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Today we head back to the Cafe and take a look at one of our regulars. This guy was running around the yard collecting peanuts before climbing up into the Dogwood to enjoy them. The first two pictures are a tad blurred due to his motion and too low of a shutter speed. Still pretty happy with them though.
That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time...
Welcome To The Exploration Photography Daily View
I was up and out on the earlier side today though I didn't really go far. I took a drive over to the Norristown Farm Park and walked along one of the creek side trails. I'm glad I did because there is a lot of shade there and it was rather warm in the sun. Of course I grabbed some pictures and will be sharing some of them with you today but I also shot a pretty good video. In it you will take an abridged walk with me and see a little bit of what I saw. I think You'll like it but first let's look at some photos. I would like to say that I was debating on whether or not I should post the last one with the flower. I had to work on it a bit in post processing and I'm not 100% happy with it but I love the composition. Take a look.
And here is the video.
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Until next time...
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Today was a rather productive day here at the Cafe. I got a lot of yard maintenance done and afterward had time to set up at one of the suet feeders and capture some good shots. I used to go through one suet cake about every two or three days but we are now up to one a day. Sometimes two. And the birds that like it most seem to be the Woodpeckers and Catbirds. Though the Grackles and even Bluejays amongst other birds seem to like suet too. And now for today's view I would like to share these two Woodpeckers (same Woodpecker, two photos) and a Starling coming in for a landing.
That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time...
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Well it's another one of those sunny and humid to rainy and comfortable and back to sunny and humid kind of days. I was going to take a short drive and do some photographing but it just didn't happen today. But I did get some nice shots of one of our regular squirrels. This guy is getting more friendly and easier to work with. I guess all of the peanuts and corn and bird seed help.
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Welcome To The Exploration Photography Daily View
Friday is here and so is another Friday Schnitzel picture. He was trying to get my attention in this shot to take him out. Then when I did he didn't like it because of the rain and humidity. Go figure.
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Welcome To The Exploration Photography Daily View
Here it is, this week's Thursday Smidge picture. She cooperated, sort of. Of course the light was a little dim so I had to use a flash. This is the best I could do before she got up.
Welcome To The Exploration Photography Daily View
Today we take a look at a squirrel that was waiting for me this afternoon. It seems he knows my car and expects me to feed him as soon as I get home. So of course I had to feed him.
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Today I would like to share a couple more Prairies Dog pictures with you but I would also like to share a "guest" of the Prairie Dogs. First have a look here. It's like he was posing for me.
And here is a larger group shot.
And here are the "guests". I really don't think they are officially on exhibit but these rats look like they are here to stay. I have never seen anything like this at a zoo.
There's always something to see at Elmwood.
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This past Saturday during the highest of the weekend temperatures I decided to take a drive over to the Elmwood Park Zoo for a quick visit. And quick it was because the place was packed and that made it even hotter. But the trip was well worth it because I saw something I haven't seen in probably two years. Prairie Dogs! And there was a lot of them too. At least a dozen and a half. The funny thing is when I got to the exhibit none of them were out. Then they started popping up, literally. So for today's view I would like to share a few pictures of them with you.
That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by!
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Welcome To The Exploration Photography Daily View
Today's view comes to you from one of our newer seating areas here at the Cafe. I am just starting to photograph there because our guests have just recently started to notice the new feeders and are now using them on a regular basis. The nice thing for them is that it's well covered and very safe from the occasional Hawk that we see every now and again and there is a lot of shade. I'm working on adding yet another watering station too. Stay tuned for more to come. For now though please enjoy these three shots I made this morning.
These were shot in cloudy weather with a lot of shade and as such I used a very high ISO (Film Speed) of 6400. If you have ever used such an ISO you know that there tends to be a lot of grain in the image. To remedy this effect I am trying out a new to me AI de-noising filter within Photoshop to smooth things out but at the same time produce a quality image. These three shots are the result of that filter and I think it did a wonderful job.
That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by!
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Welcome To The Exploration Photography Daily View
Wow is it hot today my friends! The forecast called for a high of 94° F but it feels a lot hotter. And with the high temperatures it is particularly important to keep water out for our Cafe guests. In fact I have refreshed the bird bath three times so far and it's been well taken advantage of. So for today's view I would like to share a few pictures of our wildlife cooling off.
That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by!
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Today is Friday Schnitzel picture day and like Smidge did yesterday he cooperated for the camera. Well I did have a little help. I tempted him with some tuna I had leftover from my dinner. Schnitzel loves tuna.
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Thursday Smidge picture day is here and I think I've got a good one. I was ready for her to be uncooperative but she surprised me and posed. Go figure.
