Pages

▼

Sunday, 16 February 2014

The end of the road…..

Like most of you out there in blog-land I try to take pictures that are interesting.  This often means we take pictures that are easy to look at.

This may not be the case with this image.

At present I am working on some words to do with full-circles, journeys, beginnings and endings - these will appear (with luck) on my wordy blog in a couple of weeks.

This is one of the natural encounters that starting me thinking about this.

It's all the remains of an adult Australian Pelican that I found on the edge of a breeding colony on Mud Islands in Port Phillip Bay.  The successful chicks and adults had all left. The colony was empty apart from the remains of the birds who came to the end of the road this season.

I was drawn to the way the bird seemed to be turning back into sand - being turned back into the building blocks of new life in the age old process of decay.


All reactions appreciated.


You can find more macro images at Macro Monday 2 and I Heart Macro.  SM
at

24 comments:

  1. Revrunner16 February 2014 at 21:26

    Winter, I think, is taking it's toll on birds here. I noticed evidence of that on my walk yesterday.

    ReplyDelete
  2. eileeninmd16 February 2014 at 22:36

    The title is fitting, it truly was the end of the road for the Pelican. Sad to see though! Have a great day and week ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax!16 February 2014 at 23:29

    Although I don't like anything to die - skeletons, half skeletons, dead creatures in general are interesting. It's the closest we sometimes ever get to them.

    I'm wondering whether you would like to join in with Tree Following through Loose and Leafy. Each year I chose a tree and see what it does through the seasons and what grows around it. I'm inviting others to join me and am experimenting with a linky system.

    You might like to take a look at this post http://tinyurl.com/oxxh3am . . . I do hope you decide to 'follow' a tree too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. TexWisGirl17 February 2014 at 01:27

    'and unto dust you shall return...'

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bas.17 February 2014 at 01:32

    ja maar ook dat is de natuur

    ReplyDelete
  6. Irma17 February 2014 at 01:36

    Very sad to see the end of this pelican to see.
    Greetings Irma

    ReplyDelete
  7. Noushka17 February 2014 at 01:58

    Unfortunately death is a part of life.
    Strange how it bothers us because we have the conscience to think about it; animals are more fortunate they don't!!
    I can understand how you felt looking at this beak and skull...

    ReplyDelete
  8. carol l mckenna17 February 2014 at 02:51

    All part of life ~ very creative and thoughtful macro shot ~ thanks ~ Happy week to you and success in your word creations with this photo ~ ^_^


    carol and artmusedog
    www.acreativeharbor.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Unknown17 February 2014 at 03:33

    Interesting photo of the skull and the shells in the sand.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sylvia K17 February 2014 at 03:39

    Whether it is hard to look at or not, it is realistic and it is realism that we all need to be aware of and deal with. Excellent post, Stewart! Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Montanagirl17 February 2014 at 06:04

    Good title for the photo - Nature taking its course.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Laura17 February 2014 at 06:39

    It takes a special heart to recognize the transformational beauty of death Stewart. Thanks for sharing the love up-close with I Heart Macro:-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. John @ Beans and I on the Loose17 February 2014 at 06:49

    Kind of the way I would like to go, except out in the desert.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sallie (FullTime-Life)17 February 2014 at 07:58

    It is part of life. I have seen those wings on our beaches ... can even remember talking to my kids when they were little and grandkids about what was happening (while telling them not to touch). Your thoughts are (and will be) expressed much more beautifully than I ever could.

    I do not mind pictures like this at all and even appreciate them ... it would be depressing if you never posted anything else, but of course you do.

    ReplyDelete
  15. sunshine17 February 2014 at 10:06

    Hard but nature and maybe the beginning of a great fossile (embedded in a future sandstone):-).

    ReplyDelete
  16. Karen17 February 2014 at 15:14

    Birth - death, and whhat happens between, is life. Lets hope the between for this guy was productive, with many happy hours floating on the water, fishing.

    ReplyDelete
  17. amanda17 February 2014 at 18:55

    I think this is a pretty powerful image, Stewart - I guess I'm fascinated by it in a different way than a typical photo of something "beautiful." Rather than sad, though, I think it's symbolic - past life giving way to new life.. the circle of life, as you mention.
    I look forward to your wordy post!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Rohrerbot18 February 2014 at 08:47

    I get it. These images are also part of the story we sometimes choose to ignore.

    ReplyDelete
  19. betty-NZ18 February 2014 at 09:39

    It's the sad part of life when we have to say good-bye. But knowing that it's not in vain is a comfort.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous18 February 2014 at 11:45

    Your post memorializes the life of this bird and gives us pause to think of its end.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous18 February 2014 at 12:16

    It already looks like a fossil.It' s all a part of the circle of life. Living on the farm, I deal with death way more frequently than I like, but you learn how natural it really is.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Janice18 February 2014 at 14:51

    Always taking us to a new level with your photography.

    ReplyDelete
  23. David M. Gascoigne,19 February 2014 at 01:42

    A fitting end for all of us perhaps - a simple return to the web of life.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Pat Tillett20 February 2014 at 18:42

    Circle of life...
    I'd rather see it lying there on the beach like that, than on a road...

    ReplyDelete