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Archive for the ‘Fab Fotos’ Category

That’s right, you read it correctly!  Magnificent birds belong to the  Raptor classification and we are lucky enough to see some of them up close and personal.  Murray attended the RaptorFest in NYC which is produced by Hawk Creek Wildlife Inc.  Urbanites get to see all sorts of fascinating winged creatures.  And so do we, thanks Murray!

owl

A very intense owl

Is he smiling at the crowd?

vulture, hawk,

I don’t know what it is, do you?

owl, raptor

Barn Owl

vulture

Big Foot

Perigrine Falcon

King Vulture

In flight

Spread your wings

All photos courtesy of Murray Head

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Oh to be a kid again – to be the center of my own world!  Someone provide food and shelter and clothing, lavishes love and praise on my every achievement and not so achievement.  To laugh unself-consciously, dance unhibitedly, play, play, and play and sing, dance and just have a good time.  These are the fantasies of a work-tired woman for sure.

BUT, forget all that and take a look at just how much fun you could have if you were only just a kid.

Cat in the hat, NYC

“oh my, it;s the Cat in the Hat”

NYC cat in the hat

“Hey, we match!”

pumpkins, vegetables, NYC

This is what happens when you play with your food!

Bubblicious

“Don’t try this at home, kids”

…or you could look like this, which is quite good

There’s frosting on the pumpkin and it’s not cold yet

“Am I having fun yet?”

All photos by Murray Head

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FAB FOTO FRIDAY

A few days late but here are some more of the promised photos of Jane’s Carousel, newly installed in Brooklyn, NY.

Jane's carousel, Brooklyn NY

Prancing Silver Stallion

Brooklyn NY, Dumbo park, Jane's carousel

High Stepping White Mare

Brooklyn NY, Jane's Carousel

Riding in Style

 

Brooklyn, Jane's carousel

Bedecked with Blossoms and Bows

Brooklyn, Jane's carousel

Noble is thy name

carousel photos by Murray Head

Pippa, Brooklyn, carousel

And from our on the spot, junior reporter - Pippa!

photo provided by Heather

AND A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL!

 

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It’s been a hot and buggy summer, I mean hot and muggy!  Well actually, it was a little buggy too.  Murray with his macro lens in hand, gave us some very up close and personal photos of bees, yellow jackets, wasps, hornets and a veritable bouquet of buds, blooms and blossoms.  Through his eyes and the eye of the camera, we saw the hair (?) on the legs of the black wasp, the pollen sacs of a bee and the lacy lines nature etched on the wings of a fly and butterflies.

Recently Murray visited Central Park and got some great shots of a turtle and a water lilly.

Central Park, turtle, lilly pad

"Ah, here I am "

 

"Mmmm pretty but a bit slippery"

 

"Just another day at the beach for me"

 

Where did he go?

 

"Here I am"

Photos courtesy of Murray Head

 

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Fab Foto Friday

Murray has been back in Central Park where there are gardens galore.  And where there are gardens, there bees, yellow jackets, hornets, wasps and butterflies.  Today’s Fab Fotos are all about being the Queen.  Unfortunately in this case, the Queen works as hard as any worker bee.  Also I don’t believe this is a Queen Bee BUT that’s what we called these big black and yellow/white buzzing bees.  We were very afraid of getting stung by one of them because it hurt much more than a yellow jacket or bumble bee, I wonder why??

Probing the Pod for Pollen

A Queen's Work Is Never Done

Knee and Neck Deep

Queen Bee on Delicate Purple Flower

And What Exactly Was The Fly Doing

All photos by Murray Head

 

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A while ago I said I was introducing a new category; it is a combination of Only in New York and the subcategory of FAB FOTOS – AIWYFI a/k/a Art Is Where You Find It.  And in New York, art takes many forms.  Sometimes it’s in the architecture, sometimes the people, and sometimes it’s a slice, a snippet, an angle of something, someplace or someone that Murray has captured in his lens.

I hope you enjoy these Postcards from the City

New York City

Two Buildings For The Price Of One

New York City, grate

I Call It "Oozing Grate"

New York City, taxi cabs

Advancing Forces

Roosevelt Island tram

Heading to Roosevelt Island

Bridge to Roosevelt Island

Or You Can Take The Bridge

All Photos Courtesy of Murray Head

 

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Those of you who are regular readers know that I am passionate about a few things; ice cream is one of them.  I just love the summer at the shore because ice cream is so available.  We have two great ice cream shops, each with a great history and better yet, delicious ice cream.  So what could be better than photos of ice cream cones in lots of flavors?  Tiffany’s current window dressings are BETTER.  Why? Because ice cream is one of the world’s best foods and last year I posted a blog practically swooning over the cold, the smoothness, the sensual coating on your tongue as sweet cream slips down your throat; check out https://pbenjay.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/so-many-flavors-so-little-time/ BUT look at these pictures!!  Ice Cream and Jewels!!!

ice cream cones, sassy sassafrass
I’ll have the Sassy Sassafrass

Sprinkles of course!

