Posts in Category: p&s 4 wildlife
Kingfisher on a post.
While chasing dragons at my little local pond the other day, I head the unmistakable chatter, clatter, of a Kingfisher, looked up, and this fellow landed on the little ornamental bridge straight across the pond from me. In my opinion no bird has more personality…birdality?…than a Kingfisher. They are so full of themselves! I mean, look at this guy. Is that kingfisherality or what?
These were not easy photographs, for the camera. It was darkish (ISO 500 dark) and the bird was far enough away so I had to switch on the digital tel-converter. The dtc does wonders with close subjects, as an extension of the macro reach of the zoom, but it is less successful at distance. While the image looks good at this size, and right up to as large as it would take to fill all but the largest computer monitors, it breaks down when viewed at pixel peeping levels. More detail is suggested, by very clever in-camera processing, than is actually there.
Still, for grab shots from across a pond, they are not bad. And as portraits of kingfisherality, they are pretty satisfying.
Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation. 1680mm equivalent field of view. f5.8 @ 1/200th @ ISO 400 and 500. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.
Christmas in September: Common Green Darner
I was chasing one of the mosaic darners round and round the little pond where I do a lot of dragon and damselfly hunting, without success as the critter would not settle long enough for me to get on it with the camera, when this pair of Common Green Darners popped up to the ornamental Blue Spruce right in front of me, and right at eye-level. The late September afternoon sun was almost horizontal, picking out every detail and bringing out all the color of the pair. The tree was also right on the close edge of a little bay in the pond, which, though it limited my angle of approach, also put the background, across the bay, well out of focus. Perfect. These are such big dragons that I could easily fill the frame at 840mm equivalent, full optical zoom, without resorting to the digital tel-converter. Even better!
It was one of the members of the Northeastern Odonata group who saw the Christmas ornament connection when I posted it over there. So. Christmas in September. And that is appropriated in more ways than one, as a perched pair of Common Green Darners at eye-level in good light has to be considered a gift by any dragon fancier!
Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation. 840mm equivalent field of view. f5.8 @ 1/500th @ ISO 160. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.
Frog and Toad at Old Falls Pond
Old Falls Pond is the only place near home where I have found Northern Leopard Frogs. I am certain they are other places in York County, but I have not seen them. On the other hand, I see at least one on every visit to Old Falls Pond…and generally right in the same area. This tiny fellow, the size of a quarter, was hopping toward the pond, across the trail, and paused only long enough for a few pics. While it is an interesting creature all around, I find it especially interesting that the dark stripe on the face runs through the eye. I think that might be unique.
Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation. 1240mm equivalent field of view. f5.8 @ 1/400th @ ISO 160. One of the things I really like about the Canon SX40HS is the ability to fill the frame with will small stuff from 5 feet. It makes shots like this possible with minimal disturbance of the subject.
I found the frog on the way in to the pond. On the way out, I almost walked on this equally tiny Toad, which I am pretty sure is just a small American Toad. I used the same technique to photograph it, but by the time I found the Toad, the sun had gone behind clouds, and the this fellow was far less cooperative…it rarely sat more than a split second before the next hop…so I popped up the flash on the SX40 to give me enough light to catch the fidgety Toad in mid hop if necessary.
Even so, the exposure was f5.8 @ 1/60th @ ISO 400.
Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.
Canada Darner, Old Falls Pond, W. Kennebunk ME
The other day I detailed the Black-shouldered Spinylegs I found when I went to Old Falls Pond on the Mousam River looking for American Ruby-spots. The BsSl was not the only interesting Dragonfly I found. This Canada Darner, one of the large Mosaic Darners, was hung up on a small tree on my second visit to the marsh where the trail down from the road meets the pond. As it happens, this is my second encounter with a Canada. The first was a female depositing eggs at Factory Pasture Pond in mid July.
These are big, bright Dragons…the kind that can make Odonata watchers of almost anyone.
The side shot here is for identification purposes. The Mosaic Darners can be, mostly, identified on the basis of the stripes along the side of a thorax.
And this is pretty much ideal Canada Darner habitat. Old Falls Pond.
Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation. 1240mm equivalent field of view for the Dragons…840mm optical plus 1.5x digital tel-converter (except the female at 1680mm). The pond at 24mm. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.
Black-shouldered Spinylegs at Old Falls Pond: Happy Sunday!
With my new interest in Odonata (dragon and damselflies), I am beginning to look at the landscape of Southern Maine in a different way. I know where most of the good “classic” photo ops are, and I know, pretty much, where to go for most of the birds that either live here or pass through. But I am only learning where to go for dragons and damsels.
This is the season when the American Red-spot flies…and I really want to see one. American Ruby-spot is a close relative of the Ebony Jewelwing, a broad-winged damselfly, which I featured recently, but it has clear wings with bright “ruby” spots close in to the body.
Unfortunately it is not listed on Odonata Central as occurring in York county, nor is it featured in range maps covering the county in the USGS data base of Odonata, and notes I have read elsewhere place American Ruby-spot in Maine but not on the coastal plain. I live on the coastal plain. Still, there are places in York county that have the kind of “clean” swift running rivers with lots of exposed rocks that the American Ruby-spot likes. (I am confident of all of the above but the “clean” part.) So it is worth looking.
