034. 2013 Ford Fusion (with EcoBoost)

car + ecoboost = happy planet

See the full review of this rental car here:

carrentingreviews.com

033. Memories of the Hummingbird

As November begins, thoughts of summer return... and some pictures of a hummingbird in my parents' yard!

a standoff?

032. Mockingbird Battle

It's always nice when you are already outside taking photos and something crazy like this happens!

030. Hawks Train Hunting

This is my favorite time of year, and not just because of that crispness in the air which fall brings.

No, it's because it's when young hawks are trained to hunt!

Usually this means there are two adults and one juvenile flying very close, and hang out in one spot (over my house) long enough to take photos... oh, and it helps there's an early-detection system, too, with a loud alarm: CROWS!!!

Crows don't like hawks "conducting business" in their neighborhood, so they gang up and "mob" the trespassers. Normally this means a close-range cacophony of belligerent ca-caws, but one brave crow actually went birdo-e-birdo against the youthful hawk this time! Maybe it's a mutually agreed upon training strategy between the species, who knows...

*** NOTE: these photos were taken in the driveway (and it's a residential neighborhood) ***

029. Butterfly Effect

As most of you are probably aware, there was a hurricane that hit the east coast of America this week: Sandy.

According to chaos theory, several weeks ago I might have actually photographed the cause...

If this particular Monarch butterfly was not the culprit, take your pick from the following choices...

Common Buckeye

Red Admiral

Cabbage White

Painted Lady

Skippers

Monarch

Clearwing Hummingbird Moth

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

(The State Insect of Virginia)

(I didn't know there was such a thing as a state insect)

*** NOTE: these butterflies were all photographed on the same tree in the yard. ***