Posts in Category: p&s 4 wildlife
Sand Lizard. Germany.
I spent much more time in the countryside in Germany on this last trip than I have ever before. While I did not see a lot of wildlife, except for birds, I did see some. This the Sand Lizard, perhaps the most common native lizard in Germany. I love the patterns and the colors here!
Canon SX50HS at 1800mm equivalent field of view (full zoom plus 1.5x digital tel-converter). Program with iContrast and -1/3EV exposure compensation. f6.5 @ 1/500th @ ISO 800. Processed on the go in PicSay Pro on the Nexus 7 FHD.
Goldfinch
For some reason there have been a lot of Goldfinches around this summer…more than I can remember in any recent year. I found this one in my photo prowl to Quest Ponds in search of dragonflies yesterday. Who can resist a nicely posed Goldfinch…even if slightly fluffed up? 🙂
Canon SX50HS at 1800mm effective field of view. Program with -1/3 EV exposure compensation.
Cabbage Whites. Happy Sunday!
I took many butterfly pictures in England, Germany, and Holland this trip. My impression was that there were many more butterflies in England than I had seen on past trips (confirmed by locals), and I was certainly impressed by the numbers of Small Tortoiseshells in Holland…though my Dutch friends tell me that butterfly numbers overall, according to a national butterfly survey, are down. With large, showy butterflies like Peacocks, Admirals, and even Maps to photograph, I was not paying much attention to the ever-present Cabbage (or Large) Whites. There were literally every where I went, and, on the Oostvaarderplassen in Holland you could count…or rather…you could not have counted their numbers in any effective way. There were just too many, and they were too mobile. Their mobility is one of the reasons I was basically ignoring them, photographically, at least. I have tried Whites before, and I know they simply do not, in the general course of things, pose long enough for a satisfying shot.
So it came to the last day of my trip (or the last non-travel day), and I still did not have a good shot of a Cabbage White. It was Sunday, and I was still at the Dutch Bird Fair on the Oostvaarderplassen. I decided, after my talk in the big tent and some lunch to fortify me, to push myself around the loop of trails out to the observation deck and back one more time. And, I thought, perhaps I should at least try to get a Cabbage White.
My first attempts were a pair attempting to mate, with the male in constant motion above the female. Flight shots. But then I found several piles of fresh Konig Pony poop, which is evidently ambrosia for Cabbage Whites. Clusters of them! And sitting relatively still. Finally, the shot above…with a pair posed in as nicely as you could want!
Canon SX50HS at 1800mm equivalent field of view. My usual modifications to Program. f6.5 @ 1/1000th @ ISO 320. Processed in PicSay Pro on the Google Nexus 7 FHD.
And for the Sunday thought: If it did not happen so often, I certainly would not believe it, but, in my photographic life (and my life in general), I have come to rely on God’s intervention…that is on the intelligence and intent, not to mention absolute good will and undeserved love, of the universe as expressed in the natural world around me. God is, to my way of thinking, (and among many more incomprehensible attributes), the personality of all that is…and I can not escape the conclusion, based on daily experience, that God wishes me well, wants my wellness, and actively works toward that end. Oh, I can, and do, frustrate God’s work in my life. I will insist on having my own way, too much of the time…but even when I am acutely willful, God is gentle and gracious to make the most of my bad decisions. Yeah, I know. Too good to be true…and, once more, I certainly would not believe it if it did not happen so often…daily…hour by hour.
In this case, I merely half formed the wish that I would find some cooperative Cabbage Whites. And based on experience, I half formed it as a prayer, or at least in the full awareness that I have no…absolutely no…control over Cabbage White behavior…and that I was asking a lot of God (who I have to assume does have at least a measure of control over Cabbage White behavior) just wishing for a well posed shot. And…wouldn’t you know it…God came through! I have a whole set of the best Cabbage White shots of my photographic life. In fact, I was done with Cabbage Whites before they (or God) were done with me. I had so many good opportunities on that walk! I can only hope I made the most of them, which is, I have also learned, my gift back to God.
God is. God is good. God is good to me. And, in face of Cabbage Whites, once more I can not escape those conclusions!
