It’s been such a busy year that being able to go out on walk-about in my favorite nature haunts hasn’t happened. I miss being able to slow down and get close to nature. Granted I don’t miss the ticks, the mosquitoes the humid mornings in the summer, but I miss it all the same.

The last week I’ve made a point to get out a bit more to enjoy what I love to do. On the way to my three hummingbird photography classes I kept passing a large pond that looked like wood duck country to me. It just had that look. Finally one morning I had a few extra minutes so I pulled over quietly and had my Olympus OMD EM1 Mark II ready with the 300mm f/4 prime lens attached. It was still shaded, but I quickly saw six wood ducks ! Three were on a log, and quickly two spotted me and took off. One reluctantly stayed awhile allowing me to capture him. The image wasn’t overall all that great. Bad light, duck far. It is a good bird in the landscape sort of image though

So I first brought it into Lightroom for the basic edits before taking it into Nik Color Efex Pro to boost the colors and contrast. I then took it to Topaz Impressions and added a Van Gogh filter at 55% opacity.

I then continue on to the refuge and I spy a turtle on the road. This requires immediate halting, hazard blinkers put on the car and I quickly crawl on the road to get a ground perspective of him. It didn’t take long for someone else to come up behind my car. They thought I was road kill.

Things were beginning to line up nicely for me.

I always keep an eye on Zorro and Esperanza’s nest in hopes that they might visit. I saw Esperanza a few weeks ago, and then heard Zorro calling the warning call all afternoon last week. I think they were saying their goodbyes for the summer as I haven’t seen then. A juvenile Osprey has moved in to the platform in the evenings. Evidently his parents had kicked him out of the house. I spoke to him a bit and told him he was welcome to return next year with his new love that surely he’ll find while on winter holiday.

And finally…finally I get my American Goldfinch on a seed head eating close up…but it was in the shade. Like the Rollings Stones sing
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want…But You Get What You Need.”