May 17
I just installed a new bird feeder, put some sunflower seeds in one of the plates and voila! I’m guessing this is the same pair of Cardinals that comes here every year. They nest in the lower part of the wash on my property and, although I’ve never found the nest, I’ve been lucky to see fledglings. I hope to see babies again this year!
May 14
I finally saw a Canyon Wren up close and personal yesterday! I was hiking in the north access area of the Preserve with several of my bird enthusiast friends and when we heard a Canyon Wren call (very distinctive!), one of the guys used an iPhone app to call back to him. They had conversation going for quite a while 🙂 P&S zoomed into 560mm equivalent. Grainy and not very sharp but I’m happy to have it!
May 12
This is the time of year to be looking for bugs and bug eggs….if that interests you, of course! These eggs were along a spine of my Christmas Cholla which should tell you how small they are. I only noticed them because I was using a Macro lens with an extension tube. (I was hand holding so they aren’t very sharp). Click on BUGGUIDE to see hundreds of insect egg photos. I found a couple that looked similar (Stink Bug) but I have no clue. Looking at all the eggs makes me want to find more!
May 4
Blooms are numerous on our cactus this Spring! This gorgeous orangy-red specimen is another of the non-natives in my yard. Capturing a fast moving native bee is always a bonus!
May 3
During a hike yesterday morning, I met a couple who told me about a Great Horned Owl and 3 babies in their neighborhood. I was over there that afternoon! Mother Owl wasn’t there and the three Owlets waited 2 1/2 hours to become active. It was getting dark but I upped my ISO and hung in there for this shot. A little help from Photoshop to open up the shadows on the two in the back. (Canon 60D, 70-200 at 200mm. ISO 1250, 1500th sec @ f/6.3)
Apr 16
I went bird and butterfly watching in Rackensack Canyon with 3 friends yesterday. A 300mm lens wasn’t much use for bird photos but it was great for butterflies. It’s rare to see a Two-tailed Swallowtail sitting still so encountering this one was a real treat. It is Arizona’s state butterfly, by the way.
Apr 9
Snake season is upon us! This guy greeted a friend and I on a trail yesterday. He was literally inches from the path but we would never have seen him if he hadn’t warned us. Intrigued, we experimented to see how far away we needed to be before he got upset and it was always about 10 feet. Don’t know if that’s typical but it was interesting. 🙂
Captured with my Canon SX1. (I would have preferred my SLR in this case)
Linen Theme by The Theme Foundry
Copyright © 2024 marianne skov jensen - all rights reserved. All rights reserved.