Red Deer on the Oostvaardersplassen, Holland
The Oostvaarderplassen is an almost accidental wildlife refuge in the new lands of Holland around Lelystad. The area flooded after it was diked and drained and before it could be reclaimed, migrating birds, in particular, found it and claimed it as their own. It became a instant birding and wildlife observation destination for thousands of Dutch and European nature lovers. The Dutch government recognized the situation, and after a considerable struggle, set the land aside, unreclaimed, as a refuge. However it soon began to fill with volunteer forest, and the marshes the birds favored were threatened with natural filling and overgrowth by trees. To keep the refuge open and accessible to birds, large grazing animals had to be introduced. An attempt was made to recreate the natural balance of life that might have filled the area in prehistoric times. Heck cattle, the result of a breeding-back to original stock project in Poland, were introduced to stand in for the wild aurchos of the time, along with Konig Ponies, the result of a similar breeding program for horses. Red Deer, somewhat mingled with North American Elk, were introduced in place of the wild herds of ancient times, and Roe Deer entered from the surrounding area and established themselves, along with all the common small mammals of the area…fox, badger, squirrels, hares, etc.
The plan was to build “wildlife bridges” over major highways and railways to allow free flow of the population along wildlife corridors to and from other refuges further inland and in Germany. Construction was started on two, but, due to the economic crisis of the past few years, neither was finished. The Osstvaarderplassen is an example of an isolated, closed, and largely overpopulated attempt at “rewilding.” It has to be aggressively managed to maintain a healthy population, especially of the large mammals, and especially of Red Deer.
These Red Deer were feeding near a larger herd of Konig Ponies and allowed me to walk within about 50 yards of them (and several 100 yards from the Ponies), as I passed along my way back from the observation tower behind the brand new Visitor’s Center. They were clearly aware of me as both they and I were right out in the open meadow, but seemed relatively unconcerned. It was certainly a special moment for me. I will post some of the shots of the Konig Ponies in future days.
Canon SX50HS at 1800mm equivalent field of view (full zoom plus 1.5x digital tel-converter). Program with my usual modifications. f6.5 @ 1/1000th @ ISO 320. Processed on the Google Nexus 7 in PicSay Pro.
Small Tortoiseshell in Abundance. Happy Sunday!
I saw a few Small Tortoiseshell butterflies in England, and several in Germany, but there in Holland they seem to be the dominant species right now, outnumbering even the Cabbage Whites. Such a beauty! And perched (and feeding on) the purple flowers makes the beauty just that much more obvious. I took way too many Tortoise shell pics 🙂
Canon SX50HS at 1800mm equivalent (full zoom plus 1.5x digital tel-extender). Program with -1/3 EV exposure compensation. Processed in PicSay Pro on the Nexus 7.
And for the Sunday Thought. I am on the 10th day of a 12 day swing through England, Germany, and Holland. The trip has centered on birds, butterflies, dragonflies, and nature observation in general, and on optics for nature observation (which is, after all, my business). I have seen parts of Germany I have never seen before and, though I have visited Rutland Water in the UK many times and the Oostvaardersplassen in Holland just a year ago, there is always something new to see. And my business puts me in contact with people, wherever I go, who are as interested in nature and nature observation as I am. It is a good life 🙂 and I am reminded of that every time I have to explain my job to a new acquaintance, as I have done many time on this trip. God is good. What else can you say? Happy Sunday.
Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly: England
While there are many more Peacock Butterflies flying than I have seen on any previous visit to the UK, they are not the only butterflies visiting the flowers at Rutland Water. This is a Small Tortioseshell Butterfly, easily lost in the flight of Peacocks but worth more than a glance when spotted.
Samsung Smart Camera WB250F in Program mode. Macro focus. -1/3EV exposure compensation. About 600mm equivalent. Processed in PicSay Pro on the Nexus 7.
English Peacock
I am always delighted to get to England while the Peacock butterflies are flying, and they are flying in great numbers among the flowers at Rutland Water this year.
This is a shot from outside the Optics Marquee at the British Bird Fair, taken with the Samsung Smart Camera WB250F. Processed in PicSay Pro on the 2013 Nexus 7.
