Birds
Read MoreHorned Grebe
Podiceps Auritus Lake Hartwell Townville, South Carolina In the heavy fog of morning, it was nice to spot the ruby eye of this horned grebe. Watching this small creature swimming across the vast lake reminded me of the closing lines of Mary Oliver's poem, "Wild Geese": Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -- over and over announcing your place in the family of things.
Barred Owl (Owlet)
Strix Varia
This very large Barred Owlet emerged from a tree cavity next to our house about 15 minutes prior to the making of this image. This was its first look at the world outside of the nest in which it was born. Branching was delayed longer than usual because the owlet had to deal with red-shouldered hawks who were protecting their own new offspring about 40 feet from the owl's nest.Brown Booby — Image 1
Sula Leucogaster
The brown booby is a large tropical seabird that is rarely observed in the coastal areas of southern Florida and southern California. It is almost unheard of for the booby to be seen in the inland United States. And, yet, that is what has happened this week in upstate South Carolina. This immature brown booby has been seen the past few days around Furman University's Swan Lake, near the city of Greenville.