We found this guy while out cutting the grass tonight...

Technical Data:Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/200 sec at f/7.1. Canon Speedlight 580EX II flash in eTTL mode (either did not fire or underpowered). Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

I need to get some rest, so I'll have to process the rest of the photos later.

- Bill

Alright, while not technically in my backyard, it was close enough... we came across this girl at the park that we take the dogs to for their daily walk. After we finished our walk, I went home and grabbed the camera and managed to get a few shots and couple minutes of video before it started raining...

Stills will be coming soon after I have a chance to process the rest of them.

Thanks for stopping by!

- Bill

Anya found this pretty little lynx spider for me the other day... Striped Lynx Spider (Oxyopes salticus). I've seen other lynx spiders before, but they usually are not very cooperative with the camera; this one gave me a good series of photos from different angles and magnifications.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro, 1/250 sec at f/16. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

Thanks for stopping by!

- Bill

Ok - I know you arachnophobes out there are going to hate this post as I put something super cute right next to something you probably think is disgusting, but I'm just so amazed by this that I have to share.

So spiders are obviously nothing new for me here, and to be honest if I was able to see them with more frequency, neither would frogs. I've always loved frogs, they fascinate me - when we owned the pet store, I had a field day buying and selling so many exotic species of frogs! I've seen some tiny frogs (breed poison dart frogs and you'll see TINY!), but I wasn't expecting what I found the other day when Anya and I took the dogs to the park for a walk.

Hopping across the path were these absolutely tiny frogs - so small that at first glance, I thought they were just crickets. However, upon further inspection I realized my error and was floored by how cute they were. We returned the next day with a couple collection containers so we could catch a few to bring home to photograph in a more controlled environment (and to not be in the way of other folks trying to use the path).

So where does the spider come in? Well, earlier in the day, Anya caught a jumping spider (a Phidippus audax... yeah, I know, I've gotten to the point where I actually know some of them by their scientific names by heart now) in our kitchen and trapped it in another one of the collection container.

Here are some photos of both the spider and the frogs at equal magnification...

1x magnification	1x magnification	2x magnification	2x magnification

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro, 1/250 sec at f/16. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw. (for all shots)

I know - your first reaction is going to be that these photos are just on different scales and it just appears to be that they are so close in size (honestly, I think the spider is actually a tiny bit bigger), but trust me - these are accurate depictions. In fact, the lens I was using will only focus at specific magnifications, it doesn't work any other day... so if I set it to 1:1 magnification, I can only take photos at 1:1 magnification.

So I have to ask... what is your reaction to this? Answer the poll below and let me know what you think!

- Bill

Our Red-winged Blackbirds are growing quickly... it might be tough to get too many more photos because I don't want to scare the babies and cause them to try and leave the nest before they are quite ready, but for now we've been trying to document how quickly they are growing...

Six Days Old

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/160 sec at f/8. Canon Speedlight 580EX II flash in eTTL mode. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw

Eight Days Old

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/250 sec at f/16. Canon Speedlight 580EX II flash in eTTL mode. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw

I never thought about the benefit of getting to experience more stages of the life cycles of the various wildlife we get to see on our new property, this is rather fun to be honest!

More coming, so stay tuned!

- Bill

Since I've been sharing photos of various bird nests, I think it is only fair I share a photo of some spider eggs...

The white ball behind this spider is full of thousands of tiny spider eggs. This mother wolf spider will carry it with her until they hatch, at which point the spiderlings will climb up on their mother's back to hitch a ride for a few days until they are ready to spread out on their own.

I've never managed to find a wolf spider carrying an egg sack before, so this was a bit of a treat for me. We stopped our work in the yard so I could get my camera and take some photos. I only managed to get three frames off before she bolted for cover and I lost her in the undergrowth, but luckily the shots I did get off turned out to be nice sharp images.

Technical Data: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/250 sec at f/16. Canon Speedlight 580EX II flash in eTTL mode. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

I'm trying to get caught up with processing photos, so hopefully I'll be able to continue sharing more springtime photos.

Stay tuned!

- Bill

Ok, so nothing near as detailed as what I got with the red-winged blackbirds, but I forgot that we did have some Northern Flickers nesting in a tree near our house. Their nest cavity was probably 40 feet up, so this was the best I could do to capture the changing of the guard as one flicker returned to the nest and the other took off. I wish I could have gotten the one in flight in focus, but it happened so quick, I didn't have a chance to change the focal point.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM at 400, 1/500 sec at f/8. IS On. ISO 320. RAW conversion and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

- Bill

So far this spring, we've seen nesting robins, geese, brown thrashers, phoebes, and red-winged blackbirds. I haven't been able to get photographs of all of them, but here's a series of a couple different red-winged blackbird nests...

Thanks for stopping by. I'll try to keep them coming.

- Bill

Ok - quick post tonight to share one of the more intimidating insect faces I've seen in a while... I present to you, the Six Spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata).

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro, 1/250 sec at f/16. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

Thanks for stopping by!

- Bill

So I'm finally getting around to processing some photos from before my camera took a bit of a ciesta. It is since back from Canon and the repairs seem to be working. I still need to test the focusing to see if they did indeed clear up a soft-focus issue. Regardless, here's a shot of a tiny red squirrel that has been visiting since winter.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM at 400, 1/250 sec at f/8. IS On. ISO 640. RAW conversion in Adobe Camera Raw.

Hopefully I can get back into a more regular schedule of posting.

- Bill