Picture-A-Week 2020 - Week 18

[pierces]

Pictures taken between Monday, April 27 and Sunday, May 3.

 

Others have mentioned it, but it bears repeating that photography is a very versatile hobby and taking time out from the worries of these trying times to focus on something familiar and fun provides a healthy and much needed dose of normal.

 

Stay well.

 

Rules: See above

That's it. This isn't a contest.

All photos taken this week are welcome (not just cruising).

Prizes will not be awarded. Discovering the joy of photography is the prize.

The idea is to get folks out using their cameras for more than vacations and toddler birthdays.

Post one. Post many. Up to you.

Have fun with your camera and share your fun with others!

[Re-tired]

This may be cheating, but...   The transparency had been missing for a bit and I just found it.  Zion Canyon in November a few years ago.  So it's kind of like it is from this week because I just scanned it.

 

Edited April 28, 2020 by Re-tired
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[boeckli]

What a difference a day makes ...

 

Tuesday

 

Same flower on Wednesday

[marysb]

Ontario Canada is just starting to wake up from Winter.  Trees starting to bud and wild flowers peeking through.

 

 

 

 

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Love the pictures everyone especially the grasshopper on the rose.

[2552phxcrzr]

On the tree in front of our house.

 

 

[pierces]

Our oldest granddaughter is graduating from high school in a few days and that meant that senior pictures were required. Upon learning that there would be a photo shoot, Hailee's Aunt Kassi declared that it needed to be a Pintrest-inspired extravaganza. While not quite an extravaganza, she did a great job of rounding up and making props. Finding a location compliant with social distancing was another challenge, but a nice nearby park solved that. The whole morning was a delightful return to normal. (Masks are normal, right?) It was sunny, warm and a little breezy, giving us hope that things will get better. The subject of the shoot was cooperative and enthusiastic, earning her an A+ as a model to go along with her 4.0+ GPA. Congrats, Hailee!

 

A Spark in the Dark

 

 

The rest of the "extravaganza" is here: https://galleries.pptphoto.com/haileegrad

 

Dave

Edited May 4, 2020 by pierces

[tommui987]

Beautiful! Congratulations to the new grad!

 

[zackiedawg]

For the first time in 3 weeks, I ventured out farther than the yard for the weekend wildlife shooting.  Local parks - at least those with wide open spaces that could support social distancing - started to open again, so I decided to head out to the two most isolated and western parks in the area, both with miles of open trails and levees and very few people.  Not as much wildlife action to see, but nice to get out and stretch on a good 8-mile walk, with the camera along too for anything interesting!

 

Purple martin with some nest materials flying past me:

 

Great egret, way out in the grassy waters:

 

My favorite big bugs are back!  The eastern lubber grasshoppers had started to hatch last time I was out there, almost a month ago...so this time when I got back, there were thousands of them everywhere - it was actually hard to walk without stepping on one.  These big, clumsy things are 3-4 inches long, can't fly, and don't really do hopping too well either.  When they try to jump out of your way, they often jump sideways, land upside down, or even hop INTO your leg rather than away:

 

They are truly beautiful animals - the paint job on these things looks like something that would come out of an artist's studio, or a fancy custom car paint shop:

 

I used to pick them up as a kid - I thought it was hilarious how they'd let out a loud hissing noise, and sometimes spray a little smelly spritz on your hand - there was nothing better to scare the girls at school than a 4-inch-long hissing bug that stunk and hopped randomly - to a young boy, well worth the stinky hand to get a reaction from the girls:

 

The buttonbush pods were blooming out in the everglades, and the bees were busy visiting for pollen:

 

Back home, I jumped in the pool to cool off, and brought the camera as usual - the squirrels were happy I had filled the feeders:

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great pictures.  Congratulations to the new graduate.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Our apple tree is blooming.

 

[Oakman58]

No birds at the backyard feeder today, I think I know why.

 

 

[ski ww]

This was our back yard this morning 9 May.

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thankfully all we had were flurries -- did break a record low for this date -- made it down to 26.

[Krazy Kruizers]

21 hours ago, Oakman58 said:

No birds at the backyard feeder today, I think I know why.

 

 

 

What kind of a hawk is he?

[Docker123]

Nankeen kestrel Sitting on an electricity poll, down by Port Phillip Bay

 

 

 

 

 

[cruises42]

7 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

 

What kind of a hawk is he?

Maybe Red-shouldered hawk (youngster)?

[Oakman58]

16 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

 

What kind of a hawk is he?

 

I think cruises42 is correct but it is difficult to tell the difference (at least for me) between the Red-Shouldered Hawk and the Red-Tailed Hawk unless they are flying.  Definitely one or the other.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you both.

 

We have the red tailed hawks around here.