Fungi in the Backyard

by Earthwatcher, posted in Alpharetta, Atlanta, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, GA, Georgia, landscape, nature, Nature Photography, Photography, Roswell, Uncategorized, WIldflower
Fungi on a Log – Image 01
Roswell, Georgia, USA; SEP 2023

A few weeks ago, a section of our backyard was set aglow in the early morning sun. We have a small wood pile I made hoping it might become a bee hotel. The bees ignored it. It’s now a larder for chipmunks, a hunting ground for wrens, a perch for squirrels to eat dinner and other things. It’s great fun to watch. On this day in August, the logs sprouted multicolored species of fungi and the sun poked its rays through breaks in the trees to set the fungi glowing.

Fungi on a Log – Image 02
Roswell, Georgia, USA; SEP 2023
Fungi on a Log – Image 03
Roswell, Georgia, USA; SEP 2023
Fungi on a Log – Image 04
Roswell, Georgia, USA; SEP 2023
Fungi on a Log – Image 05
Roswell, Georgia, USA; SEP 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

A Few Birds

by Earthwatcher, posted in Atlanta, Bird Photography, bird watching, birding, Birds, California, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, GA, Georgia, nature, Nature Photography, Photography, Roswell, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
California Scrub Jay
Effie Yeaw Nature Center, Sacramento, California, USA; MAR 2023

Some birds I have photographed over the past few months.

Prothonotary Warbler,
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAY 2023
Gray-cheeked Thrush,
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAY 2023
Clapper Rail
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA; JUL 2023
Male Hooded Warbler
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, GA, USA; SEP 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

The Forest at Sunrise

by Earthwatcher, posted in Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, landscape, landscape photos, nature, Nature Photography, Photography, sunrise, tree
A Path Through the Really Big Trees;
Calaveras Big Trees State Park, Arnold, California, USA; OCT 2020

To me, forests are magical. There are few places I’d rather be than hiking in a forest as the sunrises as the golden sunlight penetrates breaks in the canopy causing dappled sunlight to highlight various vignettes. As often as I may have hiked a trail, the time of day and the angle of the sun reveals things I’ve never seen.

A Vignette of Light.
Big Trees Forest Preserve, Sandy Springs, Georgia, USA; JUN 2022
Among the Elders
Sequoia National Park, California, USA; OCT 2014
Autumn Sunrise at Twin Lakes;
Twin Lakes, Bridgeport, California, USA; OCT 2017
Autumn Wildflowers;
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina, USA; OCT 2022

Early Morning Among the Redwoods;
Jedediah Smith State Redwoods Park, California, USA; JAN 2013
Peaceful Early Morning.
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia, USA; APR 2022
Sunrise in the Forest;
Sieur de Monts, Acadia National Park, Maine, USA; JUL 2021

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Some of my Most Memorable Sunrises

by Earthwatcher, posted in Alabama Hills, Badlands National Park, California, Death Valley, Earthwatcher, Eastern Sierra, Fujifilm Cameras, Georgia, Grand Canyon, landscape, landscape images, landscape photos, nature, Nature Photography, Photography, sunrise, Uncategorized, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite, Yosemite National Park

This is a slow time for me and my photography. So, I thought I’d share some sunrises. As you look at these, please pay attention to the captions. Some of the tell a story about the place and the circumstance.

More to come!

Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution!

Primera Lúz; First light over Yosemite
Yosemite National Park, California, USA; July 2014

Tunnel View is an iconic view at Yosemite. I visited it many times. I Often mused that a photo with the sun peeking from behind Half Dome. I planned this shot for 2 years until I was finally able to be there at the right time and it was all that I expected.

Wondrous Morning;
Zabriske Point, Death Valley National Park, California, USA; OCT 2015.

Zabriske point is the go-to place for a sunrise at Death Valley. On a typical day, the sun rises over your shoulder, casting an alpenglow over the mountains on the far side of the valley. If you are lucky, there will be a few clouds over the far mountains, and you can watch the sky turn from orange and magenta to gold. On the day we visited, the thick cloud cover from the previous day’s storm was breaking up. We got the beautiful color we had hoped for. But, in addition, we got a marvelous rainbow. It was an unforgettable moment.

Sunrise at Driftwood Beach;
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA; JUL 2023

Some days you just get lucky. We were having a family vacation to St Simons Island, Georgia, USA. I didn’t really plan to do any photography but took my equipment anyway. While there, I saw that the sun would be rising at a great spot. So, my wife and I got up well before sunrise and before anyone else woke up, went to this spot and it was wonderful.

