Redwing Blackbirds Are Very Common At The Sweetwater Wetlands Park In Tucson (April 29, 2022) — Images by kenne
Archive for the ‘Photographic Essay’ Category
Redwing Blackbirds At Sweetwater Wetlands Leave a comment
More Cactus Blossoms 1 comment
Prickly Pear Cactus Blossoms — Images by kenne
Most people, when asked to identify a yellow spring flower would probably identify daffodils.
But, in the sunny Tucson area, most people would say the prickly pear cactus blossom,
or the palo verde blossoms.
Yellow is a warm and friendly color and most associated with is the sun. During spring,
it almost seems like the sun changes its light from a cold white to a warm and glowy yellow.
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Roadrunner Images For Hugh — A Photo Essay 2 comments
I’ve taken many roadrunner photos in the almost 12 years we have lived in Tucson. This photo essay is representative of the images.
Last October, Hugh Poland and I spent some time photographing wildlife in southern Arizona, and he was most disappointed in not seeing any Greater Roadrunners. However, he’s planning an August trip to attend a Tucson Audubon Society event here in southeast Arizona.
So maybe he will see and photograph some roadrunners. (Click on any image to view it in a slideshow format.)
— kenne
The Ole Roadrunner
(For Sara from Uncle Johnny)
Want to tell you a story
Bout a bird that can run.
He can fly up in trees, but
To race is more fun.
He’s a runner at heart
He lurks like a trickster
Darts out on the road
Goes faster and faster.
He’s sleek, and he’s quick
Keep watch and don’t blink
Out he will jump
And be gone in a wink.
Not easy to catch
Roadrunners are wary
To chase is to fail
Ask Wile E Coyote’!
Birds like to sing
To cheep and to peep.
This one is different
He likes to Beep.
So when out in the car
Keep your eye on the road
If you see something running
It might be this Ole Bird.
Beep Beep!
— John Deen
Greater Roadrunner — Southeast Arizona Images by kenne
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Yacca Blossoms — Springtime In The Sonoran Desert Leave a comment
Yacca Blossoms — Springtime In The Sonoran Desert — B&W Images by kenne
You will find that it is necessary to let things go;
simply for the reason that they are heavy.
— Sayings
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Great Blue Heron Leave a comment
Great Blue Herons In Madidi National Park, Bolivia (08/23/19) — Images by kenne
Madidi is a national park in the upper Amazon river basin in Bolivia. Established in 1995, it has an area of 18,958 square kilometers, and, along with the nearby protected (though not necessarily contiguous) areas Manuripi-Heath, Apolobamba, and (across the border in Peru) the Manu Biosphere Reserve, Madidi is part of one of the largest protected areas in the world.
Ranging from the glacier-covered peaks of the high Andes Mountains to the tropical rainforests of the Tuichi River, Madidi and its neighbors are recognized as one of the planet’s most biologically diverse regions. In particular, Madidi protects parts of the Bolivian Yungas and Bolivian montane dry forests ecoregions.
Access to the Madidi National Park by flying from La Pez over the Andes to Rurrenabaque. We drove muddy jungle roads to our guide’s Tacana Community, where we boarded balsa wood rafts on the Tuichi River.
— kenne
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The Sandhill Cranes Have Headed North 2 comments
The Sandhill Cranes Have Headed North — Images by kenne
Cranes flying north
To their northern breeding grounds
White-winged doves return.
— kenne
White-winged Dove — Image by kenne
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Anseriformes At Sweetwater Wetlands Leave a comment
Yesterday, I spent an afternoon with my friend Tom at the Sweetwater Wetlands, photographing
waterfowl.
We were hoping to see some dragonflies, but it’s still too early with overnight temperatures near
freezing here in the desert.
— kenne
The Images include Mallards, American Coots, and American Wigeons — Images by kenne
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Careless-weed Has Taken Over The Tanque Verde Wash Trails 2 comments
Images by kenne (Click on any of the images to see in a slide-show format.)
October is the time of year the Turkey Vultures are migrating south to Mexico, and for years they would overnight near the Tanque Verde Wash.
I have many images of them in the trees near the wash. I planned to photograph again this year but was waiting to see the vultures circling up,
usually around 8:30 AM. By this time in October, we have counted hundreds leaving in the mornings circling above headed south to Mexico.
