Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse pulvinar mi felis. Phasellus in lorem sit amet risus tincidunt dapibus vulputate vitae neque. Nunc enim mi, varius id commodo sed, interdum convallis augue. Proin tempus vehicula libero ac interdum. Quisque est tellus, posuere eget lacinia sed, iaculis non felis. Quisque erat massa, facilisis eget viverra a, mattis sed lacus. Praesent pellentesque pretium arcu sed malesuada. Suspendisse potenti. Aliquam erat volutpat. Donec luctus massa at libero elementum auctor imperdiet ipsum aliquet. Curabitur non nulla neque. Maecenas mattis placerat massa sit amet sodales.

Cras in porta tortor. Mauris iaculis viverra vehicula. Vivamus hendrerit, eros sit amet placerat placerat, elit dolor vestibulum ligula, a aliquam neque erat id tortor. Duis vestibulum sodales pulvinar. Donec in velit nulla, in sollicitudin arcu. Suspendisse ac velit id risus tincidunt malesuada. Vivamus consectetur dui at enim faucibus tristique. Aenean mollis turpis non eros imperdiet feugiat. Nulla facilisi. Nam gravida malesuada felis, ac tristique nisi sodales scelerisque.

Curabitur et scelerisque ante. Duis porta vulputate velit, vitae blandit enim pretium ut. Vivamus at lacinia metus. Suspendisse mattis vehicula feugiat. Maecenas pharetra dolor sed sem placerat ut mattis nunc pulvinar. Cras posuere tellus non quam adipiscing viverra. Morbi lacus lectus, lacinia a varius dapibus, commodo faucibus augue. Donec non nibh mauris, sed congue neque. Nullam mattis rhoncus consectetur. Suspendisse commodo lacus id mauris posuere ultrices. Donec ultricies feugiat viverra. Nunc commodo tristique aliquam.

Integer tortor mi, dapibus ut vulputate id, vestibulum non libero. Vivamus libero ipsum, posuere sed sollicitudin vitae, posuere eu ante. Aliquam dapibus suscipit diam et pellentesque. Proin commodo facilisis congue. Mauris lacinia molestie laoreet. Donec eget arcu ac risus malesuada mollis vel a sem. Donec id tempor leo. Mauris tellus lacus, viverra accumsan posuere luctus, imperdiet eget ipsum. Praesent ac turpis vel sem adipiscing adipiscing. Phasellus aliquet, mi id viverra accumsan, nulla augue accumsan enim, nec pretium risus arcu at tellus. Phasellus quis risus nisi. Nam augue odio, porttitor sit amet pharetra id, rhoncus non risus. Vivamus ullamcorper convallis sapien, eget semper sem semper a. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Etiam luctus diam sagittis enim eleifend non vulputate mauris venenatis.

Wildlife photography is the act of taking photographs of wildlife.

Wildlife photography is regarded as being one of the more challenging forms of photography. As well as needing sound technical skills, such as being able to expose correctly, wildlife photographers generally need good field craft skills. For example, some animals are difficult to approach and thus a knowledge of the animal’s behaviour is needed in order to be able to predict their actions. Photographing some species may require stalking skills or the use of a hide/blind for concealment.

Whilst wildlife photographs can be taken using basic equipment, successful photography of some types of wildlife requires specialist equipment, such as macro lenses for insects, long focal length lenses for birds and underwater cameras for marine life. However, since the advent of digital cameras, greater adventure travel and automated cameras, a great wildlife photograph can also be the result of being in the right place at the right time.

wikipedia.org

Hola amigos, cómo están.  nosotras, como siempre, pensando en nuevas lecturas para entregarles.

Y esta vez les tenemos una historia salida de los anales más  lamentables de la vida salvaje. Por qué el quirquincho odia la música andina. espero les guste y la cuenten a sus hijos para que ellos sepan el tremendo daño que una mala idea puede provocar en una naturaleza de tan delicado equilibrio como es la nuestra.  nos vemos mañana y si tienen alguna idea que proponernos, envíenla. Quizás podamos contarles el secreto de su animal favorito.

