Birders' Nest

[Kalevala]

@owlice Boy, that Usambiro Barbet (Kenya) blends right into the tree!

And neat that you've been to so many cool places. 

K

[Elgarian Redux]

I have had a number of photos, which may or may not be a propos, sitting open in my browser for some days, and for some, I've forgotten why I opened/kept the tabs. (oy!) It's time I started closing some browser windows, so here they are; please forgive me.

This was an unexpected early-morning find; we were about to cross a stream in a wooded area, happened to look up, and saw this bird at the edge of the forest.

Martial Eagle (Kenya; endangered)

I was completely unprepared for this as I scrolled down and saw it. I audibly gasped, and my eyes unaccountably welled up with tears! You go on astounding us with these images, and I'm running out of superlatives, but this one is beyond words. That great arch of the wings, and the weird way in which the various sticks somehow seem in the right places in the dynamics of the whole. Oh my. Oh my.

Remember the Barbets? Here are two more:

Spot-flanked Barbet (Kenya)


Usambiro Barbet (Kenya)

How could we forget the barbets? Hello guys.

I love these; I find them incredibly handsome.

Common Waterbuck (South Africa)

And handsome this one is. Magnificent. (Remind me to tell you about stags in Scotland.)

When this was IDed in the field, I didn't back up, but I didn't get any closer, either.

Mozambique Spitting Cobra (Zambia)

For Pity's s(n)ake! Were you actually at risk, would you say?

I posted a female some days ago; here's a male.

Purple Finch (Michigan)

Chee-Wee!!! (Elswyth, come and look at this!)

Olive Baboon (Tanzania)

Extraordinary image. He seems to have been quite content merely to stare back, despite the huge invasion of his personal space.

The eyelashes!!

Southern Ground Hornbill (Tanzania)

Yep. Eyelashes alright!

Loads of people go to Africa for mammals; this is one of the few birds that catches their attention. (These are quite common in southern and eastern Africa.)

Lilac-breasted Roller (Zimbabwe)

Obviously painted by numbers ...


What a collection. Thank you so much for showing them.

[Elgarian Redux]

Oof. Two more. On Saturday's walk, we saw a Sharp-shinned Hawk, an American Kestrel, and a Broad-winged Hawk. I didn't even try to get the hawks, as they were flying (away, of course), and though I did get a photo of the Kestrel, it is not worth sharing (trust me on this). So I offer these photos instead, taken at a different time and place.


American Kestrel (Mississippi)


Broad-winged Hawk (Ohio)

(Two more tabs closed, woo-hoo!)

That look in the eye. It seems intelligent and knowing, and scary.

[Elgarian Redux]

hahahahahahahaha!! pentametric versifier!!

"The moping owl does to the moon complain"
This owl complains to the sun, too; it's not always Selene's fault.

Exactly.


The Pentametric Versifier's Lament

I try my best with five feet, and no more,
Then Owlice comes and settles it with four!

[owlice]

@owlice Boy, that Usambiro Barbet (Kenya) blends right into the tree!

Camouflage for the win! (I find it amazing!)

And neat that you've been to so many cool places. 

I made travel a priority for my retirement. I've been very fortunate, but I also lived frugally for a long time to make it possible. I maybe should have been a little less frugal and done a little more traveling before retirement, but I didn't, so oh well!

[owlice]

Exactly.

The Pentametric Versifier's Lament

I try my best with five feet, and no more,
Then Owlice comes and settles it with four!

hahahahaha!!!

Your lament needs a pithy
reply that I, alas,
cannot supply.
I am unequal to
the task.

[Kalevala]

@owlice One thought that occurred to me regarding your lovely photos:  you might check around at some of your local libraries and see whether or not they ever have any art exhibits.  I remember mine having one a while ago focusing on birds in different media by different artists.  Think that it was up for about a month?  The prints weren't for sale per se then, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if the folks at either the art desk and/or the main checkout desk wouldn't either be able to put the patrons in touch with the artist (most likely) or the other way around.

I've also seen some local artists' works hung on the walls at a hospital; one of the artists was a former neighbor--also a photographer.

Could be a nice source of a bit of extra income too?  Maybe money for some new photography equipment?

K

p.s.  True story:  a friend bought me a bird photo that we saw at a holiday show.  The following year when we went back to the show, he also picked up one of flowers that was lovely and elegantly done.  He had tried in the meantime to go to her website--which was up and running, but there were no prices nor a way to contact her! 

[owlice]

This was an unexpected early-morning find; we were about to cross a stream in a wooded area, happened to look up, and saw this bird at the edge of the forest.

Martial Eagle (Kenya; endangered)

Oooo, no! This bird was not the one at the edge of a stream. Sorry!

Now looking for the one that was, just to fix my brain glitch.

[Iota]

Even the very distant view of ducks looks like a professional distant view of ducks.

Haha, so true!

