From the Fence Row

_DSC0283_DxO web, originally uploaded by Donnie Fulks.

Another unusual wildflower from the fence row. I have seen many similar looking flowers that do not have the pronounced outer ring of petals. So far I've only seen but one plant with these flowers. Actual flower diameter about a quarter size. Had to capture this one inside as it has been so stormy and windy lately. Exposure about 3 sec, f/32, 105 macro lens with north window light and a diffuser. Subtle but significant lighting changes depend on how the diffuser is positioned near the subject.  Those more common flowers I see bloom in the summer look like this:

 

The green bee or wasp rather unusual. This was a very memorable photo because I contracted the worst case of chiggers while taking it ever. Two weeks of terrible itching.

Sunset Delivery

_DSC0099_DxO, originally uploaded by Donnie Fulks.

I find I can only capture so many landings before they start to look the same. I went over the other night at sunset and the clouds rolled in and I thought that might be it for the evening due to lack of light. When the clouds rolled in and got some nice color after sunset, I tried some silhouettes. Liked these. Choose to leave just a bit of shadow detail in the main post shot.



The nest is now basically completed. The only materials being brought in now are straw (seen here) and other fine materials to line the nest with. With the female staying on the nest almost all the time now, I surmise egg laying has started. Perhaps by middle to late June some fuzzy heads will appear.

Dinner is Served

_DSC7646 topaz 72dpi, originally uploaded by Donnie Fulks.

Another fish special delivery for the female. Arrived just as the sun was setting the other evening. The female starts chirping loudly a minute before the fish is brought. This chirping begins long before I can see the male. How does she know he is coming so long in advance? Sight? Hearing? Usually the fish he brings are half eaten- always the head end. She gets the back half. Doesn't take them but a few minutes to eat a fish- tail fins and all. The way they easily rip those fish apart, I think I'll lay off the fish oil supplements for a while. I do not wish to be mistaken for a fish.

The Best Camera is...

the one you have with you, the saying goes. Had to run back to the office last night to pick up something and sure enough I saw the best sunset all year. My Nikon was back at the house. I did have my iPhone though. It would have to do. My son suggested last week I could get a telephoto shot with the iPhone through binoculars. Gave it a try and presto! Snapped this after sunset. Took a couple shots before the mosquitoes could get me. Used Filterstorm to sharpen and denoise.

Sharp Eyes

IMG_1669, originally uploaded by Donnie Fulks.

A quick treatment with the picfx app in the iPhone. I was trying to get all four eyes in the same shot. Not so easily done as they don't often look the same way at the same time. This was taken just a couple of days after they arrived and I thought I could sneak up a little closer- a silly thought. If you try to be sneaky they pick up on that right away. Osprey do tolerate people better than other raptors which makes them easier to photograph. The Bald Eagles around here have a comfort zone easily 10 times larger than Osprey. The wings on the male (on the left) are starting to unfold and she has her head up, both sure signs that is about as close as you are allowed before they take to the sky. Here is the original photo-

An Unwelcome Visitor

_DSC7763 topaz nx crop 72dpi, originally uploaded by Donnie Fulks.

Had some ruffled feathers yesterday at the nest. The female had just landed with the male close behind with a fish when another pair tried to stop in. The female of our pair (on the left) was having none of it and drove the other away. Our pair was so agitated they did not even look at the fish he brought for several minutes. Seems they feared another unwanted visit. They were tense and continued to scan the sky for some time before settling down to eat.

I like the drama captured here. The sky was overcast so shutter speed was down lower than I'd like and the ISO much higher than usual for a daytime exposure. Using some Topaz filters followed by some NIK filters for the pop I was after. I'm finding spot metering and 3D tracking are working pretty well for these bird shots. To keep enough DOF for two birds f/6.7 or f/8 is working.

"The Snitch is mine."

_DSC7573 topaz 72dpi, originally uploaded by Donnie Fulks.

The nest building continues full speed ahead since last weekend. Here the male is bringing a small stick to the nest. Probably the smallest stick I've seen him bring. Usually he brings the big branches- some upto 5+ feet long and over an inch in diameter. The largest branches required both birds to work together to move and place it into the nest. The female brings small sticks and straw to line the nest. When the guy is not doing the heavy lifting, he is out fishing. Since they started building the nest, I've seen him bring at least 3 fish back to her a day. She gets the back half of the fish.