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#11
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What's in YOUR backyard? (photos from the desert)
Bill Hilton wrote:
Hope you like these shots ... and what's in YOUR backyard that you would care to share? http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/desert/ Beautiful photographs and I particularly like your innovative 'thumbnail is a crop' presentation. Looking through those makes me wish (again) that New Zealand was blessed with a more colourful and varied bird and animal life. I've been photographing a fantails nest (a very small insect eater). This is the third batch of chicks they've reared in the nest this season already and it's still high summer here. The nest is located in rafters of an old dairy shed festooned with clematis so light levels even on a bright sunny afternoon are very low. Image quality consequently isn't great (shallow DOF, high ISO, borderline shutter) but perhaps someone will find the sequence interesting all the same? http://www.pbase.com/mapleglen/image/54217914 Rob. -- |
#12
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What's in YOUR backyard? (photos from the desert)
On 1 Jan 2006 09:51:32 +0100, Rob Davison
wrote: The nest is located in rafters of an old dairy shed festooned with clematis so light levels even on a bright sunny afternoon are very low. Image quality consequently isn't great (shallow DOF, high ISO, borderline shutter) but perhaps someone will find the sequence interesting all the same? http://www.pbase.com/mapleglen/image/54217914 Very nice. A warm and intimate feeling with the light effects. Cyli r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels. Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless. http://www.visi.com/~cyli email: lid (strip the .invalid to email) |
#13
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What's in YOUR backyard? (photos from the desert)
Bill Hilton wrote:
This newsgroup seems a bit dead at the moment so I thought I'd pass along this URL and maybe prod some others into posting images from their areas ... in June 2004 my wife and I got new digital cameras a couple of weeks before a trip to Alaska's Pribilof Islands, where we were planning on photographing puffins and other sea birds. Since one of the best ways to screw up a trip is to take a new camera you are unfamiliar with we decided to practice a bit on the local fauna before heading north. By becoming members of a local Botanical Garden we could get dawn access twice a week so we joined and lugged our new cameras and 500 mm lenses down there to get some practice ... by then it was pretty much the end of the nesting season and AM temps were rapidly approaching 105 F but we managed to get some decent bird images and decided to do it again in 2005, starting much earlier in the spring. By the time we were finished (when it was 110F by 8 AM and few creatures stirred) I think we actually got better images from our extended "backyard" than we did in Alaska (though no puffins . The web site link below has some images from those early AM trips, which usually lasted from 6-8 AM ... we didn't shoot at zoos or aviaries or over feeders, just walked carefully around desert gardens and took pot-luck on whatever wild critters came along, mainly birds but also snakes and tortoises and balls of fur ... we also found another spot about 20 minutes from home, where we shot the burrowing owls frames ... so all of these images were taken a few minutes drive from home, with the exception of the 'hummingbird-in-flight' shots taken in Santa Fe, NM in July 2005 over the course of one afternoon and one morning. Hope you like these shots ... and what's in YOUR backyard that you would care to share? http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/desert/ Bill I caught this article just this morning... Birds take to city life at sanctuary ------------------------------------ PHARR, Texas – Allen Williams loves his solitude, but he loves company, too. And he finds both on his 2 1/2-acre refuge in the middle of Pharr, in the Rio Grande Valley. The bird lover and professional landscaper created a wildlife sanctuary in his back yard. Birdwatchers travel from all over the nation to sit in Allen Williams' back yard in Pharr, Texas, and watch for migratory birds to perch in the trees and bushes. Allen planted 55 species of trees, shrubs and plants, put in waterfalls and sprinklers, plus food sources. The lower Rio Grande Valley is a major migratory flyway, but would birds stop here, just blocks from downtown, as Allen hoped? Yes! In 1992, a slate-throated redstart landed – a first for this part of the country. Cedar waxwings were spotted. In 2004, a Central American species, the black-headed nightingale thrush, came calling. It was the first ever spotted in the United States and was way north of its usual migration stop. When word of the sighting hit the Internet, Allen got calls from across the country. Soon his back yard was filled with birdwatchers. It's been a refuge for birds and humans ever since. "My wife gets a little tired of the visitors, but for the most part, they've been respectful," Allen says. Migratory warblers and robins, even hawks, are fairly common sights in the