Make mine a double

Apple Atlas Pie

Strawberry is a perfect flavor for the Spring.

All photos courtesy of Murray Head

A special thank you to Gail for informing me that the Tiffany windows “were so you” and to Murray who went “on assignment” for me.  Without these two, this just wouldn’t be.

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Well not really because he isn’t even black after all.  The little creature in question is actually a purple blue iridescent.  Murray has been out and about and ventured to Roosevelt Island which really is an island off the island of Manhattan.  He came across some great gardens and took fabulous photos of yellow jackets, flowers, bees, hornets and wasps.  Today we are all about the Great Black Wasp aka Sphex Pensylvanicus.

The great black wasp lives across most of North America, the larvae feed on living insects that the female paralyzes and brings to the underground nest.  Wicked huh? Why is always the female that does the dirty work and makes sure everyone is fed??  The following is from Wikipedia:

Adult females of S. pensylvanicus build an underground nest which they provision with various orthopteran insects,[6] particularly of the genera Microcentrum, Amblycorypha and Scudderia.[3] Prey are stung three times, once in the neck and twice in the thorax, and are paralyzed by the wasp’s sting, although they can survive for weeks.[1] The prey are then carried to the nest. While collecting their prey, the females are vulnerable to kleptoparasitism, in which birds, including the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) and the gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), steal the prey that the wasp has collected.[6]

As you can see, Mother Nature has provided a food chain for all God’s little creatures – I wonder who eats the wasp?

great black wasp, sphex pensylvanicus

LOOK at this tiny little creature!!!!

Roosevelt Island, sphex pensylvanicus, great black wasp

"Pollinating is my life"

sphex pensylvanicus, great black wasp

Hanging On With One Leg

great black wasp

Look closely to see the wasp in action

sphex pensylvanicus

Great profile!

great black wasp

"And now a little from this flower"

The Great Black Wasp

All photos are courtesy of Murray Head

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Who knows, and quite frankly, who cares?  Certainly not I!!! I’m not interested in why fors or whatevers – I think my personal fascination comes from a deep appreciation of all wildlife, flora and fauna.

There have been numerous articles about New Yorkers and the life and well-being of Pale Male and his former mate, Lola.  We all have heard the story of the building’s maintenance crew destroying the nest of the two Red Tail hawks, invoking the wrath and retribution of thousands led in a crusade by Mary Tyler Moore!  Rallies were held, committees were formed, newspaper articles written, and all the usual Big Apple hoo-ha you can imagine.   FINALLY the nest was re-installed but it was not quite right;  rumor has it that a spike from the pole it sat on was poking through, ugh, but who really knows.  The upshot of that was several years of failed mating- no eggs or at least no survivors, a shame.  A universal or at least City-wide mantle of guilt and shame lay on the shoulders of the citizens.  Man had interfered with nature and now look what we did!

But that was then, and this is now.  Lola is gone! She disappeared from the nest; old age? death? illness? Whatever, she was gone.  Pale Male still the stud hawk he has always been found himself a new young mate (the trophy wife) and this season they produced two eggs that were studiously watched over by both parents and onlookers, not to mention the obsessive bird-cam addicts online.  And lo and behold, two fine young Red Tail hawks were born and are now growing youngsters.

Here’s a peek at these two fine young Red Tail Hawks.  If they have been named, I’m unaware as of yet.  There’s a striking resemblance to their parents, one looking like Ginger and one in the image of Pale Male;  however, for all I know they’re both males or both females – time will tell.

red tail hawk, Pale Male offspring, Ginger offspring, Central Park,

The Kids!

red tail hawk, Pale Male offspring, Central Park,

Is This A Chip Off The Old Block?

Does She Look Like Ginger?

red tail hawk

Yippee!!

red tail hawk, New York City

A Beautiful Bird

Central Park, Pale Mail offspring, New York city

Feet First Landing

red tail hawk

Nice Mani-Pedi

All photos courtesy of Murray Head

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You may think this is just any old frog, but look closely because I think this toad is really a prince just waiting for that kiss!!  Two beautiful Swallowtail specimens,

toad, prince

"Kiss me, I'm A Prince"

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

Eastern Black Swallowtail Butterfly

The Green Lantern

Cabbage (Butterfly) and Clover

 

"I'm loving me some pollen"

All photos courtesy of Murray Head – This Morning in the Garden

 

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