An Hour and a Daylily

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The other day we got home from work and Squirt really, really wanted to go out on the porch. So did Whiskey. How to say no to two adorable cats? So I grabbed my macro lens and extension tubes and we all went outside. While the boys sniffed the breeze and chased lizards, I photographed flowers. One of my favorite daylilies, a pale pink variety with a yellow center, was in bloom. I took it into the shade and photographed it from all sorts of angles. When Rich called us in to dinner, the cats and I were both surprised. We’d been out there for an hour, and I spent the whole time with one flower!

An Hour with a Daylily

I found a cool tutorial online for doing filmstrip effects with digital images. I thought it would be fun to use this format to showcase some of the different images that I made of the daylily. The main image is just a color blur of one of the petals. The top right is the traditional shot of the center of the flower with a large depth of focus. The middle shot focuses on just the stamens (boy it is hard to get them all in the same plane so that they are all focused, without any foreground blur!) The bottom shot is a close-up of the frilly edges of the petals, with some Fractalius added to emphasize the delicate lines of the flower.

After a gentle rain, the flower had some water on it. I took this picture of a stamen lying on a petal, then processed it with Color Efex Pro to add a vignette and darken the colors a bit. Then I started to play with other filters. All the remaining images in this blog entry are from the image below.

Inside a Daylily

This one applied the Flaming Pear Twist filter. The result makes me think of oil paints. I like it.

Daylily Twisted

This one is a simple Fractalius filter. I thought the neon colors were cool.

Daylily Glow

This one uses the Flaming Pear Swerve filter to contort the image. This one reminds me of “Starry Night” (maybe the bits of pollen remind me of stars!) There was something about the patterns in this one that I really liked.

Starry Night Jess-Style!

Well, at least Squirt got plenty of porch time while I experimented! :)

Beast Meets Bobolink

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I’m so behind on my blog. It’s that time of year when I’d rather be out with my camera than sitting behind a computer!

Bobolink (Female)

Recently I wrote about my quest to see Bobolinks at the Circle B Bar Reserve. Bobolinks are migratory birds that make a stop-over at Circle B every May during their migration north. My dad has gotten incredible shots of the Bobolinks, but I hadn’t seen them at all until this year. In my post Two Lifers on a Drizzly Morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve, I put up a video of a flock of Bobolinks early on a rainy day. In some ways they remind me of Red-Winged Blackbirds (same habitat, similar sounds, comparable size and mannerisms), and that makes sense, since they are in the same family as the Red-Wings. I was thrilled to get my video, which shows their little “leap frog” behavior as the flock feeds. But the light was awful and I didn’t even post stills from that morning, they were so bad. So after my trip to Blue Cypress Lake two weeks ago, I stopped at Circle B to see if I could find more Bobolinks. I did! There was a flock of several hundred birds out on the Wading Bird Way trail.

Bobolink (Juvenile Male)_Circle B Bar Reserve_201305053_copyrightJessYarnell

The Bobolinks were feeding in the grasses, which were tall enough to hide the birds. So every couple of seconds another one would pop up and fly off. They are very dynamic birds! My dad and I were amazed as we stood watching them come out of nowhere. The male birds are so pretty with their jet-black feathers and black and yellow patches. I was happy to isolate a female on a branch, too. Even though I was hand-holding the Beast during fairly harsh light, I was happy with my images.

Then I started reading more about Bobolinks and found this neat article about their migration. Ornithologists geo-tagged two Bobolinks so that they could study the birds’ flight patterns. One Bobolink flew almost 1200 miles non-stop from Venezuela to the Bahamas! (And I get tired when I have to drive four hours to see Burrowing Owls!) The scientists were surprised to get data proving the long flights, which are comparable to the flights of much bigger shorebirds. During the fall, the birds take their time flying down to their wintering grounds, but in the spring, they are in a hurry to get back and make a nest.

American White Pelican Party

The other fun part of my visit to the Circle B Bar Reserve that afternoon was seeing all the American White Pelicans in the waters off the Wading Bird Way trail. In previous winters, we’ve had thousands of pelicans roosting at this site, and birders and photographers are anxious for the birds to return. This year we had small numbers of pelicans, but most stayed closer to Lake Hancock. Then a week of rainy weather caused a fish kill on Lake Hancock, so the birds moved over to Wading Bird Way. It was great to see them again!

