wildlife Archives • Page 5 of 8 • Into the Light Adventures

How I Edit Bird Photos, these Ruby Throated Hummingbirds have been very active this past weekend. I have been sitting on my porch with my camera set on continuous high speed trying to get some good photos of these fast little birds in flight before they leave here and head south for the winter.

But because they are so fast, one can’t really get great compositions without doing a little post processing in the editing room.

So here are a couple of examples of how I crop a photo of these hummingbirds. The first photo is the original, the bird is off center and there are to many distractions with the wood post and the feeder to really see the bird itself.

I love the detail of its tail feathers in this shot, so I cropped everything out and brought up the exposure a bit because its body is in the shadow and now you can see a bit of its green color around the wings.

The sun is off to my right in these photos, so the bird is facing me and you can’t really see its beautiful throat colors without the sun shinning directly on them.

So again, I raised the exposure a bit in photoshop and used a vertical format for cropping to showcase the bird itself, now the one thing this composition is missing is its other wing. But, like I said they are so fast, we can’t see the wing movements to shoot at the exact time. Only high speed camera settings can do this and we can only take what we get.

If you notice the tail feathers are clear but the wings have a little motion blur, the average wing beat is around 53 beats per second and I have the camera set up at 1/4000 of a sec shutter speed.

It is so fun trying to get good shots of these beautiful little birds.

This photo below, I wasn’t sure I could isolate the bird from the feeder because it is so close to it. It is quite the challenge to photograph these birds flying away from you and to be able to see the tail feathers from the top like this photo.

Photoshop is a great tool for editing, along with light room. Again, I used a vertical format and really like the diamond shape light spot behind the bird. All these photos are taken with my camera set to 1/4000 sec shutter speed, f8, ISO 1200 and 600 mm lens.

Dueling Hummingbirds

How I Edit Bird Photos

Sandra J

Hop Skip and a Jump to Arizona

By Sandra | August 9, 2022

Hop Skip and a Jump to Arizona, we were in Texas for the entire month of March, Texas is a big state. But by April we skipped on over to Arizona, not a long drive from El Paso Texas. This is where I found a wonderful campground called Rusty’s Rv Park.

What a beautiful area this is, most people travel a little farther north to the big national park called Gila national forest. I had checked it out but it was completely booked when we were passing through the area.

I tend to look closer at the smaller green areas on the map like the area with the arrow on the picture below. This is where I found Rusty’s rv park and a wonderful surprise called the Chiricahua Mountains.

Someone told us at the park to take a drive over this mountain in the photo below and you will end up at one of the most interesting landscapes hidden in the hills of Arizona called, Bonita Canyon and Echo Canyon Trail head.

It is a 5 hour drive over the mountain to get to the other side, pictured below is the road that takes one on this beautiful journey. One lane in most places and yes I was a little nervous about what one does if another car is coming from the other way.

Luckily we left very early in the morning and did not meet anyone on the road.

If you ever find your self in eastern Arizona down by the border, be sure to stop by this place. In the middle of a hot desert, this is a true oasis for people and animals alike. Nothing like I have ever seen before.

I will have more photos and video coming this week of the drive into the mountains.

Plus at this RV park, like many others, we met a wonderful group of genuinely kind folks. A shout out to Kathy whom we met that is a photographer and writer. We had a wonderful time visiting with her.

Hop Skip and a Jump to Arizona

Sandra J

Songs and Sounds of Desert Birds

By Sandra | July 19, 2022

Songs and Sounds of Desert Birds, I just posted a video on my you tube channel highlighting all these wonderful birds and the sounds they make. The bird one hears the most is the White Winged Dove, but the most interesting one I think is the Gambel’s Quail.

Link to; Songs and Sounds of Desert Birds

Scale Quails

Gambel’s Quail

Desert Cardinal

Curved Billed Thrasher

White Winged Dove

Songs and Sounds of Desert Birds

Sandra J

Texas is Big Sky Country

By Sandra | July 15, 2022

Texas is Big Sky Country, well they say Montana is Big Sky also, but Texas can give it a run for its money on that title. I think anywhere that is pretty flat when you can see the horizon can be considered big sky.

Video of Birds at Franklin Mountains State park

This photo below is Lake Superior in the winter, lots of sky here as well.

There is a bird blind at Franklin State Park, this is where I discovered the Desert Cardinal below.

