• Avian,  Canon Powershot G12

    Preening at Sunset

    May 5, 2012
    Preening at Sunset

    One of the arguments we often use for not writing is this: “I have nothing original to say. Whatever I might say, someone else has already said it, and better than I will ever be able to.” This, however, is not a good argument for not writing. Each human person is unique and original, and nobody has lived what we have lived. Furthermore, what we have lived, we have lived not just for ourselves but for others as well. Writing can be a very creative and invigorating way to make our lives available to ourselves and to others. We have to trust that our stories deserve to be told. We may discover that the better we tell our stories the better we will want to live them.” Henri Nouwen

    This is also true of our photography or any other art form. Yes, others have taken images similar to the one above but not this exact one. It is uniquely mine. So I share it with you and for myself. Have an Awesome weekend!

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  • Avian,  meadowlark,  musings,  robins

    Natures Music

    April 2, 2012
    Singing Meadowlark

    This post is a continuation of the thoughts generated from Earls post on Embracing Chaos and from Tom Dills post on Noise. We all pretty much agree there is visual chaos within nature. I would like to suggest that for some people the sounds of nature may be considered chaos while for others it can be “exalting” music. Music has been an intragel part of man early on. Man has made musical instruments from pounding on hollow logs, carving wooden flutes and violins to our modern mp3 players. Man has chanted and sang for years. Some of us have rhythm and some us struggle to keep the beat. Some can carry a tune and some can’t. I lean more towards the latter of both. When younger I took guitar lessons with aspirations of being a rock star. Due to my lack of musical talent, and dad wouldn’t let me grow my hair long, the reality of that dream quickly faded. Over the past few years listening to rock and roll, country or jazz music no longer appeals for me. I’ve moved away from listening to music or even being around it, choosing quiet or the sounds of nature. So much more enjoyment in the sounds of nature for me.

    For me the sounds of nature offers a quiet where the chaotic noise of our society can’t. When March Madness started a couple of my crew members asked me to join them at Buffalo Wild Wings to eat and watch the earlier games. However, attempting to have a conversation with them over the man-made chaos of 20-30 strategically placed televisions is no longer appealing. That is chaos to me. For me the sound of wind blowing through the leaves, the meadowlarks morning song, the cadence of falling rain, or the clap of thunder from a passing storm, or the quiet of a snowfall is a soothing sound to me. Maybe I’m just getting old but it’s natures music that stirs me inside not the beat if a drum.

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  • Avian

    Red-Winged Blackbird

    March 26, 2012

    Red-winged Blackbird

    I have a 13″ MacBook but not the Pro. I wanted the mobility due to my work but it is such a hassle I no longer take it. I’m thinking of purchasing an iMac with a larger screen and more computing power. I would like to know what people think about laptops versus desktop systems, what you are using and why.

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  • Avian

    Common Golden-eye

    March 16, 2012

    Golden-eye

    Since we had open water on our lake throughout this winter season there have hen several Common Goldeneye. Crustaceans as their predominant prey during migration and winter so the open water supplies that. They are one of the prettiest ducks so I have enjoyed watching them feed and hope to see more of them this summer.

    In contrast to the mallards I wrote about yesterday, both the breeding and winter habitat of these birds has been degraded by clearance and pollution. However, this is the only duck in North America known to derive short-term benefits from lake acidification. Information courtesy of Wikipedia.

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  • Avian

    That Time of Year

    March 15, 2012

    Mallards at my Lake

    The mallard, or sometimes known as a “wild duck”, lives in wetlands, chowing down on water plants, and is gregarious, meaning it lives in flocks. You can always tell the male because of the bright green or blue head, while the female is a light brown. They form pairs in the fall but once eggs are in the nest the male will join up with the guys until molting season at which time his imperious urge rises for other females, even other species. Mallards are one of the few waterfowl who have adjusted to intrusion of mans elimination of their original habitat. Which means it will still be around long after man has disappeared. 🙂

    As an interesting fact, the Peabody Hotel in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee has maintained a long tradition of keeping one Mallard drake and four Mallard hens, called The Peabody Ducks, as a popular hotel attraction and as guests of honor. The Mallards are provided by a local farmer and friend of the Peabody Hotel and are rotated out and returned to the farm for a new team of Mallards every three months. This tradition has also been maintained and observed at the other Peabody Hotels in Little Rock, Arkansas and Orlando, Florida. These are not the Peabody Ducks but a pair hanging around my lake.

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  • Avian,  Camera Equipment,  Photography

    Two Hawks

    February 29, 2012

    Buddies

    I apologize for the quality of this image but it was taken at 300 mm, hand held and cropped. How’s that for excuses? I just pulled off to the side of the road and shot from the car window, across traffic. It’s not very often I see two hawks sharing the same tree or branch, so I had to stop. They alway seem to be a solitary creature. The other reason for posting this image is to demonstrate the affect a telephoto lens has on distant objects, bringing them closer. The mountains in the distance are several miles away. Below is the same group of trees taken from the approximate same location and at 24 mm. Just a bit of difference.

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  • Avian

    Meadowlark Concert

    February 25, 2012

    Perched

    One afternoon as I drove east on 120th I found three meadowlarks perched on a fence. Since they have one of the most pleasing songs to me, I pulled the car over and rolled down the window to listen to the that wonderful song they gladly share with us. I just happen to have my camera with me so I also made a few images. The bright sunny day allowed their beautiful color to show. Just before I left I happen to catch one of them at liftoff.

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