Cygnets for Mother’s Day

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Dedicated to my mom, who is my best friend and confidante. Happy Mother’s Day!!

As regular readers of my blog know, I’ve been stopping by Lake Morton periodically to monitor the nesting of the resident Mute Swans. My friend Kim at the lake knows how much I love to photograph the cygnets (baby swans), so she promised to let me know when they started to hatch. One morning I decided to sleep in (very unusual for a nature photographer in the spring!) When I rolled out of bed at 8am, I had this email waiting for me…

Baby!! Where you park! Sunday morn 6:30!

Rich said I had a very determined look on my face. By 8:15, I was pulling out of the driveway! :) I had no idea that I was in store for one of the most exciting days of photography in my life…

Cute Cygnets

When I got to Lake Morton, Kim and her friends Linda and Rob were at a nest tucked into a group of tall grasses. A newborn cygnet would occasionally peek out at us. Mom continued to incubate her remaining eggs. The grassy nest was cool and the cygnet was adorable, but it wasn’t all that great for photographs. Then Linda and Rob decided to check out the other nest that had hatched that morning. Jackpot! It was a beautiful nest out in the open, and three tiny cygnets were sleeping under Mom.

Family Portrait

According to my friends, two of the cygnets at this nest had hatched this morning. One was still all wet from being in his egg. Mom pretty much kept her babies underneath her, only occasionally standing up. I’m not sure if she wanted to give them some air or stretch her legs – probably both! When she did stand up, she gave us a wonderful opportunity to see one of the fluffy cygnets sleeping next to his newborn brother, next to the pieces of his eggshell.

Newborn Brothers

Mute Swans build their big nests of reeds and grasses. They lay between four and eight eggs. The parents take turn incubating the eggs for 35 to 38 days. That’s a long time to sit still! The swans are known to be aggressive, but the birds at Lake Morton have become very used to people. Some of my friends are at the lake every evening to say hello to the birds and feed them. It’s obvious that the birds know my friends, and the swans weren’t bothered by us. I was also glad that the City of Lakeland roped off the nests this year, to keep kids and dogs at a distance. Papa Swan certainly told any passing dogs to stay away!

Yawn

My favorite shots were of the cygnets as they cuddled under Mom’s wing. I quickly learned to recognize which swans were on eggs and which had cygnets – the ones on eggs kept their wings tucked up tight, and the ones with cygnets fluffed their wings out a bit for the babies to sleep underneath. The next image shows the back of Mom with her wings fluffed out. Look closely under the left wing and you’ll see a sleeping cygnet. Then look at the next image, which zooms in on the babies and reveals a sweet surprise…a second baby is cuddled under there!

Under Mom’s Wing

All Tucked In

I put an extension tube on my Beast lens, which let me focus full-frame on the babies. I started to make some really nice images of the cygnets as they stuck their heads out, interacted with Mom, and even wobbled out to the edge of the nest before collapsing for a nap. My friends got worried about the “wobbly one,” who slept soundly by himself while his brothers continued cuddling under Mom. But he was fine – he was probably the oldest, and he didn’t need Mom’s warmth as much as his younger siblings did.

Cygnet

It was great meeting other swans fans, like Barb and Gil. Lots of passersby also stopped to look, and the kids especially loved seeing the baby swans. The sun was high in the sky, but I hardly noticed, as the shade from the tree overhead kept my light even. This next image was one of my favorites from the day, showing a cygnet sticking his head up over Mom’s feathers. Her lacy white feathers remind me of puffy clouds and comfort, just what a little baby feels when cuddled up close to mom.

Featherbed

Some moments were just plain funny, like when this baby seemed to discover his foot. It’s big! And it has little nails on it! Wait until he discovers the water and realizes he was born knowing how to swim – those big feet will certainly help!

Wow- I have a big foot!

As the smallest cygnet dried off, he wiggled his way out from underneath Mom. Then he started to pose with his brother. I hoped they would do a nose-to-nose moment for my camera, but they didn’t. They did give me a cute shot as they both shook their heads while preening. Then they started to fall asleep — hey, it’s exhausting to be born! You have to poke your way through that egg and squeeze and poke yourself through the hole until you find a whole big world out there! The babies huddle together for body warmth, and their nap pose was just adorable…

Sleepyheads

Perhaps some of the best moments of the day were when Mom and Baby had nose-to-nose moments, like the one below. For such a big bird, the swan mother is very gentle. It was a privilege to be there to witness these tiny miracles!

