Three Swans

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

Don't Fence Me In

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

I shot this last April near the Golden Gate Bridge.


--Warren

American Kestrel in Yellowstone

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

Gail and I were on the lookout for wildlife in Yellowstone, and we soon learned that the quickest clue to seeing where the wildlife was is to spot where the wildlife photographers are clustered. I'm referring to the really SERIOUS photographers who are using huge tripods, dslrs, and gigantic lenses. 

We spotted the above group, and we thought that they were waiting for a bear, but when we walked up and asked them, they said that they were shooting an American Kestrel nest. They were waiting for the female to fly into the nest, and apparently, they had been patiently waiting there for an hour or more. They were extemely touchy bordering on rudeness about people walking in front of their cameras for fear of their prize winning shot being ruined by someone's head in the frame. 

Well, I am a big fan of raptors of all kinds, so I was excited about the possibility of getting a shot of the bird at its nest too! While everybody had their big lenses aimed squarely at the nest, I with my handheld rig saw the birds flying around the nest. The birds are very careful about protecting their nest site, so they are very cautious about flying there, hence the long wait to catch the "perfect" shot.

I was able to grab some shots of the bird perched at nearby branches before the final series of it landing at the nest.

We were lucky, Gail and I only had to wait 10 minutes or so before the bird decided to land next to the nest, and fly into it.

After that, all the big lens people packed up and left to find the next photo opportunity. And I was very happy to be part of the gang who were there to capture that moment.

--Warren

You Looking at Me?

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

I shot this robin at Two Medicine Lake in Glacier National Park. The wildlife viewing and scenery were fantastic at Yellowstone NP, and the scenery was great in all three parks (Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and Glacier) that we visited.

What has everyone else been up to lately?

--Warren

Outnumbered

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm



--Warren

Stretch to the Sky

Lumix G1, Lumix 100-300mm

A nesting Great Blue Heron enjoys a stretch break.

--Warren

White Crowned Sparrow

Lumix LF1

This was taken today at Fort Myers, Land's End.

Still testing the LF1 under different conditions. The battery is rated at 250 shots, and I think the rating is totally bogus. I'll be lucky to get 100 shots on the first charge. I'll be buying an aftermarket kit that includes an external wall charger and two spare batteries. The LF1 does not come with a separate charge unit, the battery is charged in-camera.

--Warren

Blackbird

Lumix LF1



--Warren

Turkey Bird (Anhinga) in Everglades NP, April 2013

Lumix G5, Lumix 45-200mm

Carl posts reminded me that I saw these birds last year on the Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park when we visited there with Dolph and his wife. They are bizarre looking birds that we don't get to see here on the West Coast. They remind me of our cormorants though, and I think they are in the same family.

--Warren

Great Egret

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

Continuing with my series of bird and wildlife pictures, this was taken in the North Bay.

--Warren

Sunlit Wavelets

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

The ducks and birds were peacefully enjoying the late afternoon sun, one day at Stow Lake. I was attracted by the reflections and the light patterns on the waves, and I thought that the scene would make a nice black and white image.

--Warren

Birds in Motion - Sunday at the Atlantic Pier

It started out as a sad day for photography when I realized that there were no clouds in the sky, it was colder than anticipated and everything was flat, even the color. Then I snapped out of it and realized I was in paradise and it is impossible to not always have subjects to shoot. So with my 11-17 Tokina lens I crawled on my belly through the sand to get close enough to the Flock of mystery sea gulls in order to capture the first shot. After that I found even the pigeons were wonderful models. Turned out to be a fantastic day for learning and getting some of my favorite bird photos.

Blue Heron Mug Shot

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

It was looking straight at me. Straight-on shots are fun and often funny-looking  :) This was taken at the same time as the previous heron picture.

--Warren

Concentration

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

I often see this Great Blue Heron at Golden Gate Park near the Polo Fields. I wondered why he would stand right next to the road and totally ignore the passing cars, joggers, and walkers. The other day, I brought my camera with me and saw him there again, and I found out why. It's because he is too busy concentrating on hunting gophers! In this picture, he is staring at a gopher hole waiting for the gopher to stick its little head out of the hole. I watched as he snatched one out of the hole and fly away, but it all happened too fast for me to get a picture of that. But I did get some while he was being very still.

--Warren

American Kestrel at Half Moon Bay

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

I've been going to this section of Half Moon Bay for years because I read that at certain times, there is an abundance of raptors to be seen there. But every time I go there, I only see a few at a time.  I went there a couple of weeks ago, and this time was no different, I only saw this lone America Kestrel, also known as a Sparrow Hawk, roaming his territory. It's a small raptor that moves and flies quickly which makes it very difficult to photograph.

--Warren

Egret in Flight

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

It's always a challenge to get pictures of birds in flight, but it's fun.

--Warren

90 Birds

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

Yes, I counted :)

--Warren

The Non-Conformist

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

It was close to sunset time, and I think these birds were planning to settle down for the night, but that lone egret seemed a little out of place :).

--Warren

Backyard Bluebird

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

I happened to look out our back window one day, and saw a couple of bluebirds trying to eat our neighbor's apples on the apple tree. They pecked at them, but were unsuccessful because the apples were too hard.

I shot through a window, and there was some motion blur, but it still looks okay as a web photo. :)

--Warren

Crayfish Dinner

Lumix GF1, Lumix 100-300mm

This little lake is a favorite hunting place for Great Blue Herons. I went back here recently and saw this heron catch two crayfish for its dinner. :) It simply swallowed them whole!

--Warren

Crayfish #1

Crayfish #2