I had such a list in my head of "to do's" that I gave up on sleep. I decided it might be one of the last times for a few days that I have time to myself. A walk to clear my head, get me focused and none of the stores are open anyway so off to watch the sun rise.One of my favorite places to walk is what in the neighborhood they call the Lake. It is home to my beloved swans/whom I woke up this morning/ and several other migratory birds. It is also a small barrier between the Intercoastal Waterway. I love to walk on the small strip of land that separates the two. It is a reminder of how fragile things are. The twisted trees from the many storms, yet all of the life that depends on this water.
As I started my walk around the Lake I kept feeling like I was being watched. Finally I decided to sit down on one of the benches and take a look at my surroundings closely. I looked up into the trees and I was being watched. By these two vultures! My goodness they were huge. This was the first time I had seen anything like that around here. The circle of life.
What a beautiful place to have some alone time. Lovely pictures, the swans are SO beautiful Thanks for sharing and happy holidays to you.
ReplyDeletethe swans make me swoon!
ReplyDeletethe wondrous orange on their beaks!
Awesome photos! Thanks for sharing your walk with us!
ReplyDeleteNice pics! What a great place to take a walk.
ReplyDeleteAwesome pictures that really show the stillness and majesty of morning, Elizabeth. I adore the picture of the swans; what a great capture. Your photography inspires me. Hugs, Terri xoxo
ReplyDeleteThank you for giving me this little moment of solitude. In an evening that has otherwise been full of obligations and logistics, it has been lovely to take a quiet walk with you and the birds. Wishing you the happiest of holidays!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the picture of the turkey vultures. They are indeed very large birds. I live in Upstate NY and the birds roost in the trees in my backyard - we often have as many as 20 birds in one tree. If they are disturbed and all take off at once, the sound of them leaving the trees sounds like a pistol being shot.
ReplyDeleteTurkey vultures are wonderful to watch in the morning when they unfurl their wings to allow the dew to dry before taking off. Early Egyptians considered vultures to be sacred to the Ra, the Sun God, because they thought that the birds were paying him homage when they would open their wings in this way. The feathers are quite huge (at least the cast off ones that I find are).
It is always sort of lonely around the house when they leave for the winter...perhaps you photo is of some of my Upstate vultures?! Thanks again for the reminder that now that the Winter Solstice has passed, it won't be long before the vultures will be coming home in the Spring. Until then, enjoy this season...Happy Holidays to you and yours. ~Tara D.
Love the shots of the swans. :) Vulture is a favorite bird of mine. Such interesting creatures.
ReplyDeleteLight of heart,
~*~Walks~*~
These pictures of this region bring back memories of when I lived in Downeast NC- that eerie fog and those twisty trees... Those swans are beautiful!! Thanks for taking us on your walk away from it all. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this special time. Many of us can appreciate the need for time alone, especially during this holiday season.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos! The swans are lovely . . .
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely place you live
ReplyDeleteLee