Remember the flock of avocets that visited our neighborhood pond last weekend? Sure you do! Anyway, I finally got around to editing the video I shot and I’ve uploaded it to YouTube. You can either view it there via this link, or just click the following embed. Note that the source footage* is HD so… Continue reading Avocet Video
Category: Photography
New Camera: Canon S95
Wired has published its 10 Most Significant Gadgets of 2010, and there aren’t many surprises. Apple landed three devices on the list: its iPhone 4, the MacBook Air, and the iPad (Wired’s #1 pick), which seems to annoy some of Wired’s readers to no end. But what really caught my eye was the inclusion of… Continue reading New Camera: Canon S95
The Sci-Fi World of Insects
I walked over to the north pond yesterday, hoping to get some photos of the big crane that’s been hanging out the past few weeks. He flew away before I could do that, so I sat at the water’s edge waiting for him to return. He never came back (thanks to you, Mr. Loudmouth Cell… Continue reading The Sci-Fi World of Insects
Mantid cannibalism “fairly rare,” except when it’s not
We’ve all heard stories about the tendency of the female praying mantis to bite the head off the male after mating, right? Well, that’s a gross exaggeration, and unfair to the species. In point of fact, the female bites off the head before mating, which, according to this article, spurs the guy on. Hard to… Continue reading Mantid cannibalism “fairly rare,” except when it’s not
Mesmerizing Morph
This is the most amazing thing I’ve seen in quite a while. Many adjectives come to into play, including “amusing,” “terrifying,” and “mysterious” but “mesmerizing” was the one that ruled them all for me. (Note: This will work best if you have a pretty speedy internet connection.) Source: Petapixel
Dos Burros
There are two burros pastured about a quarter mile from our house. Every so often, something will set them off – a rattlesnake, a coyote, perhaps even each other – and we’ll hear their braying all around the neighborhood. I took a photo of them a year or two back, when we were in the… Continue reading Dos Burros
Another Dragonfly Pic
I trust that your appetite for Scarlet Darter dragonflies is not yet sated.
Dragonfly
Debbie spotted this dragonfly as we were walking around the pond earlier today. I didn’t have my camera with me, but we returned about 30 minutes later and the insect was still hanging around (actually, there were two of them, chasing one another with unknown motivations). According to this website, this is a Scarlet Darter… Continue reading Dragonfly
High Wire Act
This walking stick was hanging from an electrical line over our B&B at Canyon Lake last week, barely in reach of my zoom lens. I don’t know what he thought he’d find up there, and he seemed to make a great target for a hungry bird, but I guess he knew what he was doing.… Continue reading High Wire Act
Sunset
So, how was your sunset yesterday? Ours was pretty good.