Bird Sees Stars (and birdies)






Canon 50D w/EF 24-70 2.8L USM
@ 70mm, 1/100, f10, 100 ISO

I likely won't ever get an opportunaty like this again!  ...The chance to take an unlimited number of pictures of a wild bird - at less than arm's length!

During one of my trips into the garage, I heard a 'thumping' overhead.  An oriole had become trapped in the rafters and was now trying to get out of the garage through what appeared to be the only exit on her level - a window.  ...A CLOSED window.  The little thing kept trying and trying, only to thump her noggin so hard she had become dazed.  She was so dazed in fact, she willingly stepped onto a broom that I'd reached up near her feet.  I let hert loose on the grass, where she just sat there, staring at me.  Realizing this was likely going to last for a few minutes, I ran for the camera!

This was GREAT!  An oriole - not able to move an inch and as a result of disorientation, was now willing to be my subject for quite a time.  Eventually, it flew into a not yet blossomed snowball bush and rested about a foot off the ground and then safely took off another few minutes later.

Both my wife and mother love orioles, so it looks like I'll be doing some printing soon.

Vacation in the Sunny (and stormy) South!

For the last week, Elizabeth and I have been vacationing at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.  We are right on the beach.  It's exciting for me because I've never done this before (sit and watch the ocean from 'home').

For most of the week, the wind has been blowing along, or in from the water (all the big storms thankfully passed by us each time, but we have had some wind).  As a result, we've not been taking a whole lot of photo's.  I learned years ago while working in a camera store, just how quick and nasty ocean air can ruin a camera.  Even if you don't feel the pray, it is there!  I've had to clean my glasses at least twice a day, just so I wasn't looking through a 'fog'.  Imagine caking that on a camera - over a week!

Killer Bird Takes Woman from SC Shore

Anyway, the other day, the wind let up just enough that we did sit on our balcony and take shots of seagulls, pellicans and these little guys (see posted photo, right).  While sifting through the photo's, I laughed as this one looked a lot like the 'King Kong' of birds, preparing to pluck a bicyclist from the beach!  I may have to send it to the tabloids, but will wait until all the royal wedding hooplah dies down *wink*...

We also saw dolphins (it was high tide, so they were only about 500 feet away from our balcony).  That was a first for both Elizabeth and I.  Oh, sure we've seen them in marine shows, but never in their natural habitat - and SO CLOSE!

Tomorrow we go to Savannah to see where 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' took place.  The house has been found and 'marked' in our GPS, as have a few other Savannah sights.  We hope to get a bunch of nice shots of the gardens and architecture while there.

Ok, that's enough for today...I think I'll go get wet...

Until next time...