Mike's Pictures

Michael C. Hamilton, Sammamish, WA

Below are photos mostly from the last week, some from recent weeks, and occasionally from the past year.  I normally don't continue any from the previous edition.  However, if you were interested a particular one, email me at mikeham@verizon.net and I'll answer any questions or email the picture. 

    These are digital pictures taken with either a Canon S90, a Nikon Coolpix P6000, or a Panasonic FZ28 camera with or without a 1.7X teleconverter.  The first two are used with a Leica Televid 77 scope (20-60x or 32x).  95% of the time it is 20X.  The technique is generally known as "digiscoping", only I use no adapter.......hands only.

    This webpage is generally updated every Saturday night between 9 and 12, Pacific time.  Infrequently, I slip until Sunday.

    All pictures are copyrighted.  Download them and print them for your personal purposes, but please don't use them for presentations or, especially, commercial purposes without permission (see above email address).  Also, compiling them in any way for distribution for any purpose, without permission, is prohibited.  Thanks!

- - - - CLICK ON THE PICTURES FOR THE LARGE VERSION - - - -

THE LATEST (11/21/09)

All of these pictures come from daily email's that I send.  The only charge is boredom and tedium.  If you would like to join, contact me at the email address above.

        The Sequel to the CD "A Year at Black River" is available to interested persons for a donation of $2.00.  Email me, if you are interested, and I will send you the address to send a check, or cash, to.  More information about the CD is at the bottom of this page.

Black River (Renton, WA) (for info see:  www.heronsforever.org)  For the email text that accompanied the Black River photos, click here:  Notes

None this week

From my trip Down South

Mom's house in Houston

13 - orange blossom.jpg (110218 bytes)    06 - white-winged dove.jpg (141680 bytes)    01 - Angel Trumpet.jpg (132876 bytes)    02 - Gingersnap Rose.jpg (129207 bytes)    03 - Bouganvilla 2.jpg (116469 bytes)    04 - mystery flowers 1.jpg (95040 bytes)    05 - mystery flowers 2.jpg (116381 bytes)    04 - blue jay.jpg (106289 bytes)    05 - mockingbird on Mom's chimney.jpg (97662 bytes)    03 - Carolina Wren.jpg (122919 bytes)    10 - first white-winged dove.jpg (154894 bytes)    11 - second white-winged dove.jpg (112083 bytes)    01 - blue jay with acorn 1.jpg (132976 bytes)    02 - blue jay with acorn 2.jpg (124682 bytes)    14 - Molly - a fellow birder.jpg (182993 bytes)    10 - backyard rose.jpg (131664 bytes)    09 - cypress seed pods.jpg (202433 bytes)    12 - white blossoms.jpg (119130 bytes)    

Arthur Storey Park in Houston

15 - Great Egret.jpg (128297 bytes)    11 - American Pippit.jpg (172700 bytes)    10 - black-bellied whistling ducks.jpg (122087 bytes)    04 - Snowy Egret.jpg (121274 bytes)    01 - Forster's Tern 1.jpg (106784 bytes)    Picture 135.jpg (2038477 bytes)    02 - Forster's Tern 2.jpg (158857 bytes)    03 - Forster's Tern 3.jpg (197026 bytes)    09 - mostly White Ibises.jpg (195296 bytes)    12 - turkey vulture with lunch.jpg (83021 bytes)    05 - Little Blue Heron.jpg (171702 bytes)    13 - black vulture 2.jpg (69706 bytes)    06 - roseate spoonbill.jpg (214301 bytes)    16 - Arthur Story Park - Houston.jpg (134009 bytes)    14 - black vulture.jpg (208492 bytes)    07 - striking Great Egret.jpg (122000 bytes)    08 - departing Great Egret.jpg (241880 bytes)    08 - today - a great blue heron.jpg (150352 bytes)    10 - which way is up.jpg (104536 bytes)    14 - A snowy flurry.jpg (101850 bytes)    07 - the bird island.jpg (121862 bytes)    12 - catch of the day 1.jpg (125971 bytes)    13 - liftoff.jpg (140323 bytes)    11 - catch of the day 2.jpg (141108 bytes)    