Cariños del Platillo Volador

The remote and largely inaccessible Kimberley coast is one of the last remaining wilderness areas in the world.

Characterised by a broad continental shelf, the area is dotted with reefs, shoals, banks and near shore islands, often fringed with coral reefs.

At least 2,815 surveyed and mostly uninhabited islands extend through the Bonaparte and Buccaneer Archipelagos.

The Kimberley coast is rich in species habitats, ranging from mangroves, to seagrass beds, fringing reefs, mudflats and sandy bottoms. In addition, the Kimberley boasts an extraordinarily large tidal range of more than ten metres. This results in two major effects; an extensive tidal zone, and strong currents, exceeding five knots at times. The currents also stir up silts deposited by the large rivers of the Kimberley, causing high water turbidity, particularly inshore during Spring Tides.

Dr Gerald Allen and Roger Steene, in their excellent Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide state that “Increased sea temperatures have only had adverse effects since 1980, when El-Nino boosted temperatures exceeded the thermal tolerance of corals and their symbiotic algae.” When the upper limit of heat tolerance is reached by the algae that give corals their colour, deaths will occur with the corresponding bleaching of the coral host. Besides colour, the algae also provide sugars and other nutrients leaked into the tissue of the coral host. Global warming is believed to be a major factor in coral bleaching, and may herald the beginning of the end of coral reefs as we know them.

1. Survey of the Aquatic Fauna of the Kimberley Islands and Reefs, Western Australia, Edited by Gary Morgan, Western Australian Museum, April 1992.

2.

2.Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide, Dr Gerald R.Allen and Roger Steene, Tropical Reef Research, 2002.

Kimberley marine fauna consists of a largely Indo-West Pacific element, typical of Northern Australia marine faunas. Many species are either widespread throughout the tropics and sub-tropics, or more confined to the Indo-Malaysian, New Guinea and Australian sub-province1. This coast boasts a high diversity of corals and marine molluscs, which are at severe risk if sea temperatures are raised due to global warming. Click here for marine images.

To date, exploration in the marine science of the Kimberley coast has been limited by time and funding, thus there no doubt remains much to be discovered. Our own explorations have revealed many species known to exist elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific, but also found on the Kimberley coast.

There is exciting work to be done on identification of all manner of marine and terrestrial flora and fauna, including sponges, anemones, nudibranches, flatworms, corals, marine flora, crustaceans, acquatic insects and fish.

Click here to view an album of coastal fauna and marine images. We welcome input on species identification. Please email us.

The remote and largely inaccessible Kimberley coast is one of the last remaining wilderness areas in the world.

Characterised by a broad continental shelf, the area is dotted with reefs, shoals, banks and near shore islands, often fringed with coral reefs.

At least 2,815 surveyed and mostly uninhabited islands extend through the Bonaparte and Buccaneer Archipelagos.

The Kimberley coast is rich in species habitats, ranging from mangroves, to seagrass beds, fringing reefs, mudflats and sandy bottoms. In addition, the Kimberley boasts an extraordinarily large tidal range of more than ten metres. This results in two major effects; an extensive tidal zone, and strong currents, exceeding five knots at times. The currents also stir up silts deposited by the large rivers of the Kimberley, causing high water turbidity, particularly inshore during Spring Tides.

The Kimberley coast is rich in species habitats, ranging from mangroves, to seagrass beds, fringing reefs, mudflats and sandy bottoms. In addition, the Kimberley boasts an extraordinarily large tidal range of more than ten metres. This results in two major effects; an extensive tidal zone, and strong currents, exceeding five knots at times. The currents also stir up silts deposited by the large rivers of the Kimberley, causing high water turbidity, particularly inshore during Spring Tides.

