Couldn’t ask for a nicer birthday gift from someone special. Chloe, my granddaughter loves nature, and of course, raccoons. So, this is my gift as i turn 62 years old.
Under the Microscope
“Encourage kids of all ages to experience the world fully, describe what they see, ask questions, repeat the experience, and think about the why of it. Like learning to count or to read, learning how to “do” science is a lifelong process. By exposing children to science early, we encourage them to ask questions, seek answers, and give voice to their ideas.” Peggy Ashbrook
Using a Compound microscope and Dissecting Microscope (stereo microscope) with camera and computer. Common house spider using Stereo Microscope. Later, we will use a Compound Microscope with objective lens with oil immersion for dissection
Click on image to enlarge
Oliver Mill and Water Snakes
Earth has been around for 4.5 billion years. For 700 million years it was Pummeled by asteroids. She has gone though 5 major extinctions, some say we are experiencing the sixth as I write this blog. But all and all, today was a good day for me. How ’bout you?
It’s funny how sometimes the people we remember the least make the greatest impression on us.
Another great day at Oliver Mill Park Middleboro, MA. The only thing missing was the grandchildren. Met some folks from New England Herpetological Society, hope I got it right. They were handling a few water snakes. Very well informed on a subject that I just happened to be quiet fond of myself. Remember the quote by Professor Barnhardt to Mr. Carpenter in The Day The Earth Stood Still ” It isn’t faith that makes good science, Mr. Klaatu, it’s curiosity. Sit down, please. There are several thousand questions I’d like to ask you. ” That’s how I felt talking to these men. Below are two water snakes of different size. Further down, Red Wing Black bird, and Goose with young. For more great stuff from Oliver Mill, visit the Categories links on right side of page. Or click on links below: Also, below, the Videos from today at Oliver Mill with the water snakes. And of course, just for the heck of it, below, shows the kids with a Python, if not mistaken. Marla Isaac, from New England Reptile & Raptor Exhibits came to Brendon’s Birthday party many years ago, Brendon is now 21. Some images below can be enlarged by clicking.
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American Snapping Turtle
American Snapping Turtle mating in a once used waste water sewer pond. I repeat “unused waste water pond”. In this pond, “see size below” I counted at least 12 turtles. Turtles are ectothermic animals. That means they get their body heat from their surroundings–the air, water or ground. They need to be warm to move around and eat. If they get too cold, everything in the body will slow down. Then they can’t eat and digest food. The heart slows down and the lungs do too.
The Aquarium
“The scientist is not a person who gives the right answers, he’s one who asks the right questions.”
― Claude Lévi-Strauss
Another wonderful experience at the Aquarium. 2017
Click to enlarge images in the Gallery
“When kids look up to great scientists the way they do to great musicians and actors, civilization will jump to the next level”
Who Cares
There’s no secret, nor do I hide the fact that some of my Images on this site have been enhanced. From basic brightness and contrast to the extreme by using filters, masks, layers and other means to get the desired look I want. Granted, some shots are great “as is”, but not all. Heck, even Ansel Adam’s photograph “Moonrise” has, to some degree been enhanced. Do I manipulate my photos, (add eyes, wings, lightning, water, etc., sure I do on occasion, but not to deceive or mislead. I was creating double exposures to add items when I was 13 years old with a Minolta SRT101. I make it clear up front though, as in this post. Ask me about my photo editing. I will tell you what photos are enhanced. In competition however, nature and photo-journalism, along with documentary style photograph categories, never. All else, the whole lot goes. Below, White’s Factory, Acushnet, MA. Post editing with removal of the home and automobile.
