Uploads from GLLpmj, with geodata

Lightning east of Taichung City

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Sat, 18 May 2013 21:00:38 -0700

GLLpmj posted a photo:

the unstable air mass coming in from Japan begins to crest the central mountains. Forecast by Taiwan Weather Bureau was very good - beginning right after 03:00 - - captured here is a lightning striking well past Taichung City towards Taiping District.

This was the best chance for photographing lightning as the rain came and visibility dropped to less than 500 meters.

Inside the clouds

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:31:51 -0700

GLLpmj posted a photo:

lightning strikes at 02:36 in the morning. The weather forecast was for unstable air and heavy rain and lightning -- it was spot on!! All the lightning was cloud-to-cloud lightning and appeared like this image, great flashes illuminating the cloud shapes and the city below for an instant, then followed by tremendous thunder. Shot from my balcony looking east towards Taichung City.

does anyone know which species this is?

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Mon, 13 May 2013 07:39:23 -0700

GLLpmj posted a photo:

This is a large moth approximately 7 centimeters long with whitish body. The brown crysalis can just be seen right behind the moth. thanks and cheers!

Morning Glory flower macro

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:45:12 -0800

GLLpmj posted a photo:

A close-up of Corolla Petal, Stigma and Filament.
The Morning Glory bloom year-long in Taiwan both as a vine and also as a ground plant.

SERIOUS PROPS

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 13:01:33 -0700

GLLpmj posted a photo:

Damn that was a good beer and it's really hot here.
Now I've had 2 more cold Heineken's and it's 4 in the morning.

BEST OF THE WORLD/ A HOT NEW NIKON D4 AND A VERY COOL HEINEKEN. GOOD NIGHT!

Rana Boylii Foothill Yellow-legged Frog

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:09:55 -0700

GLLpmj posted a photo:

It is such a small frog, approximately 1.5 inches long - photographed with a speedlight & softbox. I like the way the skin camouflages with the granite patterns - Nature is so profoundly amazing! and awesome!

Buteo swainsoni - in pursuit of grasshoppers - Juvenile Swainson's Hawk

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:17:10 -0700

GLLpmj posted a photo:

On the Carrizo Plain -

Wikipedia: The Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni), is a large buteo hawk of the Falconiformes, sometimes separated in the Accipitriformes like its relatives. This species was named after William Swainson, a British naturalist.

It is colloquially known as Grasshopper Hawk or Locust Hawk, as it is very fond of Acrididae (locusts and grasshoppers) and will voraciously eat these insects whenever they are available.Their breeding habitat is prairie and dry grasslands in western North America.

HDR Obelix Obelisk Stone

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:44:46 -0700

GLLpmj posted a photo:

From Los Angeles it takes about 3 hours to get to Lone Pine, make sure to bring plenty of water since it is dry and very hot during the late spring to fall period, as well as sunscreen and chap stick. There are several retailers in Lone Pine that have supplies, as well as a grocery store.
The stones of Alabama Hills are formed by volcanic activity and millions of years of erosion - the shapes and stacks and arches. Out of this world? The High Sierra to the West, and The White Mountains to the east, and Lone Pine Village!

Starry night sky, enormity of the land called Owen's Valley. Geologic formations of the Alabama Hills, Sierra Nevada's towering jagged peaks and the dry land toward Death Valley. There are so many reasons to visiting this wonderful place. Highly recommended!

Raindrops, a Spider's web and Iceplant

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:25:10 -0700

GLLpmj posted a photo:

Is it possible that looking at nature up-close can mess with your other plans for a day? Sure, a brief trip into the world of macro may become an entire day's worth of adventure!

Greater Roadrunner

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 22:26:23 -0700

GLLpmj posted a photo:

This bird makes us laugh. My wife and I walk in the Arroyo near our house and when we are lucky this awesome bird will kick up the dust as it sprints away. The Great Roadrunner actually belongs to the cuckoo family!! Cheers!

Red tail Hawk builds a nest on the red cliffs - S. California mtns

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:15:30 -0700

GLLpmj posted a photo:

Awesome raptor checks us out before landing in her nest - March 2012

Flying Anna's Hummingbird hunting for insects...!!

