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May 6, 2021 23:44:38   #
And, of course, there is an app:

https://cicadasafari.org/

Fun fact from that article:

• Periodical cicadas are best eaten when they are still white, and they taste like cold canned asparagus. Like all insects, cicadas have a good balance of vitamins, are low in fat, and, especially the females, are high in protein.


Marshall
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Apr 27, 2021 19:53:55   #
Furbugsy wrote:
I want to learn how to edit photos with PS or other editing programs , but at 76 and not being the sharpest knife in the draw , I need someone to show me how to do it , or get a simple editing program that’s not difficult..
I at the moment use the simple apple editing program but I want something more. Thank you in advance for your help.
Furbugsy


You might want to investigate Adobe Photoshop Elements, as an easier gateway into photo editing than full Photoshop.

https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements.html

There is a slew of tutorials, also, and the entry-level Quick Edit is about as basic as it gets.

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop-elements/tutorials.html

Good luck,

Marshall
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Apr 18, 2021 09:32:41   #
merrytexan wrote:
when he landed on the very top branch of an old plum tree in our yard.
mamma and daddy towhee were in the tree too giving instructions but
i just couldn't get a shot of them. this happened while i was trying to get
some shots of a bluebird family nearby.



Love the photos and the story, merrytexan, but are you sure that it is a towhee?

I photographed a similar bird nesting by a nearby nature trail here in KY a couple of years ago, and the ID when I got back home was a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Maybe the other two towhees were just trying to chase it away.

Marshall
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Apr 14, 2021 09:15:26   #
David Martin wrote:
Topaz version definitely superior.
If I understand your post, you were also interested in comparing Gigapixel AI enlarging the entire file first and cropping second, vs. cropping first and enlarging second. If so, was there any difference (other than dramatically shortening the time required)?


Excellent question, David, but I haven't done enough tries yet to be able to give a good answer.

I do remember running Gigapixel on the entire file and going to take a nice nap while my computer cranked!

I shoot in RAW and convert the file to a DNG, and the goal would be to be able to just define the area of interest plus a bit more, and run Topaz just on that partial DNG without having to create a TIFF or JPEG file as an intermediate image. And then crop that for composition.

Marshall
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Apr 14, 2021 08:28:21   #
Jerry Bruzek wrote:
Supposedly, Topaz Gigapixel AI will allow you to enlarge your photos up to 600% while perfectly preserving image quality.
Does anyone have success stories of this actually working?
I have wildlife photos in which I could not get close enough to "fill the frame" with my subject.



I , too, take a lot of wildlife photos, and seldom am able to get close enough to fill the frame without post processing cropping.

So, I wanted to see if enlarging the entire file using Gigapixel AI and then cropping out a small portion of that would be better than just enlarging a small portion of the original file.

Here is the original file that I wanted to experiment on. This osprey was an unusual visitor to my local golf course lake and I was lucky to be there and see him make a try at a fish.

DD0A4275A by Marshall Smith, on Flickr



Here is the best I could do with my usual workflow of cropping in Photoshop. The haloing around the talons was really apparent.

Osprey_CBGC_03Aug2020 by Marshall Smith, on Flickr



Here is the Gigapixel AI version cropped down to approximate the first one, and sharpened. The talon area is much better to my eye.

OspreyCutoutWTSharpen by Marshall Smith, on Flickr


BTW, unfortunately, the osprey missed his catch.


Marshall
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Apr 7, 2021 10:25:50   #
Thanks, all! I was satisfied the way it turned out.

Especially since just a few days before I had taken more than a hundred frames from the exact same vantage point and NONE were acceptably sharp when I looked at them on the computer. Same open window, same beanbag, same camera, with similar settings. Very disappointing!

That day was sunnier and warmer, and the best I can come up with is heat haze caused by air turbulence coming up from the wood deck below the second floor window where I was shooting from.

Beware the dreaded heat haze!


Marshall
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Apr 6, 2021 21:51:18   #
This Cooper's Hawk showed up about a week ago in our backyard, and has made an appearance nearly daily since then.

He usually hangs around for a half hour or so, then flies off back into the woods. Things get real quiet while he's around.

So far we haven't seen him be successful and carry any off, but he has made a pass or two at an inattentive feeder bird.


CoopersHawk06Apr2021_181web by Marshall Smith, on Flickr


Marshall
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Apr 1, 2021 23:02:54   #
1FTR wrote:
I've seen vultures and osprey and eagles do this in the tree tops--hang their wings out like laundry on a cloths line. First time I've seen a Heron do it and do it on the ground.


I've seen this behavior frequently with GBHEs here in KY, and I've learned that it is a method of thermoregulation, to shed excess heat, along with throat fluttering like a dog panting.

What's less clear to me is whether they also use this posture to gain heat in cool weather, like vultures perched on a barn ridge or in a tree on a cool morning.

Marshall
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Mar 31, 2021 21:44:51   #
merrytexan wrote:
the most beautiful woodpecker ever...hope you get lots of fun shots of the family!


I'll have to agree with you on that!

Pileated are right up there, too, but I've not been lucky enough yet to watch one of their nests.

Marshall
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Mar 31, 2021 21:37:02   #
Cwilson341 wrote:
Hard at work! Too bad he doesn't just reuse last years dwelling. He is a beautiful bird. Well done shot!


The experts on my local birding group say that RHWPs do sometimes reuse a previous nest.

A week or so ago I saw a squirrel leaving last years woodpecker nest, so it may not be suitable any more.

Marshall
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Mar 31, 2021 21:19:16   #
Marg wrote:
Nice shot, Marshall! Such a beautiful bird. Hope you get to see and share babies!


Thanks, Marg!

I think babies are in the works...caught a sequence this morning that was either mating or maybe just a practice. lol!

Marshall
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Mar 31, 2021 21:10:01   #
JeffDavidson wrote:
Nice capture. A little soft.


That image was captured from a screenshot and put up on a Facebook Birding site as a "share the moment" thumbnail, and didn't yet have the level of post processing up to UHH demanding standards.

Part of what you are seeing as softness may be motion blur of the birds head as it flicks out the chips. It was so fast that I couldn't even see any movement then. Here's one with some Topaz applied. I think it's better.

RHWP4169_30Mar2021 by Marshall Smith, on Flickr


Marshall
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Mar 30, 2021 22:08:11   #
jdtonkinson wrote:
Beautiful bird. I hope to see one someday. Great capture


Thanks, jdtonkinson, glad you liked it!

Keep looking...I just happened to see the nest hole last year while driving down the road near our house. Once you see that first one then the rest become easier to see!

Marshall
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Mar 30, 2021 21:09:40   #
I watched a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers nest and raise one fledgling last season, and this spring RHWPs are back at the same tree.

There were three all flying around at one time, but now I believe two have paired up to nest.

The problem is they can't seem to decide on a location. Looks like it may be in the same tree, but this one started a new cavity just a couple of days ago. This photo was taken this morning.

RHWP30Mar2021 by Marshall Smith, on Flickr


Marshall
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Mar 27, 2021 09:30:43   #
Jim Plogger wrote:
Rufous-sided Towhee


Jim is correct.

They are fairly common here in KY, but are seldom seen on our feeders. More of a ground feeder, one of several birds that do a distinctive backward hop to scratch up food.

Marshall
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