The nearest likely spot is about 10 miles inland, on a little stretch of the Mousam between Estes Lake and Old Falls Pond. The Mousam tumbles down over rock ledges and through boulders for a quarter mile or so, all in a rush. It is one of my favorite places for fall foliage, with the overhanging maples and the white water of the falls and rapids.
But now, with my new Odonata eyes, I have to look at it as possible American Ruby-spot habitat as well! Like I say, a whole new layer to the landscape.
Unfortunately the American Ruby-spot does not seem to see this little stretch of the Mousam the same way I do. There were none.
Not that it was not a worthwhile trip. The view and the music of the falling waters would be enough, but I found Palm Warblers, a tiny Northern Leopard Frog, an even smaller Toad, and several new or seldom seen dragons and damsels. The lead image is, as you might have guessed from the title, a Black-shouldered Spinylegs. It is a member of a large family of dragons (Gomphidae) which all have more or less broad tips on their abdomens (tails)…clubtails, snaketails, spinylegs, etc. The Black-shouldered Spinyleg favors waters very similar to the American Ruby-spot, though it will tolerate slower moving “muddy” streams, and oxygen-rich ponds and lakes, where you would not find the damsel.
The full body shot shows off the broad tail.
I had a job identifying this dragon…made more difficult by the fact that Odonata Central does not list Black-shouldered Spinyleg for York County, Maine either, nor does the USGS data base. In fact I posted pics to the North-east Odonata Facebook group just to me sure of my id.
In researching for this piece this morning, however, I visited the Maine Dragon and Damselfly Survey site. Maine is one of only a few states to have such a comprehensive, scholarly survey of Odonata, conducted over several years by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. I have not used the site much, since it makes few (as in no) concessions to the amateur dragon and damselfly fancier. It uses only Scientific names, and cryptic codes for distribution. Still, with a bit of Googling Latin names and a bit of common sense on the codes, I found that the Black-shouldered Spinyleg is indeed recorded for York County Maine. It was not seen in the first round survey in the late 90s…but it was added a more recent 2006 follow-up. So there!
And for the Sunday thought: My own knowledge of dragon and damselflies is miniscule. I am humbled by every encounter with the folks who really know…which is most of the regular posters on the North-east Odonata Facebook group, the authors of the guides I use, and those who maintain the web-sites…to name a few. But I have to consider that even the experts admit to knowing very little, comparatively, about Odonata…compared, of course, to what there is to know…compared to what we have yet to learn. Odonata from an interesting, highly visible and certainly vital layer in the life-scape, and yet even the authorities are not sure if something as striking and identifiable as Black-shouldered Spinyleg lives in York County Maine (or at least not in agreement).
I love learning new stuff. I love discovering new bugs and new birds and new frogs and new ways of seeing the landscape in which I live. It makes me feel more alive to have found a Black-shouldered Spinyleg along the Mousam between Estes Lake and Old Falls Pond. And everything I learn brings me closer to the Creator of All Things. The love of learning, the love of discovery, is a vital aspect of the love the God. When we stop learning, when we stop discovering, then love is dead. This is a true of the love between people as it is of our love of creation. We have one eye…it is either open or closed. If I am not discovering a new way to look at the landscape around me, then it is likely I am not discovering new things to love about the people around me. That is death.
And that, this morning, hits me right in the face! That challenges me. That makes me wonder what I don’t know about the people around me…it makes me wonder if I am not seeing the Black-shouldered Spinylegs of their souls…of their spiritual landscapes?
One thing gives me hope. That same Maine Dragon and Damselfly Survey that lists the Black-shouldered Spinyleg for York County Maine, also lists the American Ruby-spot! That is enough to keep me checking likely spots in the landscape.
And this morning’s Sunday thought, is, I hope, a timely reminder to check the spiritual landscape of those around me to see what I am missing that I might love (and better love). That is what it means to be alive. And that is what it takes to keep love alive.
Red Deer in the Oostvaardersplassen
While watching the Konik ponies from the observation tower at the Oostvaardersplassen on Sunday, a small band of Red Deer ran the full length of the Konik herd and around the near end on their way to the open plain beyond. There was a large crowd of Dutchmen in the tower, and they all rushed to the glass and exclaimed loudly for the whole run. I was able to wedge in at the far side of the window, shooting at a sharp angle through very dirty glass. Still!
Red Deer are the only “native” herbivore currently on the Oostvaardersplassen in any numbers…both the Konik ponies and the Heck cattle stand in for extinct species. There are also a few (maybe more than a few) Roe Deer who have wandered into the refuge from surrounding areas…naturally colonizing the new lands around Lelystad, but, a least in late summer, they do not form herds and are not as visible.
The Red Deer of the Oostvaardersplassen are the most heavily managed of the mammals. Being more fecund than either the Konik ponies or Heck cattle, they outstrip the available fodder every year…and the herd is cut off from other natural areas by dykes, expressways, rail lines, and miles of agricultural land. The plan was to build a system of wildlife corridors, and wildlife bridges where necessary, to connect the natural areas of Holland, and all of western Europe, but the economic crisis of the last few years has put it on hold. For now, every year the wildlife managers on the refuge have to cull the herd to remove animals that would not live through the winter. They are as humane as possible about it, but the fact remains that until the wildlife corridor system is complete it is a less than ideal solution.
