Nikki's Photography

Here is our sweet Truly, sadly no longer with us, as she was a few years into her rehabilitation after being bitten through the pituitary gland by a large dog when she was only 5 weeks old. She was never quite a normal dog, always looked like a perpetual puppy, and she was quirky but she was Truly Sweet for nine years longer than others might have allowed her to live. In this 1999 photo she and George Xarchos, who is now about 13 years old, are checking each other out with the same curious postures.

Propane tank made in the USA.
Anole made in the USA. Valve may be imported.

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We were away for two weeks and forgot to turn the sprinkler system on before leaving, so I thought the Green Anoles might have moved to greener pastures. Fortunately they are still thriving; here one is staying cool and safe inside a large Canna Lily leaf, a leaf that I nearly cut off while clearing out dead and dying plants.

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Survivor: sand crab with a transparent shell and two legs missing. Nag’s Head beach, Outer Banks, NC. This little crab measuring about 2 inches across had two legs missing but was still managing across the hills and valleys of footsteps in the sand. My guess is that a bird must have snatched it up then dropped it, retaining two of the legs for lunch. Shortly after this encounter it finally started digging a hole, offering much more protection than a footprint..

Anoles mating, a rare sight, and first and last time I ever witnessed this.

Just off the ferry at sunset, Washington, North Carolina

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Alain and I flew to North Carolina for three days – a little business trip and I tagged along—he threatened to take my camera with him and I was sure I could not manage without it! We drove around the eastern countryside between Raleigh and Washington, NC through old, old towns. It takes a looong time for wooden doors to shred, and a looong time for conditions to be just right for vines to sprout then twirl round and round, entwined and squished between panes of glass …old, old farms: tobacco, cotton, peanuts.. and an interesting gas station.

There is a lot of history in North Carolina – fossils, settlers and Civil War history. We stayed at Kitty Hawk (first flight – Wright bros.) and walked the shores at various places along the narrow coast of the Outer Banks. We watched the sun rise and dolphins feed – too far away for good photos, even with the telephoto. As soon as the sun rose they swam away.
Along Cape Hatteras, groups of Grackles ate ripe grass seeds, bouncing up and down on the stems, their bodies too heavy for the tall grasses. Just off the 2 1/2 hr. long ferry at Swan Quarter, and sunset with a short, wide rainbow after a storm that we managed to escape and watch from the better side.

NO OLF – we were curious about this sign in many people’s yards. The following website shows a video describing how the U.S. Navy has purchased over 30,000 acres of land near the eastern North Carolina coast, planning to move their pilot training program from Virginia. Part of the huge controversy is that over 75 families would be forced to leave their homes, many of them farming that land for generations. The human issues are enough, but the cause and effect on the wildlife and ecology would be drastic and irreparable. Thousands of ducks and large flocks of snow geese that feed in the area annually would no longer have sanctuary. The large birds would also be a danger to the jets.

On Pony Island a large sand crab tried to buff up and look tough, but it was quite vulnerable there out in the open; all the other crabs scurried into holes but this one stayed, trying to hide in footprints, which offered no protection if we had been birds looking for a hearty meal. Great fun to watch the behavior for a while. It’s clearly outlined crab-shaped shadow following it everywhere, creating a few graphic photos that are perfect resource material for drawings and paintings but do not stand alone as good photography because it was moving so fast.

NC Sandpipers in flight

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Horseshoe Crab, Kitty Hawk, Outer Banks, NC

Sombra, my visiting sister-in-law’s dog, found a nest of 5 baby rabbits in our back yard. I never would have found them otherwise, even though the nest was buried in a busy spot in the garden. The nest of fur and straw was a perfect bowl shape, covered by perennials. The little bunnies squealed and shrieked so loudly, it was hard to believe that sound came from such tiny 4 inch-long creatures. I didn’t want to handle them much because I was afraid the mother might not return to care for them if they were human-scented, but they had to be protected from Sombra, who would not leave them alone. I put them in a box, then when Suzanne and I left with Sombra to drive to Alberta, Alain put them back in the nest, covered them up again, and put celery, lettuce and carrots out every evening to entice the mama bunny back. At least one did survive because I saw it later that year in the back yard, along with the older bunnies who venture in year-round.

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Raccoon family and below, Canada Goose gosling, Ottawa, ON

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Howler Youth, Dallas World Aquarium, Dallas, Texas. The Howlers are m favorite subject at the DWA, which is really so much more than an aquarium. They are very difficult to photograph though, because they curl up together just beyond the branches.

Cottontop Tamarin, DW Aquarium, Dallas, TX

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A little boy sits on the doorstep, putting on his shoe.