Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/12/nutcracker-of-day.html
Showing posts with label squirrels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label squirrels. Show all posts
Friday, December 27, 2013
nutcracker of the day
Many people seemingly never tire of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet. I also don't easily tire of watching this other type of nutcracker:
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Twigs and Snails and Squirrel Seed Tales
Sometimes letting squirrels get some of the bird seed is not such a bad thing. They show their gratitude by posing endearingly for photos. This was a mid-morning nosh early this week. Unfortunately, this fellow has suffered a scrape somewhere along the way, but seems to be healing okay. I don't know if a predator tried to turn him into a meal, but we're happy to provide him with a little supplemental nutrition.
You're welcome!
My wife says that Carolina Wrens sometimes look indignant. I agree! I doubt that the body posture you see here signifies the same things that it might with a person, but it still makes me laugh to think of this tiny creature looking at me as if it expects and demands to be fed. It did in fact benefit, getting a snack if not a meal, immediately after the squirrel above moved away.
The same day, as sunset approached, the low sun lit up these leaves brilliantly for a few moments. Most of the deciduous trees in this area are barely beginning to give up their chlorophyll and show their underlying colors, but this pair was ready to show off.
Today, a snail decided to feed its way up the glass patio door. There was a little daylight left, so I got out a tripod and macro lens. The exposures were long, but the diffuse quality of the light helped to bring out the subtleties and colors of the skin and shell, and snails tend to move very slowly (though the eye stalks often wave enough to blur an image). By the way, notice the hitchhiker!
Probably the insect was feeding on detritus picked up by the snail's travels through the dirt (before it discovered the wonderful world of human technology, i.e., glass), or maybe it was even preparing to lay eggs. But if we can look for human expressions in a wren, why not imagine a non-flying insect taking a slow boat to the top of the door?
You're welcome!
My wife says that Carolina Wrens sometimes look indignant. I agree! I doubt that the body posture you see here signifies the same things that it might with a person, but it still makes me laugh to think of this tiny creature looking at me as if it expects and demands to be fed. It did in fact benefit, getting a snack if not a meal, immediately after the squirrel above moved away.
The same day, as sunset approached, the low sun lit up these leaves brilliantly for a few moments. Most of the deciduous trees in this area are barely beginning to give up their chlorophyll and show their underlying colors, but this pair was ready to show off.
Today, a snail decided to feed its way up the glass patio door. There was a little daylight left, so I got out a tripod and macro lens. The exposures were long, but the diffuse quality of the light helped to bring out the subtleties and colors of the skin and shell, and snails tend to move very slowly (though the eye stalks often wave enough to blur an image). By the way, notice the hitchhiker!
Probably the insect was feeding on detritus picked up by the snail's travels through the dirt (before it discovered the wonderful world of human technology, i.e., glass), or maybe it was even preparing to lay eggs. But if we can look for human expressions in a wren, why not imagine a non-flying insect taking a slow boat to the top of the door?
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2012/10/twigs-and-snails-and-squirrel-seed-tales.html
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Squirrel of the day
Squirrels are almost ubiquitous in urban/suburban environments, so it's no challenge to find them. They also become "tamer" than most wildlife, as they're so used to proximity to human dwellings. Not to mention the occasional handouts of seed...
Although they are "just rodents", and a lot of people would much rather be surrounded by birds of almost any type (rock doves, aka pigeons, might be an exception), squirrels can have their charm. At any rate, I like to practice photographic skills on the things that I see regularly (if you can't be with the one you'd shoot, shoot the one you're with?), and it's still a challenge for me to catch interesting postures and expressions, maybe occasionally with some interesting background colors.
[Canon 1DMkIV, f/4, 1/320 sec, ISO 1600, 300 mm w/ 1.4X extender]
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