Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: flight

1 more picture in a note above! :) I went out today looking around for different kinds of wheels for the Bokeh Thursday theme this week, and while I was checking out the bulldozer to see if there were any posibilities there (nope!), I heard geese in the distance. I stopped to see if they might come by. What are the odds, but they flew right towards me in a beautiful V formation and against the lovely clouds in the sky, I got my Picture of the Day! Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, 1st Marqués de Dalí de Pubol (May 11, 1904 – January 23, 1989), known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish surrealist painter born in Figueres, in the Catalonia region of Spain. Dalí was a skilled draftsman, best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealist work. His painterly skills are often attributed to the influence of Renaissance masters. His best-known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in 1931. Dalí's expansive artistic repertoire included film, sculpture, and photography, in collaboration with a range of artists in a variety of media. Wikipedia: Salvador Dali Explored on September 27, 2013. Highest placement, page 3.

1 more picture in a note above! :) This is the opposite side of the feather featured as my Picture of the Day. I really like the glossy sheen at the end of the feather but I think the other picture is stronger. What do you think?

6 more pictures in notes above! This morning I let the dogs out as usual and got their breakfast ready before calling them back inside. Only, when I opened the door, there were no dogs waiting for me. I called. No dogs. I yelled. No dogs. I took Pumpkin (my parrot) back upstairs and put her in her cage, and went out and went looking for the dogs, calling the whole time. Where could they be? I had my suspicions. Molly, our Border Collie, was the one who got them into mischief. It's always been something very stinky and very dead. I was not amused. After going around our lower forest and making my way up to our granite valley, I suddenly found Zoe, our Boxer, charging gayly in my direction, followed by Moosie, our Basset. But no Molly. "Oh no," I moaned, "She's found something reeking and dead to roll in...please don't be that!!" We got back to the house and still no sign of Molly. I went around back and yelled again, and there she was at the edge of the meadow, making her way at an easy 3-legged lope with tail high. When she got to the house, I was very happy to find that she didn't stink! Hardly any burrs...but...oh Molly...she'd been eating something that was freshly dead, so I washed the blood off her face and feet and let her into the house. Looking out back, I saw some vultures flying around and then land near the place I saw Molly running back from. I thought I'd go take a look after lunch. I went with my camera, not to take any pictures of something gruesome, but hopefully to get pictures of the vultures. And WOW, did I ever!! My best pictures of vultures yet!! I walked slowly over to the place where the dead animal was and the vultures flew close enough that I could take many pictures. It turned out to be a young deer, probably hit by a car and died where it lay. Almost all of it was gone, so though it was sad that it died, its death meant that many animals were fed...including Molly! We have coyotes, bobcats, foxes, feral cats, and though I don't think any are right here, there are cougars and bears in our county too. I love living in this wild place, but it's not always kind and I no longer get so angry when an animal is hit by a car because there are so many hungry animals that need to eat. At least their death helps others to live. James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 – September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause (1955), in which he starred as troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark. The other two roles that defined his stardom were as loner Cal Trask in East of Eden (1955), and as the surly ranch hand, Jett Rink, in Giant (1956). Dean's enduring fame and popularity rests on his performances in only these three films, all leading roles. His premature death in a car crash cemented his legendary status. Wikipedia: James Dean Explored on September 4, 2013. Highest placement, page 2.

4 pictures above in notes! (one of them was one I took a while ago, it's clickable) I was delighted that these birds flew close enough that I could get nice pictures with my 100mm lens! This text is from another picture I posted of a Turkey Vulture: Turkey Vultures are found all over North and South America, from Canada to the southern tip of Chile. They are scavengers and eat carrion exclusively, using their keen eyesight and sense of smell to find their prey. This bird has no ability to sing and call like other birds, and can only grunt or hiss! Turkey vultures raise a pair of chicks in the months between March and August depending on latitude (Here they raise babies between March and June). If you would like to know more about Turkey Vultures, Wiki has an extensive page here: Wiki: Turkey Vulture {Cathartes aura}

2 pictures in notes above! :) A few days ago I was out taking pictures of flowers in my little garden when a hummingbird flew up and sipped nectar from the allium blossoms. I had no chance of taking a picture but hoped that at some point I might get lucky. This morning I was taking pictures of a white poppy when...ZOOM!!! In comes the hummingbird, flitting from allium to poppy flowers, and then up and away. Not enough time to aim, but I stopped what I was doing and hoped and waited patiently for it to return. Then, to my delight, down it flew and hovered in front of one of my gladiolus flowers! It was close enough to get pictures and I was READY!! I managed to get about twenty pictures, and these three were my favorites! I am so excited because these are the first pictures I've ever taken of a hummingbird away from a feeder!!! HOORAY!!! Francis de Sales, C.O., T.O.M., A.O.F.M. Cap. (French: François de Sales) (21 August 1567 – 28 December 1622) was a Bishop of Geneva and is honored as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. He became noted for his deep faith and his gentle approach to the religious divisions in his land resulting from the Protestant Reformation. He is known also for his writings on the topic of spiritual direction and spiritual formation, particularly the Introduction to the Devout Life and the Treatise on the Love of God. Wikipedia: Francis de Sales Explored on July 21, 2013. Highest position, page 1 (#25).

About a week ago, Steve rushed up to our game room to tell me there were new birds at the feeders, so I ran down to see! These gorgeous birds are European Starlings, and are part of a flock of about 20 birds. They fly together and are quite a sight to see as they swoop into the sky and down to the ground in a tight, raucous pack. We have been taking pictures of them from our kitchen window whenever they come by and their quick movements make them a challenge to capture! I'll be posting pictures that come out in the next week or so. This image was taken in January, 2012.

