Notices by Swede’s Photographs (swede1952@universeodon.com)

I've had several inquiries about how to get a print of some my photographs. This is a hobby for me, so I haven't been equipped to handle those requests. But I enjoy what I'm doing and want to share my photographs.

So, I set up an account and website with pixels. My website is: https://swede1952-photographs.pixels.com

If you want a print of one of my photographs, you can get it there, If I haven't loaded it, let me know which one it is, and I'll gladly load it there for you.

The prices they charge for prints aren't horrible, they start at about $20 or less. But they will also do framing or canvas stretching for you, at a price of course. There are also other trinkets that they sell with photographs that you select printed on them.

Cheers!

Good morning, friends. 🌸🌸🌸

5 February 2024

I was just thinking about learning how to drive. I learned how in cars with manual transmissions. Now days we are hard pressed to find new cars with manual transmissions. I'll bet most people born in this century don't know how to operate a manual transmission, probably most towards the end of the 20th century as well. Here's another thought, try to find a new car with windows that you crank up by hand. Hmmm ... I remember the first car that I bought where the dimmer switch was on the column instead of the floorboard, it took me a while to figure that one out.

“Cars are evolving to match the new paradigm. Soon, things like steering wheels, pedals and rear-view mirrors will seem ancient. More practically, we will all be better able to optimize our time and attention to focus on more important tasks, family, work, and self-care.” - Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #morning #cars #flower

Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis)

These bluebirds were about 100 meters away.

"A man's interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town." - Henry David Thoreau

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #birds #birdsofmastodon #birdwatching #EasternBluebird

Good morning, friends. 😁😁😁

31 January 2024

I was going to ride my motorcycle yesterday. I went out to the small garage, opened the garage door, then I saw a woodpecker, so I ended up sitting in the backyard with my camera. The motorcycle ride would have broken my streak, I haven't left the confines of my property in over a week. I don't have agoraphobia, exactly, it just seems that I have everything I need right here. Going somewhere else seems to be a bother. Even when we eat out, we usually eat in and order through one of those new delivery services like Door Dash. It's getting close to haircut time though.

“A fine line separates the weary recluse from the fearful hermit. Finer still is the line between hermit and bitter misanthrope.” - Dean Koontz, Velocity

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #morning #recluse #flower

Vivid Vibrance

Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) are incredibly photogenic. Lately though, I only see them just before dawn and right after dusk when it's too dark for photos.

"The brilliant red of a male Northern Cardinal calls attention to itself when males are around. You can also find cardinals by getting a sense of the warm, red-tinged brown of females – a pattern you can learn to identify in flight. Away from backyards, cardinals are still common but inconspicuous owing to their affinity for dense tangles. Listen for their piercing chip notes to find where they are hiding." - allaboutbirds.org

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #birds #birdsofmastodon #birdwatching #NorthernCardinal

Moon 20221231

The moon tonight.

“Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.” - Dr. Seuss

#photo #photography #photographer #moon

You said you'd be home by six.

Here is an interesting exchange between two chipping sparrows (Spizella passerina). What do you think is going on here?

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #bird #birdwatching #birdphotography #birdsofmastodon #ChippingSparrow

Levitation?

Here is a female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) seemingly floating across my yard. This deer and a fawn were on the west side of my house on a patch of very green grass. I grabbed my camera and went to the backyard, peeked over the fence to take pictures and spooked the mother who ran off into the wood, the fawn followed. I haven't seen them around in a few weeks and hope that they made it through the summer okay. I'm not really happy with the composition of this photograph, which is cropped. I think it would probably be better if I had left more forest in the direction the deer was running.

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #WhiteTailedDeer

Skimmers will skim.

Here's another photo of a black skimmer (Rynchops niger) skimming along the shallow for food. The bird looks like it doesn't have eyes, but a closer look reveals a black eye among the black feathers. It makes me think a bit about blind creatures in a sci-fi movie who hunt by sound.

I took this photograph at Gulfport, Mississippi.

"Although the Black Skimmer is active throughout the day, it is largely crepuscular (active in the dawn and dusk) and even nocturnal. Its use of touch to catch fish lets it be successful in low light or darkness." - allaboutbirds.org

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #bird #birdwatching #birdphotography #birdsofmastodon #BlackSkimmer

Good morning. 🌊⛅🌧️

30 November 2023

My office is a disaster area. It's a spare bedroom with a window that faces to the west. I put a couple of old standup desk, one of which I've had for 25-30 years. There are papers everywhere as well as old computers, cameras, lenses, tools, and books. I've been meaning to straighten it up. I used to do that on a regular basis, but anymore I think "eeh" and put it on my growing list of things to do tomorrow. Anyway, I read somewhere, probably online, that clutter and smart people go together. It's online, it must be true 😂. I suppose that in the morning, I do look rather like an absent-minded professor sitting in here with my graying hair and beard in disarray. My wife says gray, I say blond 😂. I need another cup of coffee.

