Springtime along the Raasch Trail

I consider myself lucky to live within an hour of the wonderful Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge that sits on the shores of Lake Texoma near Sherman, Texas. 

Click above to go to Google Maps of the area!

I started to visit Hagerman last year after years of hearing about it. However I had just not gotten up the gumption to get there. Aside from year round abundant bird life ,  and more than a dozen miles of nice hiking trails, I was immediately impressed by the warmth and friendliness of the volunteers I met there who staff the visitor center and share their impressive knowledge of the flora, fauna, and history of the area. I now happily count myself as a monthly volunteer at the visitor center in hopes of being able to give back to those of you who will visit Hagerman in the future. Before a visit, make sure to check out these two websites:

The OFFICIAL  Hagerman NWR Website - The official US Fish & Wildlife website for Hagerman. 

FRIENDS OF THE HAGERMAN NWR  website  - detailed information about the volunteer group I belong to that helps run visitor services for Hagerman NWR



Two weeks ago, I went up to Hagerman to spend the day photographing bluebirds - the Friends of the Hagerman group  has built and monitors several dozen bluebird houses which have greatly bolstered the local bluebird population over the past few years. 

I had a wonderful day taking advantage of a warm spring day capturing bluebirds busily working to capture morsels for their fledglings to feast upon. In addition, the lighting along the Raasch Trail was superb to capture the beauty of early spring growth here in North Texas. 

Please feel free to share this gem of a place with your online friends! It's well worth the visit if you're in the neighborhood! 

2013 Blue Lion Year in Review- Part 4 of 6

It's time to dive into the TOP TEN from 2013! This post counts down images #10 down to # 6. The ranking of my top ten is calculated by the response of Blue Lion Pride members on social media to these images over the year. As always, I am interested in YOUR thoughts about my images -- which ones excite you and which ones make you say "Meh"?  
If you missed ,y earlier installments -- do not fret you cam see them at the links below! 
PART 1     ~     PART 2     ~     PART 3

HERE GOES! 

#10 ~ Sable Antelope Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Glen Rose, TX

#9 ~ Climbing Leopard ~ Ngala Game Reserve, South Africa

#8 ~ Blending In ~  Ngala Game Reserve, South Africa

#7 ~ Perching Julia Longwing ~ Texas Discovery Gardens, Dallas, TX

#6 ~ Aplomado Falcon (captive) ~ Hagerman NWR, Sherman, TX

Thanks for visiting! Please feel free to share my images with your friends on social media! Your support is very much appreciated! 
Once posted, just click to see PART 5 !

2013 Blue Lion Year in Review- Part 3 of 6

In this post, we will wander from photo # 15 down to the edge of my top 10 images of 2013. This collection features images from my South African Safari as well as local shots and even my favorite Civil War reenactment shot of 2013. Enjoy and make sure to visit back tomorrow for images # 6 through 10! If you missed previous posts in this countdown, you can click on them here: PART 1, PART 2.

# 15 ~ Spotted Hyena Snarl ~ Ngala Game Reserve, South Africa

# 14 ~ Snowy Egret Hunting ~ Hagerman NWR, Sherman, TX

#13 ~ "FIRE!" ~ Battle of Fort Richardson, Jacksboro,TX

#12 ~ (Not So) Graceful Giraffe ~ Fossil Rim , Glen Rose, TX 

#11 ~ Reflective Heron ~ Hagerman NWR, Sherman, TX

Once I post the next installment in the countdown, you can click HERE  to see it! As always I am interested to hear which of my images speak most loudly to you individually! Feel free to tell me in the comments below! 

2013 Blue Lion Year in Review- Part 2 of 6

Here is Part Two of my yearly review of the images I have produced during 2013. If you missed the first installment, you can view them here: 2013 Blue Lion Year in Review- Part 1 of 6. 

These 6 images are start of my "Top Twenty" images of the year. Please feel encouraged to let me know which of these is your personal favorite in the comments section below. I greatly value knowing what Blue Lion viewers enjoy the most! I really enjoy getting to see my photographs through YOUR perspective!  

Your can see higher resolution versions of each of these images on my website by clicking in the images here. All of these images are available for purchase as well from my website (www.bluelionphotos.com).  

#20: Bald Eagle Scouting for Lunch ~ Hagerman NWR, Sherman, TX

#19: Burrowing Owl (Captive) ~ Hagerman NWR, Sherman, TX

#18: "Longing for Home" ~ Civil War Reenactment, Allen, TX 

#17 (tie): "Moonrise Over Allen" ~ Allen, TX

#17 (tie): Addra Gazelles ~ Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Glen Rose, TX 

#16: "Sassy Cardinal" ~ Allen, TX

One lesson any aspiring nature photographer can take away from this collection of photos is that you can get very good subject matter close to home. While I have been very lucky to travel to some great places to shoot nature, all of these images were shot within a two hour drive of my home and several were shot within minutes of my house! If you are willing to look closely at the daily world around you, you can find intriguing subject matter! 

CLICK on PART 3 to see the next installment in the series!