Cherry Blossoms with a Bird and Blue Sky

A Japanese White Eye

It was one of those days, people shouldn't be indoors, wasting their lives away.

The legs seemed a little rubbery from weaving in and out of bars last night.

So, I stayed close to the office, updated stuff and practiced, using my sleeping bag.

It was a good thing, I kept sneaking out back to catch some sun rays.

Recently, one of those Android phones, came into my life.

It needed 34 updates, I discovered, after having it a whole week.

Don't ask why but, I figured, it would update lots faster if, we were outdoors.

There's no sense telling everybody, how many hours it took, to get this shot.

When that Mejiro, posed for a split second in the cherry blossoms, I was ready.

It turned out to be, not such a bad day, for the old guy, after-all.

Camera: Pentax K3

Lens:  Pentax 300MM with 1.4 converter -- Focal Length 420MM

Exposure:  f/6.3   f/1250   ISO 100

Location:  Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Latitude: 26.454

Longitude:  127.921

Date and Time:  FEB 28  2016   4:36PM

16 Steps to Get this Bird in Cherry Blossoms

Mejiro in Sakura

 

 

It's not that I'm going to write all sixteen steps down for reading.

That's just the number of steps, I had to walk outside my office door, to take this shot.

Camera:  Pentax K3

Lens:  Pentax 300MM + 1.4 converter  Focal length 420MM

Exposure:  f/7.1   1/800   ISO 400

Location:  Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  FEB 16 2016  1:46PM

Bird Animation: Japanese White Eye in Orange Blossoms

The bright orange flowers may be Chinese Trumpets.

Heading back to the office after a full day of shooting, they caught my attention.

Just as I was composing an image for identification of the flowers, along came this bird.

Usually when I photograph the Zosterops japonicus, they are in cherry blossoms.

The flower identification can wait for another day.

The bird in blossoms was my final stop with the camera and GPS for Geo-tagging.

Several hours walking the backroads has worn me out.

So, it's best, I lock up the shop and go somewhere to get re-hydrated.

This Bird Will Brighten Up A January Day

Japanese White Eye

 

 

The Mejiro or, Zosterops japonicus, rarely stops moving.  

This time of year they are buzzing around everywhere, especially near cherry blossoms.

Up north, for a visit to Mt.Yaedake, there were few blossoms in bloom.

So, I pulled up this series of the bird photos, taken JAN 9, 2015, in my back yard.

Camera: Pentax K3

Lens: Pentax f4 300mm

Exposure: f/4  1/400   ISO 200

A Little Yellow Bird on Christmas Day

Mejiro: A Fast Mover

 

 

More commonly known as the Japanese White Eye, these are some skittish birds.

This one, caused me to run inside and get the 300mm lens.

To create the GIF, I shot a series of photos at f/4  1/500  ISO 400.

A tripod and Pentax K3 made the equipment a bit heavy.

Doctor's orders: I'm supposed to take it easy for the next month or, so.

Once, I got all the stuff, hauled up on the roof, it was fairly easy shooting, for me.

Hopefully, you had as much fun, as I did, on Christmas day !

A Lot Can Happen in One Thousandth of a Second

This Photo Is an Example

Today, out on Miyagi Island we weren't looking for cherry blossoms.

But, when I spotted this Japanese White Eye in the sakura, I had to shoot a photo.

Concentrating and focusing on the eye of the bird on the right, I didn't notice the other one.

The rascal flew through the scene and ruined my composition.

The shutter speed for this shot was 1/1000 of a second.

That wasn't the worst thing that happened out there today but, I'm going to use it for an excuse.

Tell the wife, it drove me to drinking.

And, keep the really bad stuff, a secret !

Nature Photo of the Day from Okinawa Japan

 Mt. Yadake a Japanese White Eye in Cherry Blossoms

Visit my website for today's Feature Photo

Wildlife Photo (Bird) Japanese White Eye (Zosterops japonicus)

Here it is Christmas morning and instead of posting a Frosty the Snowman for everyone to see, I'm giving you a bird in a blossoming cherry tree. Did Santa have a little bit too much eggnog?

Not really.  Here in Okinawa we don't get any snow. That's something the folks up in northern Japan do. Down south, where I live, the coldest weather makes the cherryblossoms (桜) come out.

We don't have the same kind of cherry trees you see in Japan and Washington, DC.  Our cherry trees come from Taiwan. It takes a good cold snap of wintery weather to make them sprout the little red buds that blossom. And they get cherryblossoms before they ever sprout leaves.

The Japanese White Eyes love cherryblossoms. Being a wildlife photographer and a nature-lover, I guess you could say I love cherryblossoms, too.  As much as I dislike  cold weather, I'm looking forward to that freezing cold day when it wakes up the naked cherry tree branches and the little red buds start popping out all over. It'll be just as pretty as the lights on your Christmas tree.

FROM OKINAWA, JAPAN: MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Another Cherry Blossom (桜) Day

Today I went out to shoot the Cherry Blossoms (桜) again. The light wasn't right for what I wanted, so I dug up this shot from a few weeks ago.

In the next week or so the blossoms will be gone until next year. Amen ! Just hope I get the shots in the right light over the next few days so they get published and I get paid for them !

Today I figured out, I probably make around a Nickle an hour when you figure for every hour I'm out shooting I spend twice as much time on the computer editing and processing.

Again, I tried to change my settings so people can respond to my Blog. Let me know if it worked. And if you can't respond, let me know that, too. Just go back to the top of my Home Page and hit Questions and Answers. Then look at my Gallery and find a picture that says "Buy This Photo" and TRY THAT OUT, TOO !

More later