Brazos Bend State Park near Houston

13 - turkey vulture.jpg (45059 bytes)    18 - Carolina Chickadee.jpg (71720 bytes)    01 - immature common moorhen 1.jpg (226563 bytes)    02 - White Ibis.jpg (207553 bytes)    16 - Little Blue Heron.jpg (140679 bytes)    03 - Little Blue Heron.jpg (124314 bytes)    14 - the first alligator.jpg (313324 bytes)    05 - Yellow-rumped Warbler.jpg (138833 bytes)    14 - serious spider.jpg (124530 bytes)    15 - alligator territory.jpg (169209 bytes)    06 - Tufted Titmouse.jpg (100886 bytes)    07 - Common Moorhen.jpg (218855 bytes)    08 - Loggerhead Shrike.jpg (55597 bytes)    16 - Don't Tread on Me.jpg (256864 bytes)    17 - Jaws.jpg (205717 bytes)    01 - Least Grebe.jpg (184221 bytes)    12 - Least Grebe.jpg (189942 bytes)    09 - Great Blue with catch.jpg (123145 bytes)    09 - grebe with crawdad 1.jpg (171094 bytes)    10 - grebe with crawdad 2.jpg (173724 bytes)    11 - Pied-billed grebe downs a crawfish.jpg (145491 bytes)    10 - Black-bellied Whistling Ducks.jpg (228642 bytes)    

Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge (headed to Lafayette, La)

13 - near Anahuac NWR.jpg (112372 bytes)    01 - approaching snowy egret.jpg (117782 bytes)    02 - Snowy intimidates Little Blue.jpg (85339 bytes)    03 - Little Blue retreats.jpg (70306 bytes)    04 - Great Egret.jpg (122052 bytes)    05 - juvenile & adult brown pelicans.jpg (93701 bytes)    06 - white pelican.jpg (113521 bytes)    07 - white pelican 2.jpg (107875 bytes)    08 - mixed company.jpg (128565 bytes)    09 - Great Blue retreats.jpg (76886 bytes)    10 - Roseate Spoonbill.jpg (141977 bytes)    11 - Spoonbill and Snowy Egret.jpg (311087 bytes)    12 - two spoonbills and a snowy.jpg (220525 bytes)    

Lafayette, LA

09 - northern mockingbird 1.jpg (122811 bytes)    06 - Mut and Jeff.jpg (94276 bytes)    05 - at Sandra's house 3.jpg (157187 bytes)    07 - male cardinal next door.jpg (172813 bytes)    01 - northern mockingbird 2.jpg (112886 bytes)    

Lake Martin (near Lafayette)

07 - Great Blue.jpg (122867 bytes)    08 - snowy egret.jpg (95275 bytes)    04 - Lake Martin.jpg (148363 bytes)    05 - a two-footer.jpg (197870 bytes)    06 - an  eight-footer.jpg (226104 bytes)    10 - immature whistling ducks.jpg (119684 bytes)    11 - whistlling duck takeoff.jpg (193346 bytes)    09 - adult whistling ducks.jpg (130291 bytes)    13 - immature neotropic cormorant.jpg (160140 bytes)    12 - adult neotropic cormorant.jpg (121516 bytes)    

Baton Rouge, LA

03 - loggerhead shrike.jpg (116203 bytes)    04 - two pelicans.jpg (149314 bytes)    02 - in the pelican mob.jpg (246245 bytes)    08 - three white pelicans.jpg (235129 bytes)    14 - white pelicans 1.jpg (68106 bytes)    01 - a near miss.jpg (61255 bytes)    01 - the pelican mob.jpg (154220 bytes)    03 - in the pelican mob 2.jpg (252589 bytes)    04 - two white pelicans.jpg (161185 bytes)    05 - in your face.jpg (145107 bytes)    05 - white pelican.jpg (170790 bytes)    06 - lake skimmer.jpg (164609 bytes)    02 - restless two.jpg (181926 bytes)    11 - close pass.jpg (108962 bytes)    07 - pelicans and cormorants.jpg (103749 bytes)    01 - white pelicans 2.jpg (173360 bytes)    02 - heron and nutrea.jpg (254352 bytes)    09 - two loggerhead shrikes.jpg (196779 bytes)    