Dr Gerald Allen and Roger Steene, in their excellent Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide state that “Increased sea temperatures have only had adverse effects since 1980, when El-Nino boosted temperatures exceeded the thermal tolerance of corals and their symbiotic algae.” When the upper limit of heat tolerance is reached by the algae that give corals their colour, deaths will occur with the corresponding bleaching of the coral host. Besides colour, the algae also provide sugars and other nutrients leaked into the tissue of the coral host. Global warming is believed to be a major factor in coral bleaching, and may herald the beginning of the end of coral reefs as we know them.
Dr Gerald Allen and Roger Steene, in their excellent Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide state that “Increased sea temperatures have only had adverse effects since 1980, when El-Nino boosted temperatures exceeded the thermal tolerance of corals and their symbiotic algae.” When the upper limit of heat tolerance is reached by the algae that give corals their colour, deaths will occur with the corresponding bleaching of the coral host. Besides colour, the algae also provide sugars and other nutrients leaked into the tissue of the coral host. Global warming is believed to be a major factor in coral bleaching, and may herald the beginning of the end of coral reefs as we know them.

1. Survey of the Aquatic Fauna of the Kimberley Islands and Reefs, Western Australia, Edited by Gary Morgan, Western Australian Museum, April 1992.

2.

2.Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide, Dr Gerald R.Allen and Roger Steene, Tropical Reef Research, 2002.

Kimberley marine fauna consists of a largely Indo-West Pacific element, typical of Northern Australia marine faunas. Many species are either widespread throughout the tropics and sub-tropics, or more confined to the Indo-Malaysian, New Guinea and Australian sub-province1. This coast boasts a high diversity of corals and marine molluscs, which are at severe risk if sea temperatures are raised due to global warming. Click here for marine images.

To date, exploration in the marine science of the Kimberley coast has been limited by time and funding, thus there no doubt remains much to be discovered. Our own explorations have revealed many species known to exist elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific, but also found on the Kimberley coast.

There is exciting work to be done on identification of all manner of marine and terrestrial flora and fauna, including sponges, anemones, nudibranches, flatworms, corals, marine flora, crustaceans, acquatic insects and fish.

Click here to view an album of coastal fauna and marine images. We welcome input on species identification. Please email us.

The remote and largely inaccessible Kimberley coast is one of the last remaining wilderness areas in the world.

Characterised by a broad continental shelf, the area is dotted with reefs, shoals, banks and near shore islands, often fringed with coral reefs.

At least 2,815 surveyed and mostly uninhabited islands extend through the Bonaparte and Buccaneer Archipelagos.

The Kimberley coast is rich in species habitats, ranging from mangroves, to seagrass beds, fringing reefs, mudflats and sandy bottoms. In addition, the Kimberley boasts an extraordinarily large tidal range of more than ten metres. This results in two major effects; an extensive tidal zone, and strong currents, exceeding five knots at times. The currents also stir up silts deposited by the large rivers of the Kimberley, causing high water turbidity, particularly inshore during Spring Tides.

Dr Gerald Allen and Roger Steene, in their excellent Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide state that “Increased sea temperatures have only had adverse effects since 1980, when El-Nino boosted temperatures exceeded the thermal tolerance of corals and their symbiotic algae.” When the upper limit of heat tolerance is reached by the algae that give corals their colour, deaths will occur with the corresponding bleaching of the coral host. Besides colour, the algae also provide sugars and other nutrients leaked into the tissue of the coral host. Global warming is believed to be a major factor in coral bleaching, and may herald the beginning of the end of coral reefs as we know them.

1. Survey of the Aquatic Fauna of the Kimberley Islands and Reefs, Western Australia, Edited by Gary Morgan, Western Australian Museum, April 1992.

2.

2.Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide, Dr Gerald R.Allen and Roger Steene, Tropical Reef Research, 2002.

Kimberley marine fauna consists of a largely Indo-West Pacific element, typical of Northern Australia marine faunas. Many species are either widespread throughout the tropics and sub-tropics, or more confined to the Indo-Malaysian, New Guinea and Australian sub-province1. This coast boasts a high diversity of corals and marine molluscs, which are at severe risk if sea temperatures are raised due to global warming. Click here for marine images.

