A few Butterflies, Hummers & Dragons

Spring has sprung :D

Here's a few shots taken this past week with my new toy (Nikon D80) ;)

All my Aloes are in full bloom this year . . . they are one of the Hummers favorites around here :)

Aloe Hover 2

Aloe Hover 3

Aloe Hover 4

I'm not sure what this guy's name is, but he sure has a pretty blue patch on his throat :)

Purple Days 1

Purple Days 2

Purple Days 3 - Tic Tac Toe

Red Saddleback Dragonfly . . . I don't normally see these perched, but this one was perched on a twig briefly and allowed me a few shots :)

Red Saddleback Dragonfly 2

Red Saddleback Dragonfly 3 - A closer look

A different Red Saddleback Dragonfly

Here's another Dragon that I was able to capture in flight. I experimented with a few different settings on the camera and finally ended up going to manual focus before I was able to get any good ones. Here's a sample of the series.

Here's another shot taken at a different angle

Here's a *head on* shot I thought came out kind of interesting . . .

Last but not least . . . a pretty little blue Damselfly allowed me this shot before going on his merry way :)

'Howdy' GD !!

Had sure nuff wondered where you'd gotten off to .. then realized that you've been mitey busy, over on the Artisans Forum. Certainly nice to see you takin' a wee 'break' .. (heehee)

I see that you're havin' a ball with that new camera.

Could your hummer with the blue throat patch, be the 'Blue Throated' -?- http://www.hummingbirds.net/bluethroated.html

Here's a website about the hummers of the lil 'country' of Texas. .. heehee .. (There's a slew & a half of info on there!) > http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/texas_nature_trackers/hummingbird_roundup/identification/county_ecoregions/ ..

((huggs))

- Magpye

Edited: fangers faster than brain (& the eyes, apparently)! .. lol

This message was edited Apr 28, 2007 10:57 AM

Howdy Magpye :)

lol yeah . . . I've been hide'n over in the Artisan's section get'n paint on everyone ;)

I'm still try'n to figure out all the *bells & whistles* on this new contraption, but indeed I'm have'n a ball with it :D

Yes indeed that may just be the one . . . thanks for the link - pretty little rascals they are! :)

Hi GD.....great shots!!! That camera must be a beaut.....on the hummer pics I could see the cobwebs.......might consider doing a little dusting! LOL

Great dragon shots too.....do you have a macro lens?

lol @ dusting :D

Thanks fly . . . yeah the camera is a real treat and a major upgrade from my little point & shoot HP . . . what a difference a *real* camera can make huh? I didn't get a macro lens . . . YET!!! lol

The *kit lens* (18-135mm) that came with the D80 does a pretty good job on close-ups and short range shots. That's the one I'll be using to get "printable" images of my artwork - hopefully :)

I did get an additional lens specially for long range shots . . . the Nikkor AF-S VR Zoom 70-300 that has the image stablizer and reaches out pretty good. It's the one I used to get most of the above shots.

Now I have to learn how to use all this fancy stuff ;) lol

Very nice, GD!!!! What great photos! I'd agree that you've got yourself a wonderful camera! Enjoy! We'd love to see any more photos that you take of all the critters!!! :-D

Thanks Becky :)

Hopefully I'll be able to get all those *hard to get* critter shots now :D And of course I'll be happy to share ;)

Very nicely detailed shots....love Hummer 4 especially, love the light coming through the wings.

I love purple days 3 tic tac toe!

Thanks gardenpom and snuzer :)