BUTTERFLY LOST

And here's hopefully a beautiful story, depending on if you are the reader or the participant.

.THE BUTTERFLY LOST

I stopped the truck at the edge of the river, opened the door and stepped out, tilted my head back and gazed at the blue sky above. It would be a pretty day. The sound of water rolling over rocks and against shoreline was mesmerizing; tranquility may be a more appropriate term. This part of the woods was far away from the highway where quiet was the norm and silence allowed wild critters to act out their daily lives as nature intended without constant fear caused by loud engines and noise associated with human progress.

I walked to the water’s edge and dropped a thermometer into the water to determine the temperature. Just then I noticed a beautiful Monarch Butterfly, prettier than any I had ever seen, flit past my face. I looked after it’s passing but could not find it. I documented my findings and walked back toward the truck. This place was known as Indian Cave and was known as an important historic spot in Granger County. I tossed the thermometer and clip board into the passenger’s seat and started to walk around the front to the driver’s side when that same, gorgeous butterfly I’d seen earlier flitted ungracefully in front of my face. I thought I heard someone talking but thought better of it, sat down in the driver’s seat and prepared to start the engine when the butterfly passed close by my face again and alighted upon the window sill. I stared at it in disbelief. And then it spoke to me. Yes – yes indeed, it spoke to me. It said,
“I’ve watched you for the past few months and I’ve noticed how you interact with my good friends who live on the hillside just up over that hill.”

“Wait,” I said. “What is happening here? Am I to understand that a butterfly is talking to me?”
The butterfly replied, “Yes – is that so surprising?”
“Of course it’s surprising,” I replied.
She then said, “Of course – how foolish of me. Close your eyes and count to ten and I will present myself to you in a more natural fashion”.
I counted to ten and opened my eyes and a beautiful woman was sitting beside me. “Where did you come from,” I asked.
“I am one of nature’s children and I’ve come upon some difficult times due to a situation I care not to discuss. My only desire is to seek shelter until I can gather my wits.”

“Fair lady, you are welcome to stay with me until you can unravel your problem s and discover answers satisfactory to your wellbeing. Would you care to partake of my offer? It is made with the most honorable intention.”

The butterfly lady enhanced my life immeasurably making each day a joy that I’d not known here to fore. She resided in my, our, home and it was a joy to awaken and go down stairs to put coffee on and ask if she was awake and would she like to go to breakfast? She didn’t change to butterfly form in the past year but remained a beautiful woman.

The days were exciting as we experienced the country sides of East Tennessee, enjoying all that nature had to offer. We discussed things natural and dared to explore the unknown of our senses. Life was wonderful. She was my best friend and I hers. Week after week and month after month we shared mornings and evenings our likes and dislikes the same. We were compatibly perfect together.

Then, one morning I went downstairs where she was sleeping on the sofa and asked if she wanted to go to breakfast. She transformed into a beautiful monarch butterfly and back again in a heartbeat. I blinked my eyes in amazement and tried to remember what I was dealing with.
She said, “I’ve stayed too long. I should have gone long ago.”
“What”, I said. “What are you saying?”
Then she became the beautiful butterfly again – the same vision I remembered down at the stream on that special morning.
Then she said, “I’ve stayed with you because I wanted to be loved. You provided safety, warmth in winter and a cool haven in the heat of summer. But, I require more and I’ve given you every opportunity to summon up that feeling and bestow it upon me. I feel it does not exist and therefore I think it time I leave”.
“No, No – Of course I love you and I want you to stay. Forgive my feeble attempts at emotion.”

“My sweet sir, emotion requires no attempts. Love is a heartfelt emotion. I admire your endeavor to hold me in your keep, but it is time I go and seek my heart’s dream. It is not here with you sir.”  I am sorry.  Our season in the sun was sweet, but must be ended. She turned her back to me and opened her transparent white wings and lifted off the floor and slowly moved toward the open window where she hesitated, turned toward me and said, “I’ll always love you and I’ll always hold you in my heart, and I’m sorry I cannot be what you wish but, I’ll not ever forget you and I’ll always be there for you if you need. Goodbye sir and thank you for your kindness and love. She turned her back to me and silently moved outside and arose up toward the sun. I watched as her form diminished into a streak of golden light and finally disappeared. And my loss is immeasurable.

