This a quick post with photos I snapped about a week ago. That’s an American Kestrel (Northern). As […]
Category Archive: Feathers
I’ve previously shared a post about the Fish Hunters. I’m referring to Great Blue Herons and THIS post.
After sharing that post, I recalled another series of photos that showed a Heron missing . . . and I could not find where I had shared them. So, here they are. These photos are from December 2021.
Note: WP occasionally shows you the post without pulling all the images. If you’re reading and it sounds like there’s an image missing, just refresh the window.
Let me start by saying these are not great photos. There are two reasons; well, two main reasons. One, the days was gloomy and rainy. That prompted me to shoot at a high ISO (1000 to as high as 5000). The high ISO was also driven by the high shutter speed, which was set at 1/1250-sec. Lastly, most of these photos (all, in fact) are crops of larger photos.
“Why shoot with those settings?”
Well, Bob, let me tell you.
There’s a bird contest I wanted to enter, but I had a problem . . . namely, I […]
This is a look back at photos from the last five months of 2022.
“Why five months? Why not six months?”
Well, Bob — if that is indeed your name — I’, not going through this again. If you want an answer, read the intro to the previous post.
Anyway, we continue with a brief — but hopefully worthwhile — look at a sampling of the 2022 photos I snapped using the Nikon D7500 camera.
“So, like, are these the best photos of the year?”
This is a look back at photos from the first seven months of 2022.
“Why seven months? Why not six months?”
Well, Bob — if that is indeed your name — I have 56 photos and wanted to split them into two posts, and it just happened that the first 28 photos cover the months of January through July of 2022.
“But you could have just processed a few more on this first half, no?”
. . . everyone’s a critic . . . Yes, I could have, but I didn’t set out with a particular number in mind. Fifty-six is what I had in the end, and fifty-six is what I’m working with.
“So, like, are these the best photos of the year?”
A couple of days after I saw the Red-shouldered hawk at the refuge, I was back for another look-see . . . and the following images tell the tale of The Fish Hunter.
I know they are around and occasionally see them flying, but I rarely capture photos of them.
I am referring to hawks. However, two days ago, as we took a quick drive through the refuge, there it was, sitting on the pole.
Unfortunately, the powerlines were in the way . . . but, fortunately, I have Luminar Neo . . .
Not many words . . . just some backyard bird photos . . . Slideshow of Just Birds […]
Just a quick . . . er . . . semi-quick post about the communal bathing habits of House Sparrows. It all started in September, when House sparrows became regular visitors to the birdfeeders. They usually come in small flocks of about ten or so, but occasionally more.
They got into the habit of doing vigorous bathing, usually with multiple birds in the birdbath at the same time. Wait, let me back up a bit . . .
Just a quick post . . . I just saw the notice for the winner of Flickr’s contest. Specifically, the Nature category winner.
https://blog.flickr.net/2022/09/29/world-photography-day-meet-your-contest-winners/
I’m like . . . “What?! A hummingbird Photo?”
I mean, I have hundreds of hummingbird photos. Heck, this past Sunday’s SmugMug Appreciation post had three photos of hummingbirds that I think are just as good.
Here they are:
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. Let me explain . . . on Monday, Labor Day here in the US, I started the day by sitting outside and photographing hummingbirds. Mind you, there were lots of other birds around, but I concentrated on the hummingbirds. Then, throughout the morning, I shot more photos.
For the record, 170 photos were snapped, of which I kept 123. The SmugMug gallery (HERE) has 75 of those 123.
How many am I going to show here? Don’t know yet, but not that many.
These photos are all cropped from the originals. Even after cropping, the photos are about 2400 pixels per side, and I’m linking photos about half that size (meaning, SmugMug offers larger versions, as will the slideshow at the end).
Per the title, I’m sharing a few videos I’ve shot. I have a number of videos, but I seldom share them. In part, because they usually need editing, but also because it’s a bit of a pain to upload them.
But, when I do, I do.
So, this year (2022, for future visitors), the hummers started swarming the feeders a bit early. By mid-July, I had to add a few feeders, and now, early August, I have 13 feeders up and have gone through about twenty pounds of sugar.
The hummingbirds seem to feed in waves, but they are especially active when it’s raining (which hasn’t been all that often here in Southern Illinois).
I’ve added music to most videos, but you can lower it or mute it by clicking on the blue bars on the lower right corner (smaller bar, lower volume). Part of the reason for the music is that those feeders are near the A/C unit, and when it kicks on, it’s pretty noisy.
I’m about 20-25 feet away, but the microphone on the P900 still picks up the sound. Also, whenever it rains, the sound from the highway — about a third of a mile from the house — is louder, and the way the patio is positioned acts like an amphitheater for picking up sound.
Anyway, on with more videos . . .
We’re getting to the time of year when despite some hummingbirds jealously guarding their favorite feeder, there are enough birds — and enough pressure to bulk up for the coming migration — that birds, and especially young birds, are forced to share.
It’s also the time of year when I’m likely to capture photos like these . . .
One week ago, in the One Day in Photos post, I had a few find-the-hummingbird photos. Normally, readers […]
Disperser Tracks 