Retention Pond Life

Some days you feel like this. I went out yesterday before the rains came looking for a stray great white egret I had seen, those majestic birds you find near shorelines. They're magnificent creatures with long legs and elegantly curved necks; regal things when taking flight, with the tips of their broad wings tapping the water surface, leaving two long rows of perfect ripples. What brought it to a retention pond, I don't know. Poor thing. I saw it a few days in a row, which tipped me off that it may have started to actually nest. So I grabbed my camera and headed toward the pond, but the egret was nowhere. Same thing this morning: gone. Being the explorer (of the animal channel) that I am, I decided to photograph some other life forms. I came across this turtle. Perfect. The animal with the kind of speed that permitted me to "sneak" up and shoot. I walked around the pond and was excited to see a family of deer by a suburban fence. I sprung into my zoology mode and crawled up to the family of Odocoileus virginianus and took this stunning photo.


I frankly do not understand what fake yard ornaments like these bring to the owners. Oh well. Back to work.