yard, while rabbits, lizards and an occasional opossum scamper along the ground. Ruth Hoyt, a renowned professional wildlife photographer, stops at Allen's yard monthly. Sometimes, she comes alone with her cameras; other times, photography students accompany her. "The habitat, amount of ground cover and canopy are conducive to attracting birds," Ruth says. She has captured many of Allen's rare species on film. The busiest months at Allen's sanctuary are October and April, but there's usually something to see year round. It's free, though he asks for a $10 donation to maintain the grounds. A rare blue mockingbird stops by on occasion, and you just never know who else you'll run into. "We have people who come here from around the world," says Allen. So migratory birds are watching migratory folks (and vice versa) in one bird lover's back yard, in the middle of a city. -- jer email reply - I am not a 'ten' |
#14
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What's in YOUR backyard? (photos from the desert)
"Roger N. Clark (change username to rnclark)" wrote in message ... Regarding a "cruise to Hawaii", I assume you mean a cruise between islands after you fly there, correct? While I do know the islands fairly (I lived there for 7 years). I have never done a Hawaiian cruise, but I can answer other questions about Hawaii. I mean a Hawaii cruise that starts and ends in Los Angeles. My wife has been wanting a trip to the islands for a long time, and I said "When they build a bridge." I then found out that you can cruise from either LA or San Diego, so no bridge required! Only 5 days in the islands, one day each at five different ports. I have signed up for a glass bottom boat ride, a windowed submarine, and a snorkle trip in the various ports, and bus tours also, but I don't know what to expect. I have ordered an Aquapac camera bag that is supposed to allow underwater use of small cameras, but I worry about quality. We take pictures to just document and refresh our memories of what we see as we travel, so really good is not a requirement, but I do like clear, in-focus prints. Lewie |
#15
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What's in YOUR backyard? (photos from the desert)
Bill
great stuff. I think we all too often overlook our back yards. Hope your trip goes well. regards Don from Down Under. "Bill Hilton" wrote in message ups.com... This newsgroup seems a bit dead at the moment so I thought I'd pass along this URL and maybe prod some others into posting images from their areas ... in June 2004 my wife and I got new digital cameras a couple of weeks before a trip to Alaska's Pribilof Islands, where we were planning on photographing puffins and other sea birds. Since one of the best ways to screw up a trip is to take a new camera you are unfamiliar with we decided to practice a bit on the local fauna before heading north. By becoming members of a local Botanical Garden we could get dawn access twice a week so we joined and lugged our new cameras and 500 mm lenses down there to get some practice ... by then it was pretty much the end of the nesting season and AM temps were rapidly approaching 105 F but we managed to get some decent bird images and decided to do it again in 2005, starting much earlier in the spring. By the time we were finished (when it was 110F by 8 AM and few creatures stirred) I think we actually got better images from our extended "backyard" than we did in Alaska (though no puffins . The web site link below has some images from those early AM trips, which usually lasted from 6-8 AM ... we didn't shoot at zoos or aviaries or over feeders, just walked carefully around desert gardens and took pot-luck on whatever wild critters came along, mainly birds but also snakes and tortoises and balls of fur ... we also found another spot about 20 minutes from home, where we shot the burrowing owls frames ... so all of these images were taken a few minutes drive from home, with the exception of the 'hummingbird-in-flight' shots taken in Santa Fe, NM in July 2005 over the course of one afternoon and one morning. Hope you like these shots ... and what's in YOUR backyard that you would care to share? http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/desert/ Bill |
#16
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What's in YOUR backyard? (photos from the desert)
Rob
as a keen photog from across the ditch, I am surprised by your statement about NZ. You have photographic riches to die for! I am trying to get the bread to be able to drop over just for your scenery alone. I am told this by some fairly knowledgeable orno's that when it comes to variety of bird life, it doesn't get any better than Oz, and I certainly wont dispute that. However, if you want scenery then your neck of the woods is pretty bloody good. regards Don Mmmm..........must be something about grass and a fence. "Rob Davison" wrote in message ... Bill Hilton wrote: Hope you like these shots ... and what's in YOUR backyard that you would care to share? http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/desert/ Beautiful photographs and I particularly like your innovative 'thumbnail is a crop' presentation. Looking through those makes me wish (again) that New Zealand was blessed with a more colourful and varied bird and animal life. I've been photographing a fantails nest (a very small insect eater). This is the third batch of chicks they've reared in the nest this season already and it's still high summer here. The nest is located in rafters of an old dairy shed festooned with clematis so light levels even on a bright sunny afternoon are very low. Image quality consequently isn't great (shallow DOF, high ISO, borderline shutter) but perhaps someone will find the sequence interesting all the same? http://www.pbase.com/mapleglen/image/54217914 Rob. -- |
