Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Swoop! There It Is!

Common Whitetail Skimmer
We had visited the Woodland Dunes during the winter months this past year so I thought it would be great to revisit this place during the summer.  
Tree Swallow
On this visit, I couldn't help but notice all the Tree Swallows and Dragonflies.  There were so many of them flying around that I stood at one particular point and tracked their flight patterns.  They live here in Tucson, but they fly so high up into the sky that it makes photography a little tricky.
In fact, while on our trip to Wisconsin, I was able to observe all swallows close up.  There was the Barn, Tree, and Cliff Swallow.  But the one that shimmers above them all is the Tree Swallow.  As an amateur birder, I was faced with the challenge of identifying the differences between the Tree Swallow and Purple Martins.  It still takes me a sec to figure it out.
Red wing Blackbird
Red wing Blackbirds are everywhere.  And no matter how hard I try not to film them, I never succeed.  This particular bird was very territorial and squawking at my other half to get moving.  The bird followed Pat until the end of the pier.  And I followed with my camera from the good angle capturing him flying up and down. 
The Red Wing was so close that I got this great shot below!
Finally, there were so many butterflies around the area and I filmed this one below.  Why is it called a Snout?  Look closely at the front of the "face".  Butterflies, like birds, are amazing creatures.  They all are....every single one of them.  And that's what makes Woodland Dunes a great place to visit.  It's open to the public and it has many trails throughout the preserve.  It's off of 310/Hawthorne Ave. and one of the few last untouched areas of my hometown besides Point Beach State Forest.  These places look the same as they did when I was kid. 
American Snout Butterfly
Below is a shot from the butterfly garden at Woodland Dunes.  I feel safe here when I visit and it's one area that makes me happy.  If you ever make a stop in the Two Rivers/Manitowoc(aka the "Lakeshore Area"), stop and check this beautiful preserve out. More tomorrow....
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29 comments:

  1. Mr PaulJuly 17, 2012 at 12:19 AM

    Hello Chris.

    Many thanks for joingin out blog and all your great comments its great to have you, I am now also a follower here too.

    You must ahve some great reflex to catch all these birds in flight. Love the Red Winged Blackbird which is new to me we don't have those here in the UK, what an incredible coour contrast.

    Heres wishing you a wonderful week.

    Paul

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    1. RohrerbotJuly 17, 2012 at 10:59 PM

      Thanks Paul for stopping by. I love the title of your blog. Movement is one of my things that I like to capture on camera and so I try to convey that feeling with this blog....because life is motion. It's fun and tricky at the same time:) You also have a great week!

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  2. AndreaJuly 17, 2012 at 12:19 AM

    Kreesh, you should really save to buy back the property of your childhood, which gives you a lot of wonderful memories. And what is that structure for, in the last photo. I love that composition, with whatever that flowers are!

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    1. RohrerbotJuly 17, 2012 at 11:00 PM

      Honestly Andrea, I don't even know. It's called a butterfly house.....but I'm pretty sure butterflies don't live there:) Looks like decoration to make the flowers in front pop:)

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  3. Bob BushellJuly 17, 2012 at 12:32 AM

    Well captured Chris, the Swallow is a remarkable bird, great photos.

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  4. Laurence ButlerJuly 17, 2012 at 1:01 AM

    Great shots Chris! You did a marvelous job of capturing those Swallows in flight. They really are little flying emeralds, truly stunning birds that never cease to amaze.

    Well done!

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    1. RohrerbotJuly 17, 2012 at 11:01 PM

      Thanks Laurence......I am shocked that I have not been able to get closer to these birds here in AZ. Barn swallows yes....but forget about the rest of them:)

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  5. eileeninmdJuly 17, 2012 at 1:34 AM

    Great shots from the nature center. The swallows are great, I love to watch them swoop low over the water. Great shots of the skimmer and the RW Blackbird. I would love to walk around the butterfly garden, looks beautiful.

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  6. AnonymousJuly 17, 2012 at 4:38 AM

    Beautiful captures of swooping things with wings, Chris.
    Keep cool!

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  7. BethJuly 17, 2012 at 5:01 AM

    You got some wonderful shots of things that swoop. Red winged blackbirds are common here, but only in the country. I have never in my lifetime seen one in town.
    The butterfly pic is gorgeous!

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  8. GaelynJuly 17, 2012 at 6:18 AM

    Such excellent captures. Birds are very difficult for me. Really like the swallows with reflections.

