Southeast Missouri Bald Eagles

 I really couldn't think of a title for this blog. Something that pertains to the post, but also something that's catchy. I feel like I only accomplished the former. Anyways, my sister and I went to the same Eagle's nest yesterday in hopes of seeing the Eagles out of their nest. To our surprise, there they were... flying around in the sky!

I tried like hell to adjust the settings on my camera in time to catch one of the Eagles in flight. While I didn't get loads of actual in flight photos, I did manage to capture one of the Eagles landing on the tree next to their nest. I don't have many Eagle photos to compare these to, but I can without a doubt say that these are the best Bald Eagle pictures I've ever gotten. 

I won't bore you with too many more details, I'll just attach a few of the pictures that I edited and labeled for Facebook - hence why the tag is different.

Bald Eagle in flight!

Bald Eagle getting ready to land.

Bald Eagle landing with wings spread.

I'm done with the weird caption. Check out how magnificent these guys are!

The wingspan on Bald Eagles is insane!

This is probably my favorite picture of the Bald Eagle landing.

And lastly, both Bald Eagles perched on the branches above their nest.

Full Moon State Of Mind

 The moon was so bright last night. With it being 100% illumination, it's pretty obvious as to why. I love full moons on clear nights, especially in the wintertime. The sky always looks so much more crisp and clear. It's really too bad the Milky Way isn't visible in the winter months, it would make for some amazing photos.

Last night was the perfect opportunity for me to test out my new tripod on my telephoto lens. I can usually get hand held shots of the moon, but only with a high ISO. I prefer a slower shutter speeds when taking pictures of the sky, but shooting with a shutter of around 400 and an ISO around 1200 works just as well.

Of course, I took a couple dozen photos, but narrowed it down to just 4 clear shots. I also cropped them all as my tele only going to 300mm. Hope you enjoy!

PS... My uncles knee surgery was today and everything went great!

Here's the gorgeous full moon on March 5th, 2023.

I need a longer telephoto.

I should just get a mount for my telescope - way cheaper.

That stupid logo of mine is all over the place. I forgot that I cropped these pictures, so the resolution is different in each one. Classy.

Rainy Day Landscapes & Sunstars

 The weather has been really nasty today. It was dark, rainy and very cold. Then, out of nowhere, it cleared up and the sun started shining. I love nothing more than when the sun shines right after raining, especially in the evening hours. Since I had my Tokina near by, I took it outside to try and capture some decent shots of the yard and the way the sun casted such beautiful shadows. 

The execution wasn't as I expected, but they turned out nicely. I really should have edited them in Lightroom, but that's just too much work, lol.

Here are the pics from early today:

PS: Today is my little brothers 27th birthday! Like excuse me, it seems like he was just 12 last year. :(

This is the yard just before the sun popped out.

Our yard after the rain. I also managed a sunstar.

Smaller sunstar.

I couldn't up the aperture too much for the sunstar because it darkened the foreground too much.

The lighting was still beautiful. I love the Tokina lens.

This would've looked even better in the fall.

This is a great representation of how hilly and uneven our yard it.

Last landscape photo of the yard with a sunstar for the win!

Forgotten Photos

 I completely forgot that I took some photos with my Nikon Friday. I guess cause of all the chaos of the week, not to mention working in Perryville over the weekend. It's rare that I ever go out and take photos this time of year due to the cold and there being nothing to photograph. I mean, there are loads of things to photograph, but it's too repetitive.

I not only used my 105mm lens, but my Tokina as well. I don't always keep my Tokina attached, but I keep it close by at all times. We're on the brink of Milky Way season and I don't want to miss anything, lol. 

Anyways, here are the pics that I took last Friday:

Landscape view of the yard.

The tree on the right is so beautiful in the spring and fall.

Always trying to capture sun stars whenever I can.

Found a nice dead twig.

Max pretending he's an orphan.

I honestly don't know why he lays in this rickety old dog house sometimes. He loves to hide in here when it's storming, as opposed to being in the house where he lives.

More puffball weeds.

I really don't know what these weeds are called.

But they're cute.

And photogenic.

Last pompom in the sun.

I do love these pine trees on the other side of the fence. This isn't the best picture I've taken of them, but it's still nice.

Idk why this dog is so cute and so mean looking at the same time.

It's a big, 120lb ball of love.

That Post Apocalypse Feeling

 I actually left the house today and took some photos of weeds, twigs and leaves... shocker. I never leave the house in time to catch the sunset, but it wouldn't have mattered much today because it's cloudy AF. And in my defense I don't take Max for walks until after he eats dinner. 

I think for the first time since I was in school I'm actually looking forward to summer. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love gardening season. I love to plant seeds and buy plants, but since we have a pool now I have a major reason to anticipate the summer months. I always look forward to spring, it allows for better photos, warmer weather and longer days. 

Since I got a new tripod for Christmas, I'm STOKED for Milky Way season. I'm not sure how easily I'll be able to photograph the Milky Way early in the season, I really only started in June. I'm just anxiously waiting for my first Milky Way shot of the year!

Okay, this blog is boring AF, so I'm going to end it here.

Dried up twigs.

Fall leaves.

This is an old log down the road.

More leaves, would've been better edited in lightroom.

Weeds.

More weeds.

These little dried up flowers.

I think they're wildflowers of some kind... maybe.

Winter Ambiance

 I took all of these pictures Friday, but I didn't want to impede on my weekly iPhone roundup post, so I thought I would just post them today. It seems I normally only post on like Wednesday or later, so Monday seemed like a good day to share a few pictures. I was out with Max on his walk, of course, so taking my camera with me is second nature. The lighting hit just right on some of the leaf pics that I got, which makes me very happy.

I came up with this idea in my head for a TikTok video, but I'm uncertain as to how I want to put it together. I'm not one to post on that platform, but my idea seems like a fun concept. I guess I'll see how things go and if I want to even mess with it. 

Enjoy the pics and hope you all have a great week!

Love the light reflecting behind the leaf here.

I also love how you can see the veins on the leaves.