Two bugs and a little birdie

[waldo]

Yay!  Animals.  This is mostly what I do.  Here's a few shots from the last group I was putting on my photography blog...


I have been shooting a TON of dragonflies this summer.  I think since last March I've gotten yellow, red, blue, green, black and brown ones.  I'm particularly keen on this one because you can see the shadow of his wing-veins on the lilypad.  (You may have to blow it up to see the details.)

From the "photography makes me stupid" files.  I made an animal alphabet book for my baby nephew.  I *only* used photos I took.  (I shlepped the camera to the pet store and camped out in the fish aisle to get the X-Ray tetra... until they kicked me out.)  But anyway - I needed a Y.  So I chased Yellow-Jackets around a pond for forty minutes trying to get a good shot.  This was the one I ultimately used.

The bane-of-my-existence bird.  I kept finding these things ALL over Chicago.  And they're highly photogenic.  Seriously, you can walk right up to them.  But I Googled until I couldn't Google any more trying to figure out what it is.  FINALLY, looking for something completely different a while back, I found out what this is by accident.  Anyone know?  I put the answer in my journal. :)  Seriously nature, WTF?

Comments

[holyoutlaw]

I love dragonflies! Have you identified any of yours?

[holyschist]

I have been ALL about the dragonflies this summer. Yesterday I found out about the miracle of fill flash and am kicking myself for all the mediocre shots which could have been AWESOME and in focus.

Looks like a Blue Dasher in your icon? Can't tell from the angle on the lilypad.

I'm going to guess female blackbird...*goes to check*...ha! yeah, people don't pay so much attention to the females sometimes. I didn't really make the connection until this summer. Red-winged?

[turlough]

The first picture is great!