Month: May 2020

McNature

Having an affinity for nature photography, Diet Coke, and a bargain, I am a frequent visitor at McDonald’s golden arches.  I can’t help but notice what surrounds most of their restaurants, it’s pretty nice.  So, I make it a habit to bring a camera with me while I wait at the drive-thru for a large Diet Coke/light ice — a real bargain at $1.00 … Read More McNature

Friends in High Places

Garth Brooks has friends in low places, but he has reason to prefer his low-placed pals — singing about them has pulled in a ton of money!  But he is really missing out.  I have soooo many friends in high places! Most numerous of these are probably the osprey.  Last year I counted 19 osprey nests on and around the stretch of Rt. 89 … Read More Friends in High Places

A Different Kind of Nature

Human nature.  I ran into some of it yesterday. Weird. Nobody likes being told what to do or when to do it, especially me. But these are hard times.  CoVid-19 is a thing unknown.   Extremis malis extrema remedia, no? When I left work yesterday around noon, horns were honking and cars were gathering in the shopping center parking lot across the street.  “Oh,” I … Read More A Different Kind of Nature

Requiem for the 1100d

Was happily clicking the shutter button when the dreaded error appeared: Easy enough, with a Q-Tip and some 90% alcohol.  But the error message remained, even with the camera turned off.  Removing and then reinserting the battery got rid of the message, but now I had a black screen. The problem wasn’t the lens; it worked fine on the 77d.  So, there I was … Read More Requiem for the 1100d

Love ’em or Loathe ’em?

I didn’t even know what a bridge camera was until maybe a year-and-a-half or so ago, when I decided to concentrate on nature photography.  That’s when I yearned for a 400mm lens to replace my very-good-but-now-hardly-used 300.  It wasn’t long before I wanted a 600 to replace the 400 — and that’s where I was stuck until I discovered bridge cameras.  Sure, I could … Read More Love ’em or Loathe ’em?

Innocence Lost

Not that society in 2020 was ever very innocent — not as innocent as, say, in 1820, when  James Monroe was president, America was involved in no wars, and toasts were raised to “my country, right or wrong.”  Certainly the sectionalism that would soon raise its ugly political head would put all that Era of Good Feeling stuff severely to task, and the several … Read More Innocence Lost

West Shore Trail

West Shore Trail is in the northern part of the Montezuma Wetland Complex.  It’s rather isolated; nobody seems to go there much except me.  That’s too bad because now that the simulated drought is over, the water levels at West Shore have risen even higher than those at the main pool in Seneca Falls, and the resident wildlife is even more varied here than … Read More West Shore Trail

Frenzied Fishing

But that’s how the Caspian terns do it — a nonchalant flyover that begets a frenetic flying frenzy!  They circle and hover for several minutes in crazy cycles before suddenly and spectacularly dive-bombing for the prize. The prize could be a crayfish but more likely is an unlucky fin fish, which the tern will immediately make short work of.  And as soon as it … Read More Frenzied Fishing

Awwww……!

Happy Mother’s Day (a week early)