October 2021 Favourite Uploads

[cbimages]

I've been going out with the macro lens......

Katydid nymph

 

Spider enjoying a meal


Wasp with dinner

 

 

[Alan Beastall]

Yesterday, Budby Common an ex-military tank training ground near Sherwood Forest with the Q

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gvallee]

The very scenic coastline of Wyadup Rocks, Yallingup, Western Australia

 

 

Yeah people in my pic!

 

[gvallee]

Canal Rocks in Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, near Yallingup, Western Australia

 

 

 

 

 

[gvallee]

Thrombolites, Lake Clifton, Western Australia.

Thrombolites are 2,000 years old living rocks.

 

[Michael Ventura]

My weekend drive didn't produce much in the way of photos, it rained most of Saturday.  But I did grab this shot Sunday morning on my way out of West Virginia, heading home.

 

[LSP]

Wow this bright green highlight is pretty unpleasant.

 

 

[Betty LaRue]

4 hours ago, Michael Ventura said:

My weekend drive didn't produce much in the way of photos, it rained most of Saturday.  But I did grab this shot Sunday morning on my way out of West Virginia, heading home.

 

You are speaking my language. Wooden barns. Love it.

[Betty LaRue]

White-lined Sphinx moth, otherwise known as a hummingbird moth. I have images of the Clearwing hummingbird moth, but this one has always been my favorite because of the colors.
 

[Michael Ventura]

11 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

You are speaking my language. Wooden barns. Love it.

Thanks Betty, it was one of those, stomp on the brakes moment. It was begging to be photographed!

[Michael Ventura]

23 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

White-lined Sphinx moth, otherwise known as a hummingbird moth. I have images of the Clearwing hummingbird moth, but this one has always been my favorite because of the colors.
 

 

Beautiful moth and photo!

[Betty LaRue]

9 hours ago, Michael Ventura said:

Thanks Betty, it was one of those, stomp on the brakes moment. It was begging to be photographed!

That reminds me of the first time we went to Maine. Well before stock and I was shooting with a Canon SureShot, film. The object in those days were taking photos to paint watercolor from. We were on our way out of the state, but traveling a small coastline road south. All of a sudden I shouted STOP! I think I scared both Bob and my Mom, who we’d taken on vacation with us.

There was this ramshackle lobster cabin. Faded wood, lobster buoys hanging all over. The background had a slough with a tied up boat.

I won best in show with one of those photos. You just know it when you see it, and luckily, there was a place to pull over. Sometimes there isn’t, and traffic keeps one from taking the shot.

It’s obvious you have an eye for composition, Michael.

Edited October 20, 2021 by Betty LaRue
Change Sony to Canon oops

[Betty LaRue]

3 hours ago, Michael Ventura said:

 

Beautiful moth and photo!

Thanks!

[Betty LaRue]

This is one of the Monarch eggs I gathered from my milkweed. I’m trying to say what it compares to. Maybe 1/4 the size of a match head? About the size of the head of a straight pin. I practically went blind hunting them.

 

 

[cbimages]

I'm still getting out with the macro lens, although that will probably be curtained now as my area had a disaster yesterday with massive hail and devastating winds. Bearing in mind I'm in a semi tropical part of Australia, a few weeks pre-summer - and there was more than half a meter of ice blocking our road at 5pm yesterday. There is still ice in our yard 24 hours later, and the area's trees and bushes have been denuded of foliage. Our home got a few thousands of $$ worth of damage but fared better than many.

Anyway, here's a few recent shots, and luckily I have a few more still to process.
 

 

 

 

 

[gvallee]

1 hour ago, cbimages said:

I'm still getting out with the macro lens, although that will probably be curtained now as my area had a disaster yesterday with massive hail and devastating winds. Bearing in mind I'm in a semi tropical part of Australia, a few weeks pre-summer - and there was more than half a meter of ice blocking our road at 5pm yesterday. There is still ice in our yard 24 hours later, and the area's trees and bushes have been denuded of foliage. Our home got a few thousands of $$ worth of damage but fared better than many.

