In the Pink

I am always excited when I can spot a Roseate Spoonbill and especially thrilled when they show their colors, as this one did.

The morning of the new moon last week brought some of the lowest tides I have ever seen. That provided an amazing opportunity to see a wide array of species of bird life all trying to get their fill of seafood before the tide came in and the waters rose.

PDR

 What is the PDR, you ask? Well, around here this time of year we hear a lot about the PBR - Professional Bull Riding. This Red-Eared Slider turtle in Florida is obviously a member of the Professional Duck Riders!

This is one of my favorite strange shots from last week. These ugly plastic ducks have been placed in some lakes to ward off something-or-other. Over the years they have faded and tilted and basically turned into an eyesore. This turtle decided to make the most of the decoy as a sunny perch. I wish he had been facing the front of the duck instead of its hind quarters but it is still a fun shot!

Big Blue

Although I spent only 4 days in Florida last week, I managed to fill 5 - 8Gb cards with photos! I spent hours on Christmas day as I moved through airports heading north, deleting those photos that were slightly out of focus, too far away or just plain boring. I was pretty proud of myself until I realized I still had more than 800 photos left! So now I need to get down to the real work of deciding what stays and what goes. 

This shot is rather static but the beauty of the Great Blue Heron standing in a bush of red berries can't be denied. I have many shots from this location - a rookery near Venice Beach. I even have a few shots of babies I will show over the next few days.

Happy Dance

Like much of the world, I spent the last week traveling to visit family for the holidays. It was a wonderful time and such a delight to experience different environments and spend time with loved ones. 

Just before I left I sent a few photos off to the "Cold Snap Challenge" being sponsored by Wyofile, a state wide wire service with an on-line publication. In the Atlanta airport between flights I checked email and found a post announcing the winner - a long-time photojournalist from Cody. I looked at his beautiful image of bison in Yellowstone and it became obvious why the judges had chosen his photo. But then, as I read down the article, I discovered a list of five or six runner-up's at the bottom and I was delighted to find my name in the mix! Especially when I saw that two of the others were photographers whose work I have long admired. The runner-up photos will be published in the weeks to come. I will post a link when my turn comes around. 

I sent several photos and I am not sure which ones will be published (a subsequent email from the publisher indicates that two of mine have made the cut!). The shot above is one of those I sent. It was taken a few weeks ago and shows a herd of elk bunked down out of the wind in our back pasture. 

Eyelids

When I went through my photos of the golden eagle last week, I had a couple I discarded right away because the sun seemed to be hitting the eyes in a strange way. It wasn't until I went back later that I discovered the amazing truth - the photos show the rarely seen (at least for me!) "third eyelid" of the giant bird!
People have one way of closing our eyes - we lower our top eyelids. Raptors have three options - they lower the top lid, they raise the lower lid or they close the "third eyelid" - the nictitating membrane - from the side like a curtain. This eyelid is transparent and can be used to cut down on glare or to keep the eye moist or even to protect the eyes when the bird is diving. Plus it has the cool effect of making them look like an avian creature from a zombie movie!








I am so thrilled I was able to capture this rare look at an amazing feature!

5 and 6

 Today's photos are the last two in my final presentation. Like the redpolls, they are "backyard birds". I had a half dozen photos of chukars to choose from. This one ended up winning out because of the design strengths - three birds, a diagonal branch starting in the top left leading the viewers eye to the focal point, strong lighting and contrast. Besides...they are so cute!

This photo of the lone pinyon jay is a little darker than I would like but I love the way the shadow of the pine branch lays across his back. 

Also Ran's

 So far I have posted four of the six photos I used in my final presentation for Beginning Digital. The two I am showing today are part of the pile of "also ran's", meaning they came close but didn't make the cut.

The first photo, to the left, is of a red-breasted nuthatch. This is one of those strange photos that I love but no one else gets excited about. Yes, I know it is a photo of the back side of a bird but it is such a classic nuthatch pose! I love the open space at the bottom but others find it too stark. I still think I will print it out at 16" x 20" and hang it on my wall.

The second photo is of a Sharp-shinned hawk in a tree in Lander on a very cold day. He is pretty fluffed up trying to stay warm. It is a beautiful bird but the branches were just too distracting for him to make the final six of the presentation.

Wyoming Winter Birds

Two final exams down and one to go before Christmas break!

Here are two more photos of birds that winter in Wyoming that I used for my final presentation in Beginning Digital.

To the left is a black-capped chickadee. They are so delicate and I loved the way this guy spread his tail, reflecting the shape of the bent branch above.

My prof was not happy with the fact that you can't distinguish the bird's eye but the truth is they are so black that I don't think even Ansel Adams could make them stand out from the "black cap".

This second photo shows three redpolls right outside my door. This one almost feels like cheating since I was out feeding llamas when they all showed up. I ran back in and grabbed the camera and took a few shots with this being my favorite of the bunch. Very little effort was expended! This photo has turned in to my Christmas card for 2011. 

Winter Raptors

 I have been preparing my final project photos for the last few weeks and am now getting ready to take my final exams this week.

For my Beginning Digital class I elected to present six images of bird species that winter in Wyoming. Things were going well and I was happy with my selections as I was getting them finalized last week. Then, on my way to classes on Wednesday I came across this bald eagle staring down at me from his high perch. He seemed quite content to let me take shot after shot and so I amended my final selection by dropping a finch and adding him to the mix.

Then, on Thursday, I met up with this regal looking golden eagle! He ignored me totally as I stood ten feet away and captured image after wonderful image. That day the photo of the nuthatch was scrapped so this guy could take his place. 

I will post the other images as well as a few that didn't make the cut in the next few days.