Tag Archives: puffins

Natural Wonders of the USA part 4

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Natural Wonders List Continues

We’ve got 50 Natural Wonders to go through and we’ve only covered 12 so time to continue on. Besides, My life is boring. Who wants to hear about my issues with Medicare and unemployment.  Beautiful sights to see are far more interesting.

13. MAINE – Cadillac Mountain

Maine is one of my favorite states. It’s got lighthouses and rugged , scenic coastline. It’s even got Puffins but you need to take a special trip across the Bay of Fundy to see them.  Fun fact- tides in the Bay of Fundy are the highest in the world! They can reach an incredible 53 ft.! Now which thing is the Natural Wonder for Maine? 

Photo credit- Deb Neumann 2016

 

According to the list its Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park . During certain times of the year, it is the first place to see the sunrise in the US.

Photo credit- Joe St Jean- 2012

14. New Hampshire – Flume Gorge

Staying on the East Coast we’ll head to New Hampshire. That’s the Live Free or Die State. Another excellent state to explore with the beautiful White Mountains, The Kancamagus Highway and lovely lakes, streams and waterfalls.  The Flume Gorge is located in Franconia Notch State Park , Lincoln NH. Yes I’ve been there. Its an uphill walk with lots of stairs but I survived it and so can you. It’s beautiful. Very primal.

Photo Credit Deb Neumann 2011

15. Hawaii – Diamond Head

You are talking my language now. I love Hawaii although Diamond Head is on Oahu which is my least favorite of the main Hawaiian Islands. It’s the most cosmopolitan. If you miss crazy traffic and City life then Oahu is the island for you. Diamond head is the image everyone has of Hawaii. You know that post card image with high rises, white sand and a mountain.

28,842 Diamond Head Images, Stock Photos & Vectors ...

We drove up into the crater but did not climb the stairs to the top. I liked snorkeling in  Hanauma Bay more than I liked Diamond Head. 

16. West Virginia – New River Gorge

You got me on this one. I haven’t been to West Virginia so I haven’t been to New River Gorge.

The picture is gorgeous and I’d love to capture something similar but when I googled the New River Gorge Bridge it seems the thrill seekers have taken over. They banned bungee jumping after an accidental death deemed bungee jumping as unsafe but they still allow base jumping and rappelling!  No thanks. I admit I like an adrenaline rush as much as the next person but I still want to be safe!

That about wraps up todays post. More to come next time.

Birds, Birds and more Birds

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Birds, Birds and more Birds

Hawaiian NeNe (Goose)

Birds are a popular photo subject with me. My friends often tell me it’s time to stretch my wings and get a new subject and I do. I chase all kinds of wildlife. But sometimes the birds are just there. They are an easy subject because I don’t have to search for them. I can spend days trying to locate a fox or a moose or even a deer to photograph but birds are always around me.

Bird on a wire

I was near a pond in Norton taking shots of the fall foliage. Birds were the farthest thing from my mind when a hawk settled right above my head on a wire. How could I not take his picture?   Besides birds are a challenge to get a good shot. Although the hawk was right on a wire near me the background was filled with tree leaves. He also spend quite a bit of his time on the wire with his back to me. Not much of a picture if you can only get the back of a head!  So I continue to take pictures of birds.

 

 

 

 

Birds in Florida

Some of my best photos were in Florida. I always seem to have good luck there. I try to take most of my bird pictures in the wild. I may be at a wildlife sanctuary but the birds are wild and free to fly away. I got a second class photo of a very rare bird from an airboat. It’s called a snail kite and I didn’t realize how rare it was until I returned home and saw a special on the bird on PBS. The photo is blurry so I’m not going to share but the odds of me going back for a better one are pretty slim. 

Egret with Hot Dog

Accepted in Nat Geo “I Shot It” Contest

Maine Puffins

Another great bird trip was with the Audubon Society, I joined them for a trip to see the Maine Puffin Colony. What a trip! Who knew it could be so cold in the middle of July! We were in the Bay of Fundy where we could see the evidence of the 12 ft tides the area is known for.  I may have to think about doing it again because I’ve improved my photography skills since then. But I did get a few  ‘Braggable” shots.

Loons of New England

So now I have a new Bird Challenge. I need to get a decent photo of a common loon. Loons can be found in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and now the Lake George area of New York. I’ve seen them. I’ve heard them but always at a distance. So now my goal is to get close enough to get a good photo because I can do better than this!

