Sunspots capture was made on July 10, 2022, using a Baader solar filter over the front lens. The image was created at 16X and cropped in post. Shutter speed was 1/4000 second at f8.0. CAVEAT! Never point a camera and lens [especially a telephoto] directly at the Sun without proper filtration. ~ Solar activity capture, Sunspots © Jerry L. Ferrara
~ Alaskan Brown Bear captures © Jerry L. Ferrara
Intent Intent, intent, so I am bentA Bobcat’s prey will feel dismay ~ Poem and Bobcat capture, Intent © Jerry L. Ferrara. Capture made in a gopher-filled northern California meadow.
Vox Clamantis Be keen to the call of the California Quail. Vox clamantis, a voice crying out. ~ Anecdote and California Quail capture, Vox Clamantis © Jerry L. Ferrara
Kittiwake, Oh Kittiwake According to Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology, the Black-legged Kittiwake is a pelagic species of gull usually found far out in the northern seas unless it is breeding and rearing its young. In my copy of Arthur Cleveland Bent’s Life Histories of North American Gulls and Terns, the author states “The ordinary cry of the Kittiwake suggests its name …” Kittiwake, Oh KittiwakeWhat a strange noise you do makeYour voice does cause one double-takeIt sounds a bit like your namesake ~ Poem and Kittiwake captures, Kittiwake, Oh Kittiwake © Jerry L. Ferrara. Kittiwake images recorded in Iceland and Norway.
A Mirror Image An inquisitive Waterbuck near Zimbabwe’s Zambezi River pauses pregnantly near a still pool of water casting back a mirror image of itself. ~ Anecdote and Waterbuck capture, A Mirror Image © Jerry L. Ferrara
The Little Bandit Lounging on the cherry tree trunk, the little bandit stages just before an all-out raid on the fruit high up in the canopy. The beady eyes and ‘Zorro’ mask are dead giveaways as to the rascality to come. ~ Anecdote and Raccoon capture, The Little Bandit © Jerry L. Ferrara … image from my backyard.
Water Ouzel Roaring mountain creeks and lightning-quick western streams are the homes of a nondescript bird called the American Dipper [aka the Water Ouzel]. It’s a treat to catch sight of one hunting a streamside watery realm for aquatic insects and larvae. I caught this Ouzel in a pose between its forays to an Idaho river for water bugs. ~ Anecdote and American Dipper capture, Water Ouzel © Jerry L. Ferrara
Bearing Gifts In a remote sector near the Arctic Circle, within the dizzying heights of a rugged Icelandic bluff, a remarkable seabird of the auk tribe known as the Razorbill arrived near its nest. It was bearing gifts for its developing youngsters secreted away in a rocky seaside cleft. ~ Anecdote and Razorbill capture, Bearing Gifts © Jerry L. Ferrara
On A Chilly Day On a chilly dayFeathers I will splayIn this simple wayBody heat will stay Here is an example of a unique technique used by many bird species to maintain comfort during cool weather. The strategy is to trap and hold its body heat by fluffing the feathers. The spaces created between the plumage captures the escaping warmth and insulates the bird’s skin from the cold. ~ Poem, anecdote and Red-tailed Hawk capture, On A Chilly Day © Jerry L. Ferrara