None of that, of course, detracts from the beauty of the Red Deer. Rut season at the Oostvaardersplassen is a major tourist attraction in Holland, and you can book a day in a mobile blind to observe the Stags in their seasonal dominance battles.
I was interested in the interaction between the Konik ponies and the Red Deer. The Deer were of the “keep our heads down and pretend we don’t see them” mind, while the ponies were very aware of the deer passing through.
Eventually the herd of Red Deer got free of the herd of Koniks, and raced away to the dryer ground on the other side of the ponds, putting up the geese as they passed.
A Dutch gentleman, perhaps feeling the giddy enthuasium of his fellow countrymen in the observation tower needed some explaination, took me aside to say that, in Holland, the discussion has always been about “how to be man” and that the Dutch are just learning to respond to the very different rhythms of the natural world. With places like the Oostvaardersplassen, they have made a good start.
Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation. 840mm equivalent field of view. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness, and color balance (to compensate for the glass).
Wild Konik Ponies of the Oostvaardersplassen
I am just back from 3 days in Flevoland in the Netherlands, visiting the Oostvaardersplassen where the Dutch Birdfair was held again this year, for the first year since 2008. The Oostvaardersplassen is 22 square miles of sea-bed, reclaimed in 1968 with the rest of Flevoland, and now set aside as a nature reserve under the management of the State Forestry Service. It is a RAMSTAR important bird site, and is managed primarily for nesting and migrating birds…and is a major stop-over on the European migration. It consists of part of a large lake (the Markermeer), extensive reedbeds and wetlands, and a dryer upland area. If left on its own, the dryer area would quickly fill in with willow forest, eventually constricting and narrowing the marsh, making the area less attractive for birdlife. To keep the upland more open requires large grazing herbivores. Before human settlement, these would have been the Tarpin (wild horse), European Bison, Red Deer, Moose, and Auroch (wild cattle). To simulate natural conditions herds of Konik ponies, Heck cattle, and Red Deer have been established in the reserve and allowed to develop naturally. Both the Konik ponies and the Heck cattle are attempts to breed back to something like the original wild stock.
On Sunday, between intense rain storms, I hiked out to the observation tower overlooking the plains of the Oostvaardersplassen.
I had been there the day before and seen a few Heck cattle, two Roe deer, and three Konik ponies in the distance, but on Sunday, the whole herd of Koniks was relatively close to the tower. To cap the experience, the sun broke through for a few moments.
These images were taken through the very dirty glass of the observation tower and required extensive work with the spot removal tool in Lightroom, as well as some color balance adjustment.
The Konik ponies are beautiful animals in any light, and even through dirty glass.
All images Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness…color correction and spot removal.
Small Stuff in the Netherlands
Sometimes, you just have to look close. A friend and I were walking the main trail in the the Oostvaardersplassen in the Netherlands between rainstorms looking for birds, when, somehow, this fellow caught my eye in the reeds. It was so dark overhead and so dark down in the reed bed that I had to use the flash. Actually the tangle of reeds served as an ideal diffuser and made the lighting look very natural.
This is a macro at 24mm equivalent plus 1.5x digital tel-converter…which is my favorite macro combination…allowing a good image scale and a comfortable working distance.
I do not know what kind of snail it is. If I had taken it around home I would have looked it up, but I am not yet ready to go looking for Dutch snail sites on the internet.
f2.7 @ 1/60th @ ISO 125. Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.
Admiral from the Oostvaardersplassen
My post is late today because I am still in the Netherlands. I spent the day at the Dutch Birdfair and am only now back to my hotel and wifi.
This is an Admiral. I had to ask a local to be sure, but I was already tempted to call it that just based on the, at least superficial, similarity to our North American Admirals. It is by far the most common butterfly in this part of Holland at the moment.
Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation. f5.8 @ 1/400th @ ISO 125. 1680mm equivalent field of view.
Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.
Variable Dancer (Violet Dancer). Emmon’s Preserve
The Variable Dancer is, as its name implies, the only Dragon or, in this case, Damselfly which has three distinct subspecies which vary enough in appearance to warrant individual common names. This is the “Violet” Dancer of the north and northeast. There is also the “Smokey-winged Dancer” of the southeast, west to the Mississippi, and the “Black” Dancer of Florida.
But they are all the same species, and intergrades of all verities exist where there is overlap in territory. Maine is far enough from any other variant so it is safe to say this is a pure Argia fumipennis violacea. I like the interesting angle on this shot. It makes me smile, somehow.
The female is much plainer and much more difficult to sort from other Dancer females…except by proximity to the male, and tandem pairs, as in the 3rd shot, help a lot with that.
You have admit (or at least I have to admit) that the violet color on this damselfly is quite striking.
Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation. 1680mm equivalent field of view. f5.8 @ 1/320th to 1/1000th @ ISO 200 to 400. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.