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Today was another nice one so when I got home I set up the camera at one of the feeders again. And I got a lot better results this time. I shot over 1,500 frames and have lots to go over but for today's view I would like to share a couple shots of a Red Winged Blackbird.
That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by!
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Well the rain and clouds we've seen as of late have gone away and now the skies are bright and the temperatures are in the 80's. So when I got home this afternoon I thought it would be a great time to set the camera up at one of the feeders and let it snap some pictures while I did some work in the house. And I did get a few good shots, including today's view. But it wasn't as busy as I thought it would be. So for now have a look at this closeup of one of our Cowbirds
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Welcome To The Exploration Photography Daily View
As I mowed our back yard yesterday I noticed that we have a lot more dandelions this year than in years past. And of course to get dandelions you need dandelion seeds. We have even more of those than dandelions. But like I've said before I don't mind. I think they offer a nice contrast to the green lawn. And better than that they are great for the bees. So for today's view I would like to share this closeup of some seeds.
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Today we take another look at our new(ish) corn feeder that I installed a couple weeks ago in hopes that our squirrels would take to it. Well take to it they have. I give them about two ears a day. I shared a picture of one of our guests using it a week or so ago but today I not only got a better shot, I also made a short video. Take a look.
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It's another dreary day here my friends but I wanted to make the best of it and decided to take a drive to the Upper Schuylkill Valley Park in nearby Royersford Pennsylvania. The park sits along the Schuylkill River and is home to some local animals and wildlife. You can read about the park here. For today's view I am of course going to share a few pictures I shot as I strolled around. This is some of the wildlife I saw. I had to shoot through wire fencing for a couple of these but I adjusted them the best I could.
Here is a donkey that came up to me.
This is a Red Tailed Hawk.
And here is a Bobcat.
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It's Friday and that means it's Friday Schnitzel picture day. I didn't have a hard time getting a picture today because I was tempting him with a treat. A piece of bacon. Bacon almost always does the trick.
Welcome To The Exploration Photography Daily View
It's time for another Thursday Smidge picture and I can say that she kind of cooperated today. She was napping and as such stayed still for the camera but it was a little dark so the quality is a little off. But it's what I was able to get. If I had turned on the lights or used the flash she would not have stayed still.
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Today's view has been more than two years in the making. In fact probably more than three years. To be more accurate it's more like two to three years of waiting. We have a few Orchids that I have been taking care of for quite a while now. Basically making sure they have been watered but not over watered and making sure they get enough sun. And though they have not flowered for a long time the plants themselves remain healthy with nice roots and strong green leaves. So as such I have patiently looked after them. Then one day last week I noticed buds appearing. And as the days went on those buds got bigger. Then finally yesterday a couple started to open. And today I am fortunate enough to be able to share this photo that I shot this afternoon.
I shot a lot more than this and will of course share some of them later. I will also be shooting more as more buds open.
How long until it buds again? Who knows? For now though I'm just enjoying what I have. Now if I could get the others to bloom.
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Today I would like to share a couple shots I made of a female Red Winged Blackbird. At least I think. You see I'm not 100 percent sure that's what it is but I am fairly confident. But please, let me know if I am incorrect. I can tell you that I see a lot of these birds at both the seed and suet feeders. Take a look and let me know what you think it is.
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Yesterday was one of those days where the weather started out gloomy but got better and better. So while I didn't get a lot of time to shoot throughout the morning I did get out for a bit in the afternoon. And I finally got a few pictures of one of my favorite birds. That would be a Catbird. They have been around for a little while now but not at our feeders. That is until yesterday when I saw this guy eying up some suet I just put out. I hope to see more as the weather gets nicer.
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Today we continue to look at some squirrel photos from the Cafe. The first two are at one of the newer feeders and go to show that these guys are very serious when it comes to their meals. But the payoff was worth it because there was still some sunflower seeds for him. This also goes to show that there is no such thing as a squirrel proof feeder so it's better to just let them eat. The birds still get their fair share here.
And here is one more from the corn feeder that I shot today. Kind of looks like he is protecting his claim.
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I don't know about where you are but around here we have had almost non-stop rain since yesterday afternoon. And with all of the rain I really didn't think I would get much in the way of photos. Well I am happy to say that I actually did get a quick moment to take the camera out and shoot a few frames. And not only that but something really cool. A few weeks ago I installed a corn feeder mainly for the squirrels but really for whoever wanted to use it. For the first couple of days or so I didn't have any takers. Then one day I got home from work and saw that the corncob was empty. So put another one out and the next day that was gone. This went on for a few days but I never saw who was eating it. Then one evening last week I finally saw one of our squirrels munching away. So I guess we are serving corn now. That's okay because it keeps the feed bills down. So for today's view I would like to share this with you.
That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time...
