Cuba Installment #1

Hello!

So I've begun editing the Cuba photos - there are more than I thought!  I also seem to have attacked them in a strange order.  Here are a few seemingly random photos:

Cuban Ground Boa (Tropidophis melanurus)

This heron really threw me - I had never seen a white-morph juvenile Reddish Egret before.  Good job on the ID team!

Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens)

Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica)

Sardines?

Sardines?

That's all for now!  Maybe next time I'll manage some sort of comprehensible order and pleasant commentary.

Later!
Kyle

Back from Cuba!

Hello!

I am back from Cuba, and it was an interesting trip to say the least!  Personal highlights include Cuban Ground Boa (2 species), Cuban Trogon, Cuban Pygmy-Owl, Fernandina's Flicker, Cuban Parrot, Green Moray and others.  All told we saw about 75 bird species including 8 endemics and 17 new ones for me.

The photography was a little patchy on the trip for various reasons, but I did manage to grab a few shots here and there.  I have some sorting and editing to do, but here is a quick first-look:

Cuban Ground Boa (Tropidophis melanurus)

More to come!

Kyle

Happy New Year!

Hello!

Yet another photo-less post, I know.  Things have been busy, what can I say?  But it will all change shortly!  I have been invited to join a trip to Cuba and help out with some bird ID and other things.  We leave in 4 days and stay for 8.  I am really hoping to spend a solid amount of time taking pictures!

We will be staying near Santa Cruz del Norte for most of the trip, with a special tour to Zapata Swamp (home of such exciting endemics as Zapata Sparrow, Zapata Wren, Zapata Rail, Cuban Crocodile and others).  See the following map for an idea of the geography (A is where we are staying , B is the swamp).


View Larger Map

Fingers crossed for exciting things!  I will not have internet access during the trip, but will post some photos upon return.

Cheers!
Kyle

Read Me!

Hello!

So in my winter down-time with little photography action, I decided to write a short article for Nature Images Online Magazine, a blog run by Ontario photographer Ray Barlow.  If you have 5 minutes with nothing to do, the article can be viewed here:

http://photographersonlinemagazine.blogspot.com/

:)
Kyle

Wintertime!

Hello!

Oh the woes of a macro photographer in winter.  Where have all the little critters gone?  Hibernation, thou hast robbed me of my subjects.  How cruel.

Photography always seems to be a bit slow in the winter, which leaves me a little short on blog updates.  Perhaps I will have to expand my horizons.

On the positive side, winter birds are in!  Did a couple of Christmas Bird Counts over the weekend and had some success.  Highlights include 1 Northern Goshawk, 1 Bald Eagle, 2 Rough-legged Hawks, 2 Red-bellied Woodpeckers, 3 Eastern Bluebirds, 70 Wild Turkeys, and 665 Bohemian Waxwings.  It's like my own little version of the 12 days of Christmas.  I never was very good at counting...

On another positive note, I'm headed to Cuba early in the new year.  That should keep my itchy trigger finger happy for a little while.  More to come on that later.

Happy Holidays!
Kyle

Last Illinois Post (Finally)

Hello!

Have I mentioned that I have calendars for sale?  Here's a button you can click to by one (or seven):



You may recall that once upon a time I promised a final post from Illinois.  It sure has been a while.  But at long last I have gotten around to editing those miscellaneous images that remained.  Most are inverts, but there is a surprise guest at the end.  Here goes.

To begin, an Eastern Comma showing the namesake marking on the hindwing:

Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma)

Continuing on the butterfly theme, a Red-spotted Purple (the name makes no sense to me either...):

Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis)

I found this cool grub under a log!  Seems to be some sort of beetle larva, but that's as far as I can guess.  It was big though!

Grub (Grubicus giganticus)*

*Please note this latin name may be a fake

Now on to one of my favourite subjects, spiders.  Some people seem to be under the mistaken impression that spiders are ugly.  I don't know where these people are getting their information, but they have obviously never met a jumping spider.  I dare you to look into that little face and not think adorable.

Jumping Spider (Family: Salticidae)

Jumping Spider (Family: Salticidae)

As we were taking down the tents at the end of the weekend, we found this cool wasp that had come to join us.  It was huge!

Wasp

Sometimes you think the trip is winding down, and mother nature throws you one more little surprise.  We got lost while driving to our last stop, and while trying to find our way we road-cruised this Eastern Box Turtle!  A life-herp for me, and one I was very excited to see.  Never did come out of its shell, but that's a box turtle for you!

Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina)

Well, the Illinois photos are all wrapped up.  What'll I do now....?

Kyle

New Yard Bird

Hello!

So I have a terrible yard for birds.  It's a sad fact, but it's true.  And it makes yard-listing a distinct challenge.  Which is why today I was excited to see this little fellow go whipping though.  He paused in a nearby tree just long enough for me to lean out the door and take a few shabby photos.

Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)

Go ahead, tell me it's a sharpie.  I dare you...

:)
Kyle