Anyway, here's a few recent shots, and luckily I have a few more still to process.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Wonderful shots Carol. I wonder if these poor creatures survived. And what about birds? Sorry to hear about the damage to your house, the size of the hailstones was incredible. How is your treatment going?

[cbimages]

24 minutes ago, gvallee said:

 

Wonderful shots Carol. I wonder if these poor creatures survived. And what about birds? Sorry to hear about the damage to your house, the size of the hailstones was incredible. How is your treatment going?

Thanks Gen, but I fear not many survived. It's like something out of a scifi movie here. And the birds......I'm shattered. My pair of peewees had just been building a new nest and the tree is bare. Worse still, one is flying around screaming for it's mate, but no answer. We have one dead bird in the yard, it's got big areas with zero feathers. And Even though I've put out seed, just one single crested pigeon, not the 20-30 we get each day. Blackie the bowerbird has not been seen, but I have seen a female. We normally get 8 or 10 visiting a day. I've also seen 2 Rainbow Lorikeets, not the 50-60 we get each day, and one solitary noisy minor. I can now hear a blue faced honeyeater. But all these birds will not have food, there is nothing left. I will feed the seed eaters and I have meat with insectivore for the black and white birds - if any of the butcherbirds survived. I an hoping some of the kookaburras made it through.

But starvation for the birds is a very real concept. Most trees are now just sticks. The few streets around our house were apparently the hardest hit. I'll try to post a link to them clearing the road just near our home 4 hours after the storm. I was at my cancer doctor in the afternoon, luckily the car under cover! Left at 3.45 for a 9 km trip, and got in the door a little after 7.30pm. As for treatment, I'm having a PET scan on Monday afternoon - so fingers XXX'd I don't get the worse news.


 

Edited October 21, 2021 by cbimages

[gvallee]

5 minutes ago, cbimages said:

Thanks Gen, but I fear not many survived. It's like something out of a scifi movie here. And the birds......I'm shattered. My pair of peewees had just been building a new nest and the tree is bare. Worse still, one is flying around screaming for it's mate, but no answer. We have one dead bird in the yard, it's got big areas with zero feathers. And Even though I've put out seed, just one single crested pigeon, not the 20-30 we get each day. Blackie the bowerbird has not been seen, but I have seen a female. We normally get 8 or 10 visiting a day. I've also seen 2 Rainbow Lorikeets, not the 50-60 we get each day, and one solitary noisy minor. I can now hear a blue faced honeyeater. But all these birds will not have food, there is nothing left. I will feed the seed eaters and I have meat with insectivore for the black and white birds - if any of the butcherbirds survived. I an hoping some of the kookaburras made it through.

But starvation for the birds is a very real concept. Most trees are now just sticks. The few streets around our house were apparently the hardest hit. I'll try to post a link to them clearing the road just near our home 4 hours after the storm. I was at my cancer doctor in the afternoon, luckily the car under cover! Left at 3.45 for a 9 km trip, and got in the door a little after 7.30pm. As for treatment, I'm having a PET scan on Monday afternoon - so fingers XXX'd I don't get the worse news.


 

 

This is quite incredible. Is this really Australia?? All the best and good luck with your results. Take care.

[Alan Beastall]

 

Autumn colours in Sherwood Forest with the Q.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Betty LaRue]

11 hours ago, cbimages said:

Thanks Gen, but I fear not many survived. It's like something out of a scifi movie here. And the birds......I'm shattered. My pair of peewees had just been building a new nest and the tree is bare. Worse still, one is flying around screaming for it's mate, but no answer. We have one dead bird in the yard, it's got big areas with zero feathers. And Even though I've put out seed, just one single crested pigeon, not the 20-30 we get each day. Blackie the bowerbird has not been seen, but I have seen a female. We normally get 8 or 10 visiting a day. I've also seen 2 Rainbow Lorikeets, not the 50-60 we get each day, and one solitary noisy minor. I can now hear a blue faced honeyeater. But all these birds will not have food, there is nothing left. I will feed the seed eaters and I have meat with insectivore for the black and white birds - if any of the butcherbirds survived. I an hoping some of the kookaburras made it through.

