Blog Archives
Mad Birdie
Friends, the expression on this yellow-rumped warbler appears as though he is mad. I think it is the white eyebrows, but loved the feather details so excuse the extreme crop. He was only a few feet away but he is a very small birdie. A disclaimer, this was shot last spring with my old lens 100-400 mm Canon so I am comparing these results with the new telephoto 150-600 mm, I like the new lens better. til Tomorrow MJ
Tamron 150-600 mm Sharp
Friends, I have been distressed by those who claim that the new Tamron 150-600 mm lens produces a soft image, so i set about testing what i sensed is true about this lens. The top image is the original image of an eagle sitting on her nest in the fall (now) after the immatures have left. The bottom left image is a 23% crop of the original (77% of the pixels were cut) raw image shot with the 150-600 mm extended to full 600 mm and focused on the yellow eye. The bottom right image is the same extreme crop with a software cleanup. You can judge for yourself. til Tomorrow MJ
Red Necked Grebe
Friends, having a ball working with my new lens, sharper and faster focusing than my old lens, not to mention more magnification (600mm). This lens for the money is a real bargain, so far the only defect is my shooting technique, but i am practicing for that once in a lifetime shot. This red-necked grebe is shy and for two summers has eluded me, but i spied him thru the dense blue stem grasses along phantom lake and was able to photograph without a distracting background. I love the color of the lake when it is slightly choppy as in this image. til Tomorrow MJ
Adult Harrier
Friends, this Northern Harrier is probably an adult male and was hunting on an open field. You can see the blurred background as i panned with the bird in flight. This image was taken with my old 100-400mm lens, looking forward to working a similar image with my new 150-600mm lens. til Tomorrow MJ
Summer Wood Duck
Friends, this is two views of the same male wood duck molting into eclipse plumage. I included two images to show why i am a big proponent of continuous shooting mode. The top image shows the bird at a rest position, and the second while he is paddling and peeking. Sometimes when ducks are paddling, their backs look extended and elongated, while the top image shows a quiet duck. Which one do you like best?? til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge: Summer Lovin
Friends, i love photographing beauty in nature and especially macro work, so while nosing around the wild lilies,in my childhood we called them tiger lilies, i discovered a small butterfly nectaring inside the cup. He is a hairstreak and these small creatures are easily confused with the Karner Blue, a rare butterfly also found in Crex Meadows. til Tomorrow MJ
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/summer-lovin/ other contributions on this theme can be found at this link
Piggy Back Grebes
Friends, the adult grebes, like the loons, often carry the little grebes on their backs.This baby was hitching a ride for awhile but then the adult shook him off and went back to diving for food. The baby was left with a surprised look on his face. The eggs hatch one day apart so at first there is a wide range of chick sizes. til Tomorrow MJ
Pied Billed Grebes-A Family Portrait
Friends, these two adult pied billed grebes are feeding five youngsters and are working hard to keep up with their appetites. These birds are pretty small weighing less than a pound and getting close to them is a rare occasion. The chicks are very colorful and the adults often leave them perched in among the lily pads while they dive for underwater food. This is a family portrait taken late in the afternoon when i like to visit with them. I spent about two hours sitting by Phantom Lake in Crex Meadows and these images were gleaned from the 400 digital images that i shot, thank goodness it wasn’t film, it would have cost a fortune. til Tomorrow MJ
Feeding the Young
Friends, this mama/papa pied billed grebe is busy feeding five chicks. in these images she has caught a crayfish, crushed the head region and presents it to her largest chick. The smaller chick looks on in amazement while big brother maneuvers the beast to get it head first in the swallowing act. The adult birds feed the babies feathers to line their gut so these hard to digest prey don’t puncture the little ones intestines. Smart huh? til Tomorrow MJ
Hair on Fire
Friends, this female hooded merganser is leaving quickly, like her hair is on fire. They always give me a chuckle, with their feathers all in a tizzy. The perfect reproduction of her head feathers was reflected in the quiet waters of early spring I love this portrait of her taken before she built a nest and hatched some youngsters. til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 