Humming Along....

Okay, so a lot of the time I would prefer to be taking photos of large, medium or even smaller landscapes or even larger animals to include people's pets. Then there are times when you have to just shoot what is there and most of the time I will take a camera in my bag to work with me. This way if there is anything to capture or maybe while taking a walk at lunch there will be something I can shoot it and see if I like it later.

Back in February some of the ladies in the office set up a humming bird feeder outside the Westerly windows in our building. Surprisingly the humming birds did visit considering this was next to an open ally which also was next to a large parking lot, mostly vacant that time of year. All of this was just on the Northerly border going into the greater downtown Salem area.

I was able to be within 10 feet of the feeder and using an Tamron 18-200 on my Pentax Kx (back up camera) I got a few shots. This is one with the hummer taking on some nice sugar water that was freshly prepared for them.

I am glad the little critter sat still long enough for a few shots. Enjoy. Tim -

Memorial Day & the end of May

Another month is wrapping up and had the day off in honor of Memorial Day! I thank my fellow veterans who have served, continue to serve and the ones who did not return from the service of their country.

Got in a couple nice bike rides this weekend and checked out some more lands in Polk county Oregon to think about doing some shooting. Didn't get out this long weekend and should have but will hope a few fields I saw a couple weekends ago will still be blooming with some reddish clover looking vegetation?

I have put in a shot of some Big Horn Sheep - Rams as they were grazing this past March just outside Yellowstone Park in Wyoming. I again was battling some shade on these and not using the fastest lens for the conditions but that is all experience and not carrying extra cameras with other lenses. I hope you will enjoy the shot. I will be looking to hit some of the local NWR areas in the area and get some new shots of animals and landscapes!

Tim -

A Younger Ewe

Sometime back in April I had the one shot of the Bison posted and mentioned that I may get some shots of the other game animals that we had an opportunity to photograph. Well, here we go with a tighter shot of a young ewe working on the grasses among the snow.

I carried with me my Sigma 70-200/f.28 as my main lens this day so everything is shot with that and it reacts pretty well in some of the shade conditions which this one was. As these animal's congregate in the drainage's for the water during the day then head back up in the evening I had to deal with some taller walls of stone on either side of the drainage. We actually will do quite a bit of shooting not to far off the Highway 20 that runs into Yellowstone from Cody, WY.

In March it would become quite a bit of work to heft gear back for a days shooting but would be nicer knowing that most of the bears are still in hibernation (hopefully!).

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the shot and you can find more out at my website, there is a link over on the right column to lead you there!

Tim

Keeping an "Eye" out....

Wow! It has been about a month and a half since last posting and really I have looked to do something but have not done much? I am posting in a close up shot of a Bison that was passing close by the car when we did a spring break trip back to Cody, Wyoming to see some family.

Almost a dozen Bison were out near or on the road close to the East entrance to Yellowstone Park and part of that was due to the huge amounts of snow that the park was getting over the winter and spring. It will drive some of the animals out to lower areas to forage for food and have water with the nearby streams and rivers running. It helps me to have family living so close to one of our national treasures so when I am out there I can get out and find critters and some really great landscapes!

We did get some shots other than Bison and include some Big Horn Sheep, both Rams and Ewes along with some Deer. I will look at getting in some of those shots in another post which I will do very soon.

Enjoy the shot and check out the photo website - link is over there on the right and order something you might like. You can download digital files at various prices for personal or commercial use.

Thanks for stopping by! Tim -

Canada Geese - Basket Slough NWR

The same day that I was out at a local National Wildlife Refuge where I got photos of a Great Blue Heron. I was also getting some shot of other water foul, that is if these Canada Geese are considered foul? eh?

Anyway, they were kind enough for a few to come in for a landing and then just hang around eating from the grass stubble. I tried to have both photos but they were a little sizeable and I don't feel like reducing them any further. Sorry, you just get them eating!

It was a great day to be out there with the sunshine and the animals. I did later try to catch a pair of bald eagles in flight but they were at a pretty good distance for the lens I had at the time.

Enjoy the shots, and hope you can get out and enjoy some nature!

Tim -