As I tested slower shutter speeds to see the rain’s effect, an immature White-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) landed and took off from the Joe Pye (Eutrochium purpureum) blooms.

Slight crop only from RAW.

Member of the Flickr Bird Brigade , Activists for birds and wildlife

Tags:   bird in flight wild and free Nikkor 500 f/4 lens Nikon 1.7 teleconverter outside slow shutter speed experimenting selective focus shallow depth of field White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys immature nature photography Chingolo Coroniblanco (Spanish) Bruant à couronne blanche (French) wing blur heavy duty tripod gimbal head AF-S Teleconverter TC-17E II

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More photo therapy in morning drizzle. I love rain. I tried a black and white of the RAW photos, but somehow that untouched vivid orange looked so perky. We seem to have so many of these oriental (Physalis alkekengi) lanterns in the planter now.

Tags:   Pacific Northwest rain morning rain photo therapy nature nature photo tripod outdoors outside AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED bright orange; lantern; Japanese-lantern; groundcherry; perennial; lanterns; Physalis alkekengi bladder cherry bright orange Chinese lantern strawberry groundcherry winter cherry resembles paper lanterns

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It has taken more than three years since we moved from Alaska to see these Steller's Jays in the back forty, but in the last several days a juvenile and parent arrived! Perhaps the trees have grown enough to provide shelter. (Not that stump; we dragged that in for birds.)

We have missed these bright azure and blue intelligent corvids. According to the Cornell website, these are the coastal version, and possibly here all year.

Tags:   Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri wild and free Nikkor 500 f/4 lens Nikon 1.7 teleconverter Nikon D5 backlight nature nature photography outdoors outside Pacific Northwest Chara de Steller (Spanish) Geai de Steller (French) coastal juvenile TC-17E II

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Fall routine means first thing in the morning—to shake the angst—no reading the news. Just head outside to capture fog and dew by laying on the ground with elbows as tripods.

I know this isn't to everyone's taste, but thanks for looking, anyway. Might try this soon with the Nikkor 500mm f/4, although with the coffee might have to make two trips to the fields.

Happy Umbellifer late-Wednesday, ok, early Thursday.

Tags:   dew weed belly shot bokeh balls backlight sunlight morning wild Apiaceae wild Umbelliferae umbellifers joy in the morning morning therapy AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED outside outdoors nature nature photography

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A friend tells me that judges don't like to see a bird on a stick. Sadly, when I glanced down to check the highlights, somehow this Sharp-shinned hawk or Cooper’s Hawk flew.

Fortunately, I don’t enter contests.

Tags:   Sharp-shinned hawk wild and free Nikkor 500 f/4 lens Nikon 1.7 teleconverter Accipiter striatus. Pacific Northwest early morning long tails long legs acrobatic flier Gavilán Americano (Spanish) Épervier brun (French) Cooper’s Hawk hawk

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