be photographing them with the cloud cover.

  I am ready for the leaves to fall so I can see and photograph the owls, hawks and eagles. Every season offers something different to photograph. 

Traveled to Northern Arkansas to view the colors of fall..Bright reds,gold,yellow and browns. We did not find much wildlife since we were on the roadways. We did have an escort by a nice size buck down the highway at one location.

October 10, 2017

Today the high temperature is in the seventies and yesterday was almost a record high of ninety. The harvest moon showed it's face and it was a beautiful moon rise.Tonight I am going to do some night photography for fun 

Nature Happenings with Dennis Waters: Harvest Moon

Nature Happenings with Dennis Waters: Harvest Moon

Harvest Moon

Serenity in the Mountains

xThe serenity of a mountain stream, a place to reflect on the good things in life

Another Hummer Fall Afternoon.

Today was another hummer afternoon here at my cave, they are moving south and feeding like crazy. All I have to do is watch the wildflower plants from my patio. 

Hummers and Moving South

Today my wildflower gardens were full of hummers feeding frantically on the wildflowers. Yesterday there were very few, they are 

stopping over to feed and rest on their journey South.

Visit from Mother

Cool Day in August for wildlife and photographer

Today in Paradise

Flying eaglesT

.Today was a good day for photographing the critters. The Eagles were flying and the one at Boise D Arc was on the nest with one eaglet. Found one of the eaglets at T A 2, it was flying and on the ground. Only one juvenile was seen.

Eaglets--Fledging progress

 The eaglets are growing fast. One is trying his best to fly like mom and dad. I did no get to go today to check on them so I hope it did not fledge today. The weather has been overcast all day and looks yucky. We are going to coyote canyon monday thru wednesday to ride the trails and look for different things and wildlife to photograph. I plan to be out early and back for naps and out again in the late evening.. With the weather being warmer we might luck out and find a bear to photograph. I want to open up my lounger and watch the sky turn black and the stars shine. I hope to do some night timed shots of the stars and mountains. 

 

  

Waiting on the eagle to fly

Eagles and rain

 

 Today was a cold gray day here at the cave. I did go to check on the new eaglets at T A 2 nest and did observe the eaglets as they were being fed. The two adults were busy hunting and feeding. Tomorrow we have rain in the forecast and for the next few days and turning cold. 

Eaglets Arrived

Today when I checked on the eagle nest at T A 2 one of the adults flew in with something in it's beak. Two small heads poped up from the nest. I watched it feed the little ones for about an hour. By the size I believe it to be the male. It settled down in the nest after feeding. There will be lots of movement in the area for the next month or so and I will be nearby. 

                             

Today was a dark rainy day here at my cave, after being up for a while I went back and took a nap. When I got up I grabbed my cameras and went to check on the eagles. They were in place, one was on the nest and the others were out hunting for food. I got no photographs of them but the trees standing out in the foggy fields caught my eye.So here they are "Lonely Trees in the Fog"

Fading the Winter with the Bald Eagles

February 4,2017

Today it was cold out looking for Bald Eagles. We did find three, one on the nest and two on roost trees. The one we labeled T A 1 seems to be inactive, we did see it occupied earlier but lately it has been vacant. We did meet the owner and got some good info from him. I love these birds in flight.

                                        

                                                                                   

 

We have spent approx. two weeks with these birds and they continue to fascinate me. Each time we go to the different nest I say"no photographs this time on the nest", however I cannot resist . 

 

 

 

 

 

Ducks on the Slough's of Red River

 It was a spring like day in January while searching for new eagle nest. I have had good luck in the past few weeks of finding and photographing the bald eagles. This is an unusual subject for us here in East Texas, however they are becoming abundant as time goes on. At this time we have located six active nest with pairs on all the nest. and a few immature eagles.I have given the ones I post codes so as not to identify their locations for the safety of the eagles and their nesting habits. We did observe a catch and kill of a raccoon a few days ago, an experience not many have observed.. When looking for one species you never know what you will find, these ducks were located on a slough close by; no eagle photographs on this date .However a stranger to this local was filmed, an american wigeon. It is a bird of the far northern regions of the United States and way off course in this area.. Each excursion into the world of nature always produces something of interest and lots of pleasure.