Birdy Birdy! And Rainy Day

Happy May Day.. a day short!

This Oriole has a super dark chest and was only around for a little bit yesterday. A female Oriole chased him off the feeder and he eventually disappeared.

This brightly colored one has been staying around. Was the one above an Orchard Oriole? That may be the first time I've seen one of those here!

This one below is an Baltimore Oriole? 
Anyway, they are brilliant in color and provide a lot of entertainment.

May 1st was also the first day we saw a Hummingbird.

I like rainy days. Not downpour windy gusty lightening blowing driving rainy days. But days with light rain are fine. They are especially great for going out in the forest to find cool things.

The all day rain and the humidity can create mystical scenes in the macro world. I intended to just go out and browse plants but once I saw the droplets, I knew I had to get down and dirty in the mud and dirt to enjoy what surprises the forest had for me.

When I saw water clinging to plants and moss. I just had to go macro.

Mayapples or we called them Maypoles or Mayflowers.

Moss Sporophytes with rain drops.

Wild Strawberry plants.

I found some emerging Maidenhair ferns and laid on the steep bank to put my Mini me and Mini Charlie next to them.

In the corner of my vision, I saw something quite strange. It looked like slime mold. But it hadn't been warm enough to form in the forest yet .. I thought.

It looked like delicate webs topped with blobs and water. I've never seen anything like it.

Take pictures. Explore it. Admire its strange beauty. And then try to figure out what it was I was seeing!

I was able to find info on this delicate beauty on a New Zealand website called The Hidden Forest. The author says it is the reproduction system of Liverworts. I thought it was moss, but I can find that spot again I will look under the moss to see if I can find different leaves.

From the website:

In leafy liverworts the antheridia produce mobile antherozoids (sperm), which require a film of water in which to move to the archegonia, where fertilisation takes place. After fertilisation, a new plant develops, which remains attached to the parent plant. This is the sporophyte.

I had a penny in my pocket so I stuck it behind the structure to measure for size....

Isn't that the most amazing thing you've ever seen? Okay, maybe not. But I love the little things found in mosses and along the forest floor.

Here is a couple more moss shots...

and I think this is or was a fungi of some sort.

It was on a stick so you can imagine how small it was.
I had to get down in the dirt and wet mud for these shots but it was so intriguing to see.

I do love rainy days.

Iced

I was getting dressed to go outside and do chores when suddenly I heard a downpour of rain outside.

I stepped outside and watched as the rain hit the concrete blocks and the edge of the porch. Instant ice.
About 3 more rounds of rain hit in bursts and any thought of going anywhere was erased.

This is a picture of the yard. I couldn't believe it was so slippery. I made my way out to do chores and half way to the shed I decided that I was an idiot for not looking for my Yak Trax to slip on for traction.

The gravel driveway had turned to one big sheet of ice. So I decided not even to try going anywhere and hope that the town truck would come out eventually and perhaps it would warm enough to melt the ice.
The issue was, the driveway and ground were frozen and even if the temperatures warmed up, the ground would not.

I did the chores and slipped and slid back to the house. I dug out my Yak Trax and went back out to water Lil Richard.
He was still iced!

However, none of the equine were cold as they all were warm under their blankets of ice that had started to melt. Under the fluff, their skin was warm and dry.

Around 11 o'clock the town truck backed down our driveway spreading sand. I'd read on social media that highway 14 was closed due to a semi that couldn't get a grip on the road. There were other multiple incidents that made me feel good about my decision to stay home.

As the temperatures rose the top of the ice melted and made the ice on the lower part of the drive even worse. 

Nothing left to do after chores, breakfast, and dinner prep. So Charlie and I took a walk.

 Yak Trax

Charlie in the Meadow

When we came back up on the ridge, I was surprised at how warm the air was.

Everything had water on it...

But the moss was very cool...

At the end of the day the sun tried to break out as the temperatures began to dip again.

I don't like ice this way.
I really really don't.

Drawn by Fog and mist...

I love misty mornings.

I love the droplets of water that collect on spider webs.
It is nearing August.
Wait? What?
Who?
No way! August? For real?

