John Murrell

@johnmurrell.bsky.social

3741 Followers 148 Following

Ink-stained wretch, retired; suburban hermit

A monochrome image of a lone Canada goose standing on the dark bank of a quiet, pale pond with blurred reflections. The bird has a gray body, black neck and head, and a white chinstrap. It is facing the water, with its head turned to the right.
Raindrops creating concentric circular ripples on the calm surface of a pond, with dark green blurred reflections at the top of the frame and the silvery reflection of the sky at the bottom.
A great blue heron standing among green and brown reeds at the edge of a pond. The bird is leaning forward and looking down toward the water.
A top-down, close-up image of a piece of dry brown, fibrous palm tree bark and debris lying on a gray sidewalk.
An elderberry bush with backlit clusters of cream-colored blossoms and, to the right, green leaves and buds. The background is a blur of muted brownish-green and blue.
A brown-speckled mallard, its head tucked back into its feathers, napping while standing on one leg on a gray log over calm water. There are blurred green leaves and some branches at right.
A high-contrast, abstract monochrome image of the pattern of diagonal light and dark geometric shapes formed by shadows on the beams of a pergola structure.
A vibrant sunset with brilliant orange rippled clouds, transitioning to dark grey and blue tones near the top, above the dark silhouette of a residential neighborhood skyline.
A close-up of a juvenile black phoebe with dark soot-colored feathers on its head and chest, a white belly, and light brown bars on its wings. The bird is perched on a weathered grey branch that cuts diagonally across the frame. The background is a soft-focus mix of green pond water and reeds in bright sunlight.
A warm-toned monochrome close-up of a gray and white cat lying by a wooden fence and looking directly at the camera. There is blurred foliage in the foreground and at right.
A monochrome image of six glowing, pear-shaped string lights hanging from a tangle of sagging wires against a dark, blurred background.
A black-crowned night heron in profile standing amid blurry green grasses with blue water in the background. The bird's feathers appear damp and slightly ruffled. It has a gray chest, dark blueish-gray cap and wings, a long, sharp beak, and a vivid orange eye.
A high-contrast monochrome image of overlapping, geometric rooftop peaks with dark roof tiles and white trim, set against a plain light sky.
A white snowy egret standing in shallow green water, with dark green reeds in the shadows behind. The bird is looking at the camera, and a breeze has ruffled its head feathers into a spiky hairdo.
A dense cluster of vibrant, hot pink bougainvillea bracts alongside deep green leaves in bright sunlight.
A warm-toned monochrome image of a juvenile pied-billed grebe swimming right to left in gently rippled water.
A dark gray cormorant with head and yellow bill held high, perched on a branch of a fallen tree over the green and blue water of a pond.
A monochrome close-up of dense, dried palm fronds hanging vertically down the trunk of an untrimmed palm tree.
Two mottled-brown mallards dabbling in green water. The ducks are posed identically, in profile facing left, with the tips of their bills touching the water.
A monochrome image of a small bird perched high on a slender, vertical branch covered in small leaves. The bird is facing away from the camera, but has its head turned to the right in profile. The sky behind is clear.
A high-contrast monochrome image of a rough-textured wooden fence with deep vertical ridges. Several lines of straight shadows cut diagonally across the fence.
A high-contrast monochrome image of wispy, swirling clouds against a dark sky.
A hummingbird with iridescent green and blue feathers hovers in mid-air, inserting its beak into a cluster of purple agapanthus flowers against a dark, blurred background.
A monochrome image of a gray tabby and white cat sitting outdoors next to a clump of ivy. The cat is looking down and to the right. There is blurred grass in the background.
A Canada goose (gray with black head, neck and tail feathers) with wings spread wide as it takes off from a green pond, with the dark shore in the background.
A high-contrast monochrome image of a white great egret standing on a rock at the edge of a pond, with its neck contorted into an "S" curve as it tucks its beak into its plumage to preen. Other gray rocks are sticking out of the water along the shore, and a dark, shadowed bank covered in vegetation is in the background.
A detail of red Chinese characters on the storefront window of an acupuncturist, listing various ailments that can be treated. The lettering is casting shadows on a white surface behind the window.
A small, streaky brown house finch perched on the edge of a plastic tray of water, leaning forward as if about to drink. Visible at left is part of a round brown ceramic planter. The background is a dark shaded area.
A high-contrast image of four bright red shrub rose blossoms in a curved vertical alignment through the frame, surrounded by dark green leaves and shadows.
