A couple of weeks ago when we returned home from dinner on Saturday night at the cabin, we couldn’t help but notice the gorgeous moon, so I grabbed my tripod and drove to an area in the community where I could get a clear shot of it. I’m new at this photography stuff, so every shot is an experiment. I never know how things will turn out, but that’s what keeps it interesting.
With every passing minute, things change…
When I was finished taking shots of the moon, we got in the car and drove for all of two seconds when we spotted this grumpy looking guy crossing the road. Look at those claws! He just froze and didn’t budge for quite a while.
Here he is ‘au naturale’…
I think he’s a snapping turtle, but I only think that because his tale is long and pointy. I wasn’t about to test my theory and try to touch him. I’m kinda attached to my fingers.
Moving on to cuter creatures.
At our rental in NY, we have a backyard where the usable space stops at a stone wall which drops down about 10″, then there’s about another 1/2 acre or so which butts up against a wooded area and a walking path. It’s a perfect spot for wildlife to hang out, and I think there’s a family of rabbits in there.
For quite some time, we had seen a rabbit on our property almost every day. We even named him Ralph. We looked forward to seeing him, then one day about three weeks ago we realized he hadn’t been around for a couple of days, and then Fisherman saw a rabbit near the front of our house that had been hit by a car. We were sad because we were pretty sure it was Ralph, and he kinda became our little ‘pet’ now that our granddog Charlie is on the other side of the world.
We’re still convinced it was him, but lately we’ve been seeing other rabbits. Maybe they’re his family. We don’t know. We just hope they stay out of the street and in our backyard where they belong!
So the other day I went out to the stone wall and saw a couple of rabbits in the back part of the yard. One ran away but the other stayed put. This is the best pic I could get with my 135mm lens.
I sat on the wall hoping he would come closer when I looked to my left and saw this cute baby bunny just sitting there staring straight ahead. He knew I was there but was trying to act all cool about it and pretend he wasn’t nervous.
This is the first shot I took while I was about 30′ away.
I kept moving up on the rocks, verrrrry slowly and carefully, taking pictures each time I made progress until finally I got this shot:
Such a cutie he is! This was about as close as I got, which was probably about 15′ or so, then he ran away. Today I threw some carrots in the yard, hoping to convince them to stick around.
I love seeing animals on our property, whether they’re rabbits or birds and even deer, even if they’re eating our hostas. I love listening to the sound of the birds chirping in the morning while I’m sitting on the porch at the cabin enjoying my first cuppa joe. Some of our neighbors at the cabin have seen bears and even moose on their property. We’ve seen several bears, but never a moose. I would love to see that!
What’s the most awesome animal you’ve ever seen in its natural habitat? Zoos don’t count.
Angela says
I don’t think this counts but down the road from us is a wealthy gentleman who has exotic animals on his property…..on any given day you will see zebra, buffalo, emu’s and even….camels!! I love that during the holidays!!! But, seriously I have seen buffalo in Oklahoma!!! (does that count?)!!!
Great shot of your bunny!!!~~Ang
Doreen@househoneys says
Wow Angela! How unusual that a private residence would have such exotic animals! And yes, the buffalo counts ;).
Baye says
Great shots! I once watched a pileated woodpecker decimate a tree stump that I had just turned into a beautiful birdbath. It was worth it to me to see such a majestic creature close up.
Jane says
Your cabin sounds like a wonderful get away place and a nice way to connect with nature (even grumpy snapping turtles!). We usually has 2-3 bunny holes in our backyard every summer. My 8 pound dog loves to bring the furless little guys to me, then I have to hunt for the nest to return them Grrrrr…
XO,
Jane
Cynthia says
What a gorgeous picture of the moon Doreen. The picture of the turtle is cute too!
Cynthia