But starvation for the birds is a very real concept. Most trees are now just sticks. The few streets around our house were apparently the hardest hit. I'll try to post a link to them clearing the road just near our home 4 hours after the storm. I was at my cancer doctor in the afternoon, luckily the car under cover! Left at 3.45 for a 9 km trip, and got in the door a little after 7.30pm. As for treatment, I'm having a PET scan on Monday afternoon - so fingers XXX'd I don't get the worse news.


 

So sorry you have to go through such devastation. My part of the US gets hailstorms, and a couple of years ago I had considerable damage. There were drifts of the stuff, but yours looks 10 times worse. 
As far as wildlife goes, it breaks my heart for what they have to endure.

Last February, there was a severe cold snap that lasted 11-12 days of frigid temps.  We all noticed way fewer butterflies of all kinds this summer, because the frigid temps reached way down in south Texas and must have caught the overwintering butterflies.

[cbimages]

3 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

So sorry you have to go through such devastation. My part of the US gets hailstorms, and a couple of years ago I had considerable damage. There were drifts of the stuff, but yours looks 10 times worse. 
As far as wildlife goes, it breaks my heart for what they have to endure.

Last February, there was a severe cold snap that lasted 11-12 days of frigid temps.  We all noticed way fewer butterflies of all kinds this summer, because the frigid temps reached way down in south Texas and must have caught the overwintering butterflies.

Thanks Betty, yes, it's pretty awful. Late yesterday it was announced that the Australian Government has declared our area a natural disaster area, which will bring some financial help. At least for some people and for some infrastructure repairs. We've had a few birds coming in for food, and I'm very happy that my peewee pair are re-united, although the female has a very bad limp. The male ate yesterday evening but the female would not. I also had a kookaburra so hungry is almost grabbed my hand to get food. And a great joy was to see Mrs Possum with her baby on her back, waiting on the feed feeding table for her chopped apple. She must have been starving, as it was still light.

Late yesterday afternoon, there was still mounds of ice on the end of the reserve at the end of our road.

Edited October 21, 2021 by cbimages

[Betty LaRue]

4 hours ago, cbimages said:

Thanks Betty, yes, it's pretty awful. Late yesterday it was announced that the Australian Government has declared our area a natural disaster area, which will bring some financial help. At least for some people and for some infrastructure repairs. We've had a few birds coming in for food, and I'm very happy that my peewee pair are re-united, although the female has a very bad limp. The male ate yesterday evening but the female would not. I also had a kookaburra so hungry is almost grabbed my hand to get food. And a great joy was to see Mrs Possum with her baby on her back, waiting on the feed feeding table for her chopped apple. She must have been starving, as it was still light.

Late yesterday afternoon, there was still mounds of ice on the end of the reserve at the end of our road.

Yes, it took a few days for our drifts to melt off the road in front of my house. And the huge pile by my garage! While it was happening, I was terrified. It sounded like my house was about to come down. The tornado siren was going and I was trying to get my parrot and my daughter’s dog I was dog sitting for down to the basement. The dog kept running back up until after the third time I got her locked in the downstairs bathroom.

I’m glad some of your wildlife is coming back. Breaks my heart for the peewee female. She’s in pain. 😖

Carol, I’m saying a prayer for you that the test result comes back favorable. I know it’s frowned upon to mention God here, but I want you to know I care. We need people like you on this earth.

[cbimages]

Thanks Betty, I appreciate prayers or any other thoughts flowing my way. I have many dear friends in Bali who we are helping financially during covid/loss of tourism, and they pray for me daily. I need to stay strong so I can go back and see them all again (and many more times after that, all being well.)

[Mr Standfast]

 

It would have been rude not to take the picture.

 

[Betty LaRue]

This is a Viceroy butterfly. It looks very similar to the monarch. I’ve been shooting butterflies for years and this is my first for the Viceroy. The curved lines on the lower wings gives it away.