Yes.
Anyway this time of the year sometimes can present itself in wonderful ways if we have warm days and cool nights in the form of fog that rises out of the valleys and creeps across the ridge as the sun rises.

This morning it crept along from the north east with a very slight breath of air.
On the 21st it came in like a bulldozer from the east and within a few minutes the ridge was cloaked in mystical fog.

I had to be careful as the camera lense quickly got moisture on it. Normally that is not much of an issue, but from what I understand my little Nikon D5200 is a primma donna when it comes to moisture. Well, at least that is what I read.

I went to a different location this morning. The view is not as breathtaking as my normal place, but I wanted to see and try something different. How could I challenge myself?

I lucked out in being able to actually get wisps of fog unfurling across the soybean field. Imagine my luck again that the cropland had been rotated to soybeans. Had it been corn the effort may not have paid off this well.

The road/driveway in and out of this place has some incredible dips and curves and this morning the road looked as if it were from another world.

At dawn the fog was rising from the woods. The above shot was taken looking west towards my driveway that is hidden in the forest.

After the sun burst over the horizon in a golden glow, I was headed home and looked down this same road, but from the opposite direction.

The trees were literally glowing with orange colored light.

Eek gads.
I just checked the weather.

Fog is predicted for the next two mornings.
I am pinching myself.

Then I will go set the alarm clock and see if I can get up and see what the mists have in store for me tomorrow morning.

I can't wait!

Morning mists

This morning I yawned and walked past Morris who was sound asleep on the couch.
I checked the time.
I had plenty of time before sunrise.
I stretched, yawned some more and then glanced towards the north east.

I could see a hint of clouds through the trees and another hint of pink.

Dang!
The rest of the day was destined to be overcast according to yesterday's weather report. More heavy thunderstorms and torrential rains.

If anything interesting was going to happen. It was now.

I grabbed a cup of coffee from yesterday's pot and put it in the microwave while I put together some photography items. I rushed around like a maniac. The Nikon, should I take my phone? Okay phone.
The old Fuji point and shoot? Yes always have a point and shoot.

The 85mm lens or... yes take that one but leave the 35mm lens on. I rushed around while I waited for the coffee to warm.

Mr. Morris never even moved is head. At one point he opened an eye and then closed it as if to say. "Too Early Lady, Go Back To Bed!"

Had it been a year or so ago, he would have been underfoot and pouncing on me.

I swept out the door and headed to the car. Years ago I may have just walked, but I have found a fantastic spot on the ridge that never seems to fail me. Driving is just quicker.

I nearly slid to a stop on the gravel road. I'd seen the fog in the distance and was in a hurry to get to the high point above it.
Until I saw "the Island". This area usually gets predawn fog and presents itself as an island of trees surrounded by fog.
Sometimes I am lucky enough to get the cattle in the photo too.

I took three shots and used a program called Microsoft ICE [Image Composite Editor] which is free to put them together in a panoramic type shot.

I was stunned when I got to my parking spot. Which is actually a pull in spot for cattle to be loaded and unloaded from a huge pasture that belong to my ridge neighbors.

I am just experimenting with trying to get what is called a blended shot together.
I expose for the sky and merge it with an exposure for the foreground.
I walked through the weeds and got soaked.
This year the north east field was soy bean. My lucky break, I'd get to see sunrises all fall without the corn in the way.

I set up the camera and tripod to try and get some neat foreground and sky shots.
Well the fog came in so hard that I had to give that idea up.
The fog confused my Fuji camera. But by the time I got back to the car...

The landscape was disappearing.

I got back in the car and headed towards home.
Since the fog was moving slowly from east to west, I pulled over on our gravel road and parked.

When the sun peaked over the trees, the fog had enveloped the landscape.

Time to go home and make the coffee.

But.
But...
Oh wait.

What did I see?

I love landscapes and small details.
I absolutely love fog and heavy dew.
Did I say how much I love fog and heavy dew?

And last but not least. I thought it would be a fun challenge to take a shot that made the soybean field look beautiful.

Not bad.
The light seemed just right to get an interesting shot.

When I walked into the house with my camera bag, Mr. Morris looked up and then yawned. He seemed to wink at me and then went back to sleep.

I do love early mornings, fog, sunrise, and heavy dew.