Mocha,
Thanks. Yes, sometimes we get lucky using the smaller telephoto lenses. I did use the Canon 55-250mm lens for wildlife for quite some time before getting the Tamron 150-600mm lens (as you probably know). But with the smaller lens I would have to find creative ways to get closer. That was fun in itself.
Simply stunning, as are all your shots simplejoy.
Very nice pics fotoword. Quacking marvellous!
Definitely the backlit one for me.
Great photos.
Super shots mocha.
As always, I'm jealous of your dragon/damselfly photos. The heron is very nice as well.
I know what you mean.
Wow... that's certainly one of the better sunsets.
Nos 1, 4, 10 are my favourites.
Digirame,
Impressive mountain pics.
Would you mind telling me a little more about that specific "Black Bird" species?
Thanks Dunlin,
Getting pictures of sunsets near a body of water are nice with the reflections that we sometimes get.
Dunlin,
Thanks. I've seen the Brewer's Blackbird in Oregon also. The male is glossy black with some shining green or purple in bright light. The female bird is a grayish-brown color. It's about 9 inches long (22.5 cm) from head to tail.
I dont usually find BIF pictures very interesting; but these are -- perhaps because of the green on the wings. Well captured, Fotoworld.
David
Nothing wrong with that combination!
More lovely, evocative photos. Thanks for venturing out!
I prefer the monochrome bird, by the way.
David
Mocha,
your Macclesfield Canal walks are very fruitful and the results are very varied in subject matter. Thanks for sharing!
Dasvid
Welcome back, Digi! Lovely skies in your Tahoe shots. I didnt have such luck when I was last there, so it's nice that you did.
You are also lucky to be able to take pictures while on the move. You could almost make a movie from your photos of Mt Shasta. Yesterday we saw a wonderful, perfect, rainbow, but we were on the freeway and I couldnt stop. My wife and dog were in the passenger seat, so no photo! The one that got away!
The blue skies behind your blackbird shots really help. Usually the birds I see have confusding backgrounds. Great job on all these.
David
Sorry to hear this, Photobygms. I thought lenses lasted forever. 😟
Yesterday the weather was fine when we started out, but black clouds soon rolled in.
First we went to Mayerling. This is the site of the hunting lodge of Rudolph, Crown Prince of Austria. You may recall that it is famous as the place of the suicide in January 1889 of this prince, the emperor's eldest son, after an unhappy life, made worse by public and court disapproval of his fight against anti-semitism. His lover died with him.
This was the report in the newspaper the next day:
It says His imperial and royal highness the most serene Crown Prince Archduke Rudolph departed suddenly of a heart attack yesterday, the 30th of the month, between 7 and 8 hours in the early morning in his hunting lodge in Mayerling near Baden. First published in 1703, the Wiener Zeitung was the newspaper of official report in Austria until it ceased publication in print form at the end of June this year -- a victim of the Internet. Of course, the circumstances of the prince's death and that of his lover were quite scandalous, and attempts were naturally made to hush up the story. More details here.
This is the view looking the other direction:
We then drove to Heiligenkreuz, the site of the Holy Cross monastery. The sun came out briefly.
In the grounds there is a fascinating sundial. I could not make out much about the mosaic on it. The gnomon is some 15 ft or more tall, triangular and faced with glass. By this time the clouds were gathering!
We drove home in rain, with a magnificent rainbow -- not illustrated because yours truly had to concentrate hard on the driving!
David
Thanks David. We were lucky that we did not have forest fire smoke this year at Lake Tahoe. On some days, it was a little hazy, although.
In the car, I'm able to take pictures as a passenger. It's challenging with everything moving so fast. Sometimes I do try to open the window to get a clear photo, but other times I have no choice but to take them through the glass. I try to find a clean spot in the window. On this trip, I discovered a new way to take them from the car as a passenger. I was able to open the window, put the wrist strap on, open the window, use the tilt screen and take pictures with the camera/lens pointed slightly backwards. So instead of straining the neck to take a picture behind me, the tilt screen makes it easy.
Yes, I encouraged the bird to move up to a branch void of leaves with the blue sky as a background.
David,
I find your pictures fascinating. We get a good history lesson too. It's amazing sometimes how people who may have wealth actually can be unhappy. So we know wealth and money is not what makes us all happy, but a lot of people have told me that they would sure like to try it out. 😀
David,
I liked your Holy Cross Monastery shots, especially the framed shot.
I don't know what the mosaic is supposed to depict, but when I blow it up, I can count at least 7 faces in it - all very demon-like.
Steve Thomas
