Point of Greatest Contrast

Sycamore Trees

I like the meadow habitat because it is a place for me to study the light.  I read somewhere, once, that your eye goes first to point of greatest contrast.  I had been trying to analyse why I was attracted to a subject.  This explanation went a long way helping me understand.  I saw this scene the other morning.  I walk down this trail almost daily and my eye is always drawn by the leading line of the trail to the distant trees.  This particular morning the light was such that the bark on the sycamore trees was accentuated.  I thought that this scene confirmed the thing that I had read years ago.  My eye was drawn immediately to those trees.  What about yours?

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Little Bluestem

Little Bluestem

Little Bluestem, aka, Beard Grass is my absolute fav at this season!   I love it for the color the stalks turn.  They add much color to the meadow as the season advances.

Video about Little Bluestem

With all the wind, I have been liking the motions of the grasses and other plants in the meadow.  I have decided that I like the tonal difference between the goldenrod and the Little Bluestem.  I made this video after three days of unsatisfying results.

Speaking of Goldenrod, I have noticed something new to me this year.  There is a terminal anomaly on the stem on many of the plants.

Goldenrod

The anomaly appears as a group of leaves.  I have been aware of the gall fly and its implanting its eggs inside the stem which causes a gall seen on the right in this shot.  Usually the gall is just a hard sphere like formation.  I learned that there are in fact three types of these "galls."  Each one caused by a different insect.  The types are oval gall, round or spherical gall and the leaf gall at the tip of the stem.  Steve Mckee showed me a book by Donald Stokes, Guide to Nature in Winter, which discusses this issue.  Thanks Steve.

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Eulalia Grass

Eulalia Grass

This is the only plant of this kind at Gorman, of which I am aware with the possible exception of near the visitors center.  I just love to view the grass inflorescence's in the autumn.  I love the way the light plays on them and the effects of the wind on them.  

Eulalia Grass

This is the same plant shot from a different angle.  It has been windy lately and I had to increase the ISO to achieve fast enough shutter speed.

I am starting to think that my favorite way of shooting these is in the wind with a video.  It is at the bottom of the page.  What is your fav?

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American Woodcock

American Woodcock

I turned the corner on a trial one morning to find this little guy sitting there.  I had no idea what he was but I had no time to think about it since I was making shots.  It did not seem frightened of me but aware of my presence.  I started moving in closer and it finally stood up.

American Woodcock

I kept shooting trying to get the ideal shot.  It eventually walked away with a step, step, swagger, step, step, swagger movement.  It walked into the thick bushes by the side of the trail.

I read that they migrate at night individually on Wikipedia.  I also read that they have an interesting mating ritual.  The male gives a call to attract the female.   When he has her attention, he does a spiraling vertical flight.  He then comes back down to see her reaction.  After reading about it, I remember going to a spring presentation one evening years ago presented by Merrill Tawse.  I am unsure, but don't think we saw any.  These behaviors occur in the twilight.  I understand that they can happen morning or evening.

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Crow/Hawk Conflict

Red-shouldered Hawk

I hear a lot of crow activity in the mornings.  Some mornings it is over the top.  I've been coming to realize that the crows have conflicts with raptors.  I would not have guessed that it could happen but it does.  I have wondered what raptors they are.

On this particular morning, I was able to visually identify the raptor with a shot.  It was good enough for the ID and that is all.  There were two red-shouldered hawks and they were chasing the crows for a change.  The crows did not have numbers on this day.  I made an audio recording but it is too long and drawn out to share.

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Red Squirrel

American Red Squirrel

It was a nice warm morning at Gorman.  I was looking for birds in the now leafless trees when I noticed this little guy.  He or she was busy with a nut.  Upon closer examination of the shot on the computer, I could tell that he was not chewing the exterior but removing nut meats.  My motor drive caught some interesting if not funny poses.

American Red Squirrel

"Woow, that was hard!"

American Red Squirrel

"Nice big bite."

American Red Squirrel

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