I took a couple of pictures at the beach recently, of an extremely well-camouflaged invert. Can you see it in this first picture? (Clicking on any of the images will take you to flickr, where you can inspect the full size to your heart's content.)
Not sure what I was looking at yet? Let's zoom in a little.
Actually, we've got two pictures for today - it's a before and after shot. Here's the before:
People standing way, way too close to a Hawaiian Monk Seal.
Oahu, Hawaii
29 January 2006, 12:05:58
1/350 sec @ f/11; Pentax *ist DS; 70mm focal length
Here's the "after":
Technorati Tags: blogpix, kaena point, monk seal, Oahu
Great Black-Backed Gull (Larus marinus)
Hudson River, near Glenmont, NY
26 December 2007
1/80 sec @ f/8.0; Pentax *ist DS; 300mm focal length
Technorati Tags: birds, blogpix, great black-backed gull
White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)
Epcot Center, Walt Disney World, Florida
8 April 2009
1/200 sec @ f/10; Canon Xsi; 55mm focal length
Technorati Tags: blogpix, epcot, kaena point, monk seal, Oahu, Raw, white ibis
Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor) in flight
Kailua Bay, Oahu
15 March 2007
1/750 sec @ f/8; Pentax *istDS; 260mm focal length
Technorati Tags: blogpix, frigatebird
Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas)
Near Ko'Olina, Oahu, Hawaii 24 Feb 2007
Pentax *ist DS with 70mm lens, 1/350 sec @ f/9.5
Technorati Tags: blogpix, green sea turtle, Oahu, ocean
I've only recently started birding with any sort of regularity or enthusiasm, and I'm not all that good at it yet. I snapped a couple of pictures of a bird in flight the other day, and I've been trying to figure out what species it is ever since. Despite my lack of expertise, I think I've got it narrowed down to two possibilities. Of course, it's also possible - again given my lack of expertise - that I've managed to totally miss even the family identification.
With that in mind, I'm turning to all of you for help. I've got two pictures, both taken through a 300mm telephoto lens. One of the two pictures is decent; the other is out of focus. I'm going to post the two pictures below the fold, and then I'll run through my thinking as I try to id the bird. I'd really love to get feedback from the rest of you on how well I've done.
Every now and then I'm reminded of just how awesome the world we live in is. Today's reminder came during a walk on the beach, as I watched a young osprey hunting for lunch just offshore.
I had my camera, and was able to get a few pictures of the dive and catch. One's above the fold, and there are a few more below. As always, you can click on the pictures to see a larger version.
I took the picture below at Ka'ena Point, Oahu in January of 2006. In this picture, there are two Hawaiian Monk Seals. (They can be hard to spot, so I've marked the two animals in a second version of the picture below the fold.) Here's the quiz question that goes with this image: without recourse to Google, estimate the percentage of the total population of the species that can be seen in this one picture.
(Click on the pictures to view larger versions.)
The sometime blog of a perennial late bloomer with wide-ranging interests and the attention span of a concussed mayfly.
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