To date, exploration in the marine science of the Kimberley coast has been limited by time and funding, thus there no doubt remains much to be discovered. Our own explorations have revealed many species known to exist elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific, but also found on the Kimberley coast.

There is exciting work to be done on identification of all manner of marine and terrestrial flora and fauna, including sponges, anemones, nudibranches, flatworms, corals, marine flora, crustaceans, acquatic insects and fish.

Click here to view an album of coastal fauna and marine images. We welcome input on species identification. Please email us.

The remote and largely inaccessible Kimberley coast is one of the last remaining wilderness areas in the world.

Characterised by a broad continental shelf, the area is dotted with reefs, shoals, banks and near shore islands, often fringed with coral reefs.

At least 2,815 surveyed and mostly uninhabited islands extend through the Bonaparte and Buccaneer Archipelagos.

Kimberley marine fauna consists of a largely Indo-West Pacific element, typical of Northern Australia marine faunas. Many species are either widespread throughout the tropics and sub-tropics, or more confined to the Indo-Malaysian, New Guinea and Australian sub-province1. This coast boasts a high diversity of corals and marine molluscs, which are at severe risk if sea temperatures are raised due to global warming. Click here for marine images.

To date, exploration in the marine science of the Kimberley coast has been limited by time and funding, thus there no doubt remains much to be discovered. Our own explorations have revealed many species known to exist elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific, but also found on the Kimberley coast.

There is exciting work to be done on identification of all manner of marine and terrestrial flora and fauna, including sponges, anemones, nudibranches, flatworms, corals, marine flora, crustaceans, acquatic insects and fish.

Nos caminhos que a pesca segue em nosso país, na falta de respeito que nossos políticos – aqueles que aprovam leis – tem com o nosso meio ambiente, nossa fauna e flora. Pensam que tudo e renovável e trocam a incerteza da continuidade de nosso habitat em troca de votos. Não sei mais o que pensar ou fazer, não sei mais se terei a liberdade passada de percorrer rios piscosos com mata ciliar nativa e rica. Não sei se poderei ouvir as causos que ouvia e aprender da vida no mato porque agora o ribeirinho que falar da novela, do mundo de ficção enquanto o mundo real vai desaparecendo. Sempre me lembro de um ditado a qual credito ao amigo Adamo – Quanto mais gente no mundo menos natureza.

The Common Ringtail possum is an Australian marsupial. It has a long prehensile tail and their back feet are “syndactyl” which helps them climb. They eat a variety of leaves and also consume a special variety of faeces that are produced during the day when it is resting in a nest. This behaviour is called “coprophagia”. Sportsman Creek wildlife refuge has a population of these possums living along the riverine vegetation.

Image Credit; Whitford, D.

Los muchos lugares de trabajo, mesas, tableros y escritorios, que he tenido en las últimas décadas, han sido testigos de mis afanes por conocer dónde y cómo se presenta el Número de Oro, en la Naturaleza y en lo más significativo de la obra humana, valiéndome de lo más conveniente para el análisis de las proporciones armónicas, su medición y dibujo.

Empleé el mismo método de estudio (observación, reflexión y cálculo de las proporciones) repetido en cada caso, con muchas comprobaciones y correcciones, explorando todas las alternativas posibles, sin cansancio ni renuncia, con el convencimiento de que finalmente encontraría, en instantes de inenarrable felicidad, la presencia del Número de Oro.

Los instrumentos que utilicé variaron según el tema: casi siempre los propios de mi profesión (desde calculadoras, escalímetros, compases, transportadores y escuadras, hasta lápices, plumas y pinceles), y los de la informática adecuada para la calculada graficación, valiéndome de la observación directa, sacando o consiguiendo fotografías, dibujando y pintando.