The Curved Billed Thrasher

And the elegant White Winged Dove

Texas is Big Sky Country

Sandra J

Its the Simple Things

By Sandra | July 11, 2022

Its the Simple Things that make me smile the most. Like this first photo, I did not have the camera prepared for this shot, but this little hummingbird showed up out of the blue and I just clicked away. Capturing a bit of light illuminating its beautiful colors.

Life can be a long bumpy road at times, but a journey worth taking, as it is a gift. The idea that any of us are here at all is worth thinking about. The true miracle of birth is something that I think about often, for I have never had children of my own. But, when you stop and remember how we are even here, that we all started from a tiny little cell.

(Video Below; A Moment in Time)

That everything around us started from something so small, microscopic in some cases, birds, flowers.

Yet as a gift, we only have it for a short time. What we do with this gift is a journey we are all on.

So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

Thank you to Garfieldhugs blog, someone who makes me and others smile with the simple things in life.

Life is but a Moment in Time

Desert Clouds Time Lapse, A Moment in Time

Its the Simple Things

Sandra J

Natures Bounty with Wild Flowers

By Sandra | June 29, 2022

Natures Bounty with Wild Flowers

Natures Bounty with Wild Flowers

Sandra J

Spring Birds

By Sandra | June 22, 2022

Spring Birds, I am seeing a lot of Orioles this year, I believe this one below is a female oriole. Not sure which one, there are a few different species of them.

All About Bird Blind video here; Bird Blinds at Campgrounds

Along with, the red winged black birds are back and the robins are enjoying the spring time weather all over the country.

Spring Birds

Sandra J

Colorful World With Ducks

By Sandra | June 13, 2022

Colorful World With Ducks, nothing more colorful then ducks in the spring. I am not sure what is up with these ducks that look like they are wearing top hats. But the vibrant green colors are always so beautiful in the spring.

Here is a fun little video of these ducks swimming at this natural spring pond. Called; Synchronized Diving

Colorful World With Ducks

Sandra J

Goats Lots of Goats

By Sandra | June 7, 2022

Goats Lots of Goats, we discovered this canyon on a drive we took one day. We parked the jeep at the top of the canyon and as we walked closer to the edge to see the view, we could hear faint noises coming up from the canyon floor. At first, I did not recognize what the noise was.

Then we looked over the edge and here we saw dozens of goats all along the canyon. Not just on the bottom, they were all over the sides of the canyon as well. In yesterday’s post, I showed you a photo of this canyon half full of water. Now the goats run all over this area, I am not sure what they are eating, there sure wasn’t much for vegetation.

We drove down to the bottom of the canyon over on the right side of this photo below. The goats were all over on the left side of the river. So, some of my photos were a little blurry. The goats were very far away from my 400 mm lens.

They did look healthy and pregnant for some of them. So, they learned to adapt to this environment and find food. It was fun to hear all the baby goats singing away, as their voices echoed in the canyon.

Goats Lots of Goats

Sandra J

Smiling Ducks

By Sandra | June 1, 2022

Smiling Ducks, This white duck just has a look of happiness. As if it is smiling, mostly because of its chubby cheeks I think.

Short video of these white ducks doing a little wiggle to some music below or click on this link Here; Duck Tails

Duck Tails #shorts, Duck Dancing to Music, A Little Wiggle in Her Waggle

Smiling Ducks

Sandra J

End May With a New Bird Count

By Sandra | May 31, 2022

End May With a New Bird Count, 142 birds photographed. Remember, there are over 900 birds species in North America. So I have a long ways to go.

This first new bird to my eyes is the Western Tanager. What a bright colored bird, orange and yellows. We were camped at a small campground and I went for a walk and saw all these bright colored birds. I went over to the fence where they were all flying about to see what was attracting them all to this area and come to find out the owner had taken the honey comb trays out of his bee hives and these birds were loving that.

Next is the Bullocks Oriole, it was getting in on the action of the honey as well.

End May With a New Bird Count

Sandra J

Another New Bird

By Sandra | May 26, 2022

Another New Bird, the Yellow Warbler. I finally have a warbler photograph. This one did not want to look at me, so I only got a couple of photos as it was very fast and did not stick around long. They really liked this tree with the yellow seed type things growing on it.

