Thank you, DOOK. I appreciate the nice comment & the 2 thumbs-up.

Thanks, magicray. Your pic of the female & ducklings is beautiful. Please see my reply below to Miriam with pics attached. The lighting caught me off guard & after a more detailed look & a little research, I now believe that what I shot was a non-breeding MALE Wood Duck ... see http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/wood_duck/id for reference & confirmation. I had not seen one in non-breeding plumage before so I learned something. Never too old, I say.

Thank you, Gregory. Now that it is beginning to cool off a bit (only forecasting 99°-100° for the next week) :-D , I hope to be able to get out to the parks more often. I appreciate you looking & offering such nice comments on my photos.

Thank you for the kind comment, buffoto. I am glad you enjoyed the photos.

Thank you for looking & taking the time to comment on my photos. Yes, I am indeed lucky .. to be alive & healthy & able to get out & enjoy all that Mother Nature puts before us. I am glad that you enjoyed the walk & hope that you will join me again.

Hi Miriam. Thank you for looking at my photos & taking the time to comment. You are partially right .. the duck is NOT a Ms. Mallard .. it isn't a Mallard at all. The lighting & distance made me assume something that, after pulling the photo up & taking a more detailed look at it, I realize it is a non-breeding Male Wood Duck .. reference http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/wood_duck/id for confirmation. I didn't jump to that conclusion because I am used to seeing these critters in all their beautiful colors. I have attached photos of both a Mallard pair & a Wood Duck pair as I usually see them on this pond. Thanks again for your interest & bringing this boo-boo to my attention.

Mallard pair


Wood Duck pair

Thank you for looking & taking the time to comment. I am glad you enjoyed our walk.

You are welcome. I am glad you liked them. Thank you for looking & taking the time to comment.

Thank you for looking & taking the time to comment. I like Dragonflies & try to get good shots of them whenever possible. We call them mosquito hawks & since I am one of those people that 'skeeters love to bite, I am always happy to be where the d'flies are patrolling the area. I am glad you liked this one.

Went for a walk in the botanic garden this morning.

This little lady & her friends were gathering breakfast


This is a view of my favorite part of the garden


Morning, sunshine


A Golden Dragonfly - his wings were casting strong shadows on the plant stem


The little Greenie is a newcomer since we were there last


Ms Mallard was sitting on a rock on the other side of the pond


Little lizard was only about 4" long

The Sparrow is one of my favorite birds. We keep birdhouses up all year just for them. They are so diligent about raising their young. Thank you so much for sharing these photos.

Wonderful photos of my favorite 'flies, Gregory. Thank you for sharing them. :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Good shots of some very interesting birds. I especially like the speckled-breast markings on #4. Thanks for sharing.

Very impressive shots, Indrajeet. I especially like the yellow pair in #3. Thank you for sharing.

:D :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: Johnny looks like a real ham .. or maybe an outrageous flirt, if that is a little lady sitting in front of him. Wonder what was going thru her mind while he was putting on this show. Great photo, Gregory. Thanks for sharing.