Sweet Nuzzle

Finally just before sunset I had to tear myself away and drive home. My very patient and understanding husband knew I’d been at the lake all day – and shall I emphasize the words all day!?!? He thought I was crazy. Then I showed him a few of my pictures. He thought they were cute, but he still thinks I’m crazy! But Kim and Barb and Linda and Rob know better. We had a wonderful day, one I won’t ever forget. I hope your Mother’s Day is just as great!

Mom and Baby Wobbly

Clouds at Blue Cypress Lake

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Last Sunday I met friends Debbie, Tom, and Michael at Blue Cypress Lake for a fun-filled boat ride of dramatic sunrises and flying Ospreys. Well, that’s what it was supposed to be, and what it was in March 2012, May 2012, and March 2013. So I happily jumped out of bed at 4am and drove for an hour and a half to the middle of nowhere in the pitch black of pre-dawn. As the first light began to appear in the skies, it showed me clouds – lots and lots of thick clouds. It made me glad I stuck a garbage bag in my vest in case I needed to protect my gear from rain. We set off in our boat, determined to have a good time despite the weather…

The Lone Cypress

The above was our sunrise tree from our last trip. It looked a little different with ominous rainclouds behind it! Because the light levels were so low and the Ospreys weren’t flying much, I spent more time with my wide-angle lens taking pictures of the lake landscapes. This was one of my favorites. Even on a nasty morning, Blue Cypress Lake is gorgeous.

Fishy Weather

When there’s no light for good flight shots, switch to silhouette shots! We laughed as this Osprey combined trips, bringing in a fish for breakfast and a little extra nesting material all at once. I think it was about this time that Michael remarked, “I am so ashamed. I have to delete these images from my camera – I don’t even want my computer to see how bad they are!”

Feeding the Chicks

The lake was eerily quiet. The young Osprey were flat down in their nests in their “danger” positions. I don’t think it was because of us – we were keeping the boat away from the tree roots after a warning from Mrs. Middleton because somebody had damaged one of their boats. I wonder if the recent storms played havoc with our poor Ospreys. In this particular nest, the adult had a fish, so the babies were hungry and not quite as worried about staying hunched down. They played tug-of-war with the fish bites. It was cute.

Bringing in Breakfast

The only Osprey in the air seemed to be the breakfast-bringers. It was strange not to see the skies filled with birds, even as the light levels improved. For the image above, I hated the color version – the sky was washed out, the bird’s head blended into his wing, and the brightest object was the red fish guts…not exactly what your eye should be attracted to! I was pleasantly surprised when I played with Nik Silver Efex and converted the image to black and white. Now your eye is drawn to the bird’s face and not the gore… (You’re welcome, Mum-mum!)

Mom and Baby

We almost missed the chick in the above nest completely. He stayed hunched down. Look at the middle of Mom’s wing and you can see his head peeking up.

The Clouds Finally Passed

Towards the end of the morning, the storm clouds finally passed, and we got a few rays of sunshine. It’s too bad that the whispy clouds that remained weren’t our sunrise clouds, or we would have gotten some amazing sunrise images! Just a few hours make a big difference in weather for nature photography. Even as the light levels improved, the Osprey weren’t all that cooperative. It was still a fun morning with friends, though. We laughed a lot, and I can’t wait to go back next year.

Whiskey Loopy Turns Two!

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It’s hard to believe, but our “kitten” Whiskey turned two today! Happy birthday, Whiskey Loopy! You’ve come a long way since we first adopted you…

This is a recent snapshot of the birthday cat in one of his favorite poses – sitting at the window! Our neighbors remark that they always look for the cats sitting in our windows. Whiskey Loopy is especially fond of the frogs that jump up on his windows. They make such good splat! noises. They also sit patiently while young cats paw at them, pounce at them, and squeak at them. :)

Whiskey and Frog

Our neighbors were on vacation last week, and we took care of their birds for them. In return, Carla brought over yummy cupcakes and a wonderful new toy for the cats. Whiskey says that her gifts must be for his birthday! He tried to eat a cupcake (just what an over-active young boy needs, more sugar!) and then he and Squirt had a great time with the toy. According to the box it promotes “independence.” Rich put two balls and two cat treats into the holes, and both boys were all over that box, playing with the balls and fishing for the treats. Thank you, Carla, Peter, and Aaron! Our cats don’t know how lucky they are (or how spoiled!)

