fgorga

Not sure what the rules are here (if any), so my apologies if this is not apropos.

This image was made by photographing the ground glass of a camera obscura with a digital camera. The resulting file was converted to monochrome and used to make a digital negative. The negative was then printed on salted-paper. The image is about 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) square.

http://gorga.org/blog/wp-content/gallery/2021-06-02/c-stone-church-antrim-center.jpg

Regards,

--- Frank (www.gorga.org/blog)

Initially I thought it was a snipe, but a woodcock also looks similar:

 

Wilson's Snipe Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Thanks for the reply. On a second look, I too think that it is a snipe. The woodcock has a reddish/orange breast.

I have had woodcocks on my mind since last spring when I go to observe their mating behavior for the first time. Alas, I did not get any photos worth showing as it was too dark and the birds too far away. Hopefully next year!!!

Sorry I should have said that my bird is a Wilson's Snipe Gallinago delicata. Our European members will likely recognise it as very similar to their Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago. Thanks for the interest.

Thanks for the info/clarification.

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Is this bird a woodcock?

Aurora Damsel (male) - approximately 1.5 inches long

http://gorga.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC3706.jpg

Made back at the end of May using a 300 mm prime lens plus a 36 mm extension tube. Cropped to about one-half of the original frame.

http://gorga.org/blog/wp-content/gallery/2020-08-07/dsc7409.jpg

Meadowhawk (male)

Little Bluet (male), about one inch long; made yesterday with a 300 mm f/4 and a 36 mm extension tube.

http://gorga.org/blog/wp-content/gallery/2020-06-21/dsc2472.jpg

We have two loon chicks on our local lake for the first time in living memory.

We have had nests four of the past five years, but the first three failed... two due to predation, one cause unknown.

Mortality in chicks is high, but we'll keep our fingers crossed.

http://gorga.org/blog/wp-content/gallery/2020-06-11/dsc5218.jpg

Hello all,

I will start this weeks thread with a photo of a Carolina Wren. Made in March 2016 at the Corkscrew Audubon Sanctuary in the Naples, Florida area.

Regards,

--- Frank

One from the archives (June 2015)...

Downy Woodpecker Feeding Interaction ... juvenile male (on left) being fed by adult male.

I am always amazed at how often juvenile birds are so much fatter than the adults that feed them... ahhh, to be young again! :)

--- Frank (www.gorga.org/blog)

This is a great thread--there are some amazing photos here! I'll be coming back regularly to admire them over the next few months. Here are my contributions (which ones I select have a lot to do with what mood I'm in):

First, for just plain strangeness, a photo of the zygomatic arch of a porcupine skull:

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Leslie,

Thanks for posting. All of the photos are very nice.

My favorite is your first.... for the "strangeness". ;-) Unexpected is always good.

When I fist saw it my mind said "sandstone", then I read your description and the sutures became obvious.

--- Frank

My favorite shot of 2017...A Great Horned Owlet fledged from the nest on May 1, 2017. The same mother owl has made a nest above entrance to Lady Bird Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas for 10 consecutive years.

Bill,

A fantastic and unusual photo. Thanks for playing along.

--- Frank

Wow.

I'm gonna sell all my camera stuff......

Mark,

Do not despair!

I can only speak for myself, but it has taken years (no make that decades) of practice (and lots of so, so photos) to get to this point.

Keep at it!

--- Frank

Nice thread Frank, thanks for starting it. I like your juvenile herons also. I like David's puffin, but the flickers are my favorite. I don't include the coyote because I can't get enough of those shots as it is.

 

I haven't spent much time with my camera this year because of my other commitments. It's been a difficult trade off, but necessary for now. Hope it's ok to take the liberty of using images from other times.. I had some good ones this year, but I choose a few from past years that have remained my favorites for a total of 5. All but one are fungi, as one might expect from me. I enjoy photographing many subjects in nature, but none capture my imagination like fungi. The first 2 are from this year, and the remainder are from the favorites file.

 

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A stacked image of the slime mold Metatrichia vesparium. While it has flaws, it was taken in the woods with ambient light and I liked the result.

 

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Laura,

Thanks for posting. The macro domain is always fascinating.

All your photos are very nice, but I think that the slime mold is my favorite.