#17
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What's in YOUR backyard? (photos from the desert)
"Don" wrote in message ... Rob as a keen photog from across the ditch, I am surprised by your statement about NZ. You have photographic riches to die for! I am trying to get the bread to be able to drop over just for your scenery alone. I am told this by some fairly knowledgeable orno's that when it comes to variety of bird life, it doesn't get any better than Oz, and I certainly wont dispute that. However, if you want scenery then your neck of the woods is pretty bloody good. regards Don Mmmm..........must be something about grass and a fence. "Rob Davison" wrote in message ... Bill Hilton wrote: Hope you like these shots ... and what's in YOUR backyard that you would care to share? http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/desert/ Beautiful photographs and I particularly like your innovative 'thumbnail is a crop' presentation. Looking through those makes me wish (again) that New Zealand was blessed with a more colourful and varied bird and animal life. I've been photographing a fantails nest (a very small insect eater). This is the third batch of chicks they've reared in the nest this season already and it's still high summer here. The nest is located in rafters of an old dairy shed festooned with clematis so light levels even on a bright sunny afternoon are very low. Image quality consequently isn't great (shallow DOF, high ISO, borderline shutter) but perhaps someone will find the sequence interesting all the same? http://www.pbase.com/mapleglen/image/54217914 Rob. -- I'll second that Rob, and I am an Aussie. NZ is fabulous for senery and heck, it does still have some pretty good bird life even though it may not be the same as Oz and you have to really look for it. |
#18
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What's in YOUR backyard? (photos from the desert)
Jasen wrote:
I'll second that Rob, and I am an Aussie. NZ is fabulous for senery and heck, it does still have some pretty good bird life even though it may not be the same as Oz and you have to really look for it. Personally, I'm a firm believer in finding something to photograph no matter where I am, including home. When the weather is especially crappy that might mean literally *in* my house :-) I ticked off a gal in another group a while back...she lived in Iowa or somewhere in the midwest and was complaining that there was nothing to photograph there but those big field sprinklers. I told her that she quite simply wasn't looking hard enough or, for that matter, looking at all. Traveling to make photographs is always going to be a crapshoot. You have no real way of being sure of what the weather is going to do. You aren't close to familiar enough with the area to know where the really "good" spots are. You could easily plunk down a pile of money on getting there, hotels, car rental, eating out, etc. and not get a single shot that you wanted to get. You have none of these problems staying close to home, you don't have to pay for a plane ticket, rent a pillow, or worry that you'll get sick from the food. You can look out your window and decide if the light is what you want or not, and if it's not, there's always all day the next day. You can spend a weekend driving around finding new spots and you can do that the next weekend and the next and the next. You can buddy up to people who spend a lot of time on the road or in the field. My day job is pushing trucks in the oilfield. My guys let me know when they spot just about anything. I get phone calls all the time telling me, "Hey, there's a big herd of whatever X miles east of town". I have a photographer friend who's pals with a BLM ranger here, he gets a call when they do wild horse roundups. Somebody who's just passing through here, they don't have this kind of information available to them. It makes perfect sense that the best photographs you'll make are photographs taken in an area that you know like the back of your hand. -- Angela M. Cable Paint Shop Pro 8, 9, X Private Beta Tester Neocognition, digital scrapbooking source: http://www.neocognition.com/ PSP Tutorial Links: http://www.psplinks.com/ 5th Street Studio, free graphics, websets and mo http://www.fortunecity.com/westwood/alaia/354/ |
#19
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What's in YOUR backyard? (photos from the desert)
I wrote:
