richard_lowery

--further exam of 'eyes' near the swallowtail rule of Zebra's,--theirs

are red. Tiger Swallowtail, faded or too much photoshoping. They are butter

yellow when 'fresh'.

Nice composition ---but it's not a Monarch. It appears to be

a Zebra Swallowtail. And the plant seems to be member of thistle

family, not milkweed. Monarch and Viceroy Butterflies are orange and

black.

-nice composition. Windblown feathers seem to

distract from smooth lines ?

---rappeling black widow --gossamer thread is invisible in this

lighting situation.

---I never noticed the oval in the water evidently caused

by a flouncing fish when taking the photo --does it add or

distract from the composition?

-thanks for your comments --you said what I have

reluctantly realized --1.2mgpixels ain't enough.

Thinking about updating to Pentax ist * digital

with 6 megapixels. ;-))

Spicebush Btrfly - sports mode with a Sony Mavica 75 (1.2 megapixels)

does not deliver enough detail?

No, feeding the bird is not unethical. As a falconer I can tell you

even our 'tame' charges remain somewhat 'wild'. The bird is a

old Red shouldered hawk(buteo linneatus), appears to be the female of the pair. Chicken legs is a good choice (for a 'chicken hawk' ;-) )

And feeding two youngsters back in the nest who have ravenous

appetites puts a strain on the pair. And , if one of the youngsters

is not fed properly, the larger one will kill and eat the smaller one.

(Cain & Able complex) Bird seems to be back pedaling a bit just

after alighting on the small branch that sways under her weight.

The awkward wing position of the right one at first is a distraction

geometrically unless one realizes the action of the bird. An excellent

photo!!! Even the prestigious Audubon Club once published a calendar

with a shot of a large flying Goshawk (accipter gentilis) which, upon

close exam, could be seen to be wearing falconer's jesses.!!!

---the symmetry of a 'almost vanishing point' gives this composition appeal. The one open window

disrupts the otherwise ho hum symmetry and the orange/red columns also add interest. Well done!!

Abstract features of the feather patterns on the wing of

a Snow Goose . Is this natural symmetry appealing ?

--Kestrel, North America's smallest falcon weighing in at only 3-4 oz. (90-110 gms). Robin sized, erroneously called "Sparrow Hawk".

A rehab bird.

-----Sony Mavica --does it deliver enough detail in jpeg mode

for a macro?

----nice commercial presentation. Would Coca-Cola

use it??

--very effective ----point of interest keeps shifting from expression on girl's face to the

litter bound manatee.

----dawn or dusk? Or manipulated? Nice forest of

sailboat masts!! I can almost hear the halyards

clanging against aluminum mast in a cacaphony of

sound. But at dusk , the winds would have been

almost silent? REflections/ thirds/ make a nice

photo!!