Birds Eyes And Butterflies

The picture of this Common Aerial Yellowjacket was taken at the New York Botanical Gardens. This picture was taken with the CANONEOS20D with the CANON 100mm Macro lens.

I especially love taking macro pictures when I discover these awesome patterns on the various insects.

The picture of this Osprey in flight was taken at the Rye Marsh Conservancy in Westchester, New York. All but southernmost populations of Ospreys are migratory, vacating their breeding grounds in late summer for rain-forest rivers and fish-rich seacoasts and lakes of Central and South America, returning north each spring as waters warm and fish become accessible.
This picture was taken with the Canon EOS7D with the Canon 100-400 mm lens.
It was wonderful to visit the Rye Marshlands Convervancy. It is wonderfully maintained and very quiet. The path through the marsh got me very close to the birds for photography and I loved the feeling of being surrounded by the marsh. The walk through the fields was great for macro photography. I saw more dragonflies here than any other place I have been.

The picture of these Semipalmated Plovers was taken at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. This species is socially and most often genetically monogamous, and both sexes actively care for eggs and their chicks. I took this picture with the CANON EOS7D with the CANON 100-400mm lens at the south end of the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

The picture of this Greater Yellowlegs was taken at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. One of the most ubiquitous shorebirds in North America, the Greater Yellowlegs restricts itself as a breeder to swampy muskeg habitats of central Canada and southern Alaska. During the nonbreeding season, it inhabits fresh and saline wetlands across the Americas.
The picture was taken with a CANON EOS7D with a 100-400mm lens at the “Raunch” on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlfie Refuge.

The picture of this Yellow-crowned Night-heron (juvenile) was taken at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.The juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-heron gradually acquires adult plumage over 2 years, losing spotting and streaking and gradually acquiring face and body plumage of adult.
This picture was taken with the CANON EOS7D with the CANON 100-400mm lens at the south side of the East Pond. I really enjoy the effect of having a white background that really silhouettes the bird. The interesting shadow was an added bonus,

The picture of this vagrant American White Pelican was taken at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.The American White Pelican occurs mainly in western and southern portions of North America, breeding inland in colonies on remote islands and wintering along warm southern coasts. Since this one American White Pelican has been spending the last few weeks at the East Pond of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, he has obviously lost his way which is called a vagrant bird in the birding vernacular. This is a male breeding American Pelican as indicated by the notch on the center of the beak.
This picture was taken with the CANON EOS7D and the CANON 100-400mm lens. I finally was able to get close enough to the American White Pelican to get a decent shot. I had been seeing it from the south side of the East Pond but I finally walked up to the “Raunch” through the fragmites in order to get as close as I could to this beautiful bird.

The picture of these Greater Yellowlegs in flight was taken at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. I took this picture with the CANON EOS7D with a CANON 100-400mm lens.

This was taken at the north side of the East Pond at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in the evening light. The East Pond water was lowered for the Shorebird Migration making it easier to enter though the north part of the pond. It is a beautiful vantage point to see the pond and taken advantage of the setting sun.

The picture of this Semipalmated Plover was taken at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge during the Fall Shorebird migration. This picture was taken with the CANON EOS7D with the CANON 100-400 lens.

The picture of these Wilson’s Phalaropes was taken at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge during Fall Shorebird Migration. The Wilson’s Phalarope is a pretty shorebird with distinctive features–both physical and behavioral. Female phalaropes court males, display colorful plumage, and fight off rivals. A semi-colonial nester, this aquatic shorebird breeds in northern prairie wetlands, and winters on South American salt lakes. With fringes on their toes, they swim well, often whirling in circles as they feed.
I took the picture with the CANON EOS7D and the CANON 100-400mm lens. The 5th Annual Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Shorebird Festival attracted over 100 people. There were wonderful leaders who generously shared their knowledge about shorebird ID and behavior. To top off the day Kevin Karlson gave a talk and slide presentation of his wonderful photographs of shorebirds and his “impression” technique for id’ing birds

The picture of this Immature Herring Gull in flight was taken at Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Herring Gulls in flight adjust their wing beat and orientation to the wind to their regulate speed. The Herring Gull spends considerable portion of flight time gliding or soaring with outstretched wings.

This picture was taken with the CANON EOS 7D and the CANON 100-400mm lens at the Northend of the East Pond at Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge.