nature – Page 72 – Jennifer Sawicky Photography

March 13, 2016

2016-03-13: What I’ve seen this week

Last Sunday brought clear skies and a showing of the aurora; unfortunately I knew I would be really busy Monday morning, and decided to just hang around the yard and snap a few photos. I did see a few glimpses, but I’m sure if I would have headed for an area with fewer tall trees, the view would have been outstanding.

I spent a bit of time outside today watching, and photographing, the redpolls. I don’t think they will be here for much longer, but I know their absence will be filled with other birds heading back after wintering further south.

Signs of spring are all over the place; tree branches in bud, and more visible ground than snow, though yesterday we had quite the afternoon storm with driving wind, hail and a bit of snow. My attempts to photograph the near sideways hail left me flat.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week; here are the photos.

20160313_What I've seen this week-3 — Aurora glow and a satellite passing by.

20160313_What I've seen this week-2 — The house, garage and forest getting in the way of a clear shot!

20160313_What I've seen this week-5 — The hairy woodpecker stopped by one morning for some suet and to browse the trees in the back yard.

20160313_What I've seen this week-4

20160313_What I've seen this week-7 — The lovely redpolls. I will be sad to see them leave, they are very spirited and chirpy in the yard.

20160313_What I've seen this week-6

March 11, 2016

2016-03-11: Feel Good Friday

I came across the hashtag #FeelGoodFriday on a photo this morning, and not only was it a beautiful image that made me smile, but it inspired me to pick a photo pf my own as a feel good Friday photo.

This is one I have wanted to edit for a while, and doing so has made me happy. The light in the desert of Namibia is so magical, I hope I captured a bit of that.

Enjoy, and TGIF!

March 11, 2016

2016-03-11: Impala Rut

If you’re in Southern Africa in the autumn (April/May) you’ll be there during the impala rut. And believe me, you’ll find yourself uttering the same phrase I did repeatedly “What on earth was that noise?”

I still don’t understand how a creature like this, can make a sound like that. To hear it for yourself, check out sound number two on this website.

Both in Botswana and South Africa, we heard a lot of noise and commotion, and saw a few different groups of bachelors going crazy, running and jumping and locking horns.

20160311_Impala Rut.jpg — That’s the face that goes along with the noise. So attractive!

20160311_Impala Rut-2 — Is this what the ladies do when they hear that sound and see that face??? 🙂 I was in the right place at the right time to watch a herd of impala bounce through the bushes. This is a composite of 5 different photos.

20160311_Impala Rut-4 — A clash of horns.

20160311_Impala Rut-5 — Racing around, making noise, fighting about who is the manlier man.

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20160311_Impala Rut-6

Unfortunately, the guys kind of lose their minds during this time, and throw their normal caution and vigilance to the wind. The result…

20160311_Impala Rut-3 — They end up as a snack for a hungry pride of lions (or leopards, cheetah, wild dog, hyaena). This was actually a very interesting sighting in itself, you can see more about it here.

March 9, 2016

2016-03-09: Wordless Wednesday

20160309_Wordless Wednesday.jpg

March 7, 2016

2016-03-07: Monochrome Monday & WPC Muse

I decided to combine my usual Monochrome Monday with a WPC topic of the week: Muse. What topic do I return to time and time again? What subject inspires me? What am I ALWAYS excited to photograph?

If you’ve read this blog for more than a week, you’ll know the answer, it’s easy:

Elephants 🙂

I’d happily spend a day, a week, a lifetime in the presence of elephants. Photographing them of course, but more importantly just being in their presence, enjoying their rumbles and trumpeting, feeling the vibrations of their communications at levels we can’t hear, revealing in their beautiful, peaceful nature.

Here are a couple photos that popped out at me this time for editing and posting.

Enjoy, and have a wonderful week.

20160307_Monochrome Monday-2 — A bull elephant grazing at breakfast time. The sun was at the perfect angle for a lovely shadow of his trunk on the ground behind him. Timbavati, May 2015

20160307_Monochrome Monday-3 — The perfect fly swatter.

20160307_Monochrome Monday — Shade is in short supply in the Damaraland desert. A family of elephants take turns under the shade of a small tree. Damaraland Camp, April 2015

Note – this isn’t the current WPC topic of the week… not even close. But when I was looking for the current one, this spoke one spoke to me. Onto Harmony later in the week.

WPC Muse

March 6, 2016

2016-03-06: Cee’s Black and White Challenge – Pairs

20160306_CB&W Penguins.jpg — A pair of chicks and a pair of parents on Cape Town’s Boulders Beach.

CB&W

March 6, 2016

2016-03-06: What I’ve seen this week

I took my camera with me everywhere this past week, but just didn’t have any inspiration to use it. It happens sometimes! Last night though was brilliantly clear, so I headed outside for a couple shots of the stars. I was too tired to head anywhere more exciting then my front yard though.

Here are a couple shots from last night.

Have a great week everyone!