Eye-candy! Clamp-tipped Emerald
This is one those encounters that keeps me looking for and at dragon and damselflies. I will never become an Odonata expert. There is just too much to learn, but I totally enjoy photographing the species I find around home and in my travels. This is, I am pretty sure, Â the Clamp-tipped Emerald. There are lots of Emerald Dragonflies…all with the characteristic green eyes. According to Odonata Central, the Clamp-tipped is not recorded for York County Maine, so I am going to have to check my ID, but the male appendages on this bug are pretty distinctive, and everything else about it is right.
Whatever it is though, it is certainly an amazing creature. And it does not hurt that it chose to perch among the red berries either! Emmons Preserve (Kennebunk Land Trust) in Kennebunkport Maine.
Canon SX50HS at 2400mm equivalent field of view from about 8 feet…handheld. Program with -1/3EV exposure compensation. f6.5 @ 1/640th @ ISO 800. Processed in Lightroom.
Tickled. Happy Sunday!
So, I have been in Virginia for a week of marketing meetings, with limited photo opportunities. I got a very itchy shutter button finger! First thing Saturday morning I gassed up my scooter and headed out for a photoprowl. First stop, the Kennebunk Plains to check the Blazing Star bloom…more on that one day soon…and then on to Old Falls Pond and the stretch of the Mousam River there to check for dragonflies, etc. etc.
At Old Falls Pond I was delighted to find a stand of Cardinal Flower. I am pretty sure I have never seen it in Maine before, though it was common in the Southwest when I lived there. I find that it is actually native to the East Coast, from Canada to Florida. The southwest variety is a different species, though essentially the same flower. It is, of course, a stunning plant. In the right habitat it is both tall and showy, and there is nothing in nature quite so red as the red of the blooms. I was on my way over to the stand, which was right on the edge of the river, with my camera all set to macro, when I saw the Slaty Skimmers and Blue Dashers buzzing around it. Wouldn’t it be perfect, I thought, as I drew closer, if a dragonfly landed on the Cardinal lower…and just then a Slaty Skimmer did! Of course I had the wrong camera in hand, and the wrong setting on the camera I had. By the time I fumbled through menus and got the setting changed, the bug was gone. There is one good thing about Slaty Skimmers (all Skimmers) though. They return to a favored perch many times. I got the camera set (I did not dare to take time to get out my long zoom…and I was really too close anyway…so I stuck with the Samsung Smart Camera’s limited reach), and the dragonfly did indeed return and pose on the Cardinal Flower for a few shots. After I had my shots, I got out the Canon SX50HS, but, though I waited 10 minutes, and returned to the stand of Cardinal Flowers on my way back upstream and waited some more, the Slaty Skimmer never perched on the flowers again.
Samsung Smart Camera WB250F. Program with -1/3EV exposure compensation. Macro focus setting. 416mm equivalent field of view. f5.6 d@ 1/90th @ ISO 400. Processed in PicSay Pro on the 2013 Google Nexus 7.
And for the Sunday thought: I sometimes think our creator God has to enjoy the delight we show when we are surprised by the unlikely beauty of moments like a Slaty Skimmer perched on Cardinal Flower beside a stream in Southern Maine. These things happen too often to be any kind of accident. And though I do go out consciously and eagerly looking for them, I would not do that without some measure of confidence, based on past experience, that they do happen…that it is reasonable and right to go looking for them. Cardinal Flowers. Blue dragonflies. What kind of theory of randomness would bring them together just as I walked up with a camera in hand? And yet…there it is!
And, honestly, what can you be if not thankful? Okay God. Yes, you got me again. Tickled me good. Thank you.
And doesn’t most of the fun in tickling, belong to the tickler?
Dynamic Duo!
Like Batman and Robin, only Odonata style! The Twelve Spotted Skimmer and the Widow Skimmer are by far the most common of the larger dragonflies in southern Maine this summer. They both showed up early, and have maintained very high numbers through the season. I know some of the towns here in Maine sell dragonfly nymphs as “mosquito control”, and it looks to me that this year most of the nymphs sold were 12spots and widows. 🙂
Canon SX50HS. Backed off from full zoom so I could get both bugs in the shot, but still on 1.5x digital tel-extender. Maybe 1400mm equivalent. f6.5 @ 1/1000th @ ISO 640. Processed in Lightroom.