Sunday, January 30, 2011

Click Twice and Look Into the Eyes of This Bird


It has been cold, cold, cold here in Pennsylvania. We've had more snow this month than anyone can stand. But today, this female cardinal lifted my spirits by perching on a branch outside the window and just stared in at me with such a marvelously intense look in her eye. Click on her TWICE and just see her great intelligence.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Link to "Incredible Creatures"

I did have an earlier post about my new little book entitled "Incredible Creatures" I just figured out how to put a link to the book right here in the blog. If you click on the arrow below, you can preview the book right here, right now. Go ahead, give it a click!!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Incredible Creatures

Well guys, I finally got my act together and published a book of insect and spider photographs and put it in a book store for the world to see. If you want to take a look and see the contents click on the the little Book Icon below. It should take you to the book in the www.blurb.com book store. I'm a little nervous about this, but what the heck. Go ahead, check it out and let me know what you think. You can preview the book page by page.


Thursday, January 20, 2011

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

O.K. Now Don't Tell Anybody This - It's Really Cheating





Yesterday we had a terrible ice storm. It was freezing rain most of the day and a few large branches from a tall evergreen in our backyard came crashing down. I looked out the window and thought it's going to be a lot of work to cut all those branches up into small pieces and haul them out for the trash on Monday. But then, I looked a little closer and saw a few little birdies in the branches and I had a brain storm. Why don't I just pull those branches up close to the big picture window in our family room. And maybe spread a little peanut butter on the limbs and see if I can entice a little birdie or two to pose for the new 400mm lens. Well, no sooner had I dragged a few limbs forward and lined them with peanut butter, when - voila - a little sparrow and a yellow finch took the bait.

I'll keep those branches out there until Monday and see if we get anybody else in the view finder. Isn't life grand.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Fox on the Run


Today while taking a quick ride through Valley Forge two beautiful foxes ran in front of the car. I only had a second to catch a quick shot of one of them.

Friday, January 7, 2011

400 mm Nikon Lens


Well guys, after two years of pinching every penny (actually that's 58 years) and thinking I shouldn't do it, I purchased a new 400mm lens for taking photographs of elusive wildlife that are too far away for my current system. The lens came the day before yesterday. It's as big and heavy as a small fat baby. What the heck was I thinking??? It is a beautiful piece of equipment, but I will need to do push-ups, chin-ups and sit-ups every day for the next two years to be able to carry this giant into the woods and marsh and field to capture all those birds and deer and little foxes.

Yesterday, I gingerly loaded up the new lens onto my old camera body and strapped it into the car and took a ride to Valley Forge. Not much was happening in my usual haunts. As I was driving along one of the busier roads, I saw a beautiful red tailed hawk on a low branch in a tree by the road. I really wanted to stop right there and put the lens out the window and take his picture, but I would have caused multiple accidents, so I drove a little way and parked the car. I got out, set up the tripod, heaved the big lens and camera out of the car and gingerly set it up all while keeping my eye on the hawk who was still sitting on the low branch in the distance. I looked through the view finder and - no hawk. He had flown far away across the field. Some days are better than others.

On my drive home, there was a little road at the edge of Valley Forge Park high on a hill overlooking lots of fields and woods. As I was driving I could see a few deer grazing at the bottom of the hill in the tall amber grass. I parked the car, left the tripod in the car and picked up my new fat baby. I walked to the edge of the hill and there below me, way, way, way in the distance was a beautiful buck. I raised the camera to my eye, stood with my feet wide apart and tried my best to hold it steady as I took his picture. (You need to click on the picture twice to actually see the deer.)

Hopefully as the days go by, I will figure out how to use this new lens. And I'll also find some wildlife close enough and willing to cooperate to ensure this extravagance was worth the wait.

Saturday, January 1, 2011