UPPER END OF DOUGLAS LAKE ON THE FRENCH BROAD

I'm so embarrassed by not posting anything on here in so long.  Its difficult keeping up to Facebook, working and photographing wildlife but its fun too.  Most of this stuff has been submitted to my Facebook page so its not new those friends but I know there are others who read my blog and are missing the posts.  So, here goes.

 I've just started to polish on the 1955, 12 foot Crestliner I affectionately call the SS Minnow and the laborsome task is slow, but then I'm not in a hurry.  The blue paint will be removed next week and that area polished and made ready to accept the new boat numbers and stickers.

 You can see the sparkle start to show through after hours and hours of polishing by hand and with an orbital buffer.  I usually spend an hour or two each evening just before dark polishing as it is too hot when the sun is up.  Storms are here today, my day off, but tomorrow I think I'll take this beauty for a spin on Cherokee Lake.

I was on the upper end of Douglas Lake yesterday and did finally run into some interesting critters to photograph.  The afternoon was super hot and there were no fishermen on the water - only pleasure boaters and jet skiers and not too many of them.. The surface temperature was 86.4 degrees.  Wow!

 The shoreline of most lakes contains a habitat that is full of diverse plants and animals of all sizes.  Insects are numerous and uncountable in their variety.  I use a 500mm telephoto lens and I shoot pictures of plants and critters without stopping the boat.  Of course the boat is only travelling about 8 miles per hour so there is ample time to take the pictures.  There is a butterfly in the shot above.

 And, I'm a flower nut.  These trumpet flowers are a real treat to see when the day becomes long.  They brighten up an overcast day just fine.

 I absolutely adore butterflies, as you can see.  The Canon 7D camera with that 500 mm lens is an awsome tool to catch wildlife with.  Its a wow camera.  I'm tickled with it..

 Above and below are sort of duplications of effort but I like the shots.

 Spotted Sandpiper.  He's checking the rocks for water bugs

Then the green heron appeared.  Rather I ran up onto him.  These guys are humorous to watch, but they are very successful hunters.

 I wasn't ready for his take off and nearly missed it.  Getting careless.

 Almost missed the landing too.  Man!

I think I get lackadaisical when I'm on Douglas and Cherokee Lakes because they don't have the wildlife populations that the lakes west of here have.  I get lazy with the camera and become startled when something worthy of camera action happens and I'm late on the shutter.  Doc Holliday was never late on the shutter I bet.....

 What would a wildlife entry be without ospreys?  These are wow pictures taken with a wow camera.

 Looking straight at you.  

 I'm so delighted with this Canon 7D camera.  Oh, I already said that.  Sorry.

 What a magnificent animal!

 And, last but not least the great egret.  I'm really interested in this bird as I found them nesting on Cherokee Lake in a rookery.  I've never seen them roost in East Tennessee.  Got to watch them close now.

I have to go put tape on a crack in the bedroom window now.  A fast, hard hitting storm blew through here an hour ago and had some serious hailstones that slammed against the back of the house.  Video is below.  See ya later.

A MULTI WADING BIRD ROOKERY AND BALD EAGLES

All photos by Canon 7D and Sigma 150-500mm telephoto

My back was killing me after three hours of this pounding.  This lake is terrible when the wind is up.  I've got to do seven hours on this rolling ocean.  Yikes!

 Above:  An odd duck

 This bald eagle appeared so quickly that I almost couldn't get myself together fast enough to photograph him.  Fortunately I had the camera preset to conditions and all I had to do was point and shoot.  I'd rely on auto focus for the details.  I could have had more shutter speed though.  Oh well.....

 He was a pleasant surprise.  Seems the eagles are starting to reside on Cherokee Lake more and more. I'm seeing them every time I am in the center of the lake.  

 I doubted these pictures would be any good but, they aren't bad.  Not perfect, but not bad.  It was like trying to take a portrait while "standing" on a rocking chair today on this water with three foot rollers tossing the boat side to side.

