Monday in Nature Weekly Photo Feb. 24, 2014

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<p ><strong >Basic Guidelines</strong>: Nature based subject matter. Please, declare captive subjects. Keep your image at/under 700 pixels on the long axis for in-line viewing and try to keep file size under 300kb. Note that this includes photos hosted off-site at Flicker, Photobucket, your own site, etc. Do you have a series of great shots to compliment your post? Please, tell us where they are so we can see them.</p>

<p ><em >In the strictest sense, nature photography should not include hand of man elements. Try to minimize man made features, keep the focus on nature, and let common sense be your guide. <strong >Let's make this a true Photo of the Week and only post 1 image per week.</strong></em></p>

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<p>Monday Morning Greetings,<br>

It comes in many forms at all latitudes. There are numerous words in many languages for different types. It sounds like a very soft muffled whisper when it falls. On any given day we love or loath it. Individually, they do little. Collectively these benign crystals form glaciers and sculpt mountains. Snowflakes are fascinating. The white stuff lives in popular culture as well as nature. We've heard that no two are alike. "...Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes" are certainly among "My Favorite Things". Wasn't Star Trek's Crystalline Entity just a big menacing interstellar pile of snowflakes? Need a good laugh? Watch the movie "Ice Age"</p>

<p>Snow is magic for photographers. From stunning and revealing landscapes to macro work, snow in all it's forms is almost irresistible. "Snowflake" Wilson Bentley was the first to photograph a single snowflake in 1885. The equipment has changed some, but the appeal and beauty of the subject remains the same. A video of snowflakes growing was kindly shared by a photo.net member. You can see the video<a href="http://petapixel.com/2014/02/23/mesmerizing-time-lapse-captures-formation-snowflake/#more-130272"> HERE</a>. Sometimes snow is such a pain. It's a genuine hassle when the snow plow knocks your mail box into the next county. But, sharing the moment of a child playing in snow for the first time is pretty special. Snow falling is one of the many beautiful sights in nature.</p>

<p>It's Monday. If you can, catch yourself a flake and look close. They're beautiful...naturally</p><div></div>

<p>That's beautiful, Laura. Nicely done!</p>

<p>We got a reprieve from the cold weather this weekend with a little teaser of Spring-like temps in the upper 60s. Brought this fellow out for some sun basking.</p><div></div>

<p>Love the snowflake and turtle shots. These two were doing some house hunting this weekend before the next %^#$@ snow, which might fall this week. Maybe I'll have to try on of those snowflake shots to keep my spirits up!</p>

<p>Bill</p><div></div>

<p>While the zen-like starkness of crystalline white is in many ways symbolic of a more simplistic life, far removed from & posing a counter point to the hurly-burly dourness of our modern times .... I got tired of it, went into the greenhouse for some color. This week many shades of fuchsia.</p><div></div>

<p>This guy was most intrigued by the birdseed scattered in front of my apartment.<br>

<a title="squirrel_sm by outwithmycameraVA, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/outwithmycamera13/12737915154/"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2864/12737915154_deda573d8a_z.jpg" alt="squirrel_sm" width="456" height="640" /></a></p>

<p>Purple Finch from yesterday...</p><div></div>

<p><strong><em>Ladder-Back Woodpecker</em></strong> found a couple of days ago at Pedernales Falls State Park in central Texas. </p><div></div>

<p>Moss in rain. Taking the photo is much easier than identifying the moss. <em>Grimmia</em> anyone?</p><div></div>

<p>Joshua Tree.</p><div></div>

<p>Mark, that Tammy looks pretty sharp at 600mm.....was that handheld or tripod ?</p>

<p>my only nature shots this past week were of a red tail hawk circling above my house and this raccoon i captured thru my back window right before sunset</p><div></div>

<p>A cold, gloomy day. </p>

<p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17685957-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="547" /></p>

<p>Hi Laura.<br>

You are truly an impassioned poet. We are most fortunate to greet the week with such beautiful sentiments. <br>

<br />My shot this week came as quite a surprise to me.I was having dinner with the family at our back door when I noticed a little movement through the window behind the house. Understand I live in one of those rather bland sterile suburban neighborhoods so its not that there is usually a lot of interesting wildlife about. But sure enough there was a Virginia Opossum wandering out behind the house. Pretty odd behavior because, of course, they are normally nocturnal. Any way I ran, grabbed a camera and got off a few shots before it took off (after convincing my wife that it wasn't a 'giant rat'.<br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17692522-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="451" /><br>

Virginia Opossum, Carmel, IN. Pentax K3, 55-300mm ISO 400</p>

<p>Hey Bill.</p>

<p>You are out at Pedernales Fall,eh? Boy it's been a long time since I was there. I guess its the wrong time to be out there and see Golden-cheeked Warblers or Black-capped Vireos. Lovely place.</p>

<p>Beautiful images to start the week. I hope mine falls within the nature theme. While much if the country has been shivering the almonds have blossomed here in Central California. The ground is white in places from the dropped petals. I do wonder how the crop will fare with the continuing drought and water being tightly regulated.</p><div></div>

<p>Brown Pelican, La Jolla, California</p><div></div>

<p>Mark, thanks. Credit goes to Rick for assistance in pp with cleaning up the background. I had the vision, but he had the technical savvy. <br>

Doug, you should hear me on my way to the coffee pot in the morning...............it's impassioned all right ;-)</p>

 

<p>Two cormorants fighting over a fish. Taken at the Anhinga Trail in the Everglades NP last Wednesday. The one in front had caught a fish, and the other chased him around the pond for about 20 minutes or so. It was comical to watch. I was using my 500 mm lens + a 2x TC on a 1D Mark IV, and the viewfinder at f/8 was so dark I could barely see what I was photographing. So I held the hammer down on the shutter release, taking 5-6 shots at a time. I didn't know what I had until I got back to the hotel. This was one of two I was relatively happy with. Too bad they were moving away from me instead of toward me. But it is what it is.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, at the end, the cormorants lost the fish.</p><div></div>

<p>From warmer days back in 2012. A small flock of sheep.</p><div></div>

<p>I was doing some plumbing work in the loft and came across a couple of small wasp nests, about the size of golf balls, attached to the rafters. I am hoping these are the solitary wasps which mind their own business and not the ones where the nests get bigger and bigger until in late summer they make a bid for world domination. I shall keep an eye on them.</p><div></div>

<p>Wonderful shots everyone ! Laura great snowflake , quite difficult to photograph.<br>

My shot is of a hummer trying to get out of the rain.<br>

Hope you enjoy</p>

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<p><strong>Sub-Adult Bald Eagle</strong></p>

<p><a title="Sub-adult by dcstep, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3760/12708002764_fb4534dbab_c.jpg" alt="Sub-adult" width="800" height="534" /></a></p>

<p>Swans on the bank of the Snake River in Swan Valley, Idaho. As the name would imply, this is a reliable place to see swans in the winter since the water remains, at least partially,unfrozen.</p><div></div>

<p>Last week in my backyard.</p><div></div>

<p>Bill,<br>

Looks like it is a good time to be out shooting Ladder-Backs at Pedernales Falls SP. Here is mine from this weekend, it was wonderful weather for camping. If anyone cares about different types of bird feet, this shot gives a great view of what it means to be Zygodactyl. </p><div></div>

<p>I'm still working on last weeks shots, but one of my other projects has been to rummage through some 10-year old stuff shot in the Arizona desert with my then-new Canon EOS 300D (aka Digital Rebel). So, in a small effort to hurry the end of winter...</p><div></div>