JUST ANOTHER PRETTY FACE

I noticed a great egret in a tree while idling down Beech Creek heading for the confluence with the Holston River.  White birds are difficult to photograph without getting a washed out white image.  I had a few ideas to try and did so.  I wanted to get his plumage just perfect.  The big bird appeared contented and at ease with my boat as I slowly passed by.  I made a couple of quick adjustments on the camera and took a few shots.  

 I believe these shots are indicative of the exact color of this birds plumage.  Maybe I got it right.  The big helper here is the deep blue sky.  A white or gray sky probably would change everything.  That's part of the fun of photography.

 Things were looking good.  I don't think I can capture the plumage color any more perfectly with the equipment I am using.  I am satisfied.  Here's a better closeup shot:

Look at the feet on this guy.  These are cool birds.

This is going to be a really pretty day.  Everything was perfect.  I saw the resident osprey dive toward the surface from on high and plunge into the water at full speed and appear to fly up through the surface while returning to the sky.  I can't understand why they don't break every bone in their bodies.   I thought about why they dive through the surface on this water and the only thing I can think of is that the river does not have a lot of shad which swim close to the surface where they are redilly available to the osprey.  I believe they see fish one to two feet below the surface and the only way they can reach them is to dive through the surface to the sighted fish.  Just a guess.  I didn't bother to photograph the action due to the distance.  I have a couple shots up here from a couple days ago anyway.

I only noticed this beaver lodge today.  It's been concealed by dense river grass all summer long and has been revealed this week due to the recession of the grass.  The beaver has hidden the sticks that make up his lodge very well keeping them tight against the river bank.  You can bet there is a hole in the bank side that has an underwater entrance.

I was coasting along about 8 miles per hour 35 feet off the shoreline when I noticed a silver colored movement in the dense foliage.  I stared hard at the spot where I thought I saw the movement.  Nothing.  Then I began to see an outline that didn't fit.  Still couldn't put it together.  The flash occurred once more and I had him.  The giveaway was when he'd move his ear.  The lighter colored hair on the inside of his ear acted like a tiny flag when he flicked flies off his ear.

How beautiful is that!  He's a picture postcard.

Isn't he beautiful?  He has long, tall beams with two tines on the tip of each beam.  I guess I'd call him a 4 point.

Here's one more shot.

He became very nervous and  bolted.

What a great moment!  I'm  fortunate to be in an area where there is such a great diversity and population of wildlife.

I was approaching an open space that bordered a corn field.  This was an area where a flock of turkeys would congregate each morning.  I said it before - I know where the critters are on this river and can go straight to them when I want to find them.
And, the turkeys were there as expected.

This river has an incredible habitat that borders it on both sides.  Wildlife is more plentiful here than in any other habitat I've explored in East Tennessee.

There are about 30 birds in this flock but I can't get them all in one shot due to the foliage between the river and the fields.  That's a good thing.

So, there you have it.  Another great morning.  I'm off tomorrow and am justifying spending the money for gasoline to get to Calderwood lake with the canoe.  I'll sleep on it and make a decision in the morning.  Thanks for looking in...

A RAINY CHEROKEE LAKE AGAIN

Wow - this is great weather for ducks.
It was pouring when I woke up this morning and I really had a strong pull on me to stay in bed.  Chestnut hound was laying against the small of my back and the warmth on that spot felt really good, as did the sound of the rain outside the window.  I would rather have been heading for the river today but, the schedule said Cherokee.  Shade started her tricks to get to the truck with me and I had no inclination to take her with me as it would be miserable for her on that wet boat floor with rain pouring down.

I went the whole shift without seeing any critters I wanted to photograph, until I was almost back to the boat ramp.  There on the shore was a bald eagle.  It was pouring rain and I didn't want to get the camera wet but, took a chance by staying under the roof of the boat.  I could only shoot at 1/100th of a second, hardly worth trying.  That speed wouldn't stop any sort of motion and that bird was moving around and jumping from rock to rock.  I tried.

 This is the best I could do.  I had to pass up some great potential shots of this bird.

 He is a very young eagle, probably around 4.5 to 5 years of age.  Look at his head and you can see that he still has brown plumage from his immature days.

That's the first bald eagle I've seen on Cherokee Lake in months.  At least they are here and I'm sure they will become more plentiful as time goes on.