Badlands at Sunrise;
Yellow Mounds Area, Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA; JUL 2021

The Badlands are an interesting place to visit anytime of the day but at sunrise and sunset the colors pop. The dry valleys cut from the highly eroded plateau are beautiful. Most of the valleys are drab and dusty. While scouting for places to shoot, I spotted this unique little valley with its creek and green floor. My research showed that the sun would be rising from a good position. We watched the beautiful sunrise paint the sides of the valley.

The Beam, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA; FEB 2013

This “rainbow” can only be seen at sunrise in February at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I was on a photography workshop, camping in Yellowstone. It was a wonderful experience to be with a small group of like-minded people enjoying this rare opportunity.

First Light on the Sierra
Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA; APR 2021

The Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California are a wonderful place to visit. It is a field of immense boulders that sit in front of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It’s a place with many arches, boulders and trails. It becomes a place of wonder when the sun rises over the White-Inyo mountains to the east and paints the Sierras with it orange-red alpen glow. My spirit feels at home there.

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

A Few Woodpeckers

by Earthwatcher, posted in Bird Photography, bird watching, birding, Birds, Chattahoochee, Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, GA, Georgia, nature, Nature Photography, Photography, Uncategorized, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
Photograph of a male Downy Woodpecker perched on a brown tree branch against a background of light and dark mottled taupe. The branch is angled from the middle of the left side of the picture to the middle of the bottom. There is another branch, with offshoots on the right side of the frame. The bird’s breast and tail feathers are white though the lower right portion of the breast and center portion of the tail feathers are shaded and appear dark. The tail feathers have black spots. Between the branch and the bird’s head and behind the breast is a black stripe with white spots; those are its wings. Its beak is black with a small brownish gold patch at the base of the beak. Its eye is black with a white glint. Around the beak, are a series triangular shaped stripes forming the head feathers. The front stripe is black. The next white with a red crest forming the bird’s red crest. The next is a black eye stripe that does not extend to the back. The next is a white stripe that extends to the back then curves upward behind the eye stripe. The next stripe is black that narrows as it extends back then widens into a black patch. Its chin is white. Its dark gray legs and black “nails are clasping the branch.
Male Downy Woodpecker;
Roswell, Georgia, USA; FEB 2023

Please click on caption to see pictures at higher resolution!

Male Pileated Woodpecker;
Deepdene Park, Dekalb County, Georgia, USA; JAN 2023
Red-headed Woodpecker;
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAR 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Damselflies

by Earthwatcher, posted in Atlanta, Chattahoochee, Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, GA, Georgia, Insects, nature, Nature Photography, Uncategorized, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
Image of a Female Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly perched on a bright green leaf against a background of black and surrounded by many more green leaves. The damselfly is positioned with its head near and facing the tip of the leaf. Its bulbous, black eye is most of what is visible from the head though the eye on the other side is also partially visible. Its dark gray legs protrude like sticks from the side of its body. As they extend outward, they make a sharp right-angled turn down to the leaf. Most of its body is obscured by the wings but the end of it protrudes from the back of the wing. Its wings are black, but they refract the light so highlight the wings in stripes of gold, green
Female Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly;
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; JUL 2023

When I saw the beauty of this female, the song “Isn’t She Lovely” popped into my head.

Image of a Male Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly perched on a bright green leaf against a background of black. The damselfly is positioned with its head near and edge of the leaf. Its bulbous, black eyes are visible on either side of its small, blue head. Its dark gray legs protrude like sticks from the side of its body. As they extend outward, they make a sharp right-angled turn down to the leaf. Its vivid blue body extends from the head and looks like a stick; it extends slightly past the end of the wings. Its wings are black but are refracting the vivid blue on the upper edges of the wings. The damselfly is casting its shadow on the leaf.
Male Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly; Island Ford;
Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; JUL 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Red-eyed Vireo

by Earthwatcher, posted in Bird Photography, bird watching, birding, Birds, Chattahoochee, Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, GA, Georgia, nature, Nature Photography, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
Photograph of a bird, a Red-eyed Vireo, perched on a tree branch. The background is mostly yellow-green leaves with small patches of blue sky. The bird is perched on a dark colored branch that extends from top to bottom at the right side of the picture. The bird is viewed from below, so its underparts and side are visible. Its underparts are white. Beneath its eye and flowing back are its neck, wings and tail feathers, all olive green. The tail feathers are tipped in black. Its eye is red but appears dark in the picture. It has a dark eye stripe. Above its eye is a white stripe topped by a black crown. The bottom of its beak is white, the top is black.
Red-eyed Vireo;
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAY 2023;

Please click on caption to see images at higher resolution!