For days now, I’ve been looking skyward for the circling vultures with no sign of them. Was it climate change delaying the annual migration? Where were the turkey vultures? Maybe I had not been paying attention.
So, this morning I grabbed my camera and walked down to the wash. I had not walked the trails along the wash since before the
summer monsoon. What I discovered was shocking. First, there were no vultures to be seen. Second, almost all the trails had disappeared,
covered by two to three meters of careless-weed (Palmer amaranth). This year’s heavy rains in July and August had brought on
a massive crop of this native weed. I walked through thick weeds, sometimes over my head. When I did find parts of a trail, its
path would soon disappear in the weeds.
Still, I kept walking, trying to find some old markers, especially the Margarita Berg memorial. Margarita had passed away in the spring of 2010, months before we moved to Tanuri Ridge in late June. At the time, I would often spend early mornings
walking the trails near the Tanque Verde wash, and in doing so, I discovered the memorial under a mesquite tree near the wash.
In fact, it was too close to the wash that the tree and the memorial were washed away in the winter of 2019.
However, pieces of the original monument were found and placed at the foot of another mesquite tree much farther north of the wash.
After spending over an hour walking through the weeds, I found the memorial, hidden by all the careless-weeds — a weed worthy of its name.
As for the turkey vultures nowhere to be seen, could all the careless-weed growth of two to three meters cause them to feel their usual perches
are now too close to the ground?
— kenne
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A Walk Around The Bailey’s Homestead 3 comments
We arrived in Grantham, New Hampshire August 18th, where we spent a few days with daughter Kate
and her family. In between some misty rain showers, I spent some time walking around their 17-acre
homestead. It’s a beautiful place — so peaceful.
— kenne
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Red Rock Country — Sedona 6 comments
Last week James, Jill, and Hugh visited us for six days from Houston. In addition to taking in sites around Tucson,
we went north to Sedona, Flagstaff, and The Grand Canyon. Here are a few images from the Sedona area.
— kenne
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Celebrating Audrey’s 13th Birthday — A Photo-Essay 1 comment
Celebrating Granddaughter Audrey’s Birthday in Short Pump (August 14, 2021) Photo Essay by kenne
(Click on any image to see in a slideshow format.)
We planned our August road trip to be in the Richmond area for Audrey’s 13th birthday —
I collect moments.
— kenne
“I close my eyes
Only for a moment,
then the moment’s gone
All my dreams
Pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Same old song
Just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do
Crumbles to the ground,
though we refuse to see
Now, don’t hang on
Nothing lasts forever
but the earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money
won’t another minute buy
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind.”
— Kerry Livgren, guitarist in the band Kansas
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Visiting Family In Short Pump, Virginia — Photo-Essay Leave a comment
Images by kenne (August 13-14, 2021)
(Click on any of the images for a larger view in a slideshow format.)
We arrived in Short Pump in the late afternoon on August 13th, where we would spend the next three days with Jason and family.
Short Pump is a suburb of Richmond, Virginia. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census.
This posting is the second of three that will be shared of our stay in Short Pump.
Here’s a link to the first posting — https://kenneturner.com/2021/09/09/time-with-grandchildren-at-swimming-pool-a-photo-essay/
The older grandchildren will be part of the third in this series of three postings on our visit to Short Pump.
— kenne
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Happy 16th Birthday To Nicholas Bailey 4 comments
Nick Bailey (August 20, 2021) In Portland Maine — Images by kenne
Nick with Mom, and Granddad, November 25, 2006 — (Birth Date, September 13, 2005)
Young men, your age want to grow up too fast.
My best gift for your 16th birthday is: don’t rush.
Take your time, enjoy your youth, party like crazy,
and make responsible decisions.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NICK!
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US Coast Guard Historic District 2 comments
Sullivan’s Island Life-Saving Station (August 12, 2021) — Images by kenne
The United States Life Saving Service, USLSS, was conceived out of a dire need for a lifesaving network.
Until 1878, the only source for those in trouble at sea were lighthouse keepers, volunteers,
and private vessels that happened to be nearby.
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Charleston Snapshots Leave a comment
Charleston (August 11, 2021) — Snapshots by kenne
(Click On Any Image for Slideshow)
Becoming is Superior to Being 