What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Monday, April 5, 2021

Springtime Joys

Well, (as I write) today is Easter Monday...the day after Easter, and we are settling back into our normal routines. Springtime has sprung most everywhere.  Here in Florida where we live it has been spring for a while, even though this past weekend even we saw some pretty chilly weather again for a few days.  But today was gloriously sunny and a bit warmer with low humidity, which is wonderful for us, even though we could use some more rain.

I've noticed some interesting signs of spring the past couple of days, so I thought I would share them with you.  On our evening walk there were actually two of these large dragonflies hovering around us as we walked.  One finally settled on a dried up bush to eat whatever it was that it seemed to like, and he stayed long enough for me to get a few pictures.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tramea_carolina, or "Carolina Saddlebags Dragonfly"  





Isn't he interesting?

I was happy he stood still long enough to let us get a good look at him.

Until this evening, this was as close as I could get to him:

And then Lily Grace said, "Hey! Don't forget my picture with him!" Which I took when we were waiting for him to land somewhere long enough to take those pictures above.  Yes, Lily loves to go along for our walks and she especially likes to see these new interesting things.



Now, in this next series of pictures you may begin to feel a bit like a "peeping Tom", watching the private lives of the Great Blue Herons in our trees on Still Waters Pond.

First there was just this one:

And I thought he was pretty handsome up in the tree on our little island in Still Waters Pond:

Preening and just hanging out, actually just above the Canadian Geese couple down below who appear to be nesting also on the island these days...


But then I looked over at the next tree nearby where he was, and saw these two herons, obviously very interested in each other:


Our first Heron also noticed them, and seems quite interested in whatever is going on over there in the next tree:


They were enjoying each other's company:


And if you look carefully a few branches below that couple, there is another heron in the same tree!


They don't seem too concerned about him, however:


They do make a very handsome couple, don't you agree?


They seem quite smitten with each other:


I'm a little confused at this point which Heron this one is...#1, or the other one hanging around the couple:


Oh, look at the one's top notch! I think that must be a sign that he is quite interested in the young lady beside him:


Yes, she seems quite interested in him as well:


Maybe having a shy moment:


Probably because there are just too many onlookers to their courtship:


Wait a minute! Is that another one in the branches above the courting couple? Look up at the trunk:


Yes, they see him too:


Well I'll be jiggered if there isn't a total of five herons in these trees! How many do YOU see?


I did notice that one of the extra herons was gathering long branches as if building a nest, but this was Saturday, and they did come back for a while yesterday (Sunday), but I have not seen them at all today...so I don't know if they've decided to move on to a different location or if they will be back. But I was surprised to read in that article about Great Blue Herons that "breeding birds will gather in colonies or "heronries" to build stick nests high off the ground."  So we shall see what this "heronry" of birds decides to do.  

Meanwhile, Mr. Canada Goose has been standing guard either on our shore or out in the water, keeping a close watch on any other bird activity while his lady love is sitting on a nest on the same island.  I don't know if she has actually laid her eggs yet or not, because she does occasionally leave the nest, but she always goes right back there...so I am hopeful there will be some baby goslings sometime this spring.



Just as I was typing this I heard Mr. Goose start honking again and that was to let his lady love know he is swimming back around to check on her. It is getting dark:

But as I zoomed in on the island, I could see her sitting there eagerly awaiting him to come.


Well, the sun has gone down over our little island;


And the peepers and bullfrogs are starting their nightly singing...
and peace reigns once again on Still Waters Pond.

I hope that you have a blessed and beautiful night.
We read two different verses in our Ladies' Bible Study today that I liked:

Proverbs 3:24
"When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet."

And 
Zephaniah 3:17
"The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing."


May your sleep be sweet tonight...and may you actually hear the voice of God as 
He rejoices over you with singing.

Good Night dear friends.










32 comments:

  1. These are such beautiful pictures. The details on the dragonfly are amazing. I do hope the goose lays her eggs so you can watch the parade and it wouldn't be more than fun if you have a a whole flock of herons to watch.

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    1. I do hope the geese will have babies. I don't think the herons will stay here...the male goose honked him away today...so we shall see what develops! Stay tuned!

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  2. Those are amazing photos of the dragonfly! Wow! How beautiful! Interesting about the herons in the trees, too. I hope the goslings hatch soon!! That will be fun to watch! Keep us posted, please! xo

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    1. Thank you, Terri. I will definitely keep you posted. I think the geese have claimed territorial rights and the herons don't seem to be coming back. One showed up today, but the male goose honked him away. We shall see what develops!

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  3. You have lots of action there. It sounds like it may be getting more and more interesting.

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    1. Yes, it is getting more interesting. However, the male goose seems to be claiming this territory for his little family, and he has honked the heron away today...so we shall see what develops. I will keep you posted.

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  4. Wow. Thesr are National Geographic material! Sweet dreams, my friend.

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    1. It is such fun to see God's beautiful creation at work, isn't it? We shall see how things develop. Right now it seems the geese are keeping the rights to the pond and are driving the herons away. I will keep you posted.

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  5. Those photos are truly beautiful!