These yellow flowers on this tree smell so good. I could smell the floral scent before I got to the grove of trees out walking in the desert. It is like nothing I have ever seen or smelled before. It was beautiful and these warblers loved these trees as well.

Another New Bird

Sandra J

Blue Eyed White Pelican

By Sandra | May 23, 2022

Blue Eyed White Pelican, well I am back in my element of birding today. I have jumped ahead a bit to share these photos. We are in Idaho right now and camping next to a lake. It is so nice to be by water after all the dry months of traveling in the south. But I still have plenty of photos to share from down there as well.

We set up camp at this lake near Boise Idaho and right away I noticed white pelicans off in the distance. So I got the camera out and pulled up a chair and here they came flying right over top of me. What a wonderful sight after all these months on the road.

There is just something magical about watching these large birds glide in the air.

I noticed this ones eye is such a pretty blue. Maybe they are all that color. I will have to find out this week.

Below a group of them were flying by and I have never taken a photo of them flying with their bills open like the second one from the front. You suppose they like to fly like that catching the wind like a dog does when they put their heads out the car window? 😊

Blue Eyed White Pelican

Sandra J

What a Smart Bird

By Sandra | May 18, 2022

What a Smart Bird the Raven, I was watching these ravens at one of the campgrounds we were at for about a week. They kept an eye on all the campsites. As soon as a camper left there spot, the ravens would come in and inspect the area, looking for scraps.

This one actually checked out the charcoal grill and seemed to be telling the others that there is nothing left here. Then he jumped down to the ground to make sure he did not miss anything.

What a Smart Bird

by Sandra J

All Creatures Great and Small

By Sandra | May 17, 2022

Armadillos (meaning “little armored ones” in Spanish),

Armadillos are prolific diggers. They dig many burrows, as well as dig for food. The animal will not survive in areas where the soil is too hard to dig. Many other wildlife species use and benefit from abandoned armadillo burrows.

Video of Armadillos on our Journey Here; Armadillos

All Creatures Great and Small

by Sandra J

Cows in the Desert

By Sandra | May 16, 2022

Cows in the Desert, the desert is an amazing place I have found out. I see cattle here and there grazing the dried up desert landscapes. Wondering how do they get any nutrition from all this dry grass. We have not seen rain in months down south as we are traveling, yet there are a few flowers here and there and some plants stay green also.

We were driving some back roads and came across this small heard of cattle. This black one here was standing so perfectly still even as I walked up to the fence to take its photo. He posed very well with the mountains in the background. You can see the video of these beautiful cows Here; Long Horn Cattle

Spring is the time for calving no matter where you live.

Cows in the Desert

by Sandra J

From the Mountains of No Names

By Sandra | May 12, 2022

From the Mountains of No Names comes faith as small as a mustard seed, where nothing is impossible.

I have lived in the mid west my entire life and never ventured west until this year. I have always wanted to see the mountains and it is truly a sight to behold. To be able to climb to the highest peak that I can climb to and then look out over this vast landscape for miles and miles.

Not only is it breathtaking but it makes me see how small we really are, like standing next to the ocean. Areas that are bigger than my imagination and more beautiful then I could ever dream of. Creation is truly a gift.

The mountains started in southern Texas, below we climbed to the top of Franklyn Mountains in El Paso Texas.

This photo below is Seminole Canyon in Texas, taken with the drone looking at the Rio Grande river which is very low water levels. We have noticed the lack of water all through out the south.

Below is the wide open spaces of Arizona, BLM land, that is our camper in the photo. BLM land is free to camp on. You just find an empty spot and stay there up to 14 days. The dust was blowing here all the time.

Utah is amazing, the red rocks and canyons are amazing to see. This photo below is Zion National Park, it was taken with the drone outside of the park. Looking west. It is quite something how on top of the mountains it looks flat almost everywhere.

This mountains range below and valley is quite the place. Its location speaks of much history on how folks lived back in the day. It is called Spring Valley in eastern Nevada, it is full of natural springs all along the valley. The water is flowing even now as we visited this place.

The green valley floods with the monsoon rains in the spring and summer and many many years ago, people lived along the valley and all this water would freeze in the winter. Cutting ice out of the frozen water was a way to make a living here. I will have more information on these places as I get to them individually.

Another mountain in Nevada below, we drove to the top of this one which was nearly 10,000 ft elevation. It is quite the road to get to the top. There is snow up there and you definitely want 4 wheel drive going up this back country road. But what a view from the top.

