Turtle's Life

Lumix G1, Lumix 100-300mm

Continuing to post shots from Stow Lake, turtles sunning on a log. Turtle's Life: sunning, eating, swimming, sleeping, I'd like to do that.

--Warren

A Great Lunch Spot

Lumix G1, Lumix 100-300mm



--Warren

Turtle Togetherness

Lumix G1, Lumix 100-300mm



--Warren

Stretch to the Sky

Lumix G1, Lumix 100-300mm

A nesting Great Blue Heron enjoys a stretch break.

--Warren

Spring is Here

Lumix G1, Lumix 100-300mm

A Canada Goose gosling, seen today at Stow Lake.

--Warren

A Big Field

Lumix LF1

For our monthly project...


--Warren

Ripples

Lumix LF1

I'm still exploring my LF1, this time during a walk in Golden Gate Park in the late afternoon.

--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

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

Flower with Rim LIghting

- Soft -

Nikon D200, Nikkor 35mm f2.0 AI

Flower in Sunset Light

"Soft"

Nikon D200, Nikkor 35mm f2.0 AI 

 --Warren

Fly Fishing Lines

October 2013 Project: "Lines That Don't Like Being Lines"

Seen at the Golden Gate Park fly casting pools. There was a competition going on that morning.

Lumix G5, Nikkor-H 50mm f2

--Warren

Late Afternoon Joggers

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

This was taken close to sunset time in Golden Gate Park.

--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

Stepping Stones

Olympus E-P1, Olympus 17mm f2.8


--Warren

Great Blue Heron in Golden Gate Park

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

I was shooting this Great Blue Heron right before I took those photos of the hawk.

I was wondering what that interesting looking vegetation was in the lake. It seems to be taking over the entire surface of the lake.

--Warren

No Fear #3

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

Here's a picture of the whole bird. It was cold that day, so it fluffed itself up, which made it look like an owl.

Note the wicked looking talons (claws).

--Warren

No Fear #2

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

A frontal portrait of "messy face". :)

--Warren

No Fear

Lumix G5, Lumix 100-300mm

Sometimes, good things happen when you least expect it. I often see Red-tailed Hawks at Golden Gate Park and I've always wanted to get some pictures of them there. The last few times that I tried, however, I didn't see them at all. Yesterday, I went out to the park with the intention of shooting pictures for our Fog/Mist project. After I was done with that, I continued to walk and ended up photographing a Great Blue Heron at a small lake. While I was doing that, a woman walked up to me and told me about an owl just a little ways up the road. She said that her dogs walked right up to it, and it didn't move at all. When she took me to it, I discovered that it wasn't an owl, but it was actually a young Red-tailed Hawk perched on a 2 ft. high rock!

I started off by taking pictures of it from afar, around 40 feet away our so. I kept walking closer and closer, and the hawk remained calm. It simply sat on its perch and calmly continued to scan the area (for food). It seemed to have no fear of humans (or much else for that matter). While I was there, it spotted something come out of a nearby bush, and it immediately swooped over to it, caught it, and ate it. After it finished its small meal, it went back to its hunting perch and resumed scanning. I worked my way to within 10 feet of it! I could have stayed there all day with it. This is one of the most amazing raptor experiences for me that I've ever had, and it is something that I've always hoped for.

I chose to post this picture first because I liked its expression, which shows its fierce, predatory appearance as it scanned the area. You can see that its beak is still bloody and messy from the recent meal.

--Warren