A winter visit to a greenhouse

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday February 20, 2016 · 2:51 PM PST

2016/02/20 · 14:51

One of the photography Meetup groups I belong to has a late winter tradition of visiting a local greenhouse to add some color to our gray, depressing, Upstate NY lives.

Carol Watson Greenhouse Lafayette, NY

I don’t do much flower photography since I caught the bird photography bug, but I wanted to try out the close focusing ability of my new 18-135mm lens. 135mm is the weakest part of the focal range, but 1:4 reproduction ratio is nice to have when walking around.

I also wanted to give my Tamron SP 90mm F/2.5 Model 52BB a workout before deciding whether to sell it. I just bought an autofocusing 100mm F/3.5 macro and the 90mm Adaptall might be redundant. It is a very nice lens though. And it’s on a KA Adaptall 2 adapter...

Outside it was actually a pretty nice day for late February. Temperatures in the 50s and the sun was out for a while in the morning. It looks like it will be above freezing for most of the week, so instead of gray and white we will have gray and mud.

More Red Pandas in the snow

boriscleto

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday January 24, 2016 · 8:11 AM PST

2016/01/24 · 08:11

January 23rd, 2016 — Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park in Syracuse, NY

A Meetup.com group I’m a belong to, CNY Photographers, had its annual Zoo Photo Contest meetup. It was a cold morning, 19 degrees when I arrived, but the sun made a rare January appearance.

IMO Red Pandas are even cuter than Giant Pandas playing in the snow…

After a good romp in the snow it was time for some tree climbing.

After something like 200 shots it was time to move on…

Sometimes B&W conversion is necessary to save a shot.

The zoo staff put a pine branch in with the Markhors. The big male decided to wear it.

The little male was trying to do everything the big male was doing...

The wind picked up a bit, and the sun went behind the clouds, so it was time to go inside.

The Golden Lion Tamarins were even out where you could see them. Usually they are sleeping out of sight.

For some reason the Tamarins share an enclosure with an Armadillo...

Surrender to the superior cuteness of the Red Panda

boriscleto

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday January 06, 2016 · 3:48 PM PST

2016/01/06 · 15:48

Just a few pics from the Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park.

Some other “Red” animals…

Red Wolf

Red Fox

Gray Wolves

Blue Crane

I love how a Mallard’s head can be green from one angle but blue from another…

And no zoo is complete without a flock of House Sparrows and Starlings…

Looking back at a year of photography

boriscleto

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday December 27, 2015 · 4:23 PM PST

2015/12/27 · 16:23

Red-tailed Hawk at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge

This is the time of year everyone is looking back at the past year. Time to take a break from the pie fights and look back at my year in photography.

January

January is time for the photography contest at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, NY. Free admission for one adult with a camera. What could be better. (It could be better if it was above freezing...)

_IGP8944 — Dwarf Caiman at Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park

I could take pictures of the Patas Monkeys and Red Pandas all day…

_IGP9108 — The Mallards at the zoo are all wild. They just stay for the free food.

_IGP9267 — Mallards and female Common Merganser

_IGP9404 — I know an Australian on a photo forum who thinks it’s funny we consider the Kookaburra to be exotic.

_IGP9689 — Wood Duck in his own little pond

February

In February I heard that there were Redpolls at Beaver Lake Nature Center in Baldwinsville, NY. So on Valentines Day I went to get some pictures. Thankfully Beaver Lake has a nice indoor viewing area…

All the other winter feeder birds were there too...

_IGP9801 — Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)

_IGP9899 — Female Red-bellied Woodpecker

I had to take a walk through Hemlock Hollow and down the Bog Trail to try to find the Saw-whet Owl. Dipped on the Owl…

March

In early March the rivers were still frozen over. So the ducks were all concentrated in the few areas of open water. Very high mortality rate, especially for the fish eaters.

_IGP0055 — Female Common Merganser — Baldwinsville, NY

_IGP0177 — Great Black-backed and Ring-billed Gulls

_IGP0321 — Common Goldeneye and Harlequin drakes

_IGP0333 — Harlequin Duck, a rare visitor to Oswego, NY

In late March I got my new Pentax K-3 (replacing a Pentax K-5).

