Kauai Birds from February 2015
My first new gallery from the photos I shot while visiting Kauai in February 2015, this gallery features birds of the island. The highlight of my birding experience on the island was to have found the Nene, the Hawaiian Goose, which is the state bird and endemic to the islands. That bird was the goal of my drive to the Kilauea Lighthouse Wildlife Refuge, and happened to be the first bird I spotted upon exiting the car. I hadn't walked more than 5 feet before the Nene appeared on the edge of the parking lot, waddling among the parked cars.
Two updates: birds and scenery from Jamaica 2014
Last night I updated my gallery of other misc. birds from my Jamaica 2014 trip. This gallery contains all the rest of the bird photos which were not numerous enough to turn into galleries of their own.
Today will be my last update for some time... a collection of various scenery shots from Jamaica 2014. I actively tried to avoid sunset photos on this trip (because I've done so many in the past) and also tried to avoid too many foliage closeups (for the same reason) The way we travel in Jamaica does not usually offer the opportunity to stop and take wide landscape images... mostly our driving is from the resort to the destination, and some destinations (like walking up a river, or ziplining down a mountain) are a leave-the-big-camera-at-home type trips. On this trip, however, I had the opportunity to spend some time in a different area of the cliffs, where the resort was set on an outcropping affording a different view of the cliffs north and south. We also took a trip inland to a retreat set in the jungle with views looking out to the jungle below and mountains beyond. This gave me the opportunity to break out the wide angle and my Edge 80 Optic, and I was very pleased with the results.
Crocodiles and Crabs of Jamaica 2014
If it scurries, creeps, crawls, or flies... chances are I want to get a picture of it. This gallery contains my photos of crocodiles and crabs from my trip to Jamaica in 2014. The crocodiles were all found during my guided boat trip up the Black River. The crabs were mostly around the cliffs at our resort, save for one I found hiding under the deck of the Pelican Bar off of Treasure Beach, and one I found further up the cliffs on an outing we took when the seas were too rough for swimming. I had been shooting landscapes of the rolling waves with my Lensbaby Edge 80 optic combo when I spotted a crab sitting still. The lens is difficult to focus sometimes, which is why I rarely use it for wildlife shots, but the crab was patient (perhaps because I wasn't trying to get close) and I was able to get him in focus and create the miniaturizing effect that the lens provides.
Magnificent Frigatebird Jamaica 2014 Gallery
While waiting for my lunch to arrive at a cliff-side restaurant one afternoon, I noticed a small flock of magnificent frigatebirds gliding just off the cliffs. I stepped out to the balcony railing to watch these amazing birds soaring overhead and diving for their own lunch.
Lizards of Jamaica 2014 added
This gallery of shots amuses me not only because the subjects are so quirky, but because it reminds me of how oblivious I become to the world around me while shooting. One morning at breakfast, a cute little blue and green anole hopped onto our table, and I set about zooming in and angling for photos while conversation at the tables around me continued. I hadn't realized that the guest sitting directly behind me was Karen Allen, (Marion from Indiana Jones), although I'm a huge fan of the movies. I recall thinking that her voice sounded vaguely familiar, however I was too busy adjusting my aperture to pay much attention, and my nieces had to later point her out to me.