Birds, Butterflies, September Flowers

Chickadee on my glass birdbath, looks like I’d better fill it.

Skipper Butterfly on Verbena bonariensis.  I love the detail my new camera captures.

Pink Gaura is a favorite in my garden.

Red Breasted Nuthatch in my weeping cherry tree.

Eastern Tailed Blue Butterfly drinking from an aster.  I’m learning about butterfly species!

Pink Hydrangea – it’s my only hydrangea blooming at the moment.

Rufous Sided Towhee perched on a sprinkler head as I stalked him.

Bumblebee imbibing in a sunflower.

I love this single rose – surprising since I usually go for the big fluffy varieties.

Looks like it’s time for a Liquid Fence application.  Before my pears are completely harvested by deer.

Checkerspot butterfly(?) drinking from a lavender aster.

My blue Veronica blooms earlier, then comes a paler pink and finally this beautiful ‘red’.

Steller’s Jay kicking fir cones.

Painted Lady Butterfly on Verbena bonariensis looks like a lollypop!

And a sunny Sunflower just makes me happy.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

September: A New Month, A New Camera

Rudbeckia.

What  joy!  My new camera is a Nikon D5100.  I have a HUGE learning curve ahead of me.

Cosmos.

I love my Nikon CoolPix P80, but sometimes wished for something that would really capture what I was seeing.  Back in the days of 35 mm film I had a great Nikon AF camera with zoom and macro lenses, but it was heavy and I like the weight and freedom of my point & shoot P80.  Knowing the difference between the two, it is at times frustrating when I miss a shot because my camera won’t engage as quickly or see as clearly or get as close as I’d want to be.

Hollyhock.

September is my birthday month and I pooled all my resources (family) to go in together for one gift.  For my birthday AND Christmas.  The one gift I’ve been wanting but denying myself for over a year.  And could I please have it early?

Clerodendrum.

Although I think I got some pretty good shots with a point and shoot, I cannot wait to see what I get with my new camera.  I can see the difference just with these first ‘fooling around’ photos.  The clarity.  The immediacy of the shutter release.  The fact that I did very little editing – mostly just cropping.

Steller’s Jay at Feeder, shot through the kitchen window.

If you don’t see me for awhile you’ll know why!  Or I might have to post even more photos than before!  A new adventure begins!!

Thanks for stopping by!