Once again I have had the incredible privilege of being able to wander private property in Ashfield to observe and photograph sandhill cranes. It is truly a moving experience to spend hour upon hour just watching these magnificent birds.

It is no exaggeration for me to say that the exact second that I set up near some gorgeous phlox flowers that a very fast moving something caught my eye. I looked up from my camera to try and locate it and there it was - a hummingbird moth!!

About 10 days ago I had yet another incredible morning over at Ragged. We had just had another series of rainy days so this particular morning was even more welcome than usual. 53 degrees, no wind and the promise of blue skies!

As we approached the Danbury Bog on our way back - I said, we will go really slowly here - you never know we might see a Bittern! I have been looking each day - on my way out and back as I am convinced Bitterns would be in the bog in this area…

With so much that is going on in our world that is causing so much anxiety and angst I hope that you will find this calming and relaxing. I also hope that it allows you to exhale, if like me, you find yourself holding your breath a lot these days…

Saturday morning we were looking out at the lake when I saw a tiny dark shadow coming up from the water’s edge into the mossy/grassy area….. Of course I ran and grabbed my camera…

This morning was amazing - it was glorious! 56degrees and lots of lots of very early morning fog. I was back at Ragged… and the air was delicious!

Thank you!!!…. I sincerely appreciate knowing that you enjoy seeing the gifts of nature that occur in the early morning hours. So now please come along with me as we experience yesterday morning’s burst of fresh air - take a nice deep breath, relax , sit back and please enjoy!

The day after the 4th of July promised clouds lifting and some early sunshine - a very welcome change from all of the smoky or cloudy skies, or rain. I arrived over at Ragged a little before 5am to try a new spot

There is a spot in this area that I love to spend time at - very often I see common yellowthroat warbers here. As soon as I arrived I heard them all around me! I was so excited as the light was absolutely stunning.

Since many of us have been enduring many days of rain, clouds, and smoke filled skies, I thought you might enjoy seeing some color!

Well, sometimes things just line up just so well that I can’t believe it is all happening… Friday morning was that kind of morning for me. The lake was like glass and it was 52 degrees - just perfect…

I felt the presence of something through the trees and was able to find a little opening in the trees to find this gorgeous little buck just popping out of the woods looking for a breakfast of blossoms!

I love when I can hear the fishing boats and birds but can’t see them… this was that kind of morning.

Wow!! Some mornings are just a lot harder than others to describe!! For this post you will need time…. so grab your favorite beverage, sit back and relax and I’ll try to Show and Tell as best I can!

My plan was to post some previous Cape shots to try and catch up a little but that is not happening today. Instead, I wanted to share this morning’s adventure with you and catch up on Cape shots another time! We are now back in WMass.

Of course each time I head out I have no idea what will unfold… Yesterday was a very overcast, quiet morning…. As I was walking on the beach I came across this guy - I have never seen one of these on the beach before!

This past weekend Lorraine and I spent an absolutely beautiful weekend on Nantucket… everything cooperated… smooth sailing on the ferry back and forth from Hyannis, perfect temps 60-70 all weekend long, miles of empty beaches and miles of conservation trails right out our door… just amazing!

This past Wednesday morning I went out from Herring Cove beach at my usual very early time…. no moon so my headlamp was on! I had told Lorraine the day before my goal was to see a whale

This morning I left the house later than I had wanted to… doesn’t happen often but it does happen… Thankfully, my plan had been to drive to the West End Breakwater and park right there and head out along the beach (it was low tide) and make my way over to set up in front of the Provincetown Inn…