Sunday, February 22, 2009

Exploring the Hillside

While I was working in my vegetable garden yesterday I heard a rustling sound on the hillside above and looked up there to see....



Do you see them perched on the fallen limb of the Oak?

I crept up the hillside with my camera.

I got a close as I could until they started getting nervous about me.

It's a couple of Turkey Vultures.

I went back down to the garden after this shot.

After they left I went up to see if there was anything there.

The deer like to spend the night under this tree.

I was a little wary of what I might find...

I was happy to find nothing other than limbs that had fallen last winter.

There's a good view of the vegetable garden from up there.

And a nice view across the valley.

Fungi are at work on the dead parts of the oak.

I thought this was an interesting seed thingy.

But it actually turned out to be a downy feather
stuck to an old leaf.

A white Shooting Star

There's a nice patch of Shooting Stars further over.

It's the time of year when you can get a permit
to burn brush and tree trimmings.
There were little plumes of smoke up and down the valley.

The Shooting Stars come in various colors.

So pretty!

I saw the first Blue Dicks blossom!
(Dichelostemma capitatum).

10 comments:

  1. Love the shooting stars photos. Glad the vultures were up to nothing, I had seen some vultures in the woods one time, had to call the sheriff, it was real bad.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, I love the vultures! Yes, I agree it's sometimes not a pleasant sight how they have their meals laid out, but that's what they do. And let's not forget that most humans eat dead things, they just put them on a plate (as in: "I like my steak rare")....
    And yes, the shooting stars are very pretty! Isn't it great we finally had some rain?

    ReplyDelete
  3. The shooting stars are beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The turkey vultures actually let you get quite close! We have wild turkeys around our farm.
    Those shooting stars are so pretty, and what an interesting fungus.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Randy, we do have coyotes and mountain lions around here.... I was afraid of finding "leftovers".

    Town Mouse, I don't mind that they do what they do, I just don't want it too close to home! The rain has been wonderful and it's so nice to see the hills getting green.

    Jan & Steve, they are one of my favorite wild flowers so it's nice to have them in my "backyard".

    Kerri, I was surprised at how close they let me get to them. They are amazing birds. I love to watch them soar....

    ReplyDelete
  6. What an interesting combination: the memento mori of the turkey vultures, and the delight of the shooting stars!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Daffodil, Isn't it amazing what mother nature presents us with at times?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful picture Michelle, although I don't like the vultures, the flowers on the other hand are gorgeous. Shootning star nice name to a beautiful flower.

    Take care/ Tyra

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ah, now I understand! Yes, I don't want the vulture's dinner on my front porch or anywhere close either.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I agree with you about the shooting stars - they look lovely. Wow, wasn't it exciting to discover vultures! You got lucky, I'd say.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I value your insights and feedback.