This is another flock shot of the European Starlings that have started paying us visits here in southern Oregon. These birds have been introduced to several places in the world, where they have quickly made themselves comfortable but unfortunately, cause problems with indiginous species. I think they are so beautiful though, don't you?! This image was taken in January, 2012.

We have been getting visits from a new species of bird at our feeders, the European Starling. These birds zoom around in a tight flock and are noisy, aggressive, quick-moving birds that remind us of a bunch of punks that get what they want by pushing all the other birds out of the way. However, they are also stunning to see! We've been taking pictures from our kitchen window through the glass and this is a collage of a bird flying up to land on a wire crook under one of the feeders. They aren't really clear but I thought they were neat enough to share as a collage! I hope you like them! :) I have two other images uploaded today that I hope you'll take the time to see! Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :) This image was taken in January, 2012.

About a month ago, I was very excited to find this beautiful flower, and while taking pictures, I got a very busy visitor! I'm a huge fan of Bee Flies with their huge bodies and perfect ability to hover in midair! :) (By the way, I won't be posting my String Flower pictures for a while...it's probably going to be a long way past #100!!) The Large Bee Fly is a bee mimic. Females flick eggs towards the entrance of underground bee and wasp nests and the hatching larvae enter the nests and eat the grubs! They are found in most parts of Europe, North America and some parts of Asia. If you would like to know more about these awesome flies, Wiki has a good source of information here: Wiki: Greater Bee Fly (Bombylius major)

The Lark Sparrow can be found throughout most of North America and as far south as Guatemala. It has been seen in western Europe as well. They are mainly seed eaters but also eat insects during the breeding season. They nest on the ground in grass cups sheltered by clumps of grass. If you would like to know more about these birds, Wiki has a source of information here: Wiki: Lark Sparrow Explored on June 11, 2012, placement at #60

[best appreciated at full size against black] Dedicated to my Flickr friend, Joe the Phographer , who keeps insisting that I take pictures of birds in flight! :D These don't fill the frame but I hope they count, buddy! :D Yesterday Steve and I did our yearly burn, where we gather up all of our grass clippings, and at least one of the brush piles that I made while cleaning up our property. After the fire dwindles, one of us needs to stay outside near the embers to keep an eye on it. I enjoy the chance to wander around, take pictures, listen to the birds, and watch our dogs playing. At one point I noticed a trio of Turkey Vultures flying around on the thermals above me, and took a bunch of pictures. Turkey Vultures are found all over North and South America, from Canada to the southern tip of Chile. They are scavengers and eat carrion exclusively, using their keey eyesight and sense of smell to find their prey. This bird has no ability to sing and call like other birds, and can only grunt or hiss! Turkey vultures raise a pair of chicks in the months between March and August depending on latitude (Here they raise babies betwen March and June). Last year I wrote a picture essay about our yearly burn which you might enjoy reading! Here's the link! Burn, Baby Burn If you would like to know more about Turkey Vultures, Wiki has an extensive page here: Wiki: Turkey Vulture {Cathartes aura}

[best appreciated at full size against black] I'm starting to play around with high shutter speed shots so I can take pictures of birds in flight. What better to practice on than the never-ending stream of birds that come to visit our bird feeders every day?! :D I've been getting some really great results, though I've also discovered this is an easy way to fill up a memory card with pictures!! :D This picture I really like because I managed to caprure a Lesser Goldfinch a split second before it took off! Stay tuned for some fun action-oriented collages and fun images! I would also like to give a big thanks to my dear friend Joe , who's been urging me to practice! Thanks Joe! I'm on my way! :) This image was taken in April, 2012. Explored on April 14, 2012.

This is another picture from Brookings, Oregon. There were seagulls everywhere, always on the lookout for food left by tourists. I enjoyed trying to capture them in flight. I would enjoy having a few hours with our 100-400mm telephoto to practice, but on this day I was using our 28-200 lens. It was a lot of fun taking pictures of these pretty birds!

Yesterday was a lucky day for flying birds! I got a wonderful image of the turkey vulture I shared yesterday, and I also got several pictures of a pair of Red-Tailed Hawks that were circling on the thermals along the ridge line. I was delighted when they flew close enough to get some reasonable pictures! If you would like to know more about Red-Tailed Hawks, Wiki has a super page here: Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

As I made my way back along our ridge line, my quiet movement startled three vultures in a tree just 10 feet away. The sound of their wings was like sails flapping in the wind!! I watched them fly up and away, circling off into the distance, and it was a wondrous thing to see such enormous birds gliding on the thermals! Turkey Vultures are found all over North and South America, from Canada to the southern tip of Chile. They are scavengers and eat carrion exclusively, using their keen eyesight and sense of smell to find their prey. This bird has no ability to sing and call like other birds, and can only grunt or hiss! Turkey vultures raise a pair of chicks in the months between March and August depending on latitude (Here they raise babies between March and June). If you would like to know more about Turkey Vultures, Wiki has an extensive page here: Wiki: Turkey Vulture {Cathartes aura}

The other day I took some pictures of our lovely bearded irises and saw something huge fly by. How nice to be in the right place at the right time! I got several pictures of this bee on the iris, but this is my favorite, taken just as he lifted off for his next assignment! :D

Talk about a lucky day! A honey bee AND a bumble bee IN FLIGHT in one day?!!! For me, that's AMAZING!! The bumble bee was flying around quite quickly, but this honey bee did a lot of hovering and slow flying which helped a lot!