Photograph of a bird, a Red-eyed Vireo, perched on a tree branch, with one end of a dark colored worm in its beak; the other end of the worm is wrapped around the tree branch. The background is a mix of yellow-green leaves and blue sky. The bird is perched on a dark colored branch that extends from left to right near the bottom of the picture. The bird is viewed from below, so its underparts and side are visible. Its underparts are white. Beneath its eye and flowing back are its neck, wings and tail feathers, all olive green. The tail feathers are tipped in black. The wings have black and green stripes. Its eye is red but appears dark. It has a dark eye stripe. Above its eye is a white stripe topped by a black crown; only the edge of the crown is visible. The bottom of its beak is white, the top is black.
Red-eyed Vireo; Island Ford,
Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAY 2023
Photograph of a bird, a Red-eyed Vireo, perched on a tree branch, with a fly in the tip of its beak. The background is mostly yellow-green leaves with a small patch of blue sky. The bird is perched on a dark colored branch that extends from top to bottom at the right side of the picture. The bird is viewed from below, so its underparts and side are visible. Its underparts are white. Beneath its eye and flowing back are its neck, wings and tail feathers, all olive green. The tail feathers are tipped in black. Its eye is red. Above its eye is a white stripe topped by a black crown; only the edge of the crown is visible. The bottom of its beak is white, the top is black. The object at the tip of its beak is an insect it captured.
Red-eyed Vireo;
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAY 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Barred Owl

by Earthwatcher, posted in Bird Photography, bird watching, birding, Birds, Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, GA, Georgia, nature, Nature Photography, Photography, raptor, Uncategorized, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
Photograph of a Barred Owl, perched on a tree limb against a background of blurred, green tree leaves. The tree branch lies horizontally at the bottom of the photo. It is gray, mottled with green moss and gray-green lichen. The branch starts just right of the picture’s left edge. It bows upward to just past mid-frame then bows sharply upward, then curling down to the bottom of the frame. At the bottom right of the frame is another, thicker horizontal branch that also bows upward. It is darker and is mottled with moss. The owl stands just to the left of the middle of the picture and dominates the picture. Its face is round and gray with a heart shaped notch at the top. It has dark eyes with a glint of light in each. Each of the eyes are encircled by fine, gray feathers with pale brown stripes. Between the eyes is a small, ovoid, dark patch. The beak is yellow and sets just below the ovoid patch. It sets in a triangular patch of feathers that are dark at the top that transitions to gray as they reach the rounded bottom of the triangle. It is holding a brown insect in its beak. The owl’s face is encircled by a cowl of brown and gray striped feathers. Its bulky body is white with horizontal stripes of brown feathers. Its 2 bulky legs are light brown with yellow and black claws that are grasping the tree branch. Its gray tail feathers protrude from under the body and below the tree branch.
Barred Owl with Prey;
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAY 2023

Barred Owls are very common in the Atlanta, Georgia area. I am sharing 2 perspectives on this one, very cooperative, owl that I took a few weeks ago. I think it was just showing off the bug it caught.

Please click on caption to see this image at higher resolution!

Photograph of the face of a Barred owl against a background of blurred, green tree leaves. Its face is round and gray with a heart shaped notch at the top. It has dark eyes with a glint of light in each. Each of the eyes are encircled by fine, gray feathers with pale brown stripes. Between the eyes is a small, ovoid, dark patch. The beak is yellow and sets just below the ovoid patch. It sets in a triangular patch of feathers that are dark at the top that transitions to gray as they reach the rounded bottom of the triangle. It is holding a brown insect in its beak. The owl’s face is encircled by a cowl of brown and gray striped feathers. Its bulky shoulders and body is white with horizontal stripes of brown feathers. There are a few twigs and leaves randomly located in the picture.
Barred Owl with Prey – Close-up;
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAY 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Sunrise at Driftwood Beach

by Earthwatcher, posted in Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, GA, Georgia, nature, Nature Photography, Photography, Seascape, sunrise, Uncategorized
Picture of three standing, dead trees on Driftwood Beach at sunrise. The tide is rising so the trees are standing in water at the edge of the beach. The trees are silhouetted. The sky is blue gray at the top and becomes orange as it approaches the horizon. The upper part of the sky contains whisps of white clouds. The ocean is gray with a strong yellow stripe of reflected sun to the right of the largest tree. The beach has hues of light orange along the water’s edge from reflected sky. The left 2/3 of the beach is gray. The right is more golden from reflected sunlight. The sun is the watery yellow circle to the right of the largest tree just below its lowest branch on that side.
Sunrise at Driftwood Beach – Perspective 01;
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA; JUL 2023

Driftwood Beach is small beach on the Atlantic Ocean, at the north end of Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA. The beach is adorned with both standing and fallen dead trees; trees that were unable to survive in the salt water and tides. I was fortunate to be able to visit and photograph during a beautiful, clear sunrise.

By the way, there is no driftwood at Driftwood Beach, just beautiful, sculptural dead trees.

Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution!

