View allAll Photos Tagged Opportunities!!
Backyard visitor, waiting for an opportunity to visit the suet feeder. Every year these birds nest in the thicket along our driveway. Along with the mockingbirds and catbirds the thrashers are among my favorite backyard birds, since they are able to mimic the calls of a variety of birds and some human sounds. Backyard bird.
From Wikipedis: The male brown thrasher may have the largest song repertoire of any North American bird, which has been documented to at least over 1,100. Some sources state that each individual has up to 3,000 song phrases, while others stated beyond 3,000. The males' singing voice usually contains more of a melodic tone than that of the related grey catbird. Its songs are coherent phrases that are iterated no more than three times, but has been done for minutes at a time. By the fall, the male sings with smoother sub-songs. During the winter, the males may also sing in short spurts during altercations with neighboring males.
Some doors are meant to be closed , and when you try to reopen them , remember why they were closed in the first place .
There is a very tiny sediment pond (about the size of a bathtub) at Rockburn. It had an amazing array of odes on it. This Twelve-spotted Skimmer was happy to pose.
Windows of Opportunity" have been on my mind a lot. We are tentatively scheduled to take a May tour of Bryce & Zion canyons with Road Scholar in May of 2022. The COVID numbers are rising. If I were in my 40's , I would wait and say that there would be other opportunities "when life becomes more normal (safe)". I am in my mid-70's and healthy. There is still the thought in the back of my mind as to how many windows of opportunity will be in my future. We will decide as the time draws nearer.
I am reflecting, not complaining. We have weathered the pandemic well and our living situation is comfortable. I have also had many opportunities in the past to experience other places. The Irish rover in my genes still longs for a look beyond my present horizon, however, and it's a nagging feeling.
There will be one other post in this "windows of opportunity" series.
An opportunity that was on for some time but 43043 and 43081 were held on the approach to Water Orton and 37059 and 37069 ran a little early so in the end, in reality, it didn't although this is what it could have looked like. The HST's were making that ominous journey to Long Marston from Neville Hill running as 5Z62 while the EE's were on a Derby R.T.C. circular running as 5Z17.
This was my first trip to Blackwater NWR and I was not disappointed. Plenty of birds presenting themselves in wonderful photo opportunities. This Red Shouldered Hawk was on a wire right along the side of the road.
I was at Brooks Falls for photos of the bears feasting on salmon. However, this Common Merganser mom swam by with her brood, and I've never seen common merganser chicks, so I took some shots! It's interesting to me to see the different patterns that chicks have between species!
Taken 26 July at Brooks Falls, Alaska.
A Cheetah stands in the midst of dust cloud left behind by a Thomson's gazelle which managed to escape its death.
What awaits us in 2025 is uncertain. There will be ups and downs but I hope we can all make the most of our opportunities.
Trees emerging from the mist created scenes like this. It was like looking at some ancient Japanese artwork. So here is a mono in that style!
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I’ve had my eye on this little scene in a local wood close to my daughters for some years, all I needed were the right conditions to be present when I was visiting. However since the pandemic our visits have been somewhat curtailed, so to have these conditions on our visit last week was an opportunity not to be missed. I had been hoping for these conditions all week, as they were constantly forecast, but came to nothing. Nothing is more fickle than the forecast of fog. On the dawn dog walk on Saturday morning it again looked like these conditions were not going to materialise, they was even a bit of a cold breeze as we walked the dark heath. Getting back to the house I had no plans to go back out and settled down to my hot bowl porridge. As it started to become light I looked and side to see thick fog. I come across this spot on my many dog walks around the area, but given that I’d already had a three half mile walk that morning the car was the best option. I was soon at the wood and I first made my way to this spot, was in the can I spent an enjoyable couple of hours picking up the odd photo. One day I hope I get conditions like this in my favourite wood in Northumberland.
Got the opportunity to capture these shots of a coyote while exploring the area around Mexia, TX working on my Texas Ghosts project.
