Tag Archives: Canon 18-200mm

Skimmer Among Gulls

January 31, 2023 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

After sunrise didn’t make much of a show I walked the beach and this group of gulls was gathered at the tide line ahead of me.

I suspected they would all fly as I wasn’t the only person on the beach, and some were jogging and others had dogs.

The gulls actually didn’t fly and the Black Skimmer made him self comfy in the crowd.

I got one pretty good look at the Skimmer as he stepped away from the group working on their morning grooming. I glanced away for a second and when I turned back he was gone.

St. Augustine Beach, FL
January 21, 2023

Perching Birds

Rusty Blackbird at Stream Edge

October 29, 2022 Ellen Jennings 6 Comments

This Rusty Blackbird blended into the background but as he twisted around poking in the stream his understated color scheme showed off a bit. A nearby maple tree had dropped a few turned leaves for a hint of color in the scene.

Rusty Blackbird Peeking in Blackman Stream

ID by Merlin Bird ID app

Bradley, ME
October 1, 2022

Songbirds

Palm Warbler, Maine

October 15, 2022 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

On my recent trip to Maine I was amazed to witness some warbler migration. I grew up near where these were taken and don’t remember ever seeing anything like the hundreds of birds I saw in the vicinity including a variety of warblers and finches.

The mowed lawn seen above was backed by a field of “weeds” that were bursting with all sorts of seeds and flying insects–a song bird buffet.

I had not taken my long lens on this trip and could not get close enough to most of them with the 18-200mm; this one fellow seemed a bit more curious.

This particular bird is much more colorful than the Palm Warbler I had photographed a few days before in Charleston, SC.

ID by Cornell Lab’s Merlin App

Penobscot County, Maine
September 16, 2022

Flowers

Water Lily and Lily Pads

September 7, 2022 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

More from our Water Lilies from our paddle at Cypress Gardens last week.

Water Lily and Lily Pads – Canon 18-200mm

The same bloom from a different angle and with a different lens.

Just before we left the sun came out which enhanced the reflection of the nearby trees in the dark water.

August 26, 2022
Cypress Gardens, Moncks Corner, SC

Flowers

Pink Lily

July 7, 2022 Ellen Jennings 3 Comments

We revisited the graveyard at the Unitarian Church at the end of May and the pink lilies were still blooming.

This grouping had shorter stems and I was able to look down on the cluster.

And by kneeling I could see straight into the blooms.

Graveyard at Unitarian Church, Charleston, SC
May 25, 2022

See my April 27 Visit

Landscape

Congaree National Park, Big Tree Adventure

June 21, 2022 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

In early May I went on a combo boat – hiking trip with fifteen enthusiastic adventurers into the Congaree National Park, about 18 miles southeast of Columbia, the SC state capital.

After traveling up the winding Congaree River from the Bates Bridge Landing we went into the forest to see some amazingly large, and old, trees.

Very big trees!

Photography in the forest that shows the relative size is hampered by–the forest.

We ate our lunch with a couple of the biggest, including this one.

Much of the forest floor was muddy, and slippery. And yes I fell. Holding my camera high

From the park website (nps.gov/cong/index.htm)

Congaree National Park has the largest intact expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the southeastern United States

May 4, 2022

Perching Birds

Cave Swallows

May 9, 2022 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

I recently went on a boat trip that passed under this bridge that was hosting swallow nests.

The Merlin Bird ID By Cornell Lab app identifies them as Cliff Swallows, an uncommon bird in SC.

There wasn’t enough light to really see the colors, these were taken with my short lens, and these little guys were speedy!

The nests were pretty fascinating, too, more of an engineering marvel than the bridge.

Raptor

Red-shouldered Hawk

February 15, 2022 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

I was out with my shorter lens when this Red-shouldered Hawk flew into a tree ahead of me in a local park. Like me, he had places to go and quickly moved on.

February 11, 2022