An enormous cormorant/heron/egret rookery exists on Cherokee Lake and I idled past its shoreline this morning.  I was amazed at the quantity of wading birds residing there.  I always knew about the Cormorants but I didn't know Great Egrets had their rookery there.  And, the biggest surprise was the great quantities of Black Crowned Night Heron immatures residing there.  Below:  You probably will notice that the trees have a lot of white combined with defoliaged branches.  This is because the defecation of cormorants is pretty much liquid and it is highly ascetic.  Where ever cormorants reside in rookeries; all the trees die.  Thats one draw back to them.  Its how nature made the situation.  Humans don't like it and often try to overide nature.  Shame on them.  The trees will grow back.  Its been this way since cormorants evolved into what they are.  

 Below:  Look at that tail.  

 Below:  I got your back

 Below:  "Hey, you guys up there!  Could you keep it down so we can have some peace down here?"

I could see about 50 egrets in a cluster of trees.  They were nesting clear at the top of the trees.  I was moving close to the shoreline and lost sight of them.  This is the first Great Egret rookery I've seen since being in Tennessee.  

 This fellow is a immature black crowned night heron.  He is a small wading bird, maybe a foot tall.  They have a heavy population on this island.  I've never seen this many night herons in one spot.  It is obviously a rookery for them as well as the larger wading birds.  These guys perch in dense foliage and scare easily.  They are hard to photograph.

 These are fairly good shots of the double crested cormorant.  Note the long, flat plane forming the top of his head.  That's where he gets the name "double" crested.  His head is long and not round.  These pictures are great shots if you want to study the detail of this wonderful bird.

 This is a very powerful bird both in flight and in underwater  swimming.  They are dynamic when taking off the surface and they are incredibly mobile sub surface.  The species is gregarious and does not function solo.

 This is another black crowned night heron juvenile.  This 7D camera is so quick to operate and is so much like my 50 D in  function that I  simply put it to my face and dialed in my settings without giving thought to it at all.  Automatic.  The following shots were about three seconds apart.  Amazing, isn't it?

 These immatures will not sit and pose for long.

 He's ready to go.  They are lightning fast and I almost missed his take off.  Well, maybe I did.  Depends how one looks at it.  I kind of got him.....

Again, notice the white foliage....

 Below:  "Look at me.  Look at me.  Hey, Over here.  Look at me."

 This beautiful immature bald eagle flew off the island and circled my boat.  I didn' t do a thing but continue on my way down the shoreline of the island.  He was magnificent.

 I guess these shots could be a study in eagle flight.  Note that his wings are outspread most of the shots.  He soars much like a vulture does.  These huge birds conserve energy at every moment.  Its life and death to them.  If they expend more energy than calleries they take in - they die.  Simple.

 He is magnificent.  Of course, all bald eagles are magnificent.

 He's lookin bad as heck in these shots.  

 Just then, a second eagle blasted out through the foliage of a tree straight towards the boat.  Wow!  He flew directly over the top of me.  I had trouble getting him in the big 500mm lens.

 He was moving along at a fast clip and I had trouble staying on him with this big lens.

 Look at him------how magnificent!

 Note the two or three tail feathers that are broken.  They will be replaced.  The eagle is fine.  He is probably going into molt.  Raptors molt in stages so they don't lose all their feathers and become unable to hunt.  

 A great egret does a fly over and the opportunity was too much to good to pass up.

 Note the color:  This 7D has a much better sensor than my older 50D.  The colors are great.

 They always squabble.  A rookery of cormorants sound exactly like a pen full of pigs.  No lie!

 An immature black crowned night heron bolts away from his perch at the sound of the engine and I swing the 7D with the huge lens to my face and luckly find the fleeing bird.  Click, click, click.  Success.  Luck.  What a camera.!!!!!!!

 He appears ungainly.  These immatures always fly directly into the foliage at top speed and disappear instantly.  This camera is so user friendly that I was able to get this bird immediately after lift off and follow him through his five second flight to his disappearance.  

 Nature is cruel at times.  Things happen and the weak fail while the strong survive.  Its the way of things.  A cormorant that I suspect flew into this tree at top speed.  Just a guess.

And that was my morning.