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    1. RohrerbotJuly 17, 2012 at 11:05 PM

      It's that darn manual focus. To get one of those pics I have to take about 15 pics. The smaller the bird, the more challenging the shoot. My hands cramp up sometimes. Hope you are having a good week Gaelyn. I need to make some money to travel north. I'm on a strict budget now for the next 2 weeks until school starts up again. I'm hoping we get to make it to the North Rim this fall. I'd love to visit with you. Talk to you soon. Chris

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  9. GigaJuly 17, 2012 at 6:21 AM

    Wszystkie zdjęcia z Twojego spaceru są śliczne,ale te, których fruwających ptaków cienie są na wodzie, są cudowne. Pozdrawiam.
    All the photos from your walk is beautiful, but those which are fruwających shadows of birds on the water are wonderful. Yours.

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  10. TexWisGirlJuly 17, 2012 at 6:46 AM

    i've always wondered if butterflies actually use those houses. i guess so. :)

    love the tree swallows swooping across the lake/pond!

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  11. JillJuly 17, 2012 at 6:55 AM

    Great shots, as always. I also love the red wing blackbird...especially their song. The butterfly garden sounds promising.

    Oh...and as for your comment on my blog...I didn't have ANY wine! haha! You crack me up!

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    1. RohrerbotJuly 17, 2012 at 11:08 PM

      It's okay. You don't have to be embarrassed about wine drinking. It's the classiest form of beverage. After your CRAZY LADY post, I'm convinced!!:) As I pour myself another glass.....

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  12. PerthDailyPhotoJuly 17, 2012 at 7:04 AM

    What a great spot. You got some fab images there, love the watery reflections in the first two shots and you certainly did catch the Red Wing Blackbird so well, what striking colours.

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  13. tracyJuly 17, 2012 at 8:09 AM

    Oh, I love the photo of the bird (see how bad my memory is) and its reflection on the water. And just to let you know how little attention I had always paid to things above eye level (remember I am SHORT) I had never seen a red winged blackbird until a few years ago.

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  14. Warren BakerJuly 17, 2012 at 9:27 AM

    What a great blue sheen that Tree Swallow has on it, well caught with the camera i'd say Chris :-)

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  15. ShySongbirdJuly 17, 2012 at 11:43 AM

    Hi Chris, The Tree Swallow looks really colourful with that turquoise look to it. Great close shot of the Red-winged Blackbird!

    I enjoyed your visit to the botanical gardens too. I thought the children's garden was a lovely idea and the 12 Spotted Skimmer was very impressive!

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    1. RohrerbotJuly 17, 2012 at 11:09 PM

      Hello there!! I love when a place is open to both adults and kids alike. It enriches the experience...both learning at their own levels. That's good planning on the gardens part:)

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  16. EG CameraGirlJuly 17, 2012 at 1:39 PM

    I still don't know the difference between a tree swallow and a purple martin. Hmmm. I should look them up...both of them.

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    1. RohrerbotJuly 17, 2012 at 11:10 PM

      They're tricky!! And worse as they are flying about at warp speed!

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  17. Ragged RobinJuly 17, 2012 at 1:57 PM

    You did really well to get such great photos of the swallows in flight Chris. The butterfly is gorgeous. Over here we have a moth called "The Snout"!!! for the same reason as your butterfly! So pleased that you have managed to find another area in your hometown that has remained unchanged and is so good for wildlife :).

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    1. RohrerbotJuly 17, 2012 at 11:14 PM

      I'm trying to balance my writing to give both sides of wetland conservation. I'm working on another post that is related to wetlands and I was shocked during my research! That's coming up in a couple weeks. These places are my saving grace. I'm so glad that they've preserved them from people who would want to destroy it. These Dunes are now extremely protected from many organizations from around the world. And that makes me smile.

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  18. sweetbayJuly 17, 2012 at 2:29 PM

    Love the picture of the Tree Swallow and its reflection in the water below.

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  19. Betsy Banks AdamsJuly 17, 2012 at 9:04 PM

    Great pictures of the Tree Swallows... Wow!!!! And the Redwing Blackbirds are pretty. I've seen them here --at a distance, but they never come to the feeders...

    I'm doing another bird post tomorrow.. Hope you have had a great day. Hot and humid here!!!
    Betsy

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    1. RohrerbotJuly 17, 2012 at 11:15 PM

      I can't wait to see more of your birds. I swear you have every color of the rainbow visiting your feeders:) Your area is rich is bird life:) Had a great day....and I was tracking a brown pelican....very hot and very humid....but the pictures are super fun.

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  20. MagpieJuly 18, 2012 at 6:56 PM

    That is gorgeous. Have you ever seen butterflies use a butterfly house?

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Thanks for stopping by!