Critters
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FoolForARadio
Super Member
This is a great horned owl, seen in the woods yesterday after about 5" snow. My Audubon Field Guide says they are the earliest birds to nest, as early as late January when there is still snow on the ground, and in the East they may lay their eggs on bare ground. I think that might be the case here...
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it's snake season early in SoCal
Pics could be better, but these were shot with an iPhone thru our dining room window.
This little guy was holed up in the garden there, my wife disturbed it Friday when she was watering and accidentally sprayed it. Only spotted it as it was slithering away from the water. You can see in that first picture just how well camouflaged these guys can be in any kind of natural setting.
It spent the night under that green bush, and then moved a short distance from there into a bare dirt area with better sun by mid-morning. That's where it was hanging out when Animal Control arrived and removed it. That lady officer had some serious skill with the tongs, let me tell you - took about 15 seconds to spot it, walk over, pluck it and drop it in her bucket. She wasn't at the house more than 2 minutes max... given it was her 3rd snake removal Saturday morning, that's no surprise. She said the little ones are out and about in the county in numbers and earlier than usual because of the warm dry winter.
Got a short video clip of it moving slowly towards the house, was probably still a bit cold from the overnight stay at that point.
John
Pics could be better, but these were shot with an iPhone thru our dining room window.
This little guy was holed up in the garden there, my wife disturbed it Friday when she was watering and accidentally sprayed it. Only spotted it as it was slithering away from the water. You can see in that first picture just how well camouflaged these guys can be in any kind of natural setting.
It spent the night under that green bush, and then moved a short distance from there into a bare dirt area with better sun by mid-morning. That's where it was hanging out when Animal Control arrived and removed it. That lady officer had some serious skill with the tongs, let me tell you - took about 15 seconds to spot it, walk over, pluck it and drop it in her bucket. She wasn't at the house more than 2 minutes max... given it was her 3rd snake removal Saturday morning, that's no surprise. She said the little ones are out and about in the county in numbers and earlier than usual because of the warm dry winter.
Got a short video clip of it moving slowly towards the house, was probably still a bit cold from the overnight stay at that point.
John
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Brian
An Old Geezer
I could not recognize it until the 2nd photo. They do make good eating. I had a co-worker in Florida who every week shot one for food and for years never bought meat. I tasted it one time when he brought it in and was sold. Others, including crackers in the office were less adventurous in trying it. He sold the skins to members of a local reservation who made hat bands and other items from the skins.
I am willing to take your word for that. I've had the opportunity to eat snake before, came up occasionally in the course of many business trips to China and Taiwan but I always passed. My first instinct with these guys is to kill them, though I've yielded to my wife and just call to have them removed now, but eating them was never the next thought that crossed my mind.
Think I had posted this before but this is the same back yard, maybe 30-40 feet further away from the house than the snake was and looking down into it on a gray day thru yet another window (in need of cleaning too).
There's a bobcat in there, can you spot it?
John
Think I had posted this before but this is the same back yard, maybe 30-40 feet further away from the house than the snake was and looking down into it on a gray day thru yet another window (in need of cleaning too).
There's a bobcat in there, can you spot it?
John
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Some Critters from the Florida Keys
My wife and I were in the Florida Keys recently escaping the cold of Chicago.
The Obligatory Key West Rooster
Some of the Hemingway House Six Toed Cats
And a Re-Habbing Bird from Key's Bird Sanctuary in Marathon
My wife and I were in the Florida Keys recently escaping the cold of Chicago.
The Obligatory Key West Rooster
Some of the Hemingway House Six Toed Cats
And a Re-Habbing Bird from Key's Bird Sanctuary in Marathon
Attachments
Erik Tracy
Everyone's happy when the wizard walks by
Juvenile big horn at Zion Nat'l Park
Took this several years ago - we were hiking - and - there he was.
Took this several years ago - we were hiking - and - there he was.
Yes, that head and the little rattle both clearly ID it as a rattlesnake.
My guess is Southern Pacific rattlesnake, looking at that orangish tail which is said to be typical in juveniles of this species.
I could be wrong though... we're in an area where western diamondbacks are also found.
Here's a page from wiki on the Southern Pacific: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crotalus_oreganus_helleri
and on the western diamondback: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crotalus_atrox
The 3' adult I killed in our garden a few years ago was probably one of these Pacific rattlesnakes as well, was darker brown and couple inches in diameter in the thicker parts.
John
My guess is Southern Pacific rattlesnake, looking at that orangish tail which is said to be typical in juveniles of this species.
I could be wrong though... we're in an area where western diamondbacks are also found.
Here's a page from wiki on the Southern Pacific: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crotalus_oreganus_helleri
and on the western diamondback: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crotalus_atrox
The 3' adult I killed in our garden a few years ago was probably one of these Pacific rattlesnakes as well, was darker brown and couple inches in diameter in the thicker parts.
John
hwirt
Super Member
This is a test shot using my new 85mm f/1.4 Manual Focus lens. The manufacturer is Samyang a Korean company, but the lens is branded under several different names. Mine is branded Bell + Howell, (not Bell & Howell of old) but they are all exactly the same.
Shot taken on a Sony A99 at F1.4 ISO 800 1/100 exposure, manually focused at about 1 meter. Some cropping was done in post processing.
Higher resolution: https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t31.0-8/1658687_845058282186574_857639801_o.jpg
Shot taken on a Sony A99 at F1.4 ISO 800 1/100 exposure, manually focused at about 1 meter. Some cropping was done in post processing.
Higher resolution: https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t31.0-8/1658687_845058282186574_857639801_o.jpg
hwirt
Super Member
Thanks for the feedback. The lens looks sharp wide open (F1.4) and improves noticeably at F1.8 (slightly sharper and more contrast). The out of focus area (bokeh) is very smooth and works great for isolating the subject from background. The 85mm focal length seems almost ideal on the full frame camera for portraiture.
mhardy6647
Lunatic Member
Not a very good photo and not even a very good critter, but this was this morning's backyard visitor at our house.
todays backyard visitor 030914 by mhardy6647, on Flickr
Not nearly as cool as the bobcat that ambled through early last Friday afternoon, but I didn't even get a bad photo of that! :-(
todays backyard visitor 030914 by mhardy6647, on Flickr
Not nearly as cool as the bobcat that ambled through early last Friday afternoon, but I didn't even get a bad photo of that! :-(
