iNaturalist

Porte Ponderings:

2024 literally started with a bang.

I arrived in Florida for the New Year’s Eve fireworks. This was the worst year yet for noise. On Penny Lane the residents had a huge display. Debris fell on trailer roof tops in Sleep Hollow. The Police were called, but didn’t respond. Then a box of their fireworks caught on fire. Police, fire and ambulance anxious to help broke down the locked gate at Sleep Hollow Park 2 before realizing the emergency was next door. They watched the flames for 45 minutes, took one person by ambulance to hospital, then finally doused the flames. I pray the person is OK. I hate New Year’s Eve in Zephyrhills.

But I love taking pictures of the birds at Zephyr Park. 10 pictures that I posted on iNaturalist were added to the Florida Birds Album. Not bad for my first day out.

I’ve started doing a Daily Tarot Reading for myself. Today was the Eight of Cups. ”I am ready to leave behind anything that hinders my spiritual growth” Unfortunately my Busch Gardens friend isn’t buying a pass this year, so I now need to decide if I should go alone, find a new companion or just skip this year. The Real Music Series starts next Tuesday, so I still have some time to decide.

There just isn’t any pleasing some people.
The trick is to stop trying.
~ Robert Mitchum
American – Actor August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997

Porte Ponderings:

Robert Mitchum may have had it right when he said. “There just isn’t pleasing some people”.

Even when trying to please yourself you may not be able to “hit the mark”.

This weekend is the 2023 Big Backyard BioBlitz (August 3, 2023 – August 7, 2023), created by Nature Conservancy Canada. Everyone is encouraged to get outside and take pictures of the wildlife, flora and fauna in their neigbourhoods across Canada; and post the pictures into the Project on iNaturalist. This is one project I enjoy being part of. I’ve submitted 107 observations/88 species so far.

Not all submissions are exciting as the hummingbird at my feeder, nor as difficult to photograph. For this shot I used my tripod, the WIFI function on my Nikon D750, live view to my cell phone, and using my cell phone as a remote to capture the hummingbird. The shutter speed is very important to capture a good image with a bit of motion blur, but a clear body. I think the shot turned out well but, I’m certain there is still room for improvement.

Here’s my favorite 6 photos from yesterday’s observations:

A Sandpiper near the beach.
Black-eyed Susans
Crocus Geometer Moth – a surprise in the Ladies’ Room
Eight-spotted Forester Moth – a little gem.
Bright colours – Eastern Yellowjacket
Ruby-throated humming bird

Sometimes the photos for this project turnout amazingly well. Other times the photos are just good enough to identify the species. Finding different species to photograph for the project can be quite a challenge. I try to take photos of everything I see, but sometimes the usual birds/wildlife just aren’t around on the specific dates. So, I’ll just do my best, and leave the rest, because there’s just no pleasing some people. This is one project I encourage others to contribute to and beat the number of observations I submit. ❤