“Out of clutter, find simplicity.” - Albert Einstein

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #bird #birdwatching #birdphotography #birdsofmastodon #morning #clutter #ocean #BlackSkimmers #clouds #sky

Blue Jay.

The fresh air seems bright today, or so I say. To the west I see a lone blue jay. But in the sweetgum tree whose leaves mostly lay beneath its sway, the jay, ever moving, will not stay.

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #bird #birdwatching #birdphotography #birdsofmastodon #BlueJay

Crow

Here's an American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) that I caught flying while the dogs were walking me yesterday.

"American Crows eat a vast array of foods, including grains, seeds, nuts, fruits, berries, and many kinds of small animals such as earthworms and mice. They eat many insects, including some crop pests, and also eat aquatic animals such as fish, young turtles, crayfish, mussels, and clams. A frequent nest predator, the American Crow eats the eggs and nestlings of many species including sparrows, robins, jays, terns, loons, and eiders. Also eats carrion and garbage." - allaboutbirds.org

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #bird #birdwatching #birdphotography #birdsofmastodon #AmericanCrow

I know it's here somewhere.

This is a young white ibis that I saw in Georgia last November. There were two of them feeding in a small hidden pond across from our hotel. There were other birds there as well, I went down late one afternoon and took some photographs.

"American white ibises are gregarious birds; however, they are territorial and defend the nesting and display sites against intruders. When threatened or defending a territory American white ibises perform displays that include lunging forward with the bill in a horizontal posture, and standing upright, and snapping the bill opposite another bird engaging in the same display. Birds also lunge and bite, often holding onto an opponent's head or wings". - animalia.bio

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #birds #birdsofmastodon #birdwatching #WhiteIbis

Alert!

Yesterday morning, while blogging in my office, I looked out the window and there was a white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), a fawn, feeding on the grass in my yard. I grabbed my camera and started taking pictures. Eventually, the mother moved into view, and I continued taking pictures through my window. Then I went into the back yard at the northwest corner of my fence and stood on a concrete bench at that spot to see over the fence. I thought I was being stealthy, but momma deer spotted me immediately. I still got several good photos, but this one, at the very moment I rose above the fence, is my favorite.

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #WhiteTailedDeer

Morning Moon, 20231003

October 3
Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 79%

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #moon

Good morning. ☀️
4 Oct 23

I wonder do introverts get lonely, I don't, and I admit I'm a bit introverted. But I'm never really alone. I pretty much enjoy solitude.

"Good morning, Mister Sunshine
You brighten up my day.
Come sit beside me, in your way."
- Bee Gees, Lonely Days

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #birds #birdsofmastodon #birdwatching #morning #BrownPelican #lonely

Watching time pass by.

Here's a lone boat-tailed grackle (Quiscalus major) standing on the bank of a bayou seemingly watching the water flow by.

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #birds #birdsofmastodon #birdwatching #BoatTailedGrackle

From this morning's catch.

I strive for perfection but seldom get it - I didn't get it here either. This Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) is fleeing a feeder that I have for woodpeckers with some kind of seed. Having said that, I've yet to see a woodpecker at that feeder. The photo is a little soft but looked crisp before I cropped it. It was a decent photo and I didn't really need to crop it, but I wanted to, so there we are.

"Carolina Chickadees visit feeders for sunflower seeds, peanut chips, and suet. Make sure any peanuts you provide stay dry so no mold can form on them. " - allaboutbirds.org

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #birds #birdsofmastodon #birdwatching #CarlolinaChickadee

Red rover, red rover, let this crow pass over.

This is a slightly fuzzy photograph of an American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) this morning. It just occured to me though, that some of the crows I'm seeing could be fish crows (Corvus ossifragus), particularly the crows out by the lake. It's difficult to tell them apart.

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #birds #birdsofmastodon #birdwatching #AmericanCrow

Raptor day for a bird of prey.

I intended to post a nice woodpecker pic from this morning, but I suppose that can wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow, tomorrow, there is always, tomorrow is another day.

Corny ... I know.

Are turkey vultures' birds of prey? Well ... that depends on who you ask. I've found articles that say they are and articles that say they are not. For sure they hunt their prey, but the prey usually doesn't run away. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

I wrote about a falcon that was hiding among the vultures this morning. This turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) was among the group. They were flying just at the edge of the forest and sometimes venturing over my backyard.

"As a defense mechanism, Turkey Vultures may vomit on a bird, animal, or human that gets too close. Considering what they eat, this can be a powerful weapon." - allaboutbirds.org

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #birds #birdsofmastodon #birdwatching #TurkeyVulture