A loud squabbling could be heard from the shoreline and a great egret and a great blue heron were at each others throats. I reached for the camera in it's case but, they broke up the fight before I could get the picture.  All I could do is catch them in flight as the heron chased the egret away.

The morning went slower than I would have liked.  The rain kept fishermen off the water for the most part and I didn't have Shade to keep me company.  All that combined with the lack of critters on this lake can slow down things to almost boredom.

It was good to see the girls when I got home.  I grabbed Shade and drove to Weigels Convenience Store for hot dogs.  They have great hot dogs.  I got us both two.  I like treating Shade well.  Those fat hot dogs are a meal - for both of us.

It was time to vacuum the stink bugs.  Yes - stink bugs.  The house is full of them.  I vacuum them one day and there are more the next.  When I lived in the Cherokee National Forest, I had swarms of lady bugs in the house.  They gathered by the thousands.  Here - its stink bugs.

The birds won't even eat these things.
Below, they can be seen between the insulated bedroom windows.  This is just a very few of what's on the walls and ceiling.

 Gotta go vacuum bugs.  See ya.

CHEROKEE IS VOID OF WILDLIFE

"We're all set Dad.  Where we going this morning?"

"Would you guys just go?  We go through this every morning.  I'm trying to sleep!"

I was able to get Shade out the door without Happy squeezing through.  Happy is getting pretty smart in the mornings.  She stays right on top of Shade and tries to get through the door with her when I take her along.  It never stops.

We were running on the big bay area at the lower end of Cherokee Lake today and I looked forward to photographing some critter - any critter.  As luck would have it there was not one bird or critter on the shoreline.  I couldn't even turn up and osprey.  Cherokee's a piece of work.  Some days it's surprising.  I've found Artic Terns and Pelicans on Cherokee already but, mostly it's empty of wildlife.  I'll be on the mud hole, Douglas Lake, after December but at least there are very interesting birds on that lake to include bald eagles.  Then, there's that great birding area at Rankin that I call the flood plain.  

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is dropping the lake by about three feet a week and it's starting to show on the shorelines.  Mountain tops are starting to stick up through the surface too.  It's Fall.

Cherokee Lake does have some very scenic views.

 I thought that island way out there would make an interesting picture.  The more I look at it, the more intriguing it becomes.

I found a little cove for the dog break.

Shade inspected the island while I scouted around for an interesting piece of drift wood for the yard.  There was a ton of drift wood on the shoreline but, I couldn't find exactly what I needed.  The good pieces were too large for me to handle alone and the small pieces were uninteresting.  Shade was having a blast with her inspection of the grounds.

I looked around for an interesting flower or plant that was unique enough to photograph.  I couldn't even find a flower.  What a place!

I did find a button bush with what looked like Spanish Moss clinging to it's limbs.  

We took off and cruised along the islands in the center of the lake.  There are some really pretty views on Cherokee - they are short lived as the water level is dropping very quickly and soon the mud shorelines will overpower any scenic beauty.

The leaves are changing rapidly down here which makes me wonder what they look like on the high mountains.  I'll be taking the canoe to Calderwood Lake this week and I'll get some Fall color shots up there.  I can't wait.

I noticed a canoe along the shoreline and went over to have a look.  A guy was using kayak paddles to paddle the boat and was fishing in between paddle strokes.  Seeing him gave me the urge to go get my canoe.

Well, I got a few pictures out of the day.  I wish I could have run into a bird or two.  This is a strange lake.  I'm back on Cherokee tomorrow and I may not even take the big camera as I'll be running on the extreme lower end of the lake by the dam and I know there isn't any critters down there.  I'll take the little camera though, just in case.

We'll see if the government shuts down or not over Obamacare.  I'm hearing statements saying that America isn't the world power it was once and that America doesn't back up what it says.  Remember this - People saying things like that aren't talking about America.  America is perfect and it remains a gift to all of us given by men and women who had ethics and were selfless in the endeavor to build this nation that has always been a model for freedom to the world.  Any negative references to America need to be directed to where the problem is - corrupt, greedy, power hungry, unethical, politician vermin who are dedicated to their own self interests rather than that of the citizens who entrusted them with America's bounty.  The term "ethics" is what is lacking.  Keep the faith and I'll see ya soon.