Two Lifers on a Drizzly Circle B Bar Reserve Morning

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Last Saturday morning I visited the Circle B Bar Reserve with the hope of seeing my first Bobolink. Bobolinks are migratory birds that pass through Circle B during early May. My dad has seen them several times, but I never have – I’ve missed them every year! I knew Saturday morning would be cloudy, but when I arrived out on the Wading Bird Trail, “cloudy” was an understatement. The air was thick with humidity and there was a slight drizzle. But I found my Bobolinks! There was a flock of about 100 of them across the water, north of the Marsh Rabbit Run intersection. They weren’t close enough to photograph well, so I took a video instead. Turn up the volume so that you can hear their song, which reminds me a lot of the Red-Winged Blackbirds.

I headed farther up the Wading Bird Way trail, hoping that I might run into more Bobolinks, closer to the trail. When I saw the lone whistling duck fly over the trail, I almost didn’t photograph him, because Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks are so common at the Circle B Bar Reserve, and lighting conditions were far from ideal. But there have been multiple reports of Fulvous Whistling Ducks recently, and something told me that I might be seeing one of them. I couldn’t confirm the ID until I saw it on my computer – lifer #2 for the gray drizzly morning! Not bad!

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Another bird who was very friendly that morning was the Eastern Towhee. You can always hear them along the Windmill Whisper side of the trail, and there’s a tree along the start of the Eagle Roost trail where I can fairly predictively find Eastern Towhees. But they don’t usually hop out right in front of me! I guess in the low light they didn’t expect me to be standing there.

Eastern Towhee

I headed next to the Alligator Alley trail, where a Red-Shouldered Hawk nest has been charming visitors for the past several weeks. I’ve photographed that nest in previous years, and it’s such fun to watch as the adult brings in lizards and snakes for the little ones to devour. The baby hawks sit in their nests calling, sounding just like adult hawks.

The nest is high in a tree across the canal from the trail. Most people walk right by it unless they notice the gaggle of photographers underneath. On this particular morning, it was fun to run into several kids who had seen the pictures on Facebook and were determined to find the babies. This was my favorite still shot from the morning. I stacked both my teleconverters onto the Beast in order to get a full-frame image of the baby standing in the front of the nest.

Baby Red-Shouldered Hawk

As I left I checked on my Red-Bellied Woodpeckers. They’ve been working on a cavity for at least two months now. I think they are finally finished digging and onto the next part of the nesting process – Mom seems to be sitting on eggs! I didn’t hear the calls of little ones from within the cavity. I love springtime at the Circle B Bar Reserve!!

Red-Bellied Woodpecker Nest

Sunshine After Rain

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It rained all week last week. We need the rain, but we need it a little bit at a time. Not three inches a day for five days in a row! On Friday afternoon, I was so sick of staying inside. We had a break in the showers, so I headed out to see if I could find a nice sunset vista. When I left the house, I saw a rainbow in the distance and thought I’d be able to include it in the composition. Alas, after I got out of the neighborhood and away from all the houses, the rainbow was gone. But the sun did break through the clouds to throw its rays of light onto the land…

Sunset Through the Clouds

My neighbor Peter loves to grow cacti in his yard. He picks them up from all over the place, including dumpsters, and sticks them into the ground. A few months later he has a healthy blooming cactus plant! I’d better keep him away from this location, where the cacti grow freely in the open grassy areas. I saw this plant swaying in the wind with its pretty yellow flowers. I’ve dressed it up a little using Topaz and Fractalius filters.

Cactus

I didn’t see any Common Nighthawks on this visit. Sometimes during the day I see American Kestrels, but I don’t tend to see those when I go in the evenings. This Burrowing Owl stood tall as the grasses behind him were tossed by the wind. I bet I wasn’t the only one who was glad that the sunshine had finally come out after rain!

Burrowing Owl

catandturtle

nature photography inspired by our favorite critters

An Hour and a Daylily

Beast Meets Bobolink

Cygnets for Mother’s Day

Clouds at Blue Cypress Lake

Whiskey Loopy Turns Two!

Two Lifers on a Drizzly Circle B Bar Reserve Morning

Sunshine After Rain

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