Nature Shots

It has been a busy few days here and the opportunity presented itself to take a few amazing photographs. It isn't mug shot Monday so it will be called Natural Tuesday. A few of Knox County's most wonderful inhabitants who have somehow managed to find the area we call home.

This picture was taken today. It speaks to how unusually warm it has been as normally these are in bloom around Memorial Day.

This goose and his mate stopped by a week or so ago. He decided the view from the garage was what he wanted. His mate stayed on the ground. They stayed a few minutes then headed off to see more of the neighborhood.

This fine fellow decided to stop by and do his impression of Rocket J. Squirrel from Rocky and Bullwinkle. Sorry looks like a fluffy tailed tree rat to me.





A while back I posted a picture of a hawk nest. This is mother Red Tail Hawk checking on the kids yesterday. She wouldn't turn and look at me. It's funny I took this picture from the tractor seat. As long as the tractor is running and you stay on it she will stay put. If you are in a truck or get off the tractor she flies away.

The last three photographs were taken today and are of the baby hawks in the nest. All I can say is if you want a good wildlife picture take a bunch of them. These were the best three out of about one hundred I took. When I was taking them I wasn't sure what I was getting and did not realize the baby was peeking out of the nest.

I used to be a hunter. Not that I hunted much but every once in a while I would go out and kill some rabbits or raccoons or squirrel. As I've gotten older it has become impossible for me to do that any more. The intellectual part of me understands it needs to be done to control populations since we have managed to destroy most of the predatory animals. My heart won't let my intellect kill any more. They are safe from me.