The Beauty of the Yellow-Billed Stork

We saw hundreds of birds while we were in East Africa and many of them had amazing colors. One of the birds that we saw in several of the different parks that we visited was the Yellow-Billed Stork. It might not be as colorful as some of the other birds that we saw, but the yellow color on the bill contrasting with the red around the eyes gave him a very expressive look. Whenever we saw different birds, we tried to take several photographs of them so that we could capture them from several different angles. Most of the time on the safari was focused on the big animals, but the birds were equally amazing. We’re not sure if this is what people imagined when they talked about storks delivering babies, but they certainly exude a sense of pride.

Focusing on the Yellow-Billed Stork’s Face
Even from the Distance the Bill Stands Out
Very Regal Looking
Rustled Feathers

The Beauty of a Mountain Trail

We love hiking throughout the year and the scenery in the Rocky Mountains is always quite stunning. Although we always take time to look around and see the mountain peaks or stop to gaze at a waterfall, but when you hike you spend the majority of your time staring at the trail that is right in front of you. Obviously we try to keep our eyes on the trees around us to catch a glimpse of any animals that might be near by, but the surest way to trip and bang yourself up is to try to walk over roots and rocks without paying attention to where you place your feet.

Leaves on the Trail
Shadows on the Trail
Bridge on a Mountain Trail
Aspen Leaves on Snow Covered Trail
Fallen Tree by the Trail

Trails come in many different styles from wide and well-traveled to narrow and sometimes overgrown. Some places are deep in the woods and others are in open fields or even along the edge of a cliff. The different parts of the trail also provide different things along the trail itself, such as Aspen leaves falling on the path or roots of giant pine trees jutting out of the ground. It is quite common for trails in Colorado to be a mix of everything as you hike the full length of the trail. We enjoy all of the different types of trails for the natural beauty that each supplies. Just getting out into nature is its own reward and hiking is a great way to relax, unwind, and recharge ones battery.

Colorado Trail
Beaver Creek Trail
Barr Trail at Tree Line
Shadows Across a Trail in Colorado
Rocks on the Trail

Wherever You Travel, Flowers will Make You Smile

It doesn’t matter what part of the world that we travel to, we enjoy seeing the beautiful flowers of the area. Whether it is in the parks, on a trail, or just around the buildings downtown, there are always wonderful flowers or flowering plants around. In fact we have enjoyed taking photographs of the colorful flowers so much that we have put several posts out dedicated just to the images of the flowers that we have captured. Here a few of the posts that we have previously shared:

Colorful Flowers
Purple Flowers

Colorful Flowers Around the World – We tried to share images of flowers from many different countries and continents to show the natural beauty that can be found all around the world. The variety of flowers is as diverse as the scenery in all of the different parts of the world where they exist.

Poinciana Tree as We Looked Skyward
Pretty Pink Flowers at a Temple Complex

The Flowers of Egypt – Egypt can be a harsh environment with desert covering much of the landscape, but that didn’t mean that we didn’t see some very colorful flowers during our time there. In contrast to the heat and sand, the bright flowers really stood out.

Purple Wildflowers
Rugged Beauty

The Wildflowers of Colorado – We do quite a bit of hiking in Colorado and really enjoy seeing the different wildflowers. They can be found growing in some of the most rugged places and we are amazed to see them literally growing out of the sides of boulders.

Tropical Flower
Flowers in the Jungles of Ecuador

Seeing Tropical Flowers When Traveling – We have been to several tropical countries and have seen some of the most amazing flowers, but these exotic flowers can be found in many other places as well. The tropical climates certainly provide all of the conditions necessary to create some quite stunning flowers.

Flower in the Jungle of Panama
Butterfly on a Flower

Some of Our Favorite Flower Photographs – The title of the post pretty much says it all. The focus here though was on individual flowers as opposed to beds of flowers or flowering bushes. Focusing in on a single flower often allows you to clearly see all of the beauty that the flower has to offer.