Wildman's Best

[Wildman]

Thank you roseBud4000!  It was good to talk with you tonight!

[Wildman]

I have always enjoyed the Virginia Creeper that grew on our property.  It was easy to take care of and made some of the most wonderful colors in the fall.  This year, I took this while working on the Wrightwood house.  The next day, most had blown off in a wind storm.




These two hummingbirds are the last guard that is still hanging around.  Last year, we had hummers all winter.  These old gentlemen enjoy the warm sunshine and are willing to share...to a point.

[Wildman]

My wife notices a lot more of the wildlife before I ever do and points them out to me.  This time, she saw the Sharpshinned Hawk landing down at the pond for a drink.  He spent quite a bit of time just relaxing between drinks.  Now we notice him there almost every morning.

[angiepoo]

Great pictures, Wildman.  I am jealous not to be able to watch the hawk at the pond as you do.  They fascinate me.  Just out of curiosity, how come I hardly see as many hawks up here as I do down there?

[Wildman]

There are a couple of pairs of Redtails that live in the Wrightwood area and several smaller raptors as well.  I've photographed them on the road to Table Mountain at the lookout and seen them while waiting for helicopters at the old CalTrans Yard.  Wrightwood has photographed the Sharpshinned hawks at his guzzler.

[Wildman]

Sunset is one of my favorite times of the day.  The colors and softness make everything look great.  This Joshua Tree is just outside my daughters back porch and made an interesting foreground for the sun setting over the San Gabriels.

[ChrisLynnet]

I just love these, Wildman. Thank you so much for taking the time to post them and comment on them.

[firefightersteve]

That hawk in the tree is awesome!
I can't get enough of that shot!...
Did you work the eye on that hummer?.....
It doesn't look like it.....but it's curious......
Great shot!

[Wildman]

Thanks for comments.  The Sharpshinned continues to be a regular subject as he makes himself available where I can see him.  The Hummingbird shot is cropped but not altered.  I think I caught them both in a moment of repose...they were just sitting there for the longest time.  We still have a couple hanging around but with this morning's heavy frost...can Winter be too far away?

Firefightersteve...saw you and the crew last night in the Electric light parade!

[Wildman]

Our Hummingbirds have left the valley with the exception of two stalwarts.  Last year, when we had the heat wave in February and the Manzanita blossomed, we had ten.  They just knew that there was an abundance of nectar and were here.  This fellow doesn't have to fight for space anymore...the other bird stays in the front.

[firefightersteve]

Great crop!!!

[Breezymtns]

Right ON Wildman!!!  As usual incredible photos & such a delight to look at them!  I am sooooo glad to have my new computer satellite system up & running so I can enjoy the "eye candy"

[Wildman]

Thanks, FirefighterSteve and Breezy!  We also went to the Satellite broadband with ATT's Wild Blue and are extremely pleased.  It would take a full five minutes to show all the pictures on a page and now it just flows open.  Very cool

Speaking of very cool....this Quail was singing this morning as the fog rolled in.  Not sure what he was so happy about but he kept it up for almost ten minutes before the Sharpshinned Hawk sent him on his way.  Gambrel, the singing Quail.

[Forest 1]

Wildman,
  You have certainly developed your "eye" for photography.  How did you get the light at the front of the Joshua tree when the sun was setting in the back??
  It doesn't look like a flash.

[Wildman]

Wrightwood will definately chuckle....I am just learning how to use the flash built in on the camera.  I have an expensive add on but haven't tried that yet. 



The Photograph has flash on it.  On the Canon 20D and most newer cameras, there is a flash setting.  I hit the button and then adjust the meter above or below the median setting.   In this case, I used -1.7 below median as the setting, which warmed up the flash a bit.  The further into the minus you go, the warmer and softer the flash becomes....the plus numbers give you a hotter, brighter flash.  I read about it in one of Galen Rowell's books (Go to mountainlight.com) where he talked about using the on camera fill flash and how the -1.7 seemed to be just right for most fill applications.  Now all that being said, I am still practicing with different settings in different places.

[Wildman]

The other morning, there were two clouds over Mountain Top.  This is what they looked like.

[Wildman]

Only last trip to Bishop Creek Canyon, I saw this Fir in an island of Aspen. 

[Wildman]

A couple of days ago, when the clouds were still partially here, sunrise was spectacular with the old, dead Pinon in the foreground.  I know the dead tree needs to come out but the wildlife are so attracted to it.  Right now, there are over 75 dove roosting in it every night.

[ForestGal]

Spectacular colors, Wildman!  Right now I have your quail on my desktop - you have an unending series of photos to choose from!

[Wildman]

Thanks.....I am blessed with a plethora of things to photograph here at the ranch.  No matter where I look, there is beauty.