...The delicate balance of nature

Well, I upset that balance today. It started last light when I brought the deck suet feeders in, and then "overslept" this morning and didn't get downstairs until - gasp - 7:20! To be greeted by a downy woodpecker running up and down the deck rail looking for the suet, in a frenzy. I swear that he gave me an accusatory look through the window before I hustled the feeders out.

Then, just when things in the avian world were getting back to normal, I went out and started moving all the deck furniture to one side, and moving all the feeders to the cherry tree. Horrors! And to top it off, add the final insult to their ordered little world, I stained the deck - well, all except the strip where all the furniture is piled. That is tomorrow morning's job. Although everyone found the feeders without incident, you can tell that I've rocked their world just a bit, upset the delicate balance of nature. In fact, I think they are in a bit of a snit. I'll make it up to them later this week when everything is put back. Peanuts and seed for everyone!

So, as long as I upset the balance today, I thought I'd go all the way and blip something different - a dying flower! Sounds grim, doesn't it? But actually I think it has its own beauty. After all, this same plant will come back next year, bigger and stronger, having been fed and nourished by its own dying vegetation this year. I also wanted to play with the D3100 a bit and with my beloved Nikkor 18-200 lens (my first dslr lens). So, there I was laying on my back under the daffodils waiting for the wind to stop for just one freaking minute. I took a couple hundred shots, experimenting with white balance, shutter, ISO and even an ND2 filter for awhile. I liked this one the best even though it's not perfect by a long shot. I doubt that I will ever achieve "perfection" and that's okay - keeps me going!

By the way, no sign of the blackbird today so my guess is that he was on a foraging expedition yesterday from one of the nearby streams. I realized that there is a large growth of reeds and cattails on a stream less than a mile from here, not far for a blackbird to stray.

Happy Monday, blippers.