Tuve un largo peregrinaje, real y virtual, en diversos países y ciudades, buscando en museos, bibliotecas, galerías de fotografías; o, en algunos casos, en recorridos por calles y parques, observando, fotografiando, dibujando y midiendo. Al mismo tiempo, casi sin darme cuenta, fui reuniendo libros y documentos, ahora ya mis viejos amigos.

La mayor aventura intelectual de mi vida, por estudiar lo que percibía de las proporciones armónicas,  ocupó mi mente y maravilló mi espíritu, haciendo contrapunto a mi actividad profesional en el urbanismo, en una actividad llena de satisfacciones. En el extenso campo objeto de mi interés, fui encontrando los diversos temas que fui cubriendo paulatinamente.

Ahora, con enorme satisfacción, puedo ofrecer un libro a quienes tienen interés por saber y comprender lo que significa ese Número en todo lo que nos rodea, agradeciendo a todos cuantos me han brindado, con amable generosidad: ayuda, consejo y estímulo; pero, sobre todo, a la vida que se me dio, con la capacidad de ver y comprobar algo de la Armonía Universal.

Con ese espíritu, invito a ver mi libro:

O extremo sul da Bahia é uma região de contrastes cênicos, tanto aquáticos quanto terrestres, oferecendo espetáculos inéditos a todo instante.

Em meio ao Atlântico Sul, em uma região de águas mornas azuis e cristalinas, bancos e recifes de corais desenham uma geografia submarina difícil de descrever.

Fauna e flora bailam cintilantes em outra dimensão, o reino das águas. As baleias Jubarte são um espetáculo à parte. Elas passam a temporada de julho a novembro nas águas rasas e mornas do sul da Bahia, fugindo do inverno rigoroso da Antártida.

Procriam e acasalam-se, protegidas de seus predadores. Além das baleias Jubarte podemos encontrar, embora com menos frequência, baleias Francas e Minkes.

No litoral, as falésias imponentes, do alto de seus 18 a 25 metros, se debruçam sobre o mar, formando paisagens deslumbrantes.

Rios e riachos trazem a água doce que, misturadas ao mar, dão lugar a extensos manguezais, responsáveis pela biodiversidade marinha. Em terra e no mar, as unidades de conservação em nível federal, estadual e/ou municipal garantem a sobrevivência do corredor da Mata Atlântica.

Aldeias indígenas, vilas de pescadores transformaram-se em cidades descobertas por turistas e veranistas, que contam hoje com cerca de dez mil leitos espalhados nos cinco municípios que integram a Costa das Baleias – Prado, Alcobaça, Caravelas, Nova Viçosa e Mucuri.

Vale a pena conhecer!

Foto: Wikpedia

Fonte: Setur

Fast Fact.
Type: Mammal
Diet: Carnivore
Protection status: Endangered

Leopards are graceful and powerful big cats closely related to lions, tigers, and jaguars. They live in sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India, and China. However, many of their populations are endangered, especially outside of Africa.

The leopard is so strong and comfortable in trees that it often hauls its kills into the branches. By dragging the bodies of large animals aloft it hopes to keep them safe from scavengers such as hyenas. Leopards can also hunt from trees, where their spotted coats allow them to blend with the leaves until they spring with a deadly pounce. These nocturnal predators also stalk antelope, deer, and pigs by stealthy movements in the tall grass. When human settlements are present, leopards often attack dogs and, occasionally, people.

Shoot in JPEG using Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8
Location: Bali Safary Park
See also this shot at National Geographic Magazine.

Also known as the Mardo, is a shrew-like marsupial. Diet is invertebrates, eggs, nectar and sometimes small vertebrates. Mating season lasts for 2 weeks from Sept-October. The male Yellow-footed Antechinus engages in such frenzied mating that it commonly dies from sexual stress.

For the umpteenth time, someone dropped a stray dog on us last week.  This dog lived on our porch for several days and of course, Andrew became DEEPLY attached to it.  Many of the dogs who have shown up have been really dumb, but this one was quite intelligent.  It was a female, young, but not just a puppy, black all over, probably part Labrador Retriever.  She was friendly, but not yipping and jumping all over you.  If I wanted a dog, she could have been it.