A white great egret hunting in shallow brownish-green water among bright green reeds. The bird is in profile, leaning forward and moving from left to right, and its reflection is visible in the water.
A monochrome close-up of a collared dove perched on a bare branch and facing the camera. Sunlight is shining on the left side of the bird.
A high-contrast monochrome image of densely packed bubbles in a pot of boiling water.
A monochrome image of five Canada geese flying in a horizontal line across a clear sky.
A male mallard in profile walking from right to left on a brown dirt bank with blurred green foliage behind it. The duck is in its summer eclipse plumage, giving it a mottled brown appearance similar to a female. The duck is in mid-stride, with one orange foot lifted.
A monochrome image of the diagonal shadows of stair railings on a white textured wall, with the light from a small window in the center of the frame.
A high-contrast monochrome image of wispy cirrus clouds stretching vertically across a dark sky, resembling soft feathers or frost patterns.
A California towhee (grayish-brown body and a cinnamon-colored patch around its throat and face) perched on a white metal park sign, with blue sky behind. Part of another sign, blue and white, is in the lower left.
A monochrome image of a gray tabby cat sleeping in a shady patch of dirt. There is a brightly lit weed along the left side of the frame.
A dark and textured image of a frayed American flag flying from a flagpole, with gray sky and the indistinct shape of dark hills in the background.
A top-down view of four round pink sea thrift blossoms rising above a tuffet of green grass.
A small house finch with a sunlit yellow-orange head and chest and a streaked belly, perched on one of several thin bare branches running diagonally through the frame. The background is a blurred tan stucco wall, with a shadow across the top of the frame.
A close-up monochrome image of weathered double doors with a transom window above. All the windows have asterisk-shaped cross-bracing. There is a reflection of a palm tree in the transom window.
A gull standing on the gray metal vent on top of a tan stucco chimney, with a clear blue sky behind. The bird (a California gull, I think) is white, with dark gray wings and a yellow beak.
A bough of a crape myrtle tree filled with green leaves and multiple clusters of pink flowers, with a blue sky behind.
An almost-monochrome image of a white snowy egret in profile standing next to an exposed dark rock in gently rippled water. The bird is holding a small fish in its beak. There is another small rock in the upper right.
A black-crowned night heron standing in profile on a fallen tree at the edge of a green pond. The bird has a white chest, gray wings and a grayish-blue back and cap. The hill behind it is mostly dry and cracked brown dirt with small patches of green grass.
A close-up of dry ornamental grass with blades in shades of golden-yellow, tan, and medium brown running diagonally across the frame.
A group of 10 Canada geese (gray bodies, black necks and heads, white chinstraps) and three brown mallards swimming from right to left in slightly rippled grayish-green water.
A mallard with its body raised and wings spread, creating ripples and small splashes in greenish-blue water. The duck has a brown head, speckled russet chest and grayish-brown and white wings.
A line of orange flexible bollards in a gray parking lot. Each bollard has a black base and two gray stripes near the top.
A monochrome image of a billowing cumulus cloud formation in the background, partially framed by the dark silhouettes of palm fronds in the foreground on the right.
A monochrome silhouette image of a hummingbird with outstretched wings hovering next to a drooping palm frond.
A black and white tuxedo cat sitting at the sunny edge of a lawn, with green ivy groundcover in the shadows behind it. The cat is looking at the camera.
A cluster of white alstroemeria blossoms with delicate yellow throats and faint green stripes in dappled sunlight.
Two Canada geese with wings extended take off from a pond, leaving a trail of splashes behind them to the left. The water is mostly green, with some blue reflections to the left. In the background is a dark shoreline with some tangled branches.
A small orangish-red rose, with blurry green leaves and a dark background behind it.
A low-angle monochrome image of a section of a street overpass running diagonally across the frame. A railing runs along the top edge of the structure, and a supporting column is visible in the lower left. There are two arching light standards at center and right. The sky is empty gray.
A section of lantana shrub filling the frame, with bright green leaves and a profusion of small red blossoms, some with dots of yellow.
A dark gray cormorant swimming in rippled green water. The bird is swimming away from the camera and looking to the left. It has a bright orange beak and a green eye.
A monochrome image of a white great egret standing on the twisting branches of a tree, with dark, blurred foliage in the background.