Looking through those makes me wish (again) that New Zealand was blessed with a more colourful and varied bird and animal life. "Don" wrote in message ... Rob as a keen photog from across the ditch, I am surprised by your statement about NZ. You have photographic riches to die for! I am trying to get the bread to be able to drop over just for your scenery alone. I am told this by some fairly knowledgeable orno's that when it comes to variety of bird life, it doesn't get any better than Oz, and I certainly wont dispute that. However, if you want scenery then your neck of the woods is pretty bloody good. Jasen wrote: I'll second that Rob, and I am an Aussie. NZ is fabulous for senery and heck, it does still have some pretty good bird life even though it may not be the same as Oz and you have to really look for it. What's this, Aussies saying nice things about NZ? Are you lot getting ready to wipe the sportsfields clean with us again or something? ;-) I do take your point (and Bill Hiltons original one) about not taking what is under your nose for granted. The scenery is okay and NZ native birds can be interesting in a drab olive sort of way - but a Tui or a Bellbird can't begin to be compared to a hummingbird! We've a few of the European finches established, but only a few. Thing is, if green grass is all you're used to you'd crawl across broken glass for a sunset in the 'red centre' or something as exotic and spectacularly different as Mr Hiltons desert fauna... I'm fairly lucky with my backyard. We've a place a little like the one 'Jer' posted about (though without the crowds and without the huge flocks of migrating birds). My mother spent about 30 years handrearing, training and free flying exotic parrots. I've scratched out some ponds with an old secondhand excavator and there are a fair few wild birds that make use of them now. Plenty of opportunities and if you frame carefully at sunrise even the neighbours farmed red deer can almost look like they're wild. If either of you do make it across the ditch and down this way (I'm at the cold, wet end) call in and say hello. Same goes for the northern hemisphere crowd too. - In case anybody thinks I'm touting for business here there's no set charge to look round the garden and we don't charge for photographs (I'm firmly in the 'nobody owns the light' camp). I do enjoy meeting people who notice and appreciate nature. http://www.mapleglen.co.nz/ Waterfowl include Oystercatchers, Plovers, Stilts, Scaup, Grey Teal, Black Swans, Paradise ducks and Blue Herons (plus the ubiquitous Mallard & Canada Goose). Parrots free: Lovebirds, Rosellas, Lorrikeets, Kings, Twenty eights (...what is with that name?), Indian ringnecks, Quarrian. Native: Tui, Bellbird, Native Pigeon, Fantail, Grey warbler, Waxeye. A crawl around the rest of my pbase galleries will reveal most of the above along with my paucity of talent... Wishing you good light, Rob. -- |
#20
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What's in YOUR backyard? (photos from the desert)
Rob wrote: What's this, Aussies saying nice things about NZ? Are you lot getting ready to wipe the sportsfields clean with us again or something? ;-) Not all of us are *******s you know......except when we're losing a match ;-) I do take your point (and Bill Hiltons original one) about not taking what is under your nose for granted. The scenery is okay and NZ native birds can be interesting in a drab olive sort of way - but a Tui or a Bellbird can't begin to be compared to a hummingbird! We've a few of the European finches established, but only a few. Thing is, if green grass is all you're used to you'd crawl across broken glass for a sunset in the 'red centre' or something as exotic and spectacularly different as Mr Hiltons desert fauna... I'm fairly lucky with my backyard. We've a place a little like the one 'Jer' posted about (though without the crowds and without the huge flocks of migrating birds). My mother spent about 30 years handrearing, training and free flying exotic parrots. I've scratched out some ponds with an old secondhand excavator and there are a fair few wild birds that make use of them now. Plenty of opportunities and if you frame carefully at sunrise even the neighbours farmed red deer can almost look like they're wild. If either of you do make it across the ditch and down this way (I'm at the cold, wet end) call in and say hello. Same goes for the northern hemisphere crowd too. - In case anybody thinks I'm touting for business here there's no set charge to look round the garden and we don't charge for photographs (I'm firmly in the 'nobody owns the light' camp). I do enjoy meeting people who notice and appreciate nature. http://www.mapleglen.co.nz/ Waterfowl include Oystercatchers, Plovers, Stilts, Scaup, Grey Teal, Black Swans, Paradise ducks and Blue Herons (plus the ubiquitous Mallard & Canada Goose). Parrots free: Lovebirds, Rosellas, Lorrikeets, Kings, Twenty eights (...what is with that name?), Indian ringnecks, Quarrian. Native: Tui, Bellbird, Native Pigeon, Fantail, Grey warbler, Waxeye. A crawl around the rest of my pbase galleries will reveal most of the above along with my paucity of talent... Wishing you good light, Rob. -- Nice garden Rob. Must be a lot of work at times! I do intend to come south to the land of the long white cloud sooner or later. Won't promise I'll be visiting though.....but appreciate the invite.....I take it you run the place as a B&B? Jasen |
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