Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge

Tuesday (August 27, 2013) – On our drive back down the coast we made a stop at the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge is home to hundreds of birds that nest in the cliffs. In the winter months hundreds, if not thousands, of migrating humpback whales can also be found in the waters around Kauai. Unfortunately, during our trek to the Islands, they were all up in Alaska for the summer.

The Point is also home to the Kilauea Point Lighthouse. Built in 1913 to guide ships on their voyages to the Orient, it is the nation’s westernmost lighthouse. It was rededicated in May of 2013 to Hawaii’s beloved Senator, Daniel K. Inouye. Until his death in December of 2012, he had faithfully served the people of Hawaii in the U.S. Senate since 1963, “illuminating the voices of Hawaii citizens”.

Below are some of my favorite captures from my visit to Kilauea Light and Refuge. Enjoy!

This Wedge-Tailed Shearwater (‘Ua ‘U Kani) comes back every year to nest at the lighthouse. She had a new fledgling when we visited, but kept it tucked snugly underneath her while we were there.

A Red-Footed Booby (‘A) posed for us on the fence.

Ilima (Sida fallax)

Beach Naupaka (Scaevola sencea)

Jenney Grist Mill & Pond, Plymouth

Saturday (6/29/2013), I attended a Meetup with the Plymouth Digital Photographers Meetup Group. Our focus was Macro & Close-Focus Photography.  I met a lot of new interesting people that share my love of photography. It was a chance to share our knowledge, techniques and ideas.

It was pretty overcast all morning with a few intermittent showers, but that made for some great shots.  No sun meant we weren’t fighting the brightness that is often an issue when photographing flowers as well as the rain provided some great water effects on everything. Below are a sample of the photographs that I took.

Queen Anne’s Lace

Wildflower found along banks of Jenney Pond.

Water drops from rain on fallen leaf

Wild day lily

Raindrops on tall grass

Water drop on Daisy.

Dragonfly posing on wet grass.

Not sure what this flower is, but it was really pretty.

Lily pad & flower in Jenney Pond in the rain

Wild Aster

Yellow ground flower found along edge of parking lot.

Trunk River

Thursday (June 20, 2013) – I followed the shore road and wound my way into the Trunk River area. It’s a tiny little area where River Herring apparently go to spawn, but none were in evidence that day, having finished doing their business between March and May. Many a bird could be heard in the trees and marsh grass that surrounds Trunk River and Oyster Pond, but they were elusive and few were seen. Even fewer were caught by my lens. There were some pretty little flowers that manage to survive the wind and waves that buffet the jetties. Below are a selection of my favorite shots from the area. Enjoy!

Nobska Light, Falmouth

Thursday (June 20, 2013) – After my drive along the canal, I found myself heading into Falmouth. I had never really explored Falmouth before, so armed with my Guide to Cape Cod Lighthouses, I went in search of Nobska Light in Woods Hole. I spent quite a bit of time there, capturing the lighthouse from every conceivable angle.

I crossed the road and climbed down the bluff to explore the rocks along the shore. Probably not my smartest move and I think my route down was more of a rain gully than a walking path, but nothing was getting in the way of this intrepid photographer and the glorious photographs that she imagined waited below! I will say though, getting down was much easier than getting back up. Here are some of my favorite shots from the day. Enjoy!

Heritage Gardens – Part Deux

Wednesday (June 19, 2013) – Mom came down to join me on the Cape for a day or so during my vacation. We went to Heritage Gardens in Sandwich. Although it was between seasons for many of the flowers, the gardens were still magnificent.

We wandered about the many paths and explored every nook and cranny. We found the requisite frogs hidden in the frog pond. I put my macro lens to plenty of use. The day was beautiful!

There were too many pictures to choose from, so I broke the photographs into two blog posts. Below are the second selection of my favorites from the day. Enjoy!

Heritage Gardens – Part One

Wednesday (June 19, 2013) – Mom came down to join me on the Cape for a day or so during my vacation. We went to Heritage Gardens in Sandwich. We missed the Rhododendron Festival by about a week and many of the lilies had yet to make an appearance, but the gardens were still magnificent.

There are many paths throughout the grounds to explore. There’s a great frog pond and a beautiful old carousel. There is also a car museum, but we didn’t go inside to check that out. The day was too beautiful!

There were too many pictures to choose from, so I broke the photographs into two blog posts. Below are the first selection of my favorites from the day. Enjoy!

Carol’s Garden – Early June

Saturday (June 8, 2013) – My Mom has always had a green thumb. Since her retirement kicked in a few years ago, she has developed her yard into magnificent gardens. As the months turn from Spring to Summer to Fall, something is always in bloom.

Not only are they beautiful to look at, they give me the opportunity to hone my nature photography skills and put my macro lens to use.

Here are a selection of my shots from early June. Enjoy!