_IMG0128 — Common Grackle in my backyard

April

April is time for a first trip of the year to Montezuma NWR.

_IMG0151 — Northern Pintail on the Savannah muck.

_IMG0165 — Great Blue Heron in a frozen Montezuma NWR

_IMG0180 — Snow Geese on the Savannah muck

Taking photos on the section of Rt 31 that runs through the Savannah mucks is a challenge. The shoulder is about 6 inches wide and the locals drive like 70 mph.

There was still snow in the woods at Beaver Lake well into April. The nuthatches were busy caching sunflower seeds from the feeders.

_IMG0340 — First Fox Sparrow I ever saw.

By the second week of April the ice was finally gone from the main pool at Montezuma, and the male Purple Martins were picking out nest boxes.

Sterling Nature Center in northern Cayuga County is home to a Great Blue Heron rookery. In April they were just starting to get the nests ready.

_IMG0875 — Love is in the air, but she isn’t having any of it...

_IMG0908 — Male and Female Eastern Bluebird copulating...

_IMG1296 — I discovered a nice place to take pictures about a mile from my house. The Duck Blind at Stanley Hamlin WMU.

_IMG1328 — Tufted Titmouse at Beaver Lake

_IMG1353 — Don’t really know what this female Downy was doing.

_IMG1609 — First Pine Warbler I ever saw at Hamlin Marsh

_IMG1723 — Male Eastern Towhee at Great Bear Recreation Area.

_IMG1788 — Blue-winged teal mating...at Montezuma NWR

_IMG1862 — A Common Gallinule who was a few weeks early.

May

May is the best time of the year in CNY.

_IMG1966 — American Goldfinch at Montezuma Audubon Center in Savannah, NY

_IMG2120 — Caspian Terns on flooded corn field. Carncross Road near Savannah, NY

_IMG2137 — Tree Swallow on Carncross Road

_IMG2213 — Male Pileated Woodpecker Hamlin Marsh

_IMG2270 — Common Snapping Turtles having a fight. Hamlin Marsh

_IMG2346 — My first Yellow-rumped Warbler

_IMG2405 — Baltimore Oriole at Sunset Bay. Scriba, NY

_IMG2482 — First year Male Red-winged Blackbird

_IMG2566 — My first Northern Parula. Great Bear Recreation Area. Terrible photo...

_IMG2645 — My first Ovenbird. Derby Hill near Mexico, NY. Even worse than the Parula...

_IMG2666 — My first Black & White Warbler

_IMG2797 — My first Blackburnian Warlber (female).

Lawrence's Warbler - Great Bear Springs Recreation Area — “Lawrence’s” Warbler. Blue-winged x Golden-winged. Great Bear Recreation Area

_IMG3448 — The other Blue-winged x Goldenwinged. “Brewster’s” Warbler. This one has Blue-winged characteristics rather than Golden-winged.

_IMG3497 — Red-breasted Nuthatch at Beaver Lake

_IMG3549 — Great-crested Flycatcher at Labrador Hollow Unique Area

June

After May I slowed down a lot. My grandmother’s health deteriorated and I needed to spend more time at home. I also switched from Apple Aperture to Adobe Lightroom.

Back to the zoo for the switch to Lightroom.

The lioness at the zoo was pretty lonely. Her siblings died within a few months of each other. She has a new companion now, but she was still alone in June.

The new baby elephant was the main reason for the visit.

July

July was another slow month, August was a total washout. I didn’t take a single photograph during the entire month.

Juvenile Downy Woodpecker. Beaver Meadows State Forest

This poor fawn lost its eye. I don’ think it had much longer to live. It was lying in the ditch next to the road and the mother was no where around.

Mute Swan Cygnet. Kind of strange to see Mute Swans in a State Park when the official policy of the DEC is that Mute Swans are invasive and should be eliminated. Fair Haven State Park

Swamp Sparrow. Beaver Lake Nature Center

September

October

Fall colors weren’t that great this year.

November

Just one visit to Montezuma NWR in November, I didn’t shoot at all in December.

