My husband and I made a quick trip home to Tennessee. We
visited our family in Nashville and then went on to Sewanee where my comfort
zone remains. After completing a dental visit I raced to the house
to ready my cameras and venture out to the lake behind our home. As I proceeded
down the trail I saw my husband coming home from a five miles jog, after his
early morning meeting. I told him that I was heading to see what was at the
lake. He invited me to lunch with his friend, a past colleague, and I thought that
I would join them since they weren't going until afternoon. This gave me some
time to putter about. But once I got to the lake it was buzzing with raw
beauty, the nature and experiences that were part of my life for
twelve years and luckily still are!
I ventured all over the 15,000 acres that The University Of The South owns, while in Sewanee full-time over those twelve years. And once I took up the hobby of photography I seemed to never be without my camera. Today I was thrilled to have my cameras with me as I approached the first bridge crossing a small finger of the lake; I was engrossed and in awe over the multitude of dragonflies flitting about as they do this time of year. Finally.... I pulled away from the dragonflies and proceeded to the next bridge. When I started to check out what was stirring, a female hummingbird whizzed past my head and began to feed on the wild flowers,( Lobelia cardinalis) Cardinal Flower that had filled the spillway. Excited, I hurried around the edge of the bridge and down the embankment to get a closer look. I could not wait to get some photos! Several other species of dragonflies were hunting here and even challenging the hummingbirds to leave their territory. They would chase the hummingbirds off but after a short rest and perch on a nearby pine tree they would buzz back through for another sip of nectar!
The butterflies and hummingbirds fed together on different sides of the plants and I was not able to get a clear photo. Several times they appeared to be dancing in the air together and I would have loved to have gotten that on video! I had to bog down in the mud up to my ankles and hide in the reeds to get these photos because the growth was so high that I could not photograph above it. I stood for probably an hour, hardly moving while the hummingbirds, dragonflies and butterflies went from plant to plant.
I enjoyed my hike and my hour or more of stillness, getting sidetracked so long that I had to pass on my lunch invitation. A few folks strolled pass the bridge, two boys that never noticed me, as they looked for a good fishing spot, a women that simply smiled, an older gentleman asked, “What are you photographing?", as he clutched his binoculars and I whispered, “hummingbirds...nature”! And then I smiled.
I ventured all over the 15,000 acres that The University Of The South owns, while in Sewanee full-time over those twelve years. And once I took up the hobby of photography I seemed to never be without my camera. Today I was thrilled to have my cameras with me as I approached the first bridge crossing a small finger of the lake; I was engrossed and in awe over the multitude of dragonflies flitting about as they do this time of year. Finally.... I pulled away from the dragonflies and proceeded to the next bridge. When I started to check out what was stirring, a female hummingbird whizzed past my head and began to feed on the wild flowers,( Lobelia cardinalis) Cardinal Flower that had filled the spillway. Excited, I hurried around the edge of the bridge and down the embankment to get a closer look. I could not wait to get some photos! Several other species of dragonflies were hunting here and even challenging the hummingbirds to leave their territory. They would chase the hummingbirds off but after a short rest and perch on a nearby pine tree they would buzz back through for another sip of nectar!
The butterflies and hummingbirds fed together on different sides of the plants and I was not able to get a clear photo. Several times they appeared to be dancing in the air together and I would have loved to have gotten that on video! I had to bog down in the mud up to my ankles and hide in the reeds to get these photos because the growth was so high that I could not photograph above it. I stood for probably an hour, hardly moving while the hummingbirds, dragonflies and butterflies went from plant to plant.
I enjoyed my hike and my hour or more of stillness, getting sidetracked so long that I had to pass on my lunch invitation. A few folks strolled pass the bridge, two boys that never noticed me, as they looked for a good fishing spot, a women that simply smiled, an older gentleman asked, “What are you photographing?", as he clutched his binoculars and I whispered, “hummingbirds...nature”! And then I smiled.
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| These two contortionist are attempting to mate right? |
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| Excuse me....coming through...(fly by peeping Tom) |
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| Dragonfly...blue dasher I think. |
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| Female hummingbird feeding on Cardinal Flower. |
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| She spotted me and it took her several minutes to return. I believe there were two hummingbirds feeding in the area. |
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