    Thanks for sharing those verses, too!

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    1. Thank you, Lon, and I am glad you enjoyed the Bible verses as well as the pictures. Welcome to my blog. I hope you have a blessed day!

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  6. What a sweet, funny, and beautiful post! So many herons, and the commentary was delightful! And Mother Goose...you know she will be so devoted to her eggs. I don't know if your pretty dragonfly did this, but I love it when they rock their little heads back and forth. It makes them look like they are very curious about us, too!

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    1. Oh, thank you Holly. Yes, Mother Goose is queen of the island, and Father Goose is driving the herons away...so I don't think they will be nesting here after all. We shall see what develops. And yes, the dragonfly hovered in front of us for some distance as we walked, giving us quite the looks. I was happy he finally decided it was safe to land and sit a while and let me take his picture. They can be quite elusive...but he was most cooperative, much to my delight!! Thank you for visiting. I am glad you enjoyed the "show".

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  7. Wonderful photos. I always enjoy nature snaps. Dragonflies are one of my favorite insects.
    Blessings. xx

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    1. Thank you, Sparky. Yes, I love dragonflies too. They are so interesting to watch, and there are so many varieties of them when you really take time to look at them. And they do enjoy watching us as well. I love it when they hover right in front of us and give us the looking over with those big eyes. Don't you wonder what they must be thinking about us??? LOL. Blessings to you too.

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  8. Great post. Love all the pictures of the birds. You live in such a beautiful place.

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    1. Thank you Cathy. We are very thankful to have this place and to be able to get out and enjoy God's beautiful creation. There is so much to see when we open our eyes and really start looking through His eyes!! When you have more time after you retire you may discover many more interesting things right around where you live as well. Have a blessed and wonderful week.

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  9. I can't get over the photos of the dragonfly, Pamela - what a gracious moment God gave you in those! Of course, the herons are marvelous, too. I do hope they will choose to nest near you so you can witness the little ones hatching. And I wouldn't be surprised if you see baby geese in the not too distant future.
    Blessings!

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    1. Thank you, Martha. I know...I was so in awe of the interesting beauty of this dragonfly...and how he patiently waited while I took so many pictures...then flew away and wouldn't land again. I am not too sure about the herons. Only one showed up today, and the male goose honked at him and he flew away. The geese seem to think they own this place. We shall see what "develops".

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  10. Seems as if you have a Heron Highrise!

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    1. Ha Ha, Vee! Great analogy. Sadly though I don't think they are going to stay. The geese are scaring them away I think. They have prior rights to the territory, so they think. There was one heron today, but the male goose honked at him until he left. We shall see what develops!

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  11. Beautiful photos Pamela. I especially like the close ups of the dragon fly. Can't wait to hear if the herons are all back today.

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    1. Thank you, Martha. There was one heron out there this morning, but the Canadian Goose honked at him and he flew away. I think the geese are claiming this pond for their own and don't want any intruders, especially since I think the female goose is definitely nesting. We shall see what "develops". I will keep you informed!

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  12. The picture are wonderful. Thank you for sharing.
    Have I asked you what part of Florida you live in?

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    1. Thank you, Debby. We live in the north central part of Florida, north east of Ocala, and just east of Gainesville. It is a rural community with lots of little lakes and ponds around, which makes it very lovely. We like it. Not so crowded as the more southern parts of Florida.

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  13. Beautiful! We have Great Blue Herons here and I love to watch them, but I've never seen any roosting in a tree. You have so much nature coming and going at your little spot on the earth. Such a blessing! Now peepers, I'm hearing and they often turn up in the water on our neighbor's pool cover. As many as I hear there must be an awful lot of tree frogs around, but they are another thing I've never come across.

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    1. Well, here in Florida the tree frogs like to stick to the windows on the house if there is a light on inside because it attracts the bugs to the light and they get some tasty snacks that way!!! Yes, God has placed His beauty all around us and we are so thankful to be a part of it all. Hope you are having a good week so far.

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  14. Beautiful photos...you and Lily Grace always make me smile. Here in NY, every morning when I leave for work, the birds are quite loud. I wondered the other morning (which stopped me dead in my tracks btw) when did that happen? It was like all of sudden...when did the geese return as well? And I wish to thank you for sending them back, grin.

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    1. Ha Ha! I am glad you have geese and birds, but our geese are still here..."Mother Goose" is sitting on her nest...I hope that means there will be baby gooses (LOL), and Father goose stands guard and eats all day. But I am happy you have birds singing in your trees...you need some springtime joy up your way for sure.

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  15. beautiful pics thank you so much for sharing. I am doing ok under the circumstances have been keeping busy I love you my sweet friend

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    1. Thank you for writing...I've been thinking about you and wondering how you are doing. Praying God is taking care of you and that you have family and friends to help. Please take care and stay in touch. (((hugs)))

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  16. All of your photos are quite good, Pam, but the ones of the dragonfly are nothing short of remarkable, in my opinion.

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    1. Thank you, Barbara. I love to watch dragonflies, and they love to watch us too! They are such interesting creatures...God certainly creates so many things for us to enjoy, doesn't He?

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