Camera Critter #73

When I am out making images, I shoot anything and everything...then worry about it when I get back home. I don't even look at the shots until I get them up on my computer. But that's where the fun begins.

Every image I make is done in RAW format, and when the light is right, in manual mode using the Sunny 16 Rule. I have found a nice workflow which makes turning the RAW image into a uploadable photo, quick and easy.

But before I upload, I want the person looking at the photo to know what they are looking at. So, I'll spend hours checking my reference books and looking through various online sites for an identification. I haven't shot many critters which I can't ID, but there is one group which constantly gives me fits. That group is moths.

Below are seven moths from my area of the high desert which I can not identify.







Maybe someday I'll locate a good reference and be able to put a name to these critters.

Misty Dawn's Camera Critter Meme is a great way to see critters of all types. Go to the Meme homepage here and check out more entries. Then join the fun and let the world see your critters!

Camera Critter #72

A couple of weeks ago, I stepped out my door, looked up towards the wiring strung between my place a neighbors, and thought, I have never seen a female and male Northern Flicker together before.

So I went back inside the house, got my camera and hoping the birds were still there, stepped back outside. Sure enough, they were still there. So I took a photo, which got attention, and off they went to a different perch, far away from the strange man with the big Canon.

Misty Dawn's Camera Critter Meme is a great way to see critters of all types. Go to the Meme homepage here and check out more entries. Then join the fun and let the world see your critters!

Camera Critter #71

This past Sunday, I spent the better of the day with visiting family. We were at my second favorite spot in central Oregon...Newberry National Volcanic Monument. It wasn't always called that, and to me, it is still Newberry Crater.

So, once we got to the almost 8,000 foot peak, we enjoyed the views of the surrounding area and as we began to head back to the car, I caught sight of a chipmunk. I'm not sure, but I think it is a Least Chipmunk. It's really interesting to see them at that altitude.

Later, when we decided to stop by the Big Obsidian Flow, I was wandering around and found a couple of Mountain Chickadees working over a fir tree. I snapped several images of them and came out with one I really like.

I came across a number of other critters on that trip, including four new odonata...two of which I am having difficulty identifying. And then there were the critters I saw and couldn't image....but that's another story.

Misty Dawn's Camera Critter Meme is a great way to see critters of all types. Go to the Meme homepage here and check out more entries. Then join the fun and let the world see your critters!

Camera Critter #70

Before I was forced to move back into town, I lived in a wooded area west of here, near my sister's place. One of the things I enjoyed about that area was the wildlife. Mule Deer were constant visitors to property and were so accustomed to us, we could go about our normal routine and not spook them. At times, there would be upwards of a dozen or more deer laying under trees, or feeding around our house.

After moving into town a little more than six years ago, I have missed seeing the deer. Although we have had a few deer wander into town, and a couple spend an hour or so in the area of my new home, it hasn't been the same.

Thursday evening, I was at my sisters visiting with her and my brother who came in from Texas. Shortly after the sun began to set, a small herd of feeding bucks began making their way across the pasture on my sister's property.

I figured I might have enough light if I pushed the ISO, so I grabbed my camera and headed outside. After slowly and carefully walking to the fenceline, I was able to spend quite a while photographing the deer as they made their way closer and closer to me until they disappeared into the wooded area where I used to live.

One of the larger bucks from the herd

Another large buck

Not as large, but still a nice buck

A pair of alert Mule Deer bucks

The entire herd of ten

Misty Dawn's Camera Critter Meme is a great way to see critters of all types. Go to the Meme homepage here and check out more entries. Then join the fun and let the world see your critters!

Camera Critter #69

A couple of days ago, I was walking through a nature area in town. When I am in places like that, I have my camera at the ready.

As I past a sage plant, I noticed some movement on the plant. Checking closer, I saw a wasp fly up from below and land in a good spot for a photo. As I raised my camera, I wondered how much trouble the wind would be for my aging camera.

As it turned out, I was able to get a decent shot.


It took me a while to figure it out, and I still don't have definite identification, but I do know that the above wasp is a Scoliid Wasp. A similar wasp in Australia is called a Hairy Flower Wasp.

Either way, it's a rather cool looking critter.

Misty Dawn's Camera Critter Meme is a great way to see critters of all types. Go to the Meme homepage here and check out more entries. Then join the fun and let the world see your critters!