Martial Eagle (Kenya; endangered)

Magnificent!

Lilac-breasted Roller (Zimbabwe)

What a ragged and strange concoction of colours, but actually I find it rather lovely.

[owlice]

@owlice One thought that occurred to me regarding your lovely photos:  you might check around at some of your local libraries and see whether or not they ever have any art exhibits....Could be a nice source of a bit of extra income too?  Maybe money for some new photography equipment?

Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad people here like these photos! That said, they are not professional quality. Professionals shoot in RAW for a reason. The camera I usually use (P900) shoots only in JPG, a lossy format; the other camera is capable of shooting in RAW, but I have it set to shoot only in JPG, too, as that's good enough for my purposes, which is simply to ID and/or remember what I have seen.

I have friends and colleagues who take much finer wildlife photos than I take; they shoot in RAW and some have equipment that costs at least 10x what mine cost, and they know what they're doing! I'm just not interested enough in photography to buy such equipment and learn the details; my camera settings are automatic everything as a result.

p.s.  True story:  a friend bought me a bird photo that we saw at a holiday show.  The following year when we went back to the show, he also picked up one of flowers that was lovely and elegantly done.  He had tried in the meantime to go to her website--which was up and running, but there were no prices nor a way to contact her! 

Oh no!!! I hope she has since rectified this!!

[Elgarian Redux]

Your lament needs a pithy
reply that I, alas,
cannot supply.
I am unequal to
the task.

You say there's a lack of pith in your reply.
I question that. I find, to my chagrin,
Your lines put mine to shame. I'll tell you why:
This pentametric prison I am in!

Elgarian, F.R.S.P.V.

[Kalevala]

Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad people here like these photos! That said, they are not professional quality. Professionals shoot in RAW for a reason. The camera I usually use (P900) shoots only in JPG, a lossy format; the other camera is capable of shooting in RAW, but I have it set to shoot only in JPG, too, as that's good enough for my purposes, which is simply to ID and/or remember what I have seen.

I have friends and colleagues who take much finer wildlife photos than I take; they shoot in RAW and some have equipment that costs at least 10x what mine cost, and they know what they're doing! I'm just not interested enough in photography to buy such equipment and learn the details; my camera settings are automatic everything as a result.
Oh no!!! I hope she has since rectified this!!

You might perchance want to occasionally google some used equipment and also ask your friends who have the "nicer" equipment things like how they use it and to keep an eye open for you--just in case you change your mind.    Just a thought.  But do whatever makes you happy!

Re photographer.  I pulled up her website and yes, she's updated it.  It does have current info (including contacting her) though no prices.  At least we know how to reach her and an idea of what shows she will hopefully be in.

K

[owlice]

You might perchance want to occasionally google some used equipment and also ask your friends who have the "nicer" equipment things like how they use it and to keep an eye open for you--just in case you change your mind.    Just a thought.  But do whatever makes you happy!

I scarcely know how to reply to this, K. I've already told you I'm not interested enough in photography to learn more about it. It's not a question of money, but one of interest. I'm interested in wildlife, in recording what I've seen so I can ID it and/or remember that I've seen it. I'm not a photographer, and I do not aspire to be one. I know plenty of photographers, admire their work, but do not aspire to do what they do.

Re photographer.  I pulled up her website and yes, she's updated it.  It does have current info (including contacting her) though no prices.  At least we know how to reach her and an idea of what shows she will hopefully be in.

Excellent!! I hope you and your friend get to enjoy the photographer's work for many years to come!!

[owlice]

Haha, so true!

Magnificent!

What a ragged and strange concoction of colours, but actually I find it rather lovely.

You're very kind, and yes, Lilac-breasted Rollers are gorgeous! And so are European Rollers, which breed in Europe!

[Iota]

You're very kind, and yes, Lilac-breasted Rollers are gorgeous! And so are European Rollers, which breed in Europe!

Gorgeous indeed! And that European Roller is a beauty too, a muted pastel version of its African cousin but a real, dreamy allure to it too. Very glad you posted them, I had no idea of their existence and am very pleased to have finally come across them.

[Elgarian Redux]

And so are European Rollers, which breed in Europe!

Like Iota, I've never heard of these extraordinary creatures.

[Elgarian Redux]

This little chap called in the garden today. (We see him quite a lot.)

[Iota]

This little chap called in the garden today. (We see him quite a lot.)

Lovely! My love for the robin will remain undiminished until I depart this realm. I always found the way they will hop right up to you incredibly touching, those few shared moments seem so precious.

[owlice]

This little chap called in the garden today. (We see him quite a lot.)

What an adorable borb!!! I love him!!! What a lovely shot!!! (Your little Panasonic does excellent work for/with you!!)

[Elgarian Redux]

those few shared moments seem so precious.

Yes they do! It always seems such an honour if they seem to take notice of us, even with only a moment or two of trust.