Cleared for landing
This year I really got into 'mothing', looking for, identifying and photographing moths. Since I can't bird at night, and television is often so dull, this is a good activity to keep me busy (not that I need to be kept busy).
This moth is likely a Large Maple Spanworm - Hodges #6982 (Prochoerodes lineola).
Actually, the moth was not in flight at this moment. It landed facing upward on the glass sliding doors to the kitchen in the back of our home and I was able to get this shot from above. I rotated the frame 180°, cleaned up any dirt from the glass (the flash really brings THAT out) and darkened the background just a bit to isolate the moth completely. It certainly provided the impression of being caught just before landing.
As I don't have a proper macro lens (yet) for my Canon 40-D, I'm using the macro capabilities of the small, 5 MP Canon SD450. I keep a piece of note paper doubled over and taped onto the flash lens so as to not overwhelm the exposure of macro shots. Works well.
Nice, crisp shot so enjoy it Large and on Black
All rights reserved
Uploaded on Dec 4, 2009
0 comments
Very Rare (in New Jersey) Sage Thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus)
10/21/2009 Elaine Long and I went to Sandy Hook today looking for the Sage Thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus) that was discovered there yesterday. This bird’s usual range is throughout the west and only east to mid-Texas. So, it’s quite rare here.
We arrived at Sandy Hook shortly after 10 AM and joined a group of about 8 at the spot designated in several emails (on Plum Island). The thrasher had been seen about 10 minutes earlier but we were told that it was making repeated appearances some 50 feet or more away. There were 2 Hermit Thrushes feeding in the same general area so conditions seemed good for our bird to appear. At around 10:20 AM, I spotted the Sage Thrasher emerge from the shrubs and begin to feed on a distant open sandy patch that was partly surrounded by vegetation. It wasn't a great view but we had the bird. There were several brief appearances and returns to the sidelines before it finally came out into the open shortly after 11 AM. Patience was the key here and it paid off.
This bird is about 8 1/2 inches long (tip of beak to tail), about the same size as the common Gray Catbird, which we see around our region every Spring through Fall.
There are quite a few additional shots of the thrasher, and of Hermit Thrush, a Swamp Sparrow and an immature White-crowned Sparrow which can be seen on the Sightings & Reports page at:
www.njnaturenotes.com .
While the thrasher never came closer than about 30 feet, being in the open with good light enabled some really good opportunities.
This was a life bird for me…that is a bird which I had not ever seen before. It was a very good day
**As per Scott Barnes through Bob Devlin: Fourth record in NJ, first at Sandy Hook.
Finally, nice crisp shot so…
please view On Black.
All rights reserved
Uploaded on Oct 21, 2009
11 comments
Very rare Northern Wheatear-1 (Oenanthe oenanthe)
(The original photo that was posted here was mistakenly removed, and this current page [which already had 30 views and 4 very kind comments prior to removing it] is a reconstruction with the same photo replaced, but without those early views and comments.)
-------
On September 17th, Ray Deeney and I decided to try for the Northern Wheatear which had been reported at DeKorte Park in the Meadowlands, Lyndhurst, New Jersey. This bird had been seen reliably for several days and we wanted to find it before the weather changed and it moved on to parts unknown.
Numerous posts on Jerseybirds had indicated where it was to be found and we headed directly for the Transco Trail at the park. Within a minute of walking onto the trail, we spotted several people who were knowingly pointing to a spot on the rocks that formed the edge of the dike that separated two very large water impoundments. There was the Wheatie, and as advertised, it wasn't very skittish. We got some good views, enough to confirm a life bird, but not good enough for photographing. As I moved closer it took off about 100 feet further down the trail. This happened twice again before I was able to get a clear shot of it. Above is the very first photo of this beautiful bird.
This is a very crisp shot so please view Large and On Black.
(Story and information continues with the next photo.)
www.flickr.com/photos/rwolfert/3935347207/
All rights reserved
Uploaded on Sep 20, 2009
26 comments
Very rare Northern Wheatear-2 (Oenanthe oenanthe)
(Continued from the preceding photo.)
www.flickr.com/photos/7818331@N02/3939368134/
The Northern Wheatear spent most of its time between the rocks, the shrubs and the few trees that lined this trail along a dike that separated two very large impoundments. The water to the left had been drained significantly and was a shorebird haven, loaded with Great and Snowy Egrets, Gadwall, many, many yellowlegs (mostly, but not all Lesser Yellowlegs), a Ruddy Duck (still in breeding plumage) and other species. This is a wonderful place!
This particular shot indicates how close we were able to approach. It is a 'very slightly' cropped image (eliminating only a distracting unfocused branch from the far left). Many shots were nearly 'full-frame'. You can't ask for a better opportunity when photographing birds.
What makes this bird so worth chasing? For one thing, it is said to show up in New Jersey, on average, only every other year. The range map indicates the Northern Wheatear's normal range, and may be seen here:
whatbird.wbu.com/obj/757/_/Northern_Wheatear.aspx
As you can easily see, it's usual range is from Western Alaska through Northern Canada, to Greenland. Seeing one here is really a treat.
It would seem (to my untrained eye) that this is likely an immature male. Mature males (not females) are substantially gray, and this one shows a definite indication of gray feathers beginning to emerge on the nape of the neck.
Again, excellent detail that shows the emergence of adult plumage on the back of the neck, so view On Black, please.
All rights reserved
Uploaded on Sep 19, 2009
3 comments
Gray Tree Frog (Hyla versicolor)
There were numerous Gray Tree Frogs (Hyla versicolor) hiding in the crevices in a blind at Big John's Pond near the East Pond at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (Queens, NY) during our last trip there. This one obligingly posed on a stick held by tour leader, Don Riepe. Actually, it was amazing how quickly and easily it held fast to just about everything, including clothing.
This species is highly variable in color, from green to brown. Our particular individual, about 2" in length, was, for the most part, fairly 'normal' gray.
All rights reserved
Uploaded on Aug 17, 2009
45 comments
|
|
