Peepers and Pickerels
A totally random finding while meandering around online. The IS (image stabilization) feature on my camera is what makes close up long shutter speed shots blurry, even on a tripod. Why you might ask? It "assumes" the camera is moving even if it isn't, so in correcting a shake that isn't there it adds blur to some photos. It's nice to know it isn't me moving the camera every time. Amazing what you find out when you read a bunch of camera forums while trying to decide how much money you might spend on a new camera. On to some pictures.
Quite by accident I noticed another Spring Peeper a few days ago, this one was a little bigger and much less spooky. I took at least 20 pics of him, and he didn't move around much between them. I even gave up and left after a while, and on my way back he was still there. Today I went out looking for Pickerel Frogs. Last year I had luck early in the morning in the mowed patches of fields at Moose Hill. I found three more this morning, even though I felt I was a bit late. It was around 9 am, and most of the shade had already disappeared. I've only seen them at the edges of shade on the sides of mowed paths, where the grass is still a little long, and the shade is keeping it damp with dew. I've never seen one once the grass dried out for the morning. You also have to walk very slowly or they scare too much and off into the long grass they go.
This afternoon I browsed Elm Bank, mostly hoping to check out Flora's 50% off sale, but I went down to the daylily gardens to see what dragonflies were about as well. I scared a number of darners just before seeing them, and they refused to land again while I was there, but I did notice this guy. My dragonfly books says he's a Prince Baskettail (Epitheca princeps).
Of course I also got a pic from the easiest dragonfly to photograph, the Blue Dasher. They return faithfully to a few landing spots, and in my experience while not quite as "friendly" as the ruby meadowhawk types, they aren't too touchy about cameras up close. I suspect this one is an immature male.
Quite by accident I noticed another Spring Peeper a few days ago, this one was a little bigger and much less spooky. I took at least 20 pics of him, and he didn't move around much between them. I even gave up and left after a while, and on my way back he was still there. Today I went out looking for Pickerel Frogs. Last year I had luck early in the morning in the mowed patches of fields at Moose Hill. I found three more this morning, even though I felt I was a bit late. It was around 9 am, and most of the shade had already disappeared. I've only seen them at the edges of shade on the sides of mowed paths, where the grass is still a little long, and the shade is keeping it damp with dew. I've never seen one once the grass dried out for the morning. You also have to walk very slowly or they scare too much and off into the long grass they go.
This afternoon I browsed Elm Bank, mostly hoping to check out Flora's 50% off sale, but I went down to the daylily gardens to see what dragonflies were about as well. I scared a number of darners just before seeing them, and they refused to land again while I was there, but I did notice this guy. My dragonfly books says he's a Prince Baskettail (Epitheca princeps).
Of course I also got a pic from the easiest dragonfly to photograph, the Blue Dasher. They return faithfully to a few landing spots, and in my experience while not quite as "friendly" as the ruby meadowhawk types, they aren't too touchy about cameras up close. I suspect this one is an immature male.
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