 

I have some locations and ideas in mind but I think spring nesting season will be my best chance. I will keep you posted on my progress.

Puzzle update

No update this week. I’ve moved into the browns and purples and they are harder to match and I haven’t had much time to work on it.

Its That Time Again

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New Years is right around the corner. A blank sheet of paper if you will. Lots of people will be looking back over 2016 and setting goals for 2017. There will be the usual “lose weight”, “quit smoking”, “be nice to the neighbor” and so on. I’ll probably make some “resolutions” too. After all, a little introspection is a good thing but I tend to think of this week between Christmas and New Years as a time to wade through a whole year’s worth of photos.

Red Fox on a rock

Red Fox on a rock

Most of my pictures are of the snap shot variety. I grab the camera and try to capture a moment, maybe something to share here but every now and then I try to get that special picture. One that makes me say ahhhh.

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It gets harder and harder to get those special pictures. Everybody has a camera and everybody thinks they are a “pro”. Just this kind of atmosphere raises the bar.

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I’m reviewing my pictures for that special , indefinable quality that makes them a “cut above”. I want to find the 10 best.

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They have to be in focus, with lots of pixels so they can be blown up to gallery print size, and they need to be special in some way.

Puffin portrait

So for the next few days I’m going to share my pictures as I search for those special top 10.

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Some of these are pretty good but I don’t think they will make the cut. We’ll see.

 

And That’s All There Is!

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Once we left Seal Island and the Puffins I was done in. The fresh air, the early start,  the excitement of seeing these adorable little birds up close and the boat ride had zapped me of the rest of my energy. Once we arrived back in Cutler it was lunch time and starting to rain.

The gathering

The Church in Cutler offered us the use of it’s basement which was set up with tables and a kitchen. Plus there were bathrooms. Following lunch it was off again, this time to Boot Head Preserve.

When  we found the trail head to Boot head preserve I decided to give up on keeping up. I stayed in the car and took a nap. It was lovely.

We returned for dinner at Helen’s Restaurant at 6:30 before retiring to our rooms to pack.

We all met at the vans at  6 am for breakfast at Dunkin Donuts and a trip Machiasport- Pot Head. I didn’t lug the camera this time. I had what I came for and as is usually the case when you don’t have the camera, I missed a beautiful shot of 3 deer.

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They stood on the dirt road watching us. It was like they were frozen. There was plenty of time for a picture if I’d been prepared.  Finally the first 2 crossed and disappeared into he woods. I thought the 3rd had gone back into the woods where it had come from when it came flying out like it was shot from a gun. It literally flew across the road in one bound.

We spotted 2 bald eagles and bunch of smaller birds but by this time the deer were the highlight of the day for me. Puffins, deer, eagles, some of my very favorite things.

This was a good trip.

Thanks Mass Audubon for a great time.

A few More Puffins

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Ok , after all that build up one little Puffin picture was probably a bit anticlimactic so here are a few more. I took over 100 so there’s plenty to pick from.

Puffin portrait

We were in the blinds for a little more than an hour. There was a lot of activity.

On Watch

Puffins flying in and out.

The Landing

They were quick. Those of us taking pictures were trying for that iconic shot of a puffin with fish in its beak but that was harder than expected.

Stike a pose

We’d see the birds flying in from a successful fishing trip but they immediately popped into their burros. Once they had fed their little puffins and came back out they stood around and photos of empty beaks were easy.

Eye Contact

Puffins make their nests in holes in the ground that they dig with their claws. They also makes nests in the rocks.

In the Rocks

Because they are little, the other birds try to steal their catch so they waste no time above ground. The best I was able to do was get a picture of a Puffin with a beak-ful of shrimp. No fish.

Shrimp Take Out

The other photographer in the blind with me did get a fish shot. You can see her beautiful pictures at www.mywildlife.zenfolio.com.

The gathering

One of the most fun things that happened while we were in the blind is suddenly we heard a tapping. At first we thought they’d come back to get us out of the blind but then we realized the sound was coming from over our heads. The birds were landing on the roof of the blind and it was their little feet we were hearing.

Puffin

Puffins make the strangest call. For a little bird its terribly guttural, not pretty at all. When I’d see one calling it reminded me of a donkey braying.

Can You Hear me now?

All in all it was a great experience. I am seriously thinking of doing it again. This was one time that everything lived up to expectations.

Shrimp Its what's for dinner