naturegirl Report post Posted July 29, 2015 Amanda who is a biologist & her husband Paul were kind enough to let me tag along on one of her endangered Mexican Spotted Owl Surveys (Thank you!!!). I will be the first to admit I stink at photographing anything with feathers, but the real joy came from the nesting pair being successful with this youngin. I was so caught up taking pictures trying to get it right when I look over at a birder named Matt who also tagged along on the trip and there he was standing with his mouth agape 100% mesmerized by what was taking place in front of him. I stopped clicking then so I too could really SEE the mother owl retrieve the mouse and take it to the baby. I feel very lucky to have been a part of this. This baby needs to fight to make it as the survival rate is very low for baby Mexican Spotted Owls. Monsoons are definitely present in Southern Arizona. A water bug closeup. I was actually to surprised to see what they look like up close. Paul pointed out this beautifully camouflaged Canyon Tree Frog. The dove is nesting above an alligator enclosure. Not the smartest idea. I believe this is a Sierran Tree Frog, but I've most often heard it called a Chorus Tree Frog. Yikes! He was calm for awhile, but then got grumpy. California King Snake on the water's edge. Adorable family of masked bandits in a palm tree outside a local golf course. They were young and tolerant of my picture taking Someday I will take an excellent elk picture, but for now I get to practice on the Salt River horses. Nice blue eye on this young one. 11 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shawn Report post Posted July 29, 2015 Awesome pics 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Sparky Report post Posted July 29, 2015 Cool pics. What is your camera set up? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Couestracker Report post Posted July 29, 2015 Very cool pictures and very awesome you got to tag along with Amanda! Looks like quite the adventure. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted July 29, 2015 Christina, you certainly are getting pretty good at this. Thanks for posting. I think it's neat to watch the Salt River horses put their heads under the water and pull up grass or seaweed. Reminds me of watching moose on tv. TJ 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hoghntr Report post Posted July 29, 2015 The last picture is amazing! It is a pic people would buy. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
capoeirajosh Report post Posted July 29, 2015 Amazing pictures! Those tree frogs are stunning. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bgshooter Report post Posted July 29, 2015 Nice pics!!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4Falls Report post Posted July 29, 2015 well done naturegirl. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TonyC Report post Posted July 29, 2015 Awesome pictures! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naturegirl Report post Posted July 29, 2015 Cool pics. What is your camera set up? I've got two now both Cannon. EOS Rebel T3 and EOS Rebel T5i. I will either have the 75-300mm or 100-400 mm lens on almost always since I like closeups. When you start getting into cameras better than this they are heavier and bulkier, and weight makes a difference since I carry one with me always when I'm outdoors. I'm learning the big lens now. It was kicking my butt because of the weight and I don't use a tripod. The better I get at controlling camera shake carries right over to my bow and shooting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PRDATR Report post Posted July 29, 2015 Do you have the IS Lenses? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naturegirl Report post Posted July 29, 2015 Do you have the IS Lenses? Yes my long lenses have IS which i believe only works when you are in auto focus mode (at least with the 75-300 I know IS doest work when manually focusing). I'm almost always manually focusing. Guess I could go read the manual on the big lens...yuck Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pixman Report post Posted July 30, 2015 Great pics naturegirl! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Sparky Report post Posted July 30, 2015 Cool pics. What is your camera set up? I've got two now both Cannon. EOS Rebel T3 and EOS Rebel T5i. I will either have the 75-300mm or 100-400 mm lens on almost always since I like closeups. When you start getting into cameras better than this they are heavier and bulkier, and weight makes a difference since I carry one with me always when I'm outdoors. I'm learning the big lens now. It was kicking my butt because of the weight and I don't use a tripod. The better I get at controlling camera shake carries right over to my bow and shooting. My 15 year old daughter wanted a good camera so last Christmas I got her a Nikon D3300 DSLR with the 18-55mm lens. This year she is taking a dual credit class (high school/college) in photography to start learning the ropes. Then I get to buy her more lenses so it looks like the 75-300mm will be my next purchase. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
