Sunday Scenery - Buck in Cades Cove, Tennessee

Buck in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee

This photo is from my trip last year to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee. The Great Smoky Mountains have a rich diversity of wildlife. Some of the species that can be seen include black bears, elk, deer, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, red wolves, wild boars, and lots of birds. Many deer can be seen in the meadows and woods throughout Cades Cove. They're used to the presence of humans and this makes it easy to get fairly close for photos. I won't recommend getting too close to the black bears especially when they have cubs as they have attacked a few visitors to the Cove.

Visit Tarheel Ramblings for more Sunday Scenery shots.

Sky Watch Friday - Sunrise

New Westminster, BC

Visit http://skyley.blogspot.com for a beautiful collection of sky watch photos.

Rainy Spring

It's been raining for the past few days and it sure makes you feel lazy and sleepy. I know Spring is supposed to be here but I still haven't seen any sign of the cherry blossoms or tulips blooming. I'm guessing with all this rain by the end of the week there will be more signs of spring.

Sunday Scenery - Joffre Lake

Lower Joffre Lake in Joffre Lakes Provincial Park, north of Whistler, BC

The hike from the Joffre Lake parking lot to the foot of the Matier Glacier takes about five hours. The hiking trail meanders through forests, mountains and along glacial streams. There are three lakes - Lower, Middle and Upper Joffre lakes. "Waterfalls and streams run from the Matier Glacier into the Joffre Lakes. The grinding of this massive glacier against the rocks below generates glacial silt that gives the lake water its stunning colour."

Source: Vancouver-Canada.ca

Blogoversary - 1 year

Last Monday was my blog's 1 year anniversary. I've been sick for the past month with various things and finally found the strength today to say a belated Happy Anniversary to this blog!

I did get great news today and I'm happy to report that I don't have pneumonia and I've been put on antibiotics to kick the rest of this flu.

So I am sorry that I've been neglecting this blog and I promise to do better.

I originally started this blog with the idea of keeping in touch with my friends who are in different parts of the world. Since then it's envolved into so much more. Blogging has been a fantastic experience as I've gotten to 'travel' to so many countries and see and learn about a wide variety of cultures. I'm certainly glad I started blogging and I look forward to what the next year has in store for me and my little blog.

Thank you for reading and commenting during the last year, it means a lot, and I look forward to getting back to reading your blogs in the next few days.

Camera Critters - A commotion of Coots

American Coots

This chicken-like swimming waterfowl has always fascinated me. They bob when they swim, have chicken feet and don't seem to fit in with the other Lake inhabitants.

"Breeds from British Columbia, western Canada, and New York locally southward. Usually spends winters north to British Columbia, Kansas, Illinois, and Massachusetts. Preferred habitats include open ponds and marshes. Found on coastal bays and inlets, often occurring in large rafts during winter.

Even though the American Coot swims like a duck, they do not have webbed feet, the toes have lobes on the sides of each segment.
Coots are kleptoparasitic, which means that when they don’t feel like hunting for their own food, they’ll steal their meal from other birds.
A group of coots has many collective nouns, including a "codgery", "commotion", "fleet", "shoal", and "swarm" of coots." Source: Whatbird.com

I've been sick for the past few weeks and today is the first day I've felt up to blogging in a while. The changing weather has made a lot of people sick around this area. Winter's icy grip does not seem to want to loose it's hold on us.

Have a wonderful weekend and to see more participants in the camera critter meme visit http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/