THE TOP TEN BLUE LION PHOTOS OF 2011 - Post 3 of 6

Welcome to Installment 3 of the Top Ten most Viewed Blue Lion Photos of 2011. Today you get to see the 5^th and 6^th most popular images of the year.

NUMBER 6: “BeeBonnet”

This image of a bee pollinating a bluebonnet in Allen, Texas is one of my personal favorites as it evokes memories of one of my favorite, secret bluebonnet patches. I enjoyed many visits to this patch until I discovered the city of Allen recently built a “Hydropark” on this very spot. This coming spring I will just have to spend some extra time trying to discover another “secret” bluebonnet patch close to home!

NUMBER 5: “My ‘Bluebird’ of Happiness”

The most common statement I hear when people see this image is, “That’s not REAL is it?” Of course it is real. It’s a Lilac Breasted Roller I had the great fortune to shoot when I was in Botswana along the Chobe River. These beautiful birds are relatively common there, but that does not take away from their stunning coloration. I always love that this image helps to educate people about a creature they often never imagined could exist!

Please return tomorrow to view the third installment of this series where I will share the 3^rd and 4^h most popular Blue Lion Photos of 2011!

Previous Installments:

Post #1

Post #2

My "Bluebird" of Happiness

The Camera Critters post for this past week is one I took on safari in Botswana during July,2006. This bird is a Lilac Breasted Roller and is one of the most colorful birds in the world. It is often claimed to be the National Bird of Botswana, but my research was unable to "officially" confirm this very widespread claim. Regardless, it was a stunning sight to see and I am incredibly grateful that our local guide,Willie, spotted this lil' fella and I had enough telephoto glass to capture it.

When I give slide shows, audiences invariably "ohh & ahh" at this bird more than most of my others. The "cute" factor combined with  the stunning colors of the Lilac Breasted Roller make this a real winner of a shot.

Click on the image for a larger view!