2023 Part 1: Birds

Here are some 2023 bird shots I haven't previously posted.

red-legged seriema (Columbus Zoo). It was squawking.

common ostrich (Columbus Zoo)

red-billed leiothrix (Columbus Zoo). Not a good shot, but I like the pose.

brown-headed cowbird (Columbus Zoo)

king vulture (Minnesota Zoo)

lesser flamingo (Minnesota Zoo)

American avocet (Minnesota Zoo)

chestnut-breasted malkoha (Toledo Zoo)

Palawan peacock pheasant - female (Toledo Zoo)

crested coua (Toledo Zoo)

blue-bellied roller (Toledo Zoo)

northern bald ibis (Toledo Zoo)

Focus Stacking Advantages

Good macro photography technique says to get the subject square to the camera (parallel to the focal plane). That's because the depth of field--the zone that's in focus--is very shallow.

The camera was directly above this flat bug, so the body and head are in focus. Click an image to compare pairs. (f/6.7  1/3000s  ISO 800  #5 of 8 images)

Focus stacking most prominently added more of the flower. It also improved the bug's legs and antennas. There are artifacts, too, in the form of a reflection on the left side and distorted petal edges.

 

This fly is not square to the camera. It didn't respond when I asked it to move, so what could I do? I like the shot, though. (f/5.6  1/500s  ISO 800  #2 of 5 images in the stack)

Focus stacking added the fly's wings, the fly's legs, and the stem it's standing on.

 

I'm attracted to bees' faces, and this one was square to the camera. Without focus stacking, that's all I'd have. With it, I got its wings, legs, and hairs on its body. (f/6.7  1/350s  ISO 800  8 images)

None of these struck me as being particularly good... (f/5.6  ISO 800  1/750s)

 

 

 

 

... but the 5 pictures stacked together turned out nicely.

Sometimes I can experiment with how much background to include in the stack. (f/4.8  1/250s  ISO 1600  3 images)

Which one do you prefer? (5 images)

Northern Minnesota

I visited the Minnesota Zoo (previous posts) thanks to a trip to visit relatives and friends. We spend a couple of days in northern Minnesota, in and near Bemidji.

Sunset, Paul Bunyan Drive NW, Bemidji

tricolored bumble bee, focus stack of two pictures

thistle, focus stack of three pictures

thistle, focus stack of four images

lichen, focus stack of three shots

The intersection of 309th St. and 450th Ave. near Cass Lake, MN, looking east on 450th. Roads are named grid-wise even in rural parts of Minnesota.

green bottle fly, focus stack of two photos

 

Breakfast With the Hippos

The missing gardener and I attended Breakfast With the Hippos July 29 at the Toledo Zoo. Though they did not sit with us, we were able to marvel at their magnificent maws. The residents are Emma (first picture) and her son Herbie (all other pictures and videos).

I blame the keeper, not Herbie.

Herbie's ear twirl:

Columbus June 12

I got a larger proportion of good shots than usual on this visit to the Columbus Zoo.

koala

red kangaroo

red kangaroo

siamang

African leopard

okapi

okapi

 

Toledo May 27

The missing gardener and I went to the Toledo Zoo for early member hours mainly to see the polar bear twins, Kallu and Kallik. Unfortunately, he observation building was closed, so we couldn't see them under water. They were active and romping.

One of the twins

Those are Crystal's (mom's) legs.

Kallu and Kallik romping

This giraffe is missing some teeth, so his tongue tends to dangle.

Watusi cattle traffic jam. They were on their way from the near area to the main yard when they just stopped. (Facebook video, 2021)

Snow leopard. I assume this is Greta because this is her usual enclosure with the chilled rock. Her mate, Shishir, is usually next door. They've produced a number of cubs. (First cubs)

The North American river otters continue to entertain the primates with back flips off the glass.

Columbus May 15

Lee, I think.

One of three pumas

Guillotine (Facebook), a female wolverine

black-capped chickadee

Northern bald ibis. Looks like a vulture, dunnit?

The whole bird

Chinese hwamei

hwamei in a flowering bush

western cattle egret

western cattle egret