Door Corona en familieomstandigheden, waren we niet in staat om bij Plandampf in het Werratal te zijn. Maar na zoveel jaar kruipt het bloed toch waar het niet gaan kan. Daarom besloten mijn vader, mijn oudste zoon en ik in de meivakantie naar het voormalige Oost-Duitsland af te reizen om daar te genieten van smalspoor stoom.
Als eerste bezochten we de Zittauer Schmalspurbahn, waar door werkzaamheden aan de Mandaubrücke in Zittau zelf, alleen het traject vanaf Zittau Vorstadt naar Jonsdorf/Oybin werd bereden. Daarnaast was na 68 jaar Bertsdorf weer 'Lokeinsatzstelle'. Een unieke gelegenheid dus.
Due to Corona and family circumstances, we were unable to join Plandampf in the Werratal. But after so many years, the blood creeps where it can't go. That is why my father, my eldest son and I decided to travel to the former East Germany during the May holidays, to enjoy narrow-gauge steam.
First we visited the Zittauer Schmalspurbahn, where due to work on the Mandaubrücke in Zittau itself, only the route from Zittau Vorstadt to Jonsdorf/Oybin was used. In addition, after 68 years Bertsdorf was again 'Lokeinsatzstelle'. So a unique opportunity.
Aufgrund von Corona und familiären Umständen konnten wir leider nicht bei Plandampf im Werratal sein. Aber nach so vielen Jahren kriecht das Blut dahin, wo es nicht hin kann. Deshalb haben mein Vater, mein ältester Sohn und ich beschlossen, in den Maiferien in die ehemaligen DDR zu reisen, um Schmalspurdampf zu genießen.
Zuerst besuchten wir die Zittauer Schmalspurbahn, wo aufgrund von Arbeiten an der Mandaubrücke in Zittau selbst, nur die Strecke von der Zittauer Vorstadt nach Jonsdorf/Oybin befahren wurde. Außerdem war Bertsdorf nach 68 Jahren wieder Lokeinsatzstelle. Also eine einmalige Gelegenheit.
Between the ages of 11 and 18 I cross country ran for school and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. In fact after school I continued to run good distances for many a year. A few years on I started hiking but at no time did I ever combine the two activities and fell run. Oh, how I regret my actions.
This photo, taken a couple of weeks ago shows a lone fell runner descending from Harter Fell towards Nan Bield Pass.
Pets
JIAN *Legacy* Leaf Pile Pupper
JIAN :: Squirrel (Wanderer) from the JIAN :: Squirrel Oak Tree pack ***placed on the fence for this picture
Furniture
[ba] Barnesworth Anubis monhegan tinyhouse original size
FCD Patio Set Mark II w/MultiSit - 4LI - CM MP Gift
***I made the patio using rezzed build objects and these textures:
USC Textures - Odds & Ends 26 - Damaged cobbles
DATS DOOR AND TEXTURE STORE Ornamental White Wrought Iron Fence Railing. White Fence for Builders 4200 75L MP
Landscaping
.Lunaria. Golden Tree Group Gift
.Lunaria. Fluffy Grass 25L Inworld
.Lunaria. Blue Iris Field 50L Inworld
.Lunaria. Moonlit Grass 25L Inworld
One each of Lillyhall's five "65" reg' Enviro 400s & two 300s pose at Dean Cross for publicity purposes.
The newly delivered machines begin their revenue earning lives on Monday on the new X4 / X5 TransCumbria "Gold" services for which they are branded.
The best wasp pic I ever took. It was a Nikon D70 but I can't be sure of the lens because this is a crop. The opportunity to photograph these doesn't come along often, they're quite uncommon these days. One major advantage the D70 had was the ability to use flash synchronised at 400th of a second, which is extremely useful for insect photography.
With an opportunity to get out with the camera I wanted to go to somewhere where I hadn't photographed. I decided on visiting Fairbrook Naze.
This image was taken on the approach up onto Kinder / Fairbrook Naze via the track that runs parallel to the brook. Its definitely easier than going up via the brook. I think this is looking towards Middle Seal Clough (??) on Seal Edge.
