Thanks,Bruce. I wish I had a traffic cone tool. I would use it all over town.

During migration the model boat pond in one of our local
Parks is taken over by waterfoul passing through. I heard yesterday that a great blue heron had been seen there. We see very few of these here in the desert, so I got up early to go look. Sure enough, there he was on the far side of the
Pond! I snapped a few shots before he got nervous and flew off. Sorry about some of the ugly backgrounds but that was the way ir was. After he got nervous and flew away I saw another smaller heron at the opposite end of the pond where the water comes in.

There he is on the other side of the pond.

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This old man riding a girl’s bicycle will probably scare him away!

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Yep, there he goes. I wish I had some program that would get rid of that traffic cone.

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Going by another one of those traffic cones!

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After he got up.to speed he went behind the trees.

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The smaller one at the other end of the pond.

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Then the little guy walked away.

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This is the pond after the big birds were gone. The high school cross country team is warming up before a meet later on. (Sony RX10 IV)

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Thanks, photo artist, for your constructive criticism. I will post a few more in a couple of days and will try to improve. I learn from my mistakes. Could have done with out the “ouch” though....I really wasn’t trying to hurt anyone.
Kent

Thanks for the beautiful memorys, Mike. My wife and I stopped there on the way from Bryce to the town of Boulder about 40 years ago. I still remember it.

The city of Henderson NV (10 miles from Las Vegas) developed the old toxic effluent ponds from a WW2 magnesium plant into a wild life and bird viewing area. Yesterday my daughter and son in law took me there for a little excursion so I could try out my Sony RX10IV somewhere other than sitting on my back porch. With a reservation you may be driven around the paths in a golf cart. Here are some of the various birds etc. that I saw. All are JPEGs....am just learning to shoot manual shutter and aperture with auto ISO. Thanks for looking and any comments pro or con. At age 92 l have developed a thick skin!!

They drove me here.

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The streaks are a reflection of the tall growth on the bank behind him. Egret is somewhat blown out...still learning.

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Birds on the rocks. Guess they don’t like to get their feet wet.

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Drove by a buttrtfly on top of a bush about 15 feet away....heavily cropped.

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Photo finish...he beat her by a nose (beak?)..

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We saw these unidenfified animals strolling by one of the ponds.

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Turtles like to sit on rocks too.

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More big white birds. The end.

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We called him “Lonesome George”. He would perch on the rear wall for hours day after day last april (quail mating season) calling out over the valley...never an answer! He apparently had lost too many quail fights and was kicked out of the covey. One day my daughter in law brought me a tin quail mounted on a 4 foot rod. I stuck it up in a flower bed next to the wall and, as you can see, George finally has a friend who will associate with him.
I had to grab my camera off the coffee table and shoot through a glass door(no time to change settings from auto where I usually leave it...didn’t want to lose the pose.

Epilogue: George has mostly recovered from his wounds and now that the pairing up season has ended the quail are back in coveys so he is with them again. Now the tin guy must be lonesome!!

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A few days ago I posted some shots of gamble quail and doves on my back wall taken from my back porch. Today I would like to show you some of the critters etc. taken from the front porch. Criticisms are welcome but I am only a beginner trying to learn a new hobby! Thanks for looking.
Kent.

This is where I sit by the table and wait for something to show up. If in the house I shoot through the door behind the dog. I took this at dusk ...hence the porch lights.

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A pair of fluffed up doves trying to keep cool a few days ago when the temperature was about 110 degrees.

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My daughter threw some seeds on the porch ...look what showed up. Sorry about all the shadows....jpeg right out of camera and cropped. I think mama is keeping a sharp eye out for what is in the next photo.

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These guys like grail chicks for breakfast. It was another very hot day so he appears to be trying to keep his armpits (wingpits?) cool. Shot through the kitchen door.

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The other day, to my horror, a monster was eating my neighbors house. (He sold it and the new owner would like a bigger one).

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My guard spider. We named Harry or Harriet? For obvious reasons. He lives under a stepping stone next to the porch . He only comes out after dark so I had to use flash to capture him. He is spout 6 inches when his legs are spread out.

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Harry was willing to pose for a portrait.

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Ground squirrels like seeds too! He looks like he has his cheeks stuffed.

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My 30 year fountain wore out so my daughter went to Michaels and filled it up with fake flowers with live ferns on the bottom row...guess what!,

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Now the rabbits are happy!,, Shot all these with my Sony RX10IV which is a lot smarter than I am.

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It is too difficult for me to thank you all individually for taking the time to look and for your kind words, but know that I sincerely appreciate it. Just about everything I have learned about taking photographs has been through reading your informative posts on Ugly Hedgehog for the last six months. Thank you all for passing on your knowledge to newbies like me. It has kept me going!
Kent

I am 92 years old, in hospice care for terminal cancer and I still enjoy life. I can still sit on my front and back porches and shoot pictures of whatever wild life comes around. My hands are still as steady as they were 50 years ago...good because I have no tripod. I have only the beginners pp program that came with my camera so I only shoot jpegs and sometimes touch them up a little bit and do a lot of cropping. I want to show you a few bird shots I took last evening just before sunset. The light kept changing so I used manual with auto ISO....something I learned from you hedgehogs. You will have to excuse the bird poop on the wall ( some one is bound to mention it) because I have no tool to get rid of it. My daughter washes it off about once a week...probably tomorrow. So here goes! (Sony RX10IV)
Kent

Sleepy looking collared dove

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Where I sit on the back porch...Lake Mead in background


Here comes papa quail.

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He wants to pose.

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Here comes mama quail.

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Mama, papa and three of their gawky teenagers

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The reason for all the poop—-doves!!!

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This male has taken over the feeder and won’t let his ex have a sip.
JPEGs from Sony RX10iv hand held heavily cropped.

Kent

Looks like a chance to get a sip!

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This will sure taste good!

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I’ve lived in Las Vegas since 1946. Both areas are very colorful. Red Rock is more crowed with people as it is only 1/2 hour drive as opposed to about an hour and 1/2 to Valley of Fire. Lots to see in both places...a toss up.

Thank you all for looking at my early attempts at photographing birds and bugs. Glad to know what the two birds were...they must have been migrating as I have never seen them again (the hummers stick around all year). The butterfly is not a monarch but some species I’ve never seen before or since.

here are a few shots I took in my back yard last spring with my new Sony RX10IV when my ocatillo cactus was blooming. All are hand held jpegs (automatic mode)...now I'm learning other modes thanks to information gleaned from UHH.

some sort of humming bird

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probably his wife

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some sort of bird

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I think this a butterfly... guess he liked lantana b etter than ocatillo!

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My daughter put some hair she had combed from her dog in a bush last April hoping the nesting birds would use it instead of pecking holes in our chaise lounge pads to get at the stuffing....you can see how well that worked!!

Caught this little antelope ground squiirrel red handed with my Sony RX10IV through the window (jpeg heavily cropped). Thought you might get a laugh as we did.

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Those collared doves are taking over southern Nevada. Saw the first one about 3 years ago and now I think they outnumber the mourning variety. Nice picture of one!