We continue our travels north, thank you so much for following along. I appreciate all your wonderful comments you leave on these post and enjoy being able to talk to each and everyone of you when I can. The internet is not always the best in some of these places we have been to. But thank you very much, I appreciate it. Have a wonderful day.

From the Mountains of No Names

Sandra J

Female Ruby Throated Hummingbird

By Sandra | May 11, 2022

Female Ruby Throated Hummingbird, I have seen my first hummingbirds today. I always enjoy watching these beautiful little birds. We are in Nevada right now and it is cold here, last night it got down to 28 degrees F. But as soon as the sun comes out these little birds are flying all over the place.

We are heading farther north tomorrow, we have been watching the weather and staying put for a few days here trying to avoid the snow that is falling in Oregon. I still have plenty of photos to go through from Texas, NM and AR. I will be sharing those as we go along.

We are finally seeing some green grass, but the winds are still extreme here in eastern Nevada. Not as much dust blowing and that is a nice change. We are headed towards a rainier climate and that might help wash the outside of the RV and Jeep. They really need it.

Below are some of my favorite Hummingbird shots from last summer. 🙂

Female Ruby Throated Hummingbird

by Sandra J

What I Have Learned

By Sandra | May 6, 2022

What I Have Learned, This trip we are on has shown me a world I knew existed but was afraid to walk into. Traveling away from the physical world that I grew up in, has made me realize that my safety net is not where I am but knowing I am in His world where ever I am.

Natures Symphony Video

What I Have Learned

by Sandra J

Mr and Mrs Stilt

By Sandra | May 4, 2022

Mr and Mrs Stilt, more new birds to my list. I believe the first photo is a female stilt because the second photo is the male and he was sure guarding this first bird as if it is his mate.

Black-necked Stilts are among the most stately of the shorebirds, with long rose-pink legs, a long thin black bill, and elegant black-and-white plumage that make them unmistakable at a glance. They move deliberately when foraging, walking slowly through wetlands in search of tiny aquatic prey. When disturbed, stilts are vociferous, to put it mildly, and their high, yapping calls carry for some distance.

Of course Texas is a great place to see the the Greater Roadrunner. They actually have some color along the side of their face and wings and tail feather. Which I did not know and yes they do run very fast. Video of the Greater Roadrunner below or click HERE; The Greater Roadrunner

The Greater Roadrunner The Symbol of the Desert Southwest, A Very Fast and Colorful Desert Bird

Mr and Mrs Stilt

by Sandra J

The Cedar Wax Wing Bird

By Sandra | April 26, 2022

The Cedar Wax Wing Bird A treat to find in your binocular view field, the Cedar Waxwing is a silky, shiny collection of brown, gray, and lemon-yellow, accented with a subdued crest, rakish black mask, and brilliant-red wax droplets on the wing feathers.

We were sitting at a bird blind watching birds come and go, and all of a sudden this small group of Wax Wings flew in to get a drink of water. They are so colorful and yes waxy looking.

In fall these birds gather by the hundreds to eat berries, filling the air with their high, thin, whistles. In summer you’re as likely to find them flitting about over rivers in pursuit of flying insects, where they show off dazzling aeronautics for a forest bird.

It is hard to believe it is the end of April all ready. See you next month and have a wonderful weekend.

The Cedar Wax Wing Bird

by Sandra J

2 or 3 New Birds to the List

By Sandra | April 25, 2022

2 or 3 New Birds to the List, 133 birds photographed.

This first bird here is part of the Jay family, this one is a Scrub Jay that we saw in Texas. There are 8 species of Jay’s and the blue is pretty on all of them.

This one below, we saw in the mountain area and I think it is a Mexican Jay. But, hard to say for sure, but we know it is a jay because of the size and the blue colors. It was pretty high up in the tree, so could not get a good look at it.

I believe this bird below is called the Hooded Oriole. Such a bright color and like all orioles they like to eat oranges.

2 or 3 New Birds to the List

by Sandra J

Who’s Feathers Are These

By Sandra | April 6, 2022

Who’s Feathers Are These, they are the back of a Peacock Bird, these are the most colorful birds and I have not seen one in awhile. But I sure love looking at them.