Ann's house in Longview, TX

06 - orange canna lilies.jpg (82670 bytes)    05 - Buddy.jpg (258728 bytes)    08 - rose.jpg (122043 bytes)    04 - Milo.jpg (273874 bytes)    01 - the red-tail.jpg (230377 bytes)    15 - examining the squirrel nest.jpg (200685 bytes)    02 - eye on the squirrels.jpg (263225 bytes)    03 - nervous squirrels.jpg (209954 bytes)    12 - first mockingbird.jpg (160033 bytes)    14 - windblown mockingbird.jpg (101376 bytes)    13 - second mockingbird.jpg (111234 bytes)    11 - on the birdbath.jpg (120114 bytes)    10 - mocker with a berry.jpg (139370 bytes)    

Mineola Nature Preserve (Mineola, TX)

13 - George - our guide.jpg (272282 bytes)    01 - George on the move.jpg (184342 bytes)    02 - George catching up.jpg (110123 bytes)    03 - George's tag.jpg (121926 bytes)    04 - the swift chimney.jpg (244668 bytes)    05 - beehive.jpg (238487 bytes)    06 - the wobbly Mayor's Bridge.jpg (247861 bytes)    07 - the trail.jpg (305123 bytes)    08 - the beaver pond.jpg (158478 bytes)    09 - Mineola Nature Preserve.jpg (186737 bytes)    10 - turkey vulture.jpg (60724 bytes)    11 - longhorn.jpg (127550 bytes)    12 - buffalos.jpg (182868 bytes)    

East Texas scenes and the Polk Co. rest stop

12 - the entrance garden.jpg (318360 bytes)    01 - Gulf Fritallary on Marigold.jpg (161596 bytes)    02 - Gulf Fritallary.jpg (141702 bytes)    03 - Alabama-Coushatta Tribe mural.jpg (253588 bytes)    04 - ceiling ornamentation.jpg (170933 bytes)    05 - the mock engine commemorative.jpg (138970 bytes)    06 - Lake Livingston.jpg (104337 bytes)    07 - Lake Livingston shoreline.jpg (159414 bytes)    08 - Lake Livingston cabin.jpg (262380 bytes)    09 - East Texas cattle.jpg (183313 bytes)    

From Western WA before the trip

07 - Heron's head.jpg (166010 bytes)    01 - too many humans.jpg (341603 bytes)    09 - song sparrow.jpg (108068 bytes)    07 - approaching eagle.jpg (116017 bytes)    08 - eagle head.jpg (99829 bytes)    08 - bald eagle.jpg (153260 bytes)    11 - 1st-winter golden-crowned sparrow.jpg (114401 bytes)    11 - snow in the Cascades.jpg (131321 bytes)    04 - black-capped 2.jpg (124921 bytes)    12 - moonrise.jpg (125756 bytes)    13 - as sunset approaches.jpg (126771 bytes)    01 - two trumpeter swans 2.jpg (174491 bytes)    05 - today's weather.jpg (121911 bytes)    07 - snow geese - Canada geese 1.jpg (196952 bytes)    03 - varied thrush.jpg (112403 bytes)    04 - two bushtits.jpg (124694 bytes)    05 - one bushtit.jpg (102065 bytes)    13 - hummingbird tongue 2.jpg (164885 bytes)    

 

 

About the Black River CD

What is included?  The entire original edition with over 1000 photos is included, but it stands alone from the Sequel.  The Sequel has around 600 photos, I think, including about 70 species of birds.  Most of the species categories have numerous photos; for example, there are 16 green heron photos.  There are various critters, especially beavers, nice flowers and many Black River scenes. 

What is the form?  As for the predecessor, the format is web-oriented.  In other words, the CD plays through the web browser on your computer as if it was drawing from the internet, only it is drawing from the CD instead.  Links are provided that allow easy navigation around the various sections.  Photos are introduced as small thumbnails which open into the full photo when the thumbnail is clicked.  As before, an autostart function is included on the CD so that your web browser is automatically started and opens to the first page of the CD.  From there, you just follow your nose.
 

The photo quality in the Sequel is certainly superior to the first edition.  The advantage of the CD (over my daily emails) is to collect them all in one place with easy, systematic access.  One day you may be in a hospital or convalescing and have finished all the books people gave you, or your roommate is driving you crazy with the TV.  Then, if you can get a laptop, you may be desparate enough to spend some time going through it.  Of course, I hope you won't wait quite that long.