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 19:28:14 -0700

GLLpmj posted a photo:

Simply amazing!!! In early March the warm afternoon sun brings out small insects that begin dancing in the sunlight... And the female Anna's Hummingbird is HEARD!! - buzzing back and forth catching the insects in flight! The insects are so small we can't see them.

The camera shutter speed was set at 1/3200th sec - - and her wings are still moving.

Danaus Plexippus - Monarch in flight

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 00:39:17 -0800

GLLpmj posted a photo:

Monarch butterfly flying above flowers by the Santa Barbara coast. California 2011

Danaus Plexippus - Monarch Butterfly is flying through Wildflowers 3

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 22:38:07 -0800

GLLpmj posted a photo:

Spring Wildflowers and a Monarch Butterfly - by Goleta, CA.

The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (belongs to subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. Monarchs migrate North to Canada each year beginning in February!

Spring Peach Flower's + Allen's Hummingbird

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 23:45:33 -0800

GLLpmj posted a photo:

Nikon D700 with SB-900 Speedlight on 20 foot cable release and froze the action at 1/2500th second.

Hoping for the Anna's Hummingbird and really surprised this Allen's Hummingbird, Selasphorus sasin, was allowed to enjoy the flower's from our blooming peach tree!!! Thank you Anna's Hummingbird !! :D

(The Anna's Hummingbird is very territorial - especially in February and March and they own our backyard!)

Danaus Plexippus - Monarch butterfly in wildflower field 2

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 21:22:16 -0800

GLLpmj posted a photo:

A Monarch butterfly is flying through a field of wildflowers on an wonderful Spring Morning in March 2012. What a great day it was!
Santa Barbara, CA.

Male Anna's Hummingbird

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:18:58 -0800

GLLpmj posted a photo:

(Calypte Anna)

I believe it may have just finished washing and now was in the process of grooming itself - it continued to move about on the small branch while opening its wings and cleaning its beak and fuzzing with its minute feathers. Such a beautiful hummingbird. In Southern California the two most common hummingbirds are Anna's Hummingbird and Allen's Hummingbird. This Anna's male Hummingbird can turn on it's ruby colors when it wants to - when the ruby color isn't on -- the color is black and most of the time the male will display this color. But if it gets agitated, whether because it wants to impress a female, or if it is confronted by another male - the blazing ruby color is brightly displayed. And this very small bird can put on a display of dazzling flying speed and maneuvers! It's singing.. well, it is nothing to write home about - yet I am certain that it's doing it's very best with its very small vocal cords!

Hummingbirds are very active in February - males are charging each other for territory and females are building nests. They are the smallest birds and are very keen to their surroundings, yet are well-adapted to our gardens and close contact with humans. Plant flowers and trees that flower - bees, hummingbirds and butterflies will soon become regular visitors, or perhaps make a home in your garden.

This male let me get very close - approximately 6 feet - then I wasn't able to get closer because the bushes. But from that position the hummingbird was also fine with me photographing for about 10 minutes! It looks like it is about to fly away.

Lavender flower's and female Anna's Hummingbird

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:12:21 -0800

GLLpmj posted a photo:

It must taste pretty good!

Redtail Hawk building a nest

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:33:24 -0800

GLLpmj posted a photo:

Landing near the top of a large tree in the local Eucalyptus Grove. Days later we observe her and her partner mating - far in the distance atop a telephone pole..!
It's only mid-February and she has already built a pretty large nest!

Mating Monarch Butterflies

nobody@flickr.com (GLLpmj) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:44:44 -0800

GLLpmj posted a photo:

Every year by November/December Monarch butterflies gather in secluded coastal habitat.

By early February, or when the coldest period have passed the Monarch butterflies will begin mating, sometimes several times with different partners before starting the migration North.

This pair was actually on the trail and didn't appear to be interested in me at all. What a surprise.

There are only a few butterflies that actually migrate - the Monarch is the most famous of them all and it will find places along the Pacific Coast for the winter. The most famous overwintering habitat is in Mexico where hundreds of thousands gather. In California there are three well-known sites, they are; Santa Cruz, Pismo and Goleta.