A Tongue Lashing

There are many times I've looked out my window and seen a squirrel sprawled out on a limb. The first time I saw such a sight, it appeared the squirrel had fallen out of the tree and hit the limb and was unconscious. People who have "habitated" with squirrels said they frequently take naps on tree limbs. The first picture I took of a squirrel "sleeping" on a tree limb was published in a calendar (the photo is in the "Published" Gallery on my website). Since the 1st photograph, I've seen many squirrels napping on many limbs on many trees in the yard. Would a squirrel ever fall off the limb while sleeping?

The past couple of days we have unseasonably warm days that have registered over 80 degrees on the thermometer. The leaves are just beginning to appear on the trees which makes it easy to spot all the little furry bodies draped across the limbs. This little fellow pictured below was "zoning in and out." You could see in his eyes that he was spacing it.

I was watching him to try and get a photo with his eyes closed when a bird flew up.

SIDEBAR: The best photo you take may not be the one you planned. When taking pictures with a digital camera, continue to take photos beyond what shot you want and you may get a "diamond in the rough." (I will share some of those in a later blog). Some of the most precious children's pictures were taken after the smile--many a grandma/grandpa will attest to that.

There is a soft place in my heart for birds, so I kept the camera "rolling." The next photo is the result of not putting the camera down too early.

The cardinal is looking directly at the squirrel who is glaring back at the cardinal. What makes it humorous is the squirrel has been startled awake by the bird landing right by him (notice the uplifted back leg of the squirrel). Next, the bird must be chirping quite loudly, which has caught the full attention of the squirrel. This sure could have a storyline, "Wake up you lazy squirrel."

There is a photograph hanging in my office which was taken after the photograph I planned to shoot. That photograph has placed 1st in a number of competitions. It also has received special recognition ribbons besides 1st place. The camera continued to "roll" after the planned shot. If you have a digital camera, you have the luxury of taking photos, reviewing what you have taken and deleting what you don't want... right on the spot. Since you can delete what you don't want, it is not costing you anything to shoot a few extra frames beyond the planned picture... who knows... you may have a photo of a lifetime... or at least that is what the rest of the family would say.