Swallowing my Embarrassment

"Tippy Toeing!"

It’s been so long since I’ve done a blog post, that I’ve actually become embarrassed to post again – which has made it become even longer:-\ So, I’m swallowing my embarrassment, and sharing some recent photos. I thought it was only appropriate that my subject be Swallowtail Butterflies:-) I believe these are all Anise Swallowtails, but if not, please let me know – are the females much larger than the males? Anyways, I hope you enjoy these photos, and that you’ll stay tuned for more posts... I promise it won't be so long in between!

"Portrait of a Butterfly"

"Butterfly Light"

"Butterfly Beauty"

"Get a Grip!"

"Glider"

"Hello, Yellow!"

Several of these photos are available in my shop here: Butterfly photos. All of these photos were taken with my Canon Digital Rebel XT and 55-250mm f4/5.6 lens. I’ve decided that Shutter Priority works best for butterflies, because they’re so fast and erratic, darting in and out of shadows. My main speed is 1250 with ISO 400 – I haven’t played with ISO 800 yet, but I might see how it does noise-wise to see if I can go with a faster shutter speed. I thought hummingbirds were hard to capture, but butterflies have been even more challenging! Love them, though, and these are just a fraction of the photos that I now have.

One Butterfly...

And about 200 photos! I got caught up in the moment when I spotted this West Coast Lady butterfly (Vanessa arabella) visiting recently. It was just so awesome that she (or he) stayed around - she would fly off, then come back over because she really liked that Homestead Verbena. I kept following her and clicking away:-) I had to move very slowly, because the slighest movement sent her flying. Anyways, following are just of few of my favorite shots - which one do you like best? I've put the 1st in our shop, and I'm not sure if I'll add another. I love butterflies - here's hoping for more photo opps soon!

"Pretty Lady"

"Curious"

"Strike a Pose!"

"Digging in!"

"Sideways Swirl"

Horsey

This is the horse that's featured in my goofy post. We've seen him often, but not as close to the fence. He's a gorgeous chocolate color, but has obviously had a good roll before these photos. He has the most unique marking on his face. Normally, that much white over the eye would mean a glass (or blue) eye. He was super sweet, and I'm not sure if he or I enjoyed his face rub more:-)

He was so cooperative, keeping his ears up without spooking:-)

I have a fascination with horse eyes! This side was in the light (cloudy), with good reflection.

And this eye was on the dark side - I think it almost doesn't look like a horse eye with those markings! I kept playing with the crop, because it looked odd to me. Very cool, though, and I'm thinking there's some Paint in his breeding.

Sweet Sighting!

When taking our drives, we always hope that the birds will land on the fence, stay for a moment, and be on the right side of the light. Got lucky with the first two for these American Goldfinches:-) I took these from inside the car, and only had a couple of seconds before they disappeared. First I saw Mr. Goldfinch, then Mrs. Goldfinch landed (at least I think they're male and female...). According to the All About Birds website, American Goldfinches are only here in winter/the non-breeding season. You can see they're still in winter plumage here. I suppose they'll be gone soon, but it's sure a treat to see them! And, hey, I got a little closer than my last photo Goldfinch in fall. They're such beautiful little birds, aren't they?

Seasonal Visitor

In autumn of 2008, we noticed a cute, noisy, and very active little bird flitting around our home. We researched, and quickly learned that our visitor was a Black Phoebe. They’re a type of flycatcher, and according to All About Birds, they’re most common in the southwest. I’m including the link to All About Birds, because it’s an awesome site! Anyways, the Black Phoebe stayed for several months. We learned that s/he (males and females seem to be marked the same) was only after the insects, and had no interest in the feeders or suet we had up at the time. I also learned that Black Phoebes are very fast little flitterers:-)


S/he returned this autumn, and I have yet to get that one really “Wow!” photo. This little bird is constantly on the go, even if it’s just singing all along the wall surrounding us. S/he is always chirping away – it’s a loud and cheerful call. When not singing, the Phoebe is on the hunt, flying from the wall to the field out back over and over again.


If the Phoebe isn’t on the go from hunting, s/he is quick to fly off if I try to go outside and get photos. So, I’ve taken them through the windows, which at least provides a record of our visitor. The one shot on the weed is all the way out on my 55-250mm lens, and was taken outside. The antenna photo was also taken outside as I stood on the steps we have next to the wall, and angled my body and camera around our shed to see up there. As you may have noticed, there’s an interesting cross on the Phoebe’s chest. This is from the actual old antenna, which is just above the Phoebe here.


These photos are the best I’ve taken so far of our fun little seasonal visitor. However, I haven’t given up on getting something better (to my eyes, at least:-). I love the challenge, and I also love the joy that having this unique seasonal bird brings to us!

What seasonal birds do you have? We have different hummingbird species that pass through later on, though some Anna’s stay all year. I’m also crossing my fingers that our Hooded Orioles come back this spring, and I get better photos of them, too. I love birds, and these special visitors liven up a location that really needs all the beauty it can get!