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge - Wednesday Nov. 4th, 2015 - A photo diary

boriscleto

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday November 04, 2015 · 3:27 PM PST

2015/11/04 · 15:27

Take a break from the pie fights and enjoy a rare gorgeous November day in upstate NY.

boriscleto

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday April 18, 2015 · 10:28 AM PDT

2015/04/18 · 10:28

Went on a "Wood Duck Wander" at Beaver Lake Nature Center in Baldwinsville, NY this morning. We managed to scare every Wood Duck in the park to the other side of the lake, so no good photos of them.

I did get some nice photos at the feeders when we were done, and 2 life birds today. Red-necked Grebe and Pine Siskin.

boriscleto

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday April 15, 2015 · 9:24 AM PDT

2015/04/15 · 09:24

A chilly mid-April morning at Sterling Nature Center and its Great Blue Heron Rookery in Sterling, NY

Updated with evening photos.

Poll

13 votes Show Results

Should I go back this evening to get better photos of the rookery?

13 votes Vote Now!

Should I go back this evening to get better photos of the rookery?

Yes

10 votes

Yes

3 votes

Mid-July Birding - a photo diary

boriscleto

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday July 20, 2014 · 4:42 AM PDT

2014/07/20 · 04:42

The past week has been all about realizing how great it is to live less than an hour from one of New York's birding treasures, Montezuma.

I added five new birds to my life list this week, and that was in just 3 days.

Song Sparrow fledgling at Montezuma Audubon.

More beneath the squiggle.

boriscleto

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday July 13, 2014 · 4:50 AM PDT

2014/07/13 · 04:50

My previous diary covered July 5th & 6th. On July 7th & 8th we had some severe weather in CNY so I wasn't able to get out until the 9th. I also went birding on the 10th & 12th and got a life bird on every day.

Not a life bird, but it was a good omen for a Scarlet Tanager to give me the best photo I have of one first thing in the morning.

More below the squiggle.

boriscleto

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday July 07, 2014 · 9:09 AM PDT

2014/07/07 · 09:09

This was a big weekend for my birding life list. Four new species, I couldn't positively identify a flycatcher as an Alder or Willow so I don't get credit.

July is also the month in which the fewest people participate in eBird than any other month. So eBird has a July challenge. Submit 50 birding checklists. The winner of the eBirder of the Month challenge gets a pair of Zeiss binoculars and a selection of books from Princeton University Press.

July eBird Challenge

Alder or Willow? If you don't hear the call you can't tell...

More below the squiggle.

boriscleto

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday June 16, 2014 · 4:55 AM PDT

2014/06/16 · 04:55

Over the last few years I've developed a real obsession for birding. Not so much for identifying as many species as possible, though that is part of it (my eBird life list stands at 105), but for photographing birds.

My father shares this obsession. As he contemplates retirement and moving back to upstate NY he decided to do something about my lens situation. For several years I've been using a 55-300mm lens. It is a fine lens in the right conditions, and if you can get close, but I needed something longer. I had considered switching from Pentax to Nikon as the selection of lenses wider for Nikon, and the lenses are more available. But this weekend he surprised me with a Sigma 150-500 F5-6.3 APO DG OSM (lil'Bigma). It still needs the right lighting conditions, and it helps to get close, but it is much more flexible than a 300mm lens. (Much heavier too)

A few test pics from Friday...

Birds after the squiggle.

boriscleto

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday May 12, 2014 · 9:45 AM PDT

2014/05/12 · 09:45

Every Monday morning in April, May, and June there is a bird walk at Beaver Lake Nature Center in Baldwinsville, NY. Today was the first day I joined one.

Common Yellowthroat

Ruffed Grouse

More below the squiggle.

Newer
Older

RSS

A winter visit to a greenhouse

More Red Pandas in the snow

Surrender to the superior cuteness of the Red Panda

Looking back at a year of photography

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge - Wednesday Nov. 4th, 2015 - A photo diary

Beaver Lake Nature Center - Saturday April 18th, 2015 - A photo diary

Sterling Nature Center - April 15, 2015 - A Photo Diary Updated

Mid-July Birding - a photo diary

More birding in July - a photo diary

Birding in July - a photo diary

Feeding a birding obsession with a new lens - a photo diary

Monday morning birding - a photo diary