I have learned how to wean Andrew from these dogs.  I have to give him at least a day’s warning that we’re taking it to animal control.  I must then remind him a few times of what is going to happen and why.  Then, at the moment of departure, I take some pictures of him with the dog, he helps load it into the van, and I drive off.  It’s fifteen miles to animal control and “Jenny” spent her time sitting up regally and looking out the windshield or curled up resting on the front seat.  She was totally calm.

At animal control, however, she would not get out of the van, and the worker had to come out and carry her into the building.  I drove away, crying.  Why do people do this to us?  They rip our emotions and cause us inconvenience, and we haven’t done ANYTHING to them.  They don’t even know us, for crying out loud!  Why DO they feel compelled to drop their unwanted animals on us?

I guess that’s one of those rhetorical questions that cannot and will not be answered, but she surely was a nice dog.  She made me actually think seriously about the possibility. . .

Salimos en el Boletín Informativo del Instituto Geográfico Nacional:

“El Grupo Enebro, Asociación que está dedicada al estudio de la biodiversidad de la Sierra Oeste de Madrid, ha aportado datos temáticos, correspondientes a los trabajos que lleva a cabo, a la IDEE, cuyo portal coordina y gestiona el Consejo Superior Geográfico, mediante el Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN).

Lycaena virgaureae

El grupo realiza fotografías de la Naturaleza y su primera aportación, en concreto, ha sido la de publicar en la Web, mediante servicios estándar, parte de su base de datos y de sus imágenes de lepidópteros diurnos (mariposas), en la seguridad de que con ellos llenarán de colorido y enriquecerán la IDEE.

Dª  Rosa Angulo San Millán, técnico superior del IGN que participa en el proyecto CartoCiudad y que aparece en la fotografía, es autora de la imagen uno; y D. Oscar Ventura Corral, experto en biodiversidad, autor de la segunda imagen, pertenecientes al mencionado Grupo Enebro, son las personas que han suministrado los datos para que se incorporen a la IDEE.

Afirman «que la fotografía de invertebrados y flora, además de ser una afición, nos enriquece y nos mantiene en forma, ya que tenemos que recorrer la sierra, sea verano o invierno, para obtener una muestra de especies, lo que se convierte en una aventura excitante de cuyos resultados estamos muy satisfechos». Parte de dichas imágenes se puede disfrutar en el portal temático de Naturaleza:

www.miradanatural.es/galeriausuario.php?id=884

www.miradanatural.es/galeriausuario.php?id=800,

en su propio blog: http://grupoenebro.wordpress.com/, y ahora en un Servicio Web de Mapas estándar:

www.idee.es/wms/Grupo-Enebro/Grupo-Enebro”

Zygaena ephialtes

Tussen Buinen en Exloo (Drenthe) ontwikkelt ASTRON de nieuwe radiotelescoop ‘LOFAR’ (Low Frequency Array). De 25.000 via glasvezelkabels met elkaar verbonden kleine antennes zullen uiteindelijk gezamenlijk met gebieden in Friesland, Groningen, Overijssel en Noord-Duitsland de grootste radiotelescoop ter wereld vormen. Dit alles om nog beter onderzoek naar het ontstaan van het heelal, de ‘Oerknal’ te kunnen doen.

Natuurontwikkeling- en waterbergingsplannen geven goede hoop voor flora en fauna in de toekomst.

Zaterdag kreeg ik de kans om 13 reeën op 1 foto te krijgen

Ayer estuve viendo un documental sobre el lobo en la Cordillera Cantábrica. El título era “Las Montañas del Lobo“. Me gustó y por eso os lo recomiendo. Es bonito y emocionante. Habla de los sentimientos del lobo a través de la historia de dos lobos, “Viejo” y “Lobo”, expulsados de su manada y de cómo éstos han de luchar por sobrevivir fuera de la manada. Cada fotograma es una delicia para la vista.

