[dcstep]

Another raptor:

Harrier Hunts by David Stephens, on Flickr

[Itsed65]

Beautiful beach shot jmg!

Nice Harrier Dave!

[ddk632]

Originally Posted by dcstep

Welcome back, buddy.

I love your dark interpretation of the shadows. This is not what we usually see from that spot. It's powerful.

Thanks Dave!

Yeah, I have some of the usual stuff from there also, but that one definitely spoke to me.

-----

Here's one from Cape Cod, MA from the beach. Almost tossed it, but it has grown on me!


Snapshot of a Sunrise by Dmitriy Khaykin, on Flickr

[M_Six]

Nice shot, Dmitriy. I liked your Smoky Sunset shot from your Flickr page as well.

[dcstep]

Great horned owl shows off one of the booties that covers its talons:

Great Horned Owl, Showing Off A Booty by David Stephens, on Flickr

Shooting straight into the light caused some interesting bokeh patterns.

[ddk632]

Thanks Mark, that was a cool find that day. Still don't know what was causing the smoke but it made for a nice telephoto sunset shot

Here's the shot Mark was referring to:

Smoky Sunset by Dmitriy Khaykin, on Flickr

[M_Six]

Very cool shot. Dmitriy.

You too, DC. I'm envious of you guys and your owls. I heard one when Wifey and I were out walking the other night, but again, I never see one.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by M_Six

...

You too, DC. I'm envious of you guys and your owls. I heard one when Wifey and I were out walking the other night, but again, I never see one.

Thanks Mark.

You hear 'em, you got 'em. They say, "You can look an owl in the eye and not see it." That's very true, based on my personal experience, so you have to look, look, look.

In evenings, follow the sound. In daylight, look where the sound was. Scan limbs, very close to the trunk. If you see something fly low and land in a relatively nearby tree, it's probably an owl. Creep up very slowly when you know the general area and look up periodically. Don't stare at the owl as you walk toward it. Look up occasionally and it may think that you don't see it.

[Itsed65]

Kite in Tree by lennycarl08, on Flickr

[jmg]

Originally Posted by dcstep

jmg, love the sun-star. Great light on the waves.

Thanks!

Another one I took that day:

High Tide by JMG, on Flickr

[ddk632]

^^
Very nice, jmg

----

Here's one from Big Sur, titled "California Coast"


California Coast by Dmitriy Khaykin, on Flickr

[jmg]

^ What a view!

[Itsed65]

First crane spotting of the season

First Sandhill Spotting by lennycarl08, on Flickr

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Itsed65

First crane spotting of the season

Great flight shot.

Do they spend the winter there in large groups? They only migrate through Colorado, but they come in by the thousands during migration.

[allachie9]

Tonight we have another pretty good aurora forecast, as we did last night. What we don't have, unfortunately, are clear skies. Although it looks like it may start to clear by around 22:00 tonight.
I've just been checking camera settings (and making sure I've plenty of fully charged batteries), setting up for tonight.
Looking at some previous shots for compositional ideas I found this (from 2014) which I never processed. But looking at it again today I quite like the colours reflected in the water - so fingers crossed for tonight.

IMG_5489 copy by Alan Butterfield, on Flickr

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by allachie9

Tonight we have another pretty good aurora forecast, as we did last night. What we don't have, unfortunately, are clear skies. Although it looks like it may start to clear by around 22:00 tonight.
I've just been checking camera settings (and making sure I've plenty of fully charged batteries), setting up for tonight.
Looking at some previous shots for compositional ideas I found this (from 2014) which I never processed. But looking at it again today I quite like the colours reflected in the water - so fingers crossed for tonight.

Good luck, Alan. Looking forward to some more stunning shots.

Dave

[Itsed65]

Originally Posted by dcstep

Great flight shot.

Do they spend the winter there in large groups? They only migrate through Colorado, but they come in by the thousands during migration.

Yes, a large number of them winter in the Central Valley here. I usually see tons of them at the Merced NWR.

[Itsed65]

That's a pretty amazing shot Alan.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by Itsed65

That's a pretty amazing shot Alan.

And speaking of great shots, I just saw your head-on shot of a locomotive, Ed. Please tell me that thing wasn't moving. Or was at least at a distance and moving slowly.

[Itsed65]

Originally Posted by M_Six

And speaking of great shots, I just saw your head-on shot of a locomotive, Ed. Please tell me that thing wasn't moving. Or was at least at a distance and moving slowly.

LoL, it was quite stopped, waiting on a siding for a westbound train. A quick snap while crossing the tracks

[Itsed65]

Sidelined by lennycarl08, on Flickr

[M_Six]

^^^That's a cool shot, moving or not.