There was some lovely early light prior to sunset. Unfortunately the dramatic stormy clouds dissapeared in the last hour, but fortunately I managed to get 1 or 2 shots I'm happy with
Zephaniah 2:1-2 “Gather together, gather yourselves together, you shameful nation, before God’s decree becomes reality and the day of opportunity disappears like windblown chaff, before the Lord’s raging anger overtakes you—before the day of the Lord's angry judgment overtakes you!”
Doug Harrop Photograph • June 14, 1975
Quite by accident, Doug happened upon on a very rare photo opportunity. Union Pacific assigned two E-units to power the daily Ogden to Salt Lake City manifest. The streamlined EMDs had a date with the diesel shop at North Yard in SLC.
Mr. Harrop caught this view of 960 and 954, parked at Riverdale Yard, awaiting a crew and air test. On the slide mount, he expressed regret that he had plans and couldn't wait around for the OGSL to leave the yard and depart for Utah's capital city.
"Our lives are defined by opportunities; even the ones we miss." - Eric Roth
While setting up this shot several people stopped to watch what I was doing which I guess is to be expected when doing toy photography in a crowded National Park. There was a time when that kind of attention made me anxious , feeling like I’m the weird guy taking pictures of toys in public. But now when I see someone watching, I’ll ask them, “You wanna see what the shot looks like?” They almost always say yes and so I show them the back of the camera. It has led to some great conversations and even a few new followers.
Unfortunately I was too focused on setting up the shot today and dealing with wind gusts that I didn’t interact as much with the people who were curious about what I was doing.
Perhaps being hyper focused on taking a photo about “missed opportunities” was a missed opportunity in and of itself.
I saw an opportunity here as the tide was coming in to make contrasting foregrounds, as the water was flowing up underneath the wooden groyne so I put on my little stopper for a longer exposure to smooth out the water. The rough area was nice and lumpy but very soft under my tripod which kept sinking so I had to move around a bit to find a firm spot. I ought to carry some old CDs to put under the legs but there is a limit to how much you can carry, yes I need an assistant lol.
The low sun provided some nice warm light to bounce off the groyne and put some colour in the clouds for me .
An original shot of a poppy flower and and seed head, artistically worked on using a 'kaleidoscope' filter.
Every Wednesday is Wild Wednesday in the This is My Shot Group and this gives me the opportunity to work on my shots (something I would not normally do).
Baltimore & Annapolis EMD SW9 87 was sitting in MARC's Riverside shops in transit to the B&O Railroad Museum in 1993. It had been displaced when the Maryland DOT took over the line and rebuilt it as a Light Rail line.
Although it was once safe at the B&O Museum for all to see the history of the Baltimore & Annapolis, it was sold off to the Carolina Southern where it sits and rots with no one to appreciate the history that the railroad deserves.
In the background sits MARC E9 64, a former Burlington Northern motor. At least it was preserved as it is now interned at the museum in Saint Louis.
“In the ebb and flow of life, an opportunity missed is often an opportunity missed forever!”
-Unknown
Since seeing the above quote on a coffee cup while out thrifting several weeks ago I have not been able to release the ebb and flow part from my thoughts. I am always amazed at where that “thing” that sticks in your heart, that inspires the deepest of thought can come from. Being a simple man, a coffee cup saying can become the “ear worm” that sticks!
This photo, taken at Ft. Pickens Florida back in 2022 was the last thing I edited before waking my beloved dog Sophie and heading to bed to sleep with my bride. Oddly, it was on my heart as I awoke this morning, riding on the back of the term ebb and flow like a jockey in the derby!
It was maybe a half an hour after sunrise as I walked the beaches of Ft. Pickens, totally prepared for the gifts that I knew would be granted. As I walked east on the beach in total solitude, I noticed flight after flight of pelicans, cormorants, seagulls and terns overhead as if on a mission and landing and swimming several hundred yards up the beach…there were hundreds of birds congregating in a very small area. Experience had taught me that a feeding frenzy was about to occur, so I sprinted down the beach to capture the event.