When I was very young on my parents farm we had a few of these beautiful birds. When his tail feathers fell out we collected them and put them in a large vase. I wish I still had those feathers, I don’t know what ever happened to them.

Who’s Feathers Are These

by Sandra J

In the Garden of Trees

By Sandra | April 4, 2022

In the Garden of Trees is where you will find the spring bees. Nature is waking up after its long winters nap, a time to see bees working their magic as they pollinate the earth going from tree to tree. Video Link to see pollen falling from all these bees, Link Here; In the Garden of Trees

We were camping under a tree and one morning I woke up and went outside and could hear a loud humming noise but could not see anything. Until I looked very closely at the tree hanging over me, it was filled with bees. Video below of pollen falling from the bees in trees or click on this link here; In the Garden of Tree

I got my camera out and to my eyes surprise, through the morning light, a glow appeared around the bees and pollen was falling ever so lightly all around me.

In the Garden of Trees by Sandra J, The Purpose of Life, Spring is When Nature Wakes Up, Pollination

Watch this video on YouTube.
Sandra J's Photography

In the Garden of Trees

by Sandra J

The Northern Shoveler

By Sandra | March 31, 2022

The Northern Shoveler, I put one photo of this bird on a few weeks ago and I got to see them again last week at a small swampy kind of lake where they love to hang out. Now it says the males have an iridescent green color on their necks this time of year. But this one here looked purple to blueish color in the sun.

Either way it is very colorful this time of year.

One of these photos below is a digital painting and the other is a regular photo. It is really hard to tell the difference unless you zoom in, but the one on the left is digital oil painting. Gives it softer lines, I like using that feature on certain photos when I can.

The Northern Shoveler

by Sandra J

The Desert Cardinal

By Sandra | March 30, 2022

The Desert Cardinal, Dapper in looks and cheerful in song, the Pyrrhuloxia is a tough-as-nails songbird of baking hot deserts in the American Southwest and northern Mexico.

I finally got a photo of this Desert Cardinal, it was a hard one to find, but it stopped by the bird feeders here at this park. Its beak is thick like a parrots.

They’re closely related to Northern Cardinals, but they are a crisp gray and red, with a longer, elegant crest and a stubby, parrotlike yellow bill. During breeding season Pyrrhuloxias are fiercely and vocally territorial, but in the winter they forget their disputes and join together in large foraging flocks.

Desert Cardinal Female Cardinal

The Desert Cardinal

by Sandra J

The Vermillion Flycatcher

By Sandra | March 28, 2022

The Vermillion Flycatcher, I had heard about this bird when we were in Louisiana. A fellow birder told me about this brilliant red bird, but he said we were to early to see it. When I got back to the RV, I had to look it up and thought how colorful this little bird is.

Well, when we got to southern Texas to Big Bend National park, to my surprise, they were all over the place. Anywhere there was water you could see one of these beautiful birds perched on the small branches over water. They swoop down and catch a bug and go back to their branch.

This makes 128 birds photographed.

The Vermillion Flycatcher

by Sandra J

Look at Everything

By Sandra | March 25, 2022

“Look at everything always as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time:

The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.

Look at Everything

Sandra J

Royal Tern Is Holding its Ground

By Sandra | March 2, 2022

Royal Tern Is Holding its Ground, Mr. Pelican is coming in with the intention of taking the pole the Royal Tern is on. But Tern is not budging and appears to be yelling at the big boy coming in for a landing to get his own pole. But, , ,

Mr. Pelican takes what ever pole he wants, as you can tell in the photo the lighter colored pole is where the Tern was standing and now the Pelican has it. He did take the pole and Tern had to move up to the next one. there is a stern look from the Tern towards the Pelican.

Then they both relax and quit staring at each other and just enjoy the sunshine together.

Royal Tern Is Holding its Ground

by Sandra J

The Road Less Travelled

By Sandra | March 1, 2022

The Road Less Travelled, Taking the road less travelled can lead you back to creation, back to where the Light shines on forever.

Like Diamonds #shorts Water Sparkles to Music - Soft Music to Dancing Water Sparkles ASMR

A few weeks ago I mentioned we are camping at a place where there might not be any internet. If you are reading this post we are at that spot. I wrote this post a couple of weeks ago. If I don’t answer any comments that is why and I will be back with you all in 12 days. I truly appreciate all the comments and love hearing from you. Thank you

The Road Less Travelled

by Sandra J