Picture of the sun, low on the horizon, silhouetting dead trees and brush of Driftwood Beach, while illuminating the ocean and the sky. The sky in the background is orange-gray at the top but turns orange then magenta then to gray as it flows down the picture. The sun is a yellow circle left of the middle of the picture. The foreground is the light tan sand of the beach. There are several sets of slatted fences on the beach progressing from the lower right of the frame to the left rear of the beach. There is a standing and a fallen tree near the rear of the beach on the right. There is some grass with feathery fronds at the top at the rear of the beach on the left. The beach is strewn with green marsh grass.
Sunrise at Driftwood Beach – Perspective 02;
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA; JUL 2023
Picture of the sun, mid-level on the horizon, silhouetting dead trees and brush of Driftwood Beach, while illuminating the ocean and the sky. The sky in the background is golden gray at the top that turns more gold as it flows to the bottom. The sun is a watery yellow circle left of the middle, near the top, of the picture. The foreground is the light tan sand of the beach. The ocean is gray with a strong golden reflection down the middle. Rocks separate the beach from the ocean. The beach in the foreground is golden in the middle of the picture from a strong reflection from the sun. The beach fades to light tan on both sides. A fallen tree is prominent in the foreground on the beach.
Sunrise at Driftwood Beach – Perspective 03;
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA; JUL 2023
Picture of the sun, low on the horizon is silhouetting dead trees and brush of Driftwood Beach, while illuminating the ocean and the sky. The sky in the background is orange gray at the top but turns orange and magenta surrounding the sun. The sun is a yellow circle shining between branches of the tree and brush. left of the middle of the picture. The foreground is the light-colored sand of the beach. The ocean behind the beach is gray with a strip of orange reflection of the sun. The trees and brush are dark, almost silhouetted. There are patches of green marsh grass across the beach.
Sunrise at Driftwood Beach – Perspective 04;
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA; JUL 2023
Sunrise at Driftwood Beach – Perspective 05;
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA; JUL 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Early Morning along the Chattahoochee River

by Earthwatcher, posted in Atlanta, Chattahoochee, Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, GA, Georgia, landscape, landscape images, landscape photos, nature, Nature Photography, river, Uncategorized
Photograph of a portion of a tree projecting outward in and above the Chattahoochee River. The green-brown water of the river covers most of the background of the image. In the upper left quadrant of the picture there is a very large tree trunk projecting, horizontally, from the left edge of the photo outward, above the river. At the end of the large branch, smaller branches project over the river. Those branches have leaves in shades of green and yellow-green. Lying in the water, under the very large tree trunk, is a small section of a decaying tree trunk. The end and left side are dark. The upper surface is gray brown with a few sprigs of yellow-green foliage. Beyond the decaying trunk and beneath the very large trunk are several large roots projecting upward from a dead tree lying mostly submerged in the water. In the distant background, across the river is the dark gray-green foliage of the far shore of the river.
Scene from the Edge of the Chattahoochee;
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; JUN 2023

I had a rare morning for one of my hikes along the Chattahoochee River. The sun was popping out from behind the clouds, highlighting little vignettes. It was a wonderful morning.

Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution!

Photograph of a layered rock outcrop in a forest with a tiny waterfall and pool in middle of the lower portion of the picture. The rock outcrop is the dominant feature of this picture. It is in the center and rises vertically from the bottom almost to the top. It starts with a gray green rock near the center at the bottom of the image. Proceeding upwards there is a small pool fed by four small streams of water. Above that is a tan rock with a spot of white light on its top and green moss on both sides. Moving up further is the very large rock outcrop. It is layered. The bottom is dark, the middle layer is brown the top layer is gray but is covered with green foliage. On the right side and above the outcrop is the forest. Mostly you see the green leaves though some of the ground and a few small tree trunks can be seen in the foreground. On the left side is an embankment that is mostly brown but with some green foliage and a small gray tree trunk projecting upward at a 30-degree angle.
The Cascade on Summerbrooke Creek;
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; JUN 2023
Photograph of the shoreline of the Chattahoochee River along with a small island created by flooding due to high water. A channel in the river begins in the lower right corner of the picture. It proceeds toward the upper left corner where it takes a sharp bend and empties into the main body of the river. The water is mostly green with highlights from the sun. The island is in the upper right quadrant of the image. Its foreground is gray. It has some dark tree trunks, some with green leaves. The shoreline begins in the lower left quadrant of the picture and proceeds up along the left side of the picture where it bends and projects out into the water. The ground is dark but is highlighted by the sun. Along the edge are dark colored tree roots leading to the dark trunks of 4 trees clustered together. There is some green foliage at the base of the tree trunks and the trunks are mottled with moss. The background is tree trunks and green leaves.
Vignette of Chattahoochee River’s Edge;
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; JUN 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.