Redbuds are one of the more common trees in southern wooded areas and scrub. Their one of the first trees to flower – a harbinger of spring. The heart-shaped leaves will soon follow. Later, near the end of summer, they’ll have seed pods.
I’ve been practicing with the local wildlife. Finally figured out how to implement “back button” focusing on the Sony A7III, which helps enormously with a telephoto. No more shifting focus to the wrong piece of grass.
The other big trick it to be non-threatening. I take a small chair and sit. The deer watch for a while and then go back to deer stuff (eating mostly).
The sony 600mm lens is pretty good as this detail shows.
A 0.5second exposure, steadied by a tree, of our campfire from last night. I like how the sparks fly and how the chaotic drafts from the fire move them. Mostly upwards, but sometimes in circles.
A slightly rain worn turkey track is so much like a T-rex track. It shows that there are survivors. Baby T-rex’s were about the same size as today’s Turkeys. Glad that the Turkey’s don’t grow any bigger.
The wild turkeys have been visiting of late. They’re a bit hard to photograph because as a “tasty bird” they are also extremely shy. Getting these images, at dusk, took pushing my camera’s limits.
This group is all toms (male). You can see that by their beards and brightly coloured heads. Later in the year they will break up and recruit individual harems. But for now, being in a flock with many eyes to look out for danger outweighs any romantic rivalry.
I need to be more like my lab.
A happy dog. An enthusiastic dog. A dog with two speeds – full tilt and asleep.
And asleep.
Every action he takes is full of life.
Something of a reminder, about grief. About 1/1000 Americans have died from Covid-19. To put this in context, most people have a “nodding acquaintance” list of about 100 people. If individuals overlap by about 90% then almost certainly someone in your circle or in the next layer out is gone.
I hope they are not forgotten.
From the abyss of my youth, slightly modified to reflect modern and somewhat more mature mores.
Jingle bells Santa Smells Rudolph's lost the way Oh what fun it is to drive a beat up Chevrolet
Over the fields we go Laughing all the way Grandma's drunk We hit a skunk Grandpa's in the trunk
Jingle bells Santa Smells Rudolph's lost the way Oh what fun it is to drive a beat up Chevrolet
Lights on police cars glow Sirens pierce the night Bumping through the fields Running in the light Bail money's tight
Jingle bells Santa Smells Rudolph's lost the way Oh what fun it is to drive a beat up Chevrolet
Merry Christmas, a happy holiday, and best wishes for the new year!
I’ve been learning to do panoramas. The woods in Alabama. Same view but different seasons.
A follow up to my post on RVs.
One of the highlights of our trip was exploring the nearby National Wildlife Refuge. We were about a mile down the road from it, and while route 180 is fast, there are wide margins so that it is eminantly walkable.
I have a birding life list into the hundreds and was still able to identify five new species without serious birding. (Just walking with binocculars in hand.) We walked there three times: first, late in the afternoon to the junction of the Gator Lake trail and the Pine Branch trail (4 miles round trip), second, to the shore on the Pine Branch trail (6 miles round trip), and lastly to the Gator Lake trail returning via Mobile street, the shore, and the Pine Branch trail (8 miles round trip).
Since pets (dogs) are not allowed in the refuge and there are not that many people who visit, the birds are quite tame. The Sandriling walked within two feet of me.
There were mosquitos, even at the winter solstice, so a summer visit should include insect repellent and quite possibly a face net.
Without trying, we saw:
There were gulls (of course) and crows, as well as several varieties of sparrow, that we didn’t identify. Not to mention these guys, who scared off the plover.
