Blue jay digging for lunch

It's rare I can capture a blue jay photo. The ones that live in my neighborhood are too fast. Downtown in D.C. though, they are easier to spot and, for whatever reason, tend to stay put. 

I watched this fella dig around for a few minutes until he found what he was looking for between the District of Columbia WWI monument and the reflecting pool.

 

Feather floating in the Tidal Basin (Washington DC)

Last month while downtown seeing D.C.'s gorgeous cherry blossoms I spotted this single feather floating around the Tidal Basin. So I snapped a few shots. 

Ducks enjoying the spring weather

I took these photos of ducks in March just as the temperatures were beginning to warm back up. They were hanging out around the Tidal Basin.

 

Sea gull reflections (Tidal Basin, Washington, D.C.)

Around the Tidal Basin there is a section that tends to flood over by the Jefferson Memorial. While walking by during a recent visit, I spotted a bunch of gulls hanging our around the edge of the basin and I noticed the reflections so stopped and took a few shots.

 

Cherry blossom peaks 2017 in Washington, D.C.

This is more or less a part two of my last post, more photos from the peak cherry blossom season of 2017.  I took these photos between March 25 and March 27. It was nice to see so many of the blossoms survive those unusually cold March temps we had after the blossoms were about ready to peak.

 

 

 

Getting close up and personal with the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. (2017)

This year we had a beautifully and unseasonably warm February and it confused nature, especially when March brought on freezing temperatures. Fortunately, even though some of the cherry blossoms down in Washington, D.C. were damaged, a good percentage of them did survive.

During this photo outing, I started playing with my camera settings. Not being really tech-y with the camera, I'm not really sure how to use many of them (I use a Sony Cybershot, I'm a point and shoot kind of gal). However, I did discover some settings that affect the lighting. I'll have to learn more about how to use them, it was interesting to compare the shots.

Here are some closeups I took:

Bird bath at the Jefferson Memorial (Washington, D.C.)

Now that spring has arrived, the birds are back. It's nice to hear them chirping in the early morning hours and see them throughout the day. Today's post is of a few birds I spotted taking a bath in the puddles near the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.

 

U.S. Botanic Gardens Thanksgiving Day blooms (2016)

On Thanksgiving Day we took a ride downtown to see a few exhibits and just enjoy the serenity of the day. Our first stop was at the U.S. Botanic Garden to see the Season's Greetings exhibit and I was surprised to see some flowers still blooming in the outdoor gardens, along with a few bees! Here are a few photos I took.

Goose swimming in the tidal basin gives a wave

Took this photo of this goose "waving" at the crowd. One of those rare moments I catch wildlife in motion. This shot was taken during the cherry blossom peak down in Washington, D.C.

Ice cream cone swiping squirrel on the National Mall

The squirrels on the National Mall are so bold. A few weeks back I was afraid one of 'em would come right at me as I was taking his photo. Fast-forward a couple of weeks and we were sitting on a bench enjoying the beautiful weather and we watched this squirrel jump into a nearby trash can, crab a cone, jump down and scurry into the grass to eat it. It was really funny to watch.

Here are some shots of the cone-swiping critter -

Lovely magnolias at the George Mason Memorial, Washington DC

Every year one of the things on my "must do" list is to go see the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin, I can usually get there at least once during the peak. For the past couple of years, as part of my journey around the Tidal Basin, I like to stop by the George Mason Memorial and see the magnolias and forsythias in bloom. I always think the colors are so beautifully contrasted between the two.  For the past two years, they've coincided with the blossoms which is a bonus.

Some views from this year's showing: 

I just loved the way this one came out.

A magnolia carpet

Magnolia petals were falling everywhere, it was so pretty

Some of the magnolia trees had yet to bloom

Getting ready to pass its peak

 

Washington DC's famed cherry blossom peaks 2016

The cherry blossom peaks are, hands down, my favorite time of year here in the Washington D.C. region. Last week the blossoms peaked around the Tidal Basin and 2016's showing did not disappoint. Today's post I wanted to focus on some closeup images.
 
(More photos can be found on my Washington D.C. blog which shows the peak viewing from more of a landscape perspective).

This squirrel freaked me out - he had no fear whatsoever

On Sunday we spent a good part of the day down in D.C. We arrived in the early morning before any of the museums opened and decided to see what critters and birds we could spot. This one squirrel was standing on top of a trash can and I missed the shot. So I tried to capture this little fella after he jumped off and he walked to me.

Not only did he start walking towards me, he kept getting closer and closer until he was about two to three feet away and he was still coming. I suddenly had visions of that squirrel that jumped out of the Christmas tree at the Griswold household (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation if you haven't seen it - YouTube clip). 

I skirted away, but not before taking a few pics. The first two are a little blurry.

Birds spotted in Washington DC - Part 2

Yesterday I posted pics of some of our feathered friends spotted yesterday on and around the National Mall. For today's post I added a few more pics.

Deep in conversation

Hunting for food

Posing for the camera

Birds spotted in Washington DC - Part 1

Being forecasts predicted a 62+ degree day, we decided to take a ride downtown on Sunday to visit some museums and just enjoy the weather. We arrived pretty early about 8:45 a.m. and went bird hunting along the National Mall. Spotted lots of feathered friends - these are a few shots I took. More to come on my next post.

This bird was in a scuffle with another bird just before taking this shot. I missed the scuffle by seconds, but tracked him as he flew up into the roof of an information stand.

Spotted this bird alongside one of the Smithsonian Museums (I do not know what kind of bird it is - if anyone knows, please feel free to let me know in the comments!)

This fella was keeping watch on the construction site of the National Mall where major renovation is going on to redo the turf/grassy areas.