Texas style photography and words
Around here there are so many birds. I have to have different kinds of feeders in select locations so everyone can eat.
These birds decided to sit in the concrete feeders I made.
One is having seed and one is having orange slices. I have learned not to throw away fruit there are certain birds that love it.
The little things in life make each day special look around and find some little things.
Last February we had that really bad freeze and my ginger died back all the way to the ground.
I thought I was going to lose it all but this is a picture I took this week.
It is about one foot shorter than it was last year and very full. I doubt it blooms this year but I am grateful it did not die.
Sometimes plants will survive extremely cold temperatures even when the odds are against them.
This male cardinal posed on our jasmine fence.
It saw me taking pictures out the french door but seemed not to care.
Sometimes birds can be camera hogs too.
The bright red bird hiding in the twigs of the jasmine and with the green pasture behind made a striking picture.
We were in Livingston a few weeks ago I was taking puppy pictures, family pictures, and grandkid pictures.
A lone bench on a trail in the East Texas woods had this feeling of calmness.
Life can be hectic and taking the time to enjoy this moment of serenity was perfect.
I have no idea what this weed is but it comes up in pastures that have not been mowed very often.
It looks like feathers in the wind and the stalks might be bunched together like this but the next bunch could be 10 feet away.
All I know is it photographs beautifully in different light of the day.
The feathered grass will always remain a mystery.
On the Texas gulf coast we have some varieties of hummingbirds that stay year round.
If you spend a few minutes outdoors you will hear plenty of them and see them. If you are lucky you have your camera and the correct settings and the right lens on at the time you can grab a few pictures.
I try to keep at least two feeders out even thought just about everything in our yard blooms. The feeders allow me the chance to get the pictures I want.
This young hummer in the last picture thought the flower on the feeder was real.
Hummingbirds are some of natures tiny wonders little birds that fly so fast you barely see them but their beauty is outstanding.
I seem to be seeing a lot more mockingbirds this year which so happen to be the Texas state bird.
They can copy what you whistle to them back at you I guess that is why they are called mockingbirds.
Birds whistle and sing songs for all the world to hear but those that can hear them are truly inspired by nature.
When it rains we always get lots of mushrooms growing in the yard and the pasture.
We had a fairy ring of a bunch of mushrooms in the pasture and some scattered mushrooms in the yard and pasture.
Mushrooms come in all shapes and sizes and some have more texture than others.
I find them intriguing to get pictures of because you really want to show off the definition of them to capture their true beauty.
Mushrooms can be quite photogenic if given the chance.
The cardinals around here are also known as red birds.
We have so many juveniles right now I guess it is a group of teens hanging out. As teens they go through changes with their feathers and sometimes they look a little scraggly.
I love sitting outside while they are eating they get use to seeing you. I love the sounds and whistles the red birds make.
I am always hearing new bird sounds but I do not always find the bird to identify it.
The sights and sounds of nature and the wildlife that surround us allows us time to take a deep breath, relax and enjoy it.
I was able to grab a few pictures of some dove.
The first one was in a feeder checking out the second dove in the water. The one in the terra cotta saucer was using it as a chill out station. I had placed a few smaller containers of water for the birds on that side of the yard. The saucers work out well and are easy to clean.
Doves are beautiful birds their movement is so graceful and they seem so carefree.
Capture nature with your camera and enjoy all that wildlife has to offer.
Sonya Lira Photography 