Nature shots

Whenever I see nature, whether it's in the form of a bluebird taking its first flight, a sunflower warmed by the sun, or a fresh fall of snow clinging to the trees, I feel that Heaven is not just up above.

When I lived in northern Virginia, I had an eastern bluebird nesting box on my fence. It was active every year and thrilling to watch the life of the parents as they'd build their nest in preparation for an upcoming brood. And then watching them take turns guarding the nest and finally feeding the new ones. And then, the grand finale was when the babes were old enough to peer out to a world they had never seen and decide whether they were ready to fledge. One particular spring, they fledged on a Saturday morning, and I was able to watch as they took their first attempts at flying. What a true joy. The following pictures show the story.

The flight out wasn't so great for this little guy. He landed on the ground near my shoe. I can't tell you how close I came to stepping on him as I was trying to find him after he fledged.

This one, of the three fledglings, did a little better than the second one. This one at least didn't land on the ground. The third one did the best and flew across the back common ground and attached itself to a third-story window screen.

"Nature is cheaper than therapy."

Unknown

"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks. "

John Muir

"For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive; in this century he is beginning to realize that, in order to survive, he must protect it. "

Jacques-Yves Cousteau

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