The sprint, that quickly morphed into a jog and then again into a fast walk got me there to see the entire evolution of the event and how the different species worked in unison for the sake of survival. The dolphin herded the small baitfish from the depts as they gorged themselves on the millions of fish. Once the fish were near the surface the divebombing began with the pelicans and cormorants hitting the water like a severe, softball size hail storm. The gulls and terns did their best to get into the action by taking the dead and injured fish from the surface. There was so much action in an area the size of a couple of tennis courts that focusing on a subject became impossible. I started swinging my lens around as if in a convulsion, perfectly reflecting what was going on between my ears!
This shot was taken as the frenzy was starting to die down. The shoal of fish who certainly numbered in the millions at the start were now splintered into several smaller schools with their numbers decimated. In this shot, the cormorants pinned a school between them and the beach with the school turning the small wave brown. The dolphin and pelican soon departed, much heavier that when they arrived. It was now time for the smaller consumers to feast, the species that could only take a few, or in the case of this juvenile Royal tern, one at a time.
The natural ebb and flow of our planet, the shifting of her plates, her natural cycles of ice ages and thaws and changing weather patterns allows events like this to take place. Sometime in the near future this area will experience a hurricane and the population of pelicans, cormorants, gulls and terns of the area will take a hit. The baitfish will thrive as the seabirds’ numbers rebound thus creating balance in nature, in the circle of life.
Adventure before dementia.
Ruff (male) in full breeding plumage
The ruff (Calidris pugnax) is a medium-sized wading bird that breeds in marshes and wet meadows across northern Eurasia. This highly gregarious sandpiper is migratory and sometimes forms huge flocks in its winter grounds, which include southern and western Europe, Africa, southern Asia and Australia.
The ruff is a long-necked, pot-bellied bird. This species shows marked sexual dimorphism; the male is much larger than the female (the reeve), and has a breeding plumage that includes brightly coloured head tufts, bare orange facial skin, extensive black on the breast, and the large collar of ornamental feathers that inspired this bird's English name. The female and the non-breeding male have grey-brown upperparts and mainly white underparts. Three differently plumaged types of male, including a rare form that mimics the female, use a variety of strategies to obtain mating opportunities at a lek, and the colourful head and neck feathers are erected as part of the elaborate main courting display. The female has one brood per year and lays four eggs in a well-hidden ground nest, incubating the eggs and rearing the chicks, which are mobile soon after hatching, on her own. Predators of wader chicks and eggs include mammals such as foxes, feral cats and stoats, and birds such as large gulls, corvids and skuas.
The ruff forages in wet grassland and soft mud, probing or searching by sight for edible items. It primarily feeds on insects, especially in the breeding season, but it will consume plant material, including rice and maize, on migration and in winter.
Life is full of missed opportunities, so when one presents itself as a free gift, we really ought to grab it with both hands and cling on for all we can. That was the case with this shot. Travelling south from Fort William along the banks of Loch Linnhe this rather imposing sky blended with a sunset and flat calm water just could not be missed, I hope you like it as much as I do.
Merops apiaster
On previous visits, I have found these birds to be quite challenging to photograph, but the new colony hide provided some fantastic opportunities with maybe 50 pairs!
This was my first foreign trip for over two years; back to the fabulous photo hides in Hungary.
It has about a month since temperatures here in Virginia have dipped below 70, and seemingly every evening brings with it the chance of severe storms. Such was the case on this evening at long bridge, where the nice light of golden hour gradually transitioned into storm lighting. The good thing here is it's so busy, you have a good opportunity to take advantage of it. Shooting passenger ops, or "window trains" as a friend of mine says, normally isn't my thing. But when the light's this good, I don't mind capturing one of the many VRE trains shuttling outbound commuters during the evening rush. Sometimes a train, any train, will do for what you need- and this was certainly one of those cases.
Ice on the ponds has forced the rails to seek out unfrozen areas to feed providing excellent viewing opportunities.
This juvenile Sora seems to be the least shy of the many rails present.
If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.
Milton Berle
Se l'occasione non bussa, costruisci una porta.
Milton Berle