I do not pay too much attention to the statistics that WordPress provides about my blog, but I could not help but notice this morning that, according to the “official” statistics, I have now had over a half million views since July 2012 of 5,33p posts. Wow! It’s a bit of a mystery to me how exactly WordPress counts those views, so I am not sure if the stats are fully accurate, but those numbers indicate a lot of effort on my time.
More than that, though, those statistics reflect an incredible amount of support and encouragement from so many of you. Thanks to all of you, whether you have followed my photographic wanderings for a day for for years. The second image below is a screen shot of the overall statistics for the blog this morning.
As you may have noticed, I have slowed my pace of posting a bit over the last six months as more of my free time has been increasingly devoted to other interests and activities. I’ll be keeping up with the photography blog, though, at least a few times a week and quite possibly more frequently than that as the weather warms up.
During a recent visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I captured this shot of a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) in action. Most of the time these herons thrust their bills violently in the water in attempting to catch fish, but this one was doing so much more gently that normally. The water level was low because it was lot tide and the heron may have been trying to pluck a small fish out of the water. On this attempt, though, he was not successful, but the heron’s open bill made for a nice photo.
I thought about posting one of my “best” images for today’s blog entry, but decided instead to continue my habit of posting recent images that appeal to me. As many of you know, I am generally content to post photos of everyday creatures to highlight the beauty that surrounds us all of the time if we slow down and take the time to observe it. Beauty is everywhere.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Congratulations Mike. Your photos are amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much for your kind words, Suzette.
You are most welcome Mike. Cheers.
Well, a lot of us enjoy good photography and interesting posts. So, there’s that.
Nice job, Mike!
And I totally agree with you about slowing down to observe the beauty all around us.
All the best.
Thanks, Wally. It won’t be long before dragonflies emerge in my area and I pretty sure that I will be out hunting for them. I just got back from my local wildlife refuge and was happy to see that the ospreys are starting to return.
Congratulations! Well deserved. We need reminders of every day beauty especially these days. Thank you,
Ann
Amen to that, Ann. In many ways this current ongoing crisis seems a lot worse that the worst days of COVID–much of the pain today seems deliberate, malicious, and avoidable. In so many ways the term “refuge” seems appropriate for the place that I go to observe nature, which moves at its own slow, measured pace.
You are so right. We, too, find refuge in our property here in New Hampshire. This is a malicious administration and now it feels dangerous to disagree. Scary times. Your photography is an antidote to the daily news:)
Great work!
Thanks so much, Mike for sharing the beauty you encounter with all of us. As one who both lives farther north and can no longer roam the countryside, I think of your blog as a window on a world I would otherwise not have. That makes such a difference!
Congratulations to you, Mike! 👏Blue Rock HorsesFrederick County, Virginiabluerockhorses.com
Thanks so much, Mitzy.
Well done, Mike. Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much. It’s hard to believe that I have kept the blog going for such a long time. 🙂
Congratulations on that statistical milestone! It is a testament not only to the quality of your photography and blog posts but also how great you are at interacting with your readers.
I do not recall exactly when you first joined me on this journey, Laura, but it seems like you have been with me a long time. It has been an enjoyable experience sharing my photos and so many other aspects of my life, a wonderful creative outlet. Thanks for all of your thoughtful and insightful comments over so many years.
I was not sure either so I looked and it turns out I have been following your blog since October 2014, so over a decade now. Thanks for brightening my day with your beautiful photographs and for educating me about the wildlife of the region.
More than ten years? That’s amazing! Your consistent presence and personal example have been a gentle reassurance for me as I try to cultivate an artistic sensitivity to beauty after spending most of my life as an analyst.
I always look forward to your posts, Mike. Your photography is amazing!
Thanks so much, Michelle. Please excuse my delay in responding. WordPress had initially placed some of your recent comments into my spam folder. 🙂