The Pine Ridge Philosopher

Northern Cardinal

Roket Man — Sat, 19 May 2012 21:55:50 +0000

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Shot from the front porch (range approx. 25 yards), hand held using a a Canon T3 mounted with a Sigma 150-500MM Optically Stabilized lens.

Lessons Learned:

Roket Man — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:00:24 +0000

That itty bitty chair THE BOSS uses as a step stool to reach the stuff in the cabinets is an accident waiting to happen!

Said itty bitty chair decided to depart from under my feet this afternoon and I really triggered my back this time!

I blame this on THE BOSS because she was in the same room at the time and was negligent in supervising my actions. (I hope she doesn’t read this)

The meds are kicking in nicely and I will survive .

Man am I ever glad my new La-Z-Boy was delivered a week ago! I’ll be stuck in it for the near future……..in a drug induced haze.

Now where is my little bell? I need it to ring for ice cream and some comic books.

NURSE! NURSE!

Oh there you are. It’s about time.

Wait…..what are you going to do with that skillet?

KABONG!

BANG!

BOOM!

OW!!!!!

Oh look at all the little burdies……..fireworks, too!

Rainy Day House Finch

Roket Man — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:53:29 +0000

I was puttering around in the yard when a sudden rain shower swept through and I took shelter in our backyard shed. This little guy, a male House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus), landed on a nearby branch and I managed to shoot a few frames (My camera bag is ALWAYS close at hand!) before he spotted me and decided to find a more private branch to wait out the storm.

Flora and Fauna

Roket Man — Mon, 14 May 2012 23:16:22 +0000

Rainy weather, memory foam cushions in my new La-Z-Boy and a general lack of get up & go have all conspired to keep my cameras idle for the most part but I have snapped a few frames.

These 3 wandered out of the tree line behind the house just as the light was fading yesterday evening. The one on the left is a doe and the other two are yearling bucks.

These guys changed from their winter gray coat to summer red awfully fast. It’s said that the redder the coat the hotter the summer ahead. Looks like we’re in for a scorcher!

The rain has knocked almost all the blossoms off the Granny’s Bonnets but there are plenty of buds ready to bloom at any moment.

Buddy, Lunatic Lab #1, “helping out” with the photography.

Doesn’t that look on Molly’s face just scream “I’m not doing anything….honest!” ?

Gotta have a burd in the mix. Now, to catch up on the backlog of blogs I’ve missed while ~~unconscious~~ ~~sawing logs~~ testing my new recliner.

Granny’s Bonnet

Roket Man — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:30:34 +0000

Don’t know the scientific name or even if Granny’s Bonnet is the right name. That’s just what I’m told they’re called and they’re my favorite in my wife’s garden. She has them growing in several planters around the yard.

A Different Kind of Burd

Roket Man — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:07:16 +0000

Even though I’m mesmerized by THE BOSS’s Old maid’s Bonnets I didn’t start out to shoot them this afternoon. That said, I couldn’t resist getting a few frames.

Frankie spotted a new visitor to our feeders yesterday, a male Red Breasted Grosbeak, and I was soon at the window trying to shoot a few frames without spooking him. What I managed to get just weren’t good enough to post but I’ll keep trying.

When the grosbeak returned this afternoon, accompanied by a Red Bellied Woodpecker, I grabbed the cameras and slipped out the front door as quietly as I could. I didn’t make it into position without spooking them both but decided to sit quietly at the picnic table out back in the hopes they’d return.

The burds didn’t return while I was out there but I did manage to shoot several frames of another flying critter. I hope you like them as much as I enjoyed shooting them. These were all shot handheld with my Sigma 150-500MM optically stabilized lens from about 15 feet.

Backyard Color

Roket Man — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:55:31 +0000

As the sun was setting this evening:

Seed pods in our maple waiting to join the billion or so already carpeting the lawn. When I was a kid we called these thing whirlybirds because of the spinning motion when they fall through the air. Those on the ground will really be spinning tomorrow when I run them over with the Dandelion Destroyer!

Mourning Dove on a power line

~~THE BOSS’s home world~~ The moon

A Brown Shirted Ticket Scribbler (one of Wythe County’s finest) on the Idiot Strip

Frankie’s Old Maid’s Bonnets are growing like mad!

Ring Bill Gulls

Roket Man — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:57:15 +0000

The bird in the rear of this group is a Herring gull

Sanderlings and Black Backed Gulls

Roket Man — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:59:17 +0000

Hunting for dinner on an overcast day.

Pre-flight

Roket Man — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:33:11 +0000

Sea gull checking out all the control surfaces before take off.