Hard not to notice even from far away! #birding #birds #nature #wildlife #canon

I visited this place a number of times, years before capturing this photograph on April 4, 2019. I saw no one else from the time I got here until I returned to town, well after dark. In fact I had never seen anyone else here, but footprints and tire tracks on the dirt road told me the place had been known for decades. During the time between my previous visit and this one, I saw a few photos of the scene online. On this visit I also saw some ATV tracks that were not previously present, down in the valley. They were small and I had no qualms about removing them. Those changes told me that this was my last chance to capture the beauty and solitude of the place before social media destroyed them with instant popularity. Today, even in winter, I am told there can be more than 30 people here.

A pre-dawn hike over some rough volcanic terrain and a 30 second exposure produced this photograph. The long exposure time calms the water and turns waves crashing against the rocks into mist. Timing and knowledge of the tides are important when taking photos along the rocky ocean coastline. If the tide is rising and gets too high it's possible to be trapped here. A deadly combination of shallow depths that average only 60 meters (197 feet), fierce tidal currents from two oceans, and highly unpredictable violent weather make this one of the world's most treacherous stretches of water. Massive swells commonly reach 11-12 meters (36-39 feet) in height. They are generated by winds traveling unimpeded across thousands of kilometers. Rogue waves, that form when several of these swells combine, have been measured at 20 meters (66 feet) high. The area has claimed hundreds of ships and many lives.

#bruges #brugge #belgium #bèlgica

I found a group of 15 bighorn rams in a vast, treeless, grassy area at a fairly high altitude. Because the place was so open and without cover, I sat on the ground quite a distance away to observe…

Somewhere in Nebraska

Hard not to notice even from far away! #birding #birds #nature #wildlife #canon

A scan from a trip to manning Park. This was the last shot taken with my old trusty Nikon EM. I ended up tipping the canoe and the camera got dunked. #mountains #lake #nature #forest #peacefull

Ave nocturna monstruosa, superficialmente similar a un búho pero no relacionado. Pálido y moteado de gris con cabeza grande; es más grande que otros pájaros estaca y carece de bigote oscuro. Se…

Roughly forty years before capturing this photograph I stood here alone in complete darkness for the first time, anticipating the sunrise. It was amazingly quiet. While waiting I took measurements with a hand held light meter and fumbled with the controls on a camera holding Kodachrome 25 film. I remember the excitement of witnessing the sublime spectacle unfold. I saw no one else since the previous evening at dinner in the town of Moab, 1.5 hours away on steep, bumpy, corrugated, and dusty dirt roads. My photo that morning was terrible by today's standards, but the experience of capturing it alone in the vastness was infinitely better. I thought I'd improve on the photos in the future but it would take forty years for that to happen. I had no idea that this region would become my home in a most profound sense, or that I'd return to the area several times each year and accumulate a couple of years there during the rest of my life. I'd have laughed if someone told me the couple running the motel I was staying in, and some of their extended family, would become as close as my own family. In the dead of winter in early 2022 I made one last and desperate attempt to go back home again. There are much nicer times to go, but the hordes brought to this part of the country by tourism have made it unbearable when the weather is nice. I drove 1,800 miles (2897 km) in 3 days through two blizzards to get here, where the temperatures were well below freezing. Few others would do that, so discomfort was my friend. My last trip home was mostly successful, but I was not happy with this improved photograph. I returned on a different morning for another try. Unfortunately the weather in surrounding states improved and the crowds flooded in. The photographic situation at this particular location became nothing short of paparazzi trying to photograph tay tay with a wardrobe malfunction. I walked away without even opening my camera bag. Whether good or bad, this is the best photograph of the scene that I will ever capture. I am the last member of my Moab family to leave the area permanently. That saddens me, but on the upside I am the only one who is still breathing.

I found a group of 15 bighorn rams in a vast, treeless, grassy area at a fairly high altitude. Because the place was so open and without cover, I sat on the ground quite a distance away to observe and photograph them if possible. One of the rams noticed me and took an interest. He left the group and walked over to investigate. Once satisfied that I presented no danger he went back to the group. They all sat down and rested in the grass for an hour or so. I stayed seated until they got up and walked away. A large bighorn ram like this one can weigh up to 300 pounds (136 kg) and their horns alone can weigh 30 pounds (14 kg). They use their horns as weapons to fight for dominance or female mating rights. In this display called "rut," rams face each other, rear up on hind legs and leap forward at speeds up to 40 mph. The loud crash of horns signals contact and can be heard up to one mile away. The impact can generate 1765 pounds (800 kg) of force, which is over 10 times the force of two football players colliding. That is enough to kill a human, but aggression by bighorn sheep against humans is extremely rare. Regardless, it is a little intimidating when one of these fellows decides to approach, which is also extremely rare.

Tiny wildflowers that grow in my yard. #nature #macro #bloomscrolling

Looking a little scrungly, maybe a juvenile? #birds #birding #nature #wildlife

Great blue herons are the largest heron native to North America. I photographed ths one on a beach in southern Florida. They are found throughout most of North America, as far north as Alaska and the southern Canadian provinces in the summer. In winter, the range extends south through Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean to far northwestern South America. Some Individuals remain through cold northern winters, but only if fish-bearing waters remain unfrozen. That can happen in flowing waters such as streams, creeks, and rivers.

