I was originally planning to hold off on this post, in the hopes of including some photos of the super blood moon eclipse… but it’s mostly overcast here at 4:45pm, and it seems pretty unlikely that it will clear in time to see anything. C’est la vie.
This week has seen me finally sort out the annoying camera spots (sensor dirt, so time for a trip to the service centre). I’ve also started having a somewhat annoying issue with my Tamron 150mm-600mm; it occasionally will register f0 and stop working. I need to turn the camera off, unmount and remount to get it back to normal. Sadly it seems like it is a common problem after doing some research; so that might end up taking a trip to a service centre too.
Hardware issues aside, I’ve managed to remember my camera on most of my walks this week, and was prepared to capture what I saw along my walks. I hope you enjoy!
A black billed magpie flying through the fog. 1/800sec, f6.3, ISO 2000I like this shot because it shows off the beautiful wing tips. 1/800sec, f6.3, ISO280The wire perch was to my advantage, as the fog wasn’t as much of an issue. 1/800sec, f6.3, ISO 6400One wildflower clings on, it’s neighbour having already given in to the chill of autumn. 1/160sec, f6.3, ISO800Earlier this week, a Mom with a fairly large fawn spent some time in the front yard; again I saw them when heading out for our afternoon walk. These ones were far less comfortable with my presence and hopped off deeper into the bushes very quickly. 1/500sec, f6.3, ISO2800A couple days in a row, this ruffled grouse was in the long grasses at the roadside (I couldn’t see him at all) and when Spencer and I walked within about 20 feet, he shot off noisily deeper into the bushes. On this occasion, he flew straight towards us and passed within about 5 feet, but it allowed me to track him to his perch in a evergreen tree, and finally get a few better shots. Still not ideal with the low light and the fog, but an improvement nonetheless. 1/640sec, f6.3, ISO 6400Looks at the fluffy legs! 1/640sec, f6.3, ISO4000Cow-moo-flage. A pair of calves nearly disappear within the tall grass. 1/800sec, f7.1, ISO 6400Just as I was leaving to take Spencer for his afternoon walk, I noticed this young deer grazing in my back yard. He spent a few moments watching me watch him, before getting back to eating. 1/1000sec, f8, ISO 2200Nibbling on some select bushes. 1/1000sec, f8.0, ISO 1600This little chickadee was clinging quite precariously to a branch, almost upsidedown. I like how the autumn leaves create a frame for the bird. 1/800sec, f6.3, ISO1000
A gorgeous female leopard lounges on a fallen tree. I love the positioning of her head and the curl of her tail. I even like the harsh shadows, as it shows she was out and about long after leopards are usually tucked away for the day to beat the heat. 1/1600sec, f7.1, ISO 640 Monochrome conversion using Nik Silver Efex Pro
Well, Sunday came and went, and there were just more tasks than hours in the day… so I’m a day later than I had planned for this post. C’est la vie. I’ve had the sad realization this week that there is some pretty significant dust inside one of my lenses, and from research nothing to be done for it, except embrace the clone stamp tool as needed! Thankfully it’s in a spot that can normally be cropped out, and as I’m usually concentrating on wildlife, it’s not that big a deal.
Here are a few photos from my wandering last week. I hope you enjoy!
I love the hint of autumn colours coming in here.The leaves are turning… and already falling.An early morning self portrait with Spencer. This was my one opportunity to be tall and leggy!I’m waffling between calling this a red tailed hawk and a northern harrier. I really do have trouble with raptor ID. The light wasn’t great and he (or she) didn’t stick around long enough to get any better photos.Wispy fog and wispy clouds.A beautiful foggy morning.On our way home from an early evening walk, Spencer stopped for a roll in the grass (one of his favourite things to do on a sunny day) and positioned himself perfectly for some photos. I couldn’t resist an impromptu pet portrait session.
Here are a few photos from my wanderings in the past week, that I thought would look interesting converted to monochrome.
Have a great Monday!
A bit of an odd photo, but I like it, so I included it. I just loved the way the frost glistened on the hood of this truck. If I wasn’t on my way off to walk with Spencer, I would have gone back for my macro lens and played around; given we are just moving into fall, I guess I’ll have lots more opportunities! 1/3200sec, f5.6, ISO 320A few of the wildflowers have hung on despite the frost, but these ones seemed resigned to summer having passed. 1/800sec, f5.6, ISO 500Some of the roadside tall grasses, coated with frost and catching the early morning sun. 1/800sec, f5.6, ISO 1250
What did I see this week? The start of autumn! We’ve had frost several times now, and while it heats up as soon as the sun comes up, it certainly is chilly on my early morning walks with Spencer. I’ve even had to get out his sweater already. Hopefully there will be some lovely leaves changing colour in the coming weeks.
I had some interesting bird sightings this week, I hope you enjoy.
To me, it looks like these tree branches are trying to grab the moon.I spotted some movement in the underbrush, and thought it might be a rabbit. Instead, it turned out to be a pair of ruffled grouse. The photo is lacking, but it was good enough to get an ID on the bird when I got home.I was happy to get some photos in time to be able to ID this bird. As best as I can tell, it is a yellow-dumped warbler (Audobon’s). There was a group of them hanging around the yard. According to my bird app, our area is only part of their migratory route, so I guess I will be seeing them again in the springtime when they are on their way further north.I think he spotted me!
I spent some time today with the hairy woodpecker family (I posted a few photos of them last week as well). The light today was far better, and the birds were so much closer 🙂I believe this is one of the juveniles. The bird was on its own for most of the time I was photographing it. When I passed the spot I first saw it again on the way home from my walk, the whole family was together.
After seeing this challenge, I decided to go through the photos I took of fish eagles throughout my last trip to Southern Africa. I saw them from a lot of different vantage points, including from above, which is a unique way to watch birds.
I hope you enjoy!
Looking into the river, looking for the next meal. 1/1000sec, f10, ISO 400This juvenile fish eagle was perched in a tree across from my room. The branches in the background are distracting, but I couldn’t ask him to move, and I didn’t want to spend ages photoshopping them out. 1/32sec, f5.6, ISO100The tilt of the head shows off the hooked book. 1/320sec, f5.6, ISO 100An attempt at dinner as the light fades. This time, he was unsuccessful. 1/800sec, f5.6, ISO 6400A view from behind.1/800sec, f7.1, ISO 800Watching a fish eagle fly from above, during a helicopter tour of the Okavango Delta. 1/1000sec, f9.0, ISO 900Capturing a fly by. 1/250 sec, f5.6, ISO 160A pair of fish eagles perch along the river. 1/200sec, f7.1, ISO 200Flying off into the sunset. 1/800sec, f5.6, ISO 2200