I am a retired biochemistry professor. There is a large body of biochemical research on the intercellular signaling that allows slime molds to organize themselves into these fantastic multicellular structures. I don't know much about the subject, but I did attend a few seminars on the topic over the years.

--- Frank

Great stuff, Frank. I'll stick to five; otherwise, this thread could get incredibly long. Mine are my highest "Interestingness" per Flickr:

David,

Thanks for participating. I am having trouble choosing a favorite as all are spectacular!

--- Frank

This photo is from our trip to Florida last March.

I am trying to channel the warmth... here in southwestern NH it is still -4 degrees F at 10:15 AM, the low last night was -10. The temperature has been hanging around zero for over a week.

Enough griping, here is the photo:

--- Frank (www.gorga.org/blog)

Here are ten of my favorite wildlife photos from the past year.

I initially tried to choose only five, but this exercise is like trying to choose your favorite child!

Clapper Rail (St. George Island, Florida, March 2017)

Willet with Prey (St. George Island, Florida, March 2017)

Alligator Reflected (Okefenokee NWR, Georgia, March 2017)

Green Anole (Okefenokee NWR, Georgia, March 2017)

Juvenile Green Herons (New Hampshire, July 2017)

American Rubyspot (New Hampshire, August 2017)

Canada Darner with Prey (New Hampshire, August 2017)

Bison (Yellowstone NP, September 2017)

Mountain Bluebird (Yellowstone, NP, September 2017)

Bull Elk Bugling (Yellowstone NP, September 2017)

Anyone else game to post their favorites from the year?

Happy New Years!

--- Frank

Well, I'll get things started again this week...

Willet with Prey (from last March on the Florida panhandle)

Good morning all!

I'll get things started this week with a male rose-breasted grosbeak.

You've got your dragonfly technique dialed in. Curious on your focal length.

:) Yup... I am not sure that there is such a thing as "too much time in the field", but if there is I am a way over the limit when it comes to odonates!

As for lenses... I started out with a 70-300 zoom (always at the long end) coupled with a 36 mm extension tube. These days, I use a 300 mm f/4 prime with the same extension tube.

I also sometimes use a flash (off camera) for fill (i.e. a stop or two under the ambient light) for many of my ode photos. These critters are most active on bright sunny days and a bit of fill flash helps even things out a bit. The flash is not necessary on days with a high overcast... which is best, (However, the photo above is without any flash.)

My "ode rig" as of 2010 is show/described here: The Dragonfly Rig « Photographs by Frank. It has evolved over the years but as far as the flash goes my current rig is basically the same. As I indicate above I now use a 300 mm prime and I have dispensed with the remote cord for the shutter. (Also, the extension tube is 36 mm, not 30 as indicated in the photo accompanying this post.)

Usually, this all gets mounted on a monopod. You can see a couple of photos of the rig (sans monopod) "in action" here: The Odontate Rig in Action « Photographs by Frank.

There are many, many, many more ode photos on my blog... just use the "tag cloud" on the right of each page or the search box (also on the right).

Regards,

--- Frank

Immature Male Meadowhawk (most likely an Autumn Meadowhawk)

Yes, challenges and challenges indeed. I try to minimize them by (1) Shoot only when there is good light; (2) Minimize distraction by moving camera position; (3) Zoom in to avoid distractions and to exclude unattractive elements; (4) Exclude anything that does not help to make the subject matter attractive; (5) Compose thoughtfully, applying rule-of-third where applicable, tilting the camera, etc. (6) Select a good specimen; (7) Refrain from shooting if it's a hopeless situation. ;)

I agree 100 percent!

And... on rare occasions all of the factors involved come together to make a special photo.

The backgrounds are especially difficult with damselflies. They are usually found within a foot or so of the ground. Thus the background is often not as clean as one would like. Additionally, one is often limited in your camera angles if you want to get as much of the subject in focus as possible... depth of field is always an issue at these magnification. Of course, that is a plus as far as backgrounds go!

In this photo, the background is the shallow water at the edge of a lake. I was kneeling in about a foot of water and this pair of damselflies was between me and the shore.

Not being afraid of getting wet (or dirty) is also a big part of wildlife photography!

Superb sharpness and details, interesting shapes and NO distractions. Phenomenal image.

Rod,

Thanks for the kind words.

--- Frank

Bluet Mating Wheel

Blue jay