Picture-A-Week 2020 - Week 01

[pierces]

Pictures taken between Monday, December 30 and Sunday, January 5.

 

Rules: See above

That's it. This isn't a contest.

All photos taken this week are welcome (not just cruising).

Prizes will not be awarded. Discovering the joy of photography is the prize.

The idea is to get folks out using their cameras for more than vacations and toddler birthdays.

Post one. Post many. Up to you.

Have fun with your camera and share your fun with others!

 

Year nine, folks! If you haven't gotten over your shyness about posting photos here, seek professional help and get to it!

 

😉

[cruises42]

Taken through the kitchen window. A Hairy Woodpecker enjoying a snack (sticking his tongue out)!

[zackiedawg]

I actually got the chance to get out and do some birding on New Year's Day, as I had the day off of work.  I decided to head to a distant reserve north and west of me, along the edge of the Everglades.  It's the kind of place where you can't really get close to much of the wildlife as it's less accustomed to people, so the big 200-600mm lens was a necessity to have along - I even got the chance to test it with the 1.4x teleconverter attached, so at times I was shooting handheld at 1,260mm equivalent!:

 

A loggerhead shrike with a mantis for a meal:

 

A mottled duck off in the distance - taken at 600mm:

 

With the teleconverter attached - a roseate spoonbill flying overhead:

 

I was quite impressed at the detail capable with the 200-600mm lens and 1.4x teleconverter.  This red-shouldered hawk was taken at 1,000mm equivalent, handheld:

 

A common yellowthroat down by the water, in the reeds - taken at 860mm equivalent:

 

The lens doesn't have a super-close minimum focus distance, but 600mm with a 1.4x teleconverter even from 10 feet away can get pretty close - this is the full 1,260mm equivalent handheld, of a gulf fritillary butterfly:

[kenevenpar]

Great pictures again!  What was the name of the reserve?  Always looking for new spots.

[zackiedawg]

That was up at the Wellington Environmental Preserve at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Everglades Habitat (we just call it Wellington Wetlands).  It's out west on Southern Boulvevard - head out towards Belle Glade, and just before you get to the iron bridge at 880, there's a road called 'Flying Cow Road'.  Go west about 6 miles down that road, and you'll see the reserve.  It's a HUGE park - much bigger than the Green Cay and Wakodahatchee spots...probably around 8 miles of trails all together.  It's much less crowded since it's in the middle of nowhere...but you do occasionally get to see a few species that don't come east or south.

We're really hurting down here for birding and wildlife parks - Green Cay Wetlands which is one of my favorite local grounds closed in late November and won't be opening again probably until May 2020, and now Peaceful Waters park in Wellington closes this Monday, and will be down until September 2020.  I'm down to Wakodahatchee as my only close 'local' park, and a few other parks that don't have as much diversity and are farther away, like Arthur Marshall Wildlife Reserve, and Wellington Wetlands.  The people who run the wetlands and make the decisions should be slapped across the face twice with a glove, for their decisions to shut down two primary wetlands reserves right during the heavy winter birding population and nesting season!

[Docker123]

We had some competitive cycle racing in town today. Part of the Bay Crit circuit.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 5, 2020 by Docker123

[Oakman58]

Winter in the woods.  Brown on brown.

 

 

 

 

 

[pierces]

Last year about this time, on the same day of the year, the sun went down in the West. Barring an asteroid strike of monumental proportions, the same thing will happen next year about this time on the same day of the year. All of us did things this year and went about our business, each on our own path. Joy, tragedy, gain and loss happened all around the world in varying amounts. Lives were started and lives were ended but as George R. Stewart pointed out in his post-apocalyptic novel; Earth abides. Tomorrow will come. We all have good days and bad days but barring a personal equivalent of the aforementioned asteroid strike, we can count on waking up to another day and strive to extend the good streak or put the bad behind us.

 

Earth Abides

 

 

 

 

Dave

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wonderful pictures everyone.

[kenevenpar]

On 1/3/2020 at 10:57 AM, zackiedawg said:

That was up at the Wellington Environmental Preserve at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Everglades Habitat (we just call it Wellington Wetlands).  It's out west on Southern Boulvevard - head out towards Belle Glade, and just before you get to the iron bridge at 880, there's a road called 'Flying Cow Road'.  Go west about 6 miles down that road, and you'll see the reserve.  It's a HUGE park - much bigger than the Green Cay and Wakodahatchee spots...probably around 8 miles of trails all together.  It's much less crowded since it's in the middle of nowhere...but you do occasionally get to see a few species that don't come east or south.

We're really hurting down here for birding and wildlife parks - Green Cay Wetlands which is one of my favorite local grounds closed in late November and won't be opening again probably until May 2020, and now Peaceful Waters park in Wellington closes this Monday, and will be down until September 2020.  I'm down to Wakodahatchee as my only close 'local' park, and a few other parks that don't have as much diversity and are farther away, like Arthur Marshall Wildlife Reserve, and Wellington Wetlands.  The people who run the wetlands and make the decisions should be slapped across the face twice with a glove, for their decisions to shut down two primary wetlands reserves right during the heavy winter birding population and nesting season!

 

Thanks Justin!

 

I got down for my December trip, and finally got numerous Wood Storks, who you may recall were avoiding me for years.  Wakodahatchee was good (and busy) the day I visited (a Monday).

 

10,000 Islands (a bit of a ride for you) was outstanding when I visited, more than 30 species in a couple of hours!

[boeckli]

A NYE visitor