This scene (to me) was too good in its entirety not to show you what the yard looks like most of the time now! We have 4 Mallard drakes "drop in" (literally) throughout the day, often accompanied by one female. Frosty was inhaling her first scoop-of-the-day of sunflower seeds, and three of the 4 outdoor cats were having breakfast. The hummingbird nest is in the far upper left of the picture (with a chair blocking the walkway so they're not disturbed). Inside are Pink (the cat) and Jack (the canary).
No Joking... This is our life in the Peaceable Kingdom!
You have an amazing backyard! You could start charging entrance fees and do a nature show! ;) I wonder how the pool water affects the ducks, though? Chlorine can't be that great for them - especially if they are drinking it?
@kass Funny about your comment...I just said to Ken this morning that we could charge an entrance fee and entertain small children! (But for free, I enjoy sharing it with everyone here :)
Regarding the pool water, our vet said once to us that in a devastating earthquake, he'd rely on pool water as he hears of animals drinking it all the time. In that yellow container is fresh water that I refill twice a day, so they have it available, and do use it. But they also, ALL, still drink from the pool...even watched Frosty do it the other day!
Love your backyard! Looks like endless entertainment and photo opportunities. Great shot!! I thought the ducks were fake at first, hard to believe they like pool water.
@dgrynn We have a "Mile Square Park" (so named) in the center of town...lots of lakes there, but the ducks come to the neighborhood every year at the same time. I've seen the females nests in other's yards, but I suspect they see the cats as a deterrent to actually raising a family among them!
To answer your question over on my pic - I use Photoshop and Lightroom. I play with tones, contrast, exposure in LR then in Photoshop edit the pic more, add some textures and final tonal adjustments. Not every image works well with this type of style. I usually know when I'm taking the pic if it will work and therefore will take the pic a certain way to start off the process. I'm learning as I go. You can also Google 'digital painting' to get more info.
@kass You have been so helpful to me; thank you immensely! I just bought a book (with CD) called "Photoshop School". Each time I learn something via 365, I can incorporate it (hopefully) into my thought process when taking a photo. Your information about ISO (while sounding so simplistic) was a revelation to me! It's made a world of difference. So thank you again! (Onward & upward I hope!)
@chard No doubt about that! When I left Lunenburg, I just *prayed* that I'd have something interesting to photograph in the suburban neighborhoods of Orange Cty. I think He & St Francis went into cahoots and dared me to meet their challenge! (Noah might have had something to do with it, too...no floods...LOTS of animals, two by two!)
Can I come and live in your yard? This is really awesome. The fact that there is a hummingbird nest ... being protected in that scene just pushes it over the moon for me! Love!! Big Fav!!
@lisatown Oh Lisa, your note just makes me smile and smile! When we returned from our summer in Canada, I just *prayed* for anything interesting to happen that I could photograph back in the suburbs! I certainly didn't expect THIS! What a dream scene to wake up to in the morning!
@Weezilou I saw that you summer in NS... not sure if you saw in my profile I'm from PEI :) I still have close family there and visit as often as I can.
@lisatown When I saw you were originally from PEI, I sent you the link to my fox photo I took in Cavendish. We have a house in Lunenburg & spend early summer to late fall up there. I've always "hated to have to return" to SoCal because it's so bustling & spread out...not cozy & charming like NS. And then I get THIS in the backyard! Fortunately we have a house sitter who loves animals as much as I do, so they'll be well cared for!
What a wonderful scene! And regarding the pool water - at "our" pool in Bangkok there was always pigeons drinking from the pool, animals' stomachs are just tougher than humans.
@jrambo001 Pretty nice of them, wasn't it?! I didn't even have to rush to seize that moment! Good thing we "allow" animals here...every last one of them found their way here and adopted US!
Regarding the pool water, our vet said once to us that in a devastating earthquake, he'd rely on pool water as he hears of animals drinking it all the time. In that yellow container is fresh water that I refill twice a day, so they have it available, and do use it. But they also, ALL, still drink from the pool...even watched Frosty do it the other day!