Ave nocturna monstruosa, superficialmente similar a un búho pero no relacionado. Pálido y moteado de gris con cabeza grande; es más grande que otros pájaros estaca y carece de bigote oscuro. Se camufla bien y es dificil de detectar; más a menudo visto descansando en una rama horizontal durante el día (menos a menudo en una rama rota como otros pájaros estaca). Se encuentra en áreas boscosas y bordes. Activo durante la noche, cuando se alimenta de grandes insectos. Escucha su llamada aterradora, un grito agudo y descendente. #birds #nature #wildlife #birding

This was my fifth attempt to capture this scene at sunrise on five consecutive winter mornings. On all but this day it was pouring rain, bleak, cold, and viscously windy. This day was missing only the pouring rain, and for that I felt tremendously lucky. To make up for that, it started raining again before I left the viewpoint. It didn't matter much since I was already wet with salt spray. These rock formations are remnants of the mainland's limestone cliffs. The stormy Southern Ocean, howling winds, and ten to twenty million years eroded the softer limestone, forming caves in the cliffs. The cave roofs collapsed to form arches, and when the arches collapsed, rock stacks (sea stacks) were formed, standing isolated from the shore. This is an ongoing process as shown by various sea caves in the shoreline with sink holes behind them, formed by the collapsing cave roofs.

In the arid and semi-arid southwestern United States, a bosque (/ˈboʊskeɪ / bohs'-kay) is an oasis-like ribbon of green vegetation, often canopied, that only exists near rivers, streams, or other water courses. This is one that had recently burned. I captured this photograph from an elevated position at a distance of roughly 2000 feet (607 m). A 600mm F/4 lens with a 1.4x extender was used for an effective focal length of 840 mm. The weather was extremely cloudy with occasional light drizzle and there was fog emerging from the river located another 1500 feet (457 m) behind the closest trees in the photograph. The fog did little to obscure the closest burned trees and vegetation but increasingly obscured the view deeper into the forest. I thought that effect was visually interesting. Given that fog partly obscured trees further back in the scene, and abstract nature of the image, I didn't need everything to be sharp. Regardless, parts of the closer trees needed reasonable sharpness all across the width of the image to make the image viable. Even though the lens was image stabilized and mounted on a very heavy triopd, a reasonably fast shutter speed was important at this focal length. Competing against that, I also needed the maximum possible depth of field. The best compromize I could manage in this low light situation was 1/100 second at f/8 and ISO 640. I hoped that the huge distance between the camera and the bosque would provide the depth of field I'd need at this aperture.

A red-and-green Macaw (Ara chloropterus) photographed at Barcelona Zoo on 9 March 2006. Its brilliant scarlet plumage contrasts beautifully with the vivid yellow, green and blue feathers of its wings. The large, powerful bill and intricate facial markings are characteristic features of this spectacular parrot. Native to tropical forests of Central and South America, it is highly social and often lives in pairs or family groups. Its strong beak is perfectly adapted for cracking seeds, nuts and other tough foods. A colourful portrait capturing the extraordinary beauty of one of the world’s most iconic macaws. 🇪🇸 Guacamayo Rojo Aliverde / Guacamayo Aliverde / Guacamayo Cabezón 🇫🇷 Ara rouge / Ara chloroptère 🇩🇪 Grünflügelarara 🇮🇹 Ara aliverdi / Ara rosso e verde 🇵🇹 Arara-vermelha-grande / Arara-de-asa-verde 🇷🇺 Зеленокрылый ара (Zelenokrylyy ara) 🇨🇳 绿翅金刚鹦鹉 (Lǜchì jīngāng yīngwǔ) 🇯🇵 ベニコンゴウインコ (Beni kongō inko) 🇵🇱 Arara zielonoskrzydła

Barcelona zoo, March 9 , 2006. A powerful Jaguar (Panthera onca) photographed at Barcelona Zoo on 9 March 2006. The animal is shown facing the camera, displaying its distinctive golden coat and dark rosette pattern. Its muscular build, broad head and intense gaze give the photograph a striking presence. The Jaguar is the largest feline in the Americas and an exceptional swimmer and ambush predator. It is native to a wide range of habitats from Mexico through Central and South America. A memorable encounter with one of the most impressive and iconic big cats of the Americas. 🇪🇸 Yaguar / Jaguar / Yaguareté 🇫🇷 Jaguar 🇩🇪 Jaguar 🇮🇹 Giaguaro 🇵🇹 Onça-pintada / Jaguar 🇷🇺 Ягуар (Yaguar) 🇨🇳 美洲豹 (Měizhōubào) 🇯🇵 ジャガー (Jagā) 🇵🇱 Jaguar amerykański

I don't know if this is native or not, but I like it #nature #flora #bloomscrolling

So much bumble.

After a rain shower #bloomscrolling #rose #nature #flowers