Fotograma del documental "Las Montañas del Lobo"

Aquí podéis verlo: http://www.megavideo.com/?d=S706QD84

Si vais a verlo, hacedlo cuanto antes, pues no sé cuanto tiempo estará disponible el enlace de arriba.

Existen por ahí enlaces para descargarlo a través de megaupload y también a través de emule. Pero ya sabéis que dicen que esto último está prohibido.

No dejéis de verlo. Son 50 minutos. Merece mucho la pena.

• Ear plugs.
• Five more sleeps in Toronto!
• Taking good care of myself and preparing for the non-stop intensity of the practicum by stocking up on snacks for energy. Clementines, almonds, green tea, dark chocolate will go with me everywhere I go this week.
• Thanks to pacing myself and getting a lot done yesterday and today, I can go to sleep by ten tonight. I want to start the week fresh and awake.
• The sunshine, the green velvet couch, the woman whose hands shake, the tea cups, the bulletin board, the black squirrel, the silence, the ministry, the tears that coursed down my cheeks, and everything else that Quaker Meeting gave me today.

Estudo de animais que vivem em nossa fauna. Criações minhas e técnica utilizada: lápis 2B e 5B. Agradeço a visita e os comentários. Que Deus os abençoe. Do amigo, Emerson Fialho.

CAPIVARA

MICO-LEÃO-DOURADO

TUCANO

JACARÉ-AÇU

Eric and I met for the first time at Pittock Mansion one night about a month ago.  We have exchanged emails and FaceBook posts since then and discovered that we both enjoy photography and being “out there”.  I enjoy bird photography even if I can’t identify too many species.  I’m learning bird behavior and trying to teach myself some discipline in camera techniques to maximize my chances of getting birds captured in a sharp photoraph.  I was pretty excited when Eric told me that he had reserved the photo blind at the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge and invited me to go along.

We met up at Eric’s place and headed out for the refuge.  We shouldered packs and walked the 1+ miles into the blind as the sky started to get some light.  I’ve never been in a bird blind before muchless shot from one.  This one is pretty nice but I was a bit dissapointed in the camo webbing they have hung on the roof and how it limited the vertical photo options in what seemed to be an already confined opening.  Little plywood sliders allow photographers to alter the view from 3 sides of the blind while still keeping the interior of the blind fairly inconspicuous to the birds outside.  We settled in and started trying to figure out how to set tripods for use or just use the window sills as supports.  Neither of us had brought any beanbag supports along.  I quickly opted to use the tripod after some really pathetic attempts to shoot using the window sill.  I was also a bit dissapointed in the backgrounds you get from much of the available views.  Power towers, highways, houses, barns…. not what I wanted in my photos.  Luckily there were a few views that excluded the debris and allowed a nice multi-layered background of trees and hills.

We shot for about 3 hours and opted to head back to the observation deck by the visitor center.  We stopped to photograph the nesting owl along the way.  I tried flash this time but I think it will work a lot better once I get a Better Beamer.  The photo below typifies the many that I took from the blind.

The birds were really quite distant from the blind since the lakes are still quite low.  Another month or two and the water will be lapping at the blind’s supports and the birds should be a different story all together.  We noticed that there are opening along the floor of the blind as well.  These would allow us to lay on the floor and shoot at a bird’s eye level.  That would solve much of the background issues as well.  If the birds are closer the focus depth of field would also help isolate the birds from the background.  I’m pretty sure that Eric and I will return when the water is up and the forecast is for a clear day.

The photos below illustrate the type of shot one can get from the observation deck near the visitor center.  This deck is on a river terrace about 30 feet above the floodplain.  The lakes are distant so the birds are small and a long lens is a prerequisite unless you just want to shoot some nice grand landscapes.  These images were shot with a 200-400mm lens.  A few had a 1.7x in addition.  I’m looking forward to a time when the birds might be closer.

Fotografiado cerca de la Estancia Perales, en el Seno Última Esperanza. Patagonia Chilena.