You do to, without realizing it. A friend of mine had a grand image in the Berkshires, foliage. He told me it was right out of the camera that way. Sure was too. After examining his camera, I asked if he used the “SCENE” selector mode. Of course he did, the “FOLIAGE SETTING”. By the way, he was the same guy who moved some shells, added a piece of driftwood he carries with him, and added them to the beach scene photos. So, maybe now and again the manipulation begins before the photographer releases the shutter. Thousands of words and blogs are obtainable on the web resting on this topic. If I like the result of my photos, that’s all that matters. I do what makes me content, yes; but I also make sure I can humbly stand by the merits of my work as well. I try to capture the image with the best available light, which is only a few minutes a day, use a good lens, appropriate F-Stop, and a few different focal lengths for changing perspectives. Wide-angle lenses distort the scene, and telephoto lenses compress the view, but lets not get into photography class right now. My favorite lens, below. Yes, many better but great glass for an old lens for my D800, D600 (which is the best camera in the world) and some of older cameras, D2x, D200, D300, D700, which still produce great results when used properly. Oh, did I mention I still use an F-100 on occasion. Sticky back and all. It keeps me pure in the field. 
When I was developing my images in the bathroom darkroom, nobody ever questioned if I had manipulated them. But I did. My computer now makes the same tasks capable, and quicker, lots quicker. I have shown photographs with few or some light enhancements and have been questioned on the purity of the shot. “were you standing next to me when I took the picture?” And had no one questions me on lightning bolts flashing through the Cape Cod Canal. All manipulated. Oh, and what about “setup shots” I mentioned by my friend at the beach. Remember the sailor kissing the girl on a busy street in Times Square, or the famous shot of the American soldiers putting up the flag after they defeated the Japanese at Iwo Jima. Yup, set up shots.
Heck, I even manipulate some fun videos as well, as in the one below, the intro to “Chloe Dreams” They love this stuff
Digital Photography is the darkroom of today. Photoshop. If Ansel Adams was alive today, you would have to pry him away from Photoshop in his digital darkroom. Film or digital will never match the dynamic range of our eyes. Enhancement can breathe life into a photo. I will try to emphasize my images so you can see what I see. More digitally doctored images are appearing in the media these days and guess what, you can’t do anything about it, and who cares. I was at a craft fair, someone had a beautiful scarf, handmade they told me. Did they raise the alpaca from birth, feed and nurture it, then shear it and spin it into yarn. No, purchased the yarn on Ebay and used a crochet hook to create the scarf. Just saying. So enough on this. It gets wearisome and loutish to write on a subject that presently doesn’t matter. I may not be a great photographer, but sure do have some fun with it. Don’t forget, a leopard cant change his spots,,,,,, but I can.
Hummingbirds back in North Dighton
“The hummingbird
is not just another bird.
Its heart rate’s 1,200 beats per minute.
Its wings beat 80 times a second.
If you was to stop their wings
from beating, it would be dead
in less than 10 seconds.
This is no ordinary bird.
This is a frickin’ miracle.
They slowed down their wings
with moving pictures,
and you know what they saw?
Their wingtips are doing that.
You know what the figure eight
is the mathematical symbol for?
Infinity. Infinity!”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
From 2019 (WATCH HERE)
Some More Images
Great Blue Heron
“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” – Carl Sagan
Great blue herons are waders, typically seen along coastlines, in marshes, or near the shores of ponds or streams. Shown here at Oliver Mill Park, Nemasket St. Middleboro, Massachusetts. The herring are scarce now as the run is almost complete, but there are still enough to snack on. Click here or scroll down to see what the Heron may see. Even the common water snake couldn’t resist the sun. (below) click on an image to enlarge. Or, for a different view, click HERE
Red Wing Black Bird Chase Heron
spring has finally sprung
Unmistakable signs that spring has finally sprung. Most folks have heard the nightly chorus of spring peepers, but few ever have seen them. The one pictured here, is a wood frog I believe.
Fun Facts: Not all frogs in cold climates bury themselves deeply enough to avoid freezing temperatures in the winter. There are actually five species of frogs in North America that can freeze and survive. Two of these frogs are the spring peeper and the Western chorus frog. As temperatures dip below 32 degrees, these frogs start producing their own “antifreeze” to help preserve the most essential organs. Up to 70% of the frog’s body can freeze, to the point that the heart stops pumping and the frog appears to be dead. Scientists still aren’t sure how frozen frogs can wake up again, but once they thaw out and wake up, most frogs will go through a period of healing before they resume their normal lives.
Oliver Mill Park: Herring
With a GoPro camera today at Oliver Mill Park with the kids, herring are running.