The Arachnid and the Painted Turtle

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, 1/400, f/5.6, ISO 100

These are the first turtle pictures of the season that I've taken and only discovered the spider when viewing on the computer screen at home.  You can see it clearly on top of the shell in the first picture and then...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, 1/320, f/5.6, ISO 100

...in the second picture it has moved further to the edge near the base of the turtles neck.

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, 1/320, f/5.6, ISO 100

In this last shot it appears the spider is reaching out to sink its fangs into the base of that neck.  Of course, I don't know if that's what actually happened but I found it interesting anyway.

Dancing in the Snow

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, f/5/6, 1/320, ISO 360

While at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge on 3/5/2016 I caught this Sandhill Crane dancing in the snow.  There were actually two of them but the other stayed back (must've been the guy) while this one took to the dance floor by itself.  It snowed the entire 5 hrs I was out that day and I loved every single second of it.  This photo is just one example why.

Having Fun with some Sandhill Crane Behavior

Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, f/5.6, 1/2500, ISO 250 

I heard them well before I saw them and knew they could be none other than those gregarious, garrulous, and even noisy Sandhill Crane.  As I rounded the corner and saw them a little ways off I decided to just keep walking and hoped they wouldn't retreat further back into Crane Creek.  Fortunately, they didn't seem to mind me terribly and just went about doing what they were doing.  For these two images (the first is a crop of the one below) I was focused on the bird in the center which was playing with and tossing a stick around.  I liked the way they were paired up and spaced out.  It appears we have two love birds, two indifferent, one loner entertaining itself, and two fussing at each other.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, f/5.6, 1/2500, ISO 250 

Photogenic - The White-breasted Nuthatch

Nikon D750, Nikkor 300mm f/4e @ f/4, 1/1000, ISO 140

I find birds to be incredibly photogenic with their combination of intricate feathers, postures, behaviors, inquisitiveness, colors, etc.  And certainly the White-breasted Nuthatch gives no photogenic ground up to any other.  I think they are a very interesting combination of white, blue, and black and quite striking in appearance and will photograph them at any opportunity.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 300mm f/4e @ f/4, 1/800, ISO 140

Nikon D750, Nikkor 300mm f/4e @ f/4, 1/500, ISO 250

Out for a Walk

Nikon D750, Nikkor 300mm f/4 @ f/4, 1/800, ISO 720

This photo was taken at Sheldon Marsh in Feb. of this year.  There are some birds around to be sure, but I think the squirrels outnumber them right now.  I tend to pass up a lot of squirrels without feeling compelled to take their picture but every once in while one of them grabs my attention.

American Tree Sparrow

Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6e @500mm, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 125

The backyard feeders have been surrounded by Tree sparrows lately.  I caught this one in the snow on the ground away from where all the seeds have fallen so the frame wasn't full of "dirty" snow.  These little birds spend the winter here and will head far north in early Spring to breed and raise their young together and will continue to feed them until about two weeks after they leave the nest. 

Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6e @500mm, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 110

Bald Eagle - First Year

Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, 1/2500, ISO 140

Here's another shot of one of the many eagles I photographed at Ottawa Nat'l Wildlife Refuge earlier this month.  I like the uplifted wings, spread tail, and catch light in the eye.  As mentioned in yesterday's post I believe this is a first year bird, of which there were several.  This particular refuge is almost two hours from were I live but the eagles certainly help make the trip worthwhile.

The Eagles Have Landed

Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, 1/2500, ISO 400

I can find eagles almost at will in Ohio now which is quite a bit different than what I mentioned here a few years ago.  (Wow!  I just saw those photos from the link and cringed and almost didn't mention the post from then.  But, that's apparently where I was in my photography-related development stage so it's interesting to see the contrast from then till now.  Hopefully, in a few more years I'll look back on today and feel the same way again.)  This photo is a heavy crop but I love the detail and windblown feathers.  And the catch light in the eye is a real bonus.  The winds were gusting to 25mph on this day so I was really glad to have the heft of the 200-500mm lens.

Ring-billed gull at Huron Harbor

Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 + TC-14II @ 700mm, 1/3200, f/8, ISO 1400

These photos are from the same place and time as the previous post but with different results.  This time it was a Ring-billed gull that got fed.  The images are still much softer than I'd like but I hope they will pass as being okay here.  

Herring Gull Fishing for a Meal

Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 + TC-14II @ 700mm, 1/3200, f/8, ISO 1000

I finally got out for a bit this last Saturday and went to the Huron Harbor because I knew there would be birds there as long as there was still open water.  And there was open water.  Only part of the harbor was frozen over.  So I walked out to where the open water met the frozen and there were a number of gulls flying around looking for a meal.  Now, I'm a relative newbie at this kind of photography event.  I've photographed gulls before but not for the specific purpose of catching them in action while fishing for a meal.