DSS Post 5: Amphibians and Reptiles

Red-eyed Tree Frog (R)
by Jeter Skeet

Pipa Pipa (R)
by Jeter Skeet

An aquatic frog.

Mossy Leaf-tailed Gecko (R)
by Jeter Skeet

Spot-bellied Sideneck Turtle (R)
by Jeter Skeet

Sidenecks are a more primitive form of turtles.

Green Momba (R)
by Jeter Skeet

Poisonous.

Woma Python (R)
by Jeter Skeet

Constrictor.

DSS Part 4: Insects

Dung Beetles (T)
by Jeter Skeet

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (NC)
by Jeter Skeet

Moth on a Tree (CR)
by Jeter Skeet

Ghost Mantid (R)

All we need to do is find this spooky relative of a praying mantis.

DSS Part 3: Birds (continued)

Northern Black Flycatcher (T)
by Jeter Skeet

This nondescript bird made a beautiful photo while I continued to search for the black-
and-white bird I wanted.

Bateleur Eagle (T)
by Jeter Skeet

This handsome juvenile is more attractive than his black-bodied, brown-winged parents.

Augur Buzzard (T)
by Jeter Skeet

The wind that morning nearly blew this raptor away.

Ruppell's Griffon (T)
by Jeter Skeet

And yes, this handsome bird is a vulture.

DSS Part 2: Birds

Blue Jay (NC)
by Jeter Skeet

One of those birds I’ve been trying to take a good picture of for ten years.

Pine Warbler in a Pine Tree (NC)
by Jeter Skeet

Brown-Hooded Parrot (CR)
by Jeter Skeet

This bird is quite bland, a green bird wearing a brown hood, until it flashes its underarm colors.

Red-Legged Honeycreepers Flitering (CR)
by Jeter Skeet

Isn’t love grand?

Black-Cheeked Woodpecker
Carving a New Home (CR)
by Jeter Skeet

 Grim Grackle

A Common Grackle

with jaundiced eyes

and pitchfork claws

uses his beak as a vice

to pull and pull on

his slimy breakfast

 stuck under a boulder—

   or maybe he’s a Grim Reaper

 disguised as a Grackle.

Common Grackle (NC)
by Jeter Skeet

Digital Slide Show

Digital Slide Show

Wildlife photographers often shoot animals and birds in the wild.  That means no TV or TV in a language we don’t understand.  It can mean living in a tent or on a boat in a remote part of the world.  Personally I love the wilds even if it means biting mosquitos and tsetse flies, blood-sucking leaches and ticks, or stinging wasp and bees.

Places like these have a minor problem.  It's nearly impossible to shoot in the dark without special lighting setups or doing star-trails.  Thus we use evenings to download photos or entertain one another.  Since we are all photographers, what better entertainment could there be than digital slide shows.  Some of us elect to show the best of our images to an trapped audience.  We all try to give the presenter encouragement.  No critiques.  Those are done privately with a professional.

For your enjoyment, I thought I would present an abbreviated version of the slide show I gave in Brazil.  At least those photos are ready to be seen.  My recent Brazil photos are not available yet because I’m reorganizing my whole body of work for Lightroom, which I am in the process of learning.

This slide show is based on four photo-shoots we did last year (2014):  Costa Rica (CR), North Carolina birds (NC), and a Reptile (R—captive animals), and Tanzania (T).

I should warn you, my tastes in photography are eclectic.  I’m more of a nature photographer than a wildlife photographer per se as you will see.  I’m going to divide the show up into 7 or 8 parts each one based on a different subject for my photography.

DSS Part 1: Flora

Sunrise in Costa Rica
by Jeter Skeet

This shot was taken from across a bay of the Pacific coast.  I wish that I could have finished the frame of vegetation around the sunrise.  Maybe I can do some cloning in Photoshop.

A Stem of Red Flowers and Buds (CR)
by Jeter Skeet

This was a favorite of hummingbirds as the flowers bloom sequentially.

Lily Pads (T)
by Jeter Skeet

You don’t expect to see lily pads in the middle of the Serengeti Plain, but we did.

Azaleas (NC)
by Jeter Skeet

Ah, Spring in Carolina, and what do beautiful flowers need, but a song.

White-Throated Sparrow (NC)
by Jeter Skeet

Words of Wisdom

What do photographers do on long van rides through back country when we’re tired of staring at termite mounds?   We talk.  We share stories and life histories and philosophies.  And then there are those boring discussions about camera equipment.

On one of these rides, a fascinating lady who practices Yoga shared her philosophy about conserving energy. That’s something I need to learn do since I seem to have so little energy these days.

She says these fives tips for living each day are from Reiki.  I’m not sure how to spell his/her name even though I’ve tried to find the quote. So I’m going to paraphrase both this photographer and Reiki:

• Do not get angry--just for today.
• Do not worry--just for today.
• Be kind to all living things.
• Do an honest day's work.
• Allow joy.

The hardest one for me to master is the angry one.  I get so frustrated by my own limitations that I tend to strike out verbally at anyone who crosses my path.  But I am trying to keep these tips in mind each day.