Sandy Ridge Reservation

If you happen to be a birder, Sandy Ridge is apparently the place to be. Almost everyone I saw had a camera with a super telephoto lens (jealous) or binoculars. 

 I really love the blue and pink color combination on the bluebird. I wish they were as common as robins. 

 Female red-winged blackbirds just look like really big sparrows. 

 There were a ton of turtles basking in the sun. For a day that started off  little chilly, I ended up with a pretty nasty sunburn. 

 I lucked across this red-headed woodpecker that went unnoticed by some other birding groups. 

 I never really thought about how loud birds are before. If dinosaur vocalizations are anything like birds, those suckers were probably really loud!

 There were egrets, herons, and swans in the water, but getting a good photo from so far is harder than it looks. 

 See, the male red-winged blackbirds looks quite different!

 The great blue heron is huge in real life. My mom told me the other day that the first time she saw one of these she almost called the police. 

City Nature Challenge 2019

It's city nature time! This year I took 945 pictures and added quite a few species to my nature list.  Here are some of the better photos. 

This is a red-bellied woodpecker. (Nope not a red-headed woodpecker. This is why I use an app to identify animals) 

It was a little chilly out so a few of the birds were extra fluffy. 

Mourning doves have a very distinctive call. 

Tree swallows are so beautiful, but they are very fast, and don't really like to land much. 

I will never not be amused by black squirrels. I just think they are so cool. 

The european starling is quite a stunning bird, it is just unfortunate that they are an invasive species. 

Momma Deer

We stumbled upon this deer in the woods. She was really interested in Toby!

Battered Butterfly

I think this butterfly has seen better days! 

Blue Jay

I found a baby blue jay outside.

I ran inside to grab my camera and took a few pictures.

Macro Lens

I have gotten frustrated with the telephoto lens and have gone back to the macro lens.

At least there were some interesting bugs. even if I don't know what they all are.

This is a red admiral butterfly.

Wild at the Zoo

The zoo was hot and sticky, but I feel like I'm finally getting a bit of a handle on the telephoto lens.