Flowering Trees and What We Learned Today

Plum Blossom Report #2

 

 

Wintertime depression was sneaking up on me because, I need sunshine.

Unfortunately, it's been cold and raining every day this week.

Stuck in the office, all day, I wasn't in any mood for blogging last night.  So, I didn't.

It was raining this morning but, Map It Okinawa came by and, off to the hills, we went.

  

The plan:  Go back to  Oshittai (オーシッタイ) and see how the plum blossoms were doing.

These images were taken, to give flower lovers an idea, what to expect.

That narrow road, wasn't really made for high speed, two way traffic.

On weekdays, there isn't hardly any traffic so, it's fairly safe for flower viewing.

But, on weekends, it can get crowded with nature nuts and photographers.

The slight drizzle of rain, would come and go so, I didn't mind it, too much.

As long as it's not windy, you can shoot some interesting photos. 

If no water drops get on the lens, you may catch some drops on the flowers and stems.

Wet vegetation can yield some interesting colors and compositions.

The bees seemed to be hiding somewhere dry and, didn't bother me much today.

With no wind, shaking everything, I used slow shutter speeds to capture the flower colors.

And, it was easy to move around, without worrying about traffic, coming down the road.

Just imagine, somebody spraying some sort of honey mist in the outdoor air,

Then maybe, you'll have an idea, what the place smells like.

Anybody, who has seen my profile picture, can probably tell, I ain't no flower dude !

There'll more than likely, be more women than, bees up there this weekend.

They should wait another week if, they want to see those trees in full bloom.

Today was the first time, I took a close look at the bark on those plum trees.

And, I noticed these spikes, sticking out of the branches and tree trunks.

It would be a good idea, not to climb on of those trees, to try and snatch some flowers.

Those thorns or, whatever you call them, look like roofing nails, to me !

If you are one of those folks, who snitch other people's flowers, find a low branch.

Or, bring along a step ladder so, you can reach up high. Just don't climb the tree.

Luckily, nobody heard me, when I discovered, a plum tree bit me !

Taking a wild guess, the plum blossoms are only about 20% of the way into full bloom.

My prediction:  The next two weekends -- You will find traffic jams in those hills.

SEE MORE IN PLUM BLOSSOM REPORT #1

FOR DIRECTIONS: VISIT THE MAP IT LINK ABOVE

How the Osprey Does Lunch -- 10 Bird Images

Shortly Before Noon

 

 

It was one of rare days, in January, when the sun shined and weather warmed up.

Comfortable in flip-flops, I stuffed a pair of socks in my pocket, just in case.

Having celebrated the New Year for several nights in a row, I needed some exercise.

It had been months, since I walked around the Kin Dam and, I decided the time was right.

 Standing on a dirt bank, above the dam, I saw the bird circling overhead.

Then, it took a steep dive towards the water, directly in front of me.

The bird was staring at the water, with it's talons itching, to grab something.

Sometimes, they go home empty handed so, it can be a hit or miss operation.

 Ospreys have an extra eyelid, they can use as goggles, to see underwater.

But, this one, didn't seem to want to get its hair wet and, kept its head out of the water.

Maybe, it was a girl.  They worry about their appearance, in the people world, anyway. 

 It's times like this, you never know what's gonna happen.

Auto focus, I'm cussing at it, while shooting at 8 frames plus, per second.

If that bird, doesn't come up with a fish, I just wasted a gigabyte of my SD card.

Birds aren't the only critters, that get hungry around lunchtime; I'm starving by now.

OK.  Osprey, show us what you got !

 Now, I can see the bird has something hanging down from one talon.

Stuck at 420MM, I'm wishing I had of brought the big zoom lens, at this point.

The bird and fish, keep getting smaller and smaller the further away from me they went.

Hang tight.  The osprey, likes to do a victory lap and, show-off the catch.

It circles the area, while adjusting the fish so, it's facing forward.

It makes life easier for the bird, to get the fish in an aerodynamic position. 

Then, the bird squawks loudly, announcing to the rest of the world.

Osprey speak:  "I caught a fish everybody, ha, ha, ha.  How are you doing today?"

That's what makes me think, it might have been a guy osprey.  Girls, don't brag like that.

 The bird and fish, quickly buzz across to the other side of the dam.

And, I'm thinking, "It's time for me to get outta here, to go buy some lunch for myself."

Well, I should of known better.  The osprey wasn't done showing, his catch, yet.

After, disappearing out of sight, he turned around and circled the dam again.

 "Look here, y'all non-fishing ospreys.  I got me something for lunch!"

Ospreys are some of the coolest birds in the world, I only wish I could speak their language.

"Dude catch me a fish and, I'll buy you a beer," that's what I'd say !


Previous Osprey Entries

Flower Photo: Flame Lily -- A Beauty that Can Kill You !

Checkout the Brilliant Colors

 

 

While, you're at it, memorize the looks of this plant and flower and seeds.

Anything you eat off this vegetation is fairly poisonous, I learned today. 

Every part of the plant, including the roots, is loaded with colchicine; some toxic stuff.

There are twelve species of this plant in the Gloriosa family.

This one, looks like a Gloriosa superba, to me but, I'm not really a plant scientist.

Encyclopedia of Life says, some dummies, use the plant for suicide !

Those people are nuts.  They're not very good at solving their own problems, I bet.

This traditional Okinawan house with a green-tiled roof, made the plant stand out.

So, I shot it from a few different angles, to show off the flowers.

Then, I asked a man, walking down the street, what the plant's name might be.

He, didn't know but, agreed, it was a nifty looking flower.

It can be called a Flame Lily, Fire Lily Gloriosa Lily, Superb Lily or, Climbing Lily.

It's sometimes called a Creeping Lily, too and, I like that name best.

The thing gives me the creeps so, I won't go back to take more pictures of it, ever again !

Learn more about this flower at EOL or, Wikipedia if, you like them.

Bird Image: Just Call These Geese Snap Crackle and Pop

Wild and Uncooperative

 

 

A couple of times a week, they cross my path, when out with the camera.

They never seem to hold a pose for more than a second or two.

Most of the time the three of them, never look in the same direction at the same time.

Over 300 times, the shutter snapped, trying to get a good composition today.

It was way past sundown when, I finally walked back to the office and downloaded the camera.

People could suspect a man standing in the road, talking to birds, may be a little crazy.

It's not nice, to throw rocks in order to get the wildlife, posing.

So, I try other stuff, while I'm looking through the view finder, to get the right shot.

Wiggling my fanny and trying to make rattlesnake noises, didn't work.

Then I tried, "Hey, birds there's a tiger over there, sneaking up on you!"  Didn't work.

This photo was one of the last shots, I took today and, I sort of like it.

It's not a proven technique yet but, I thought I'd pass along to everyone, how it was done.

Sing that Rice Krispy song about Snap, Crackle and Pop.

And, when you get to the part about Pop,  stomp a yellow flip-flop with your right foot.

It worked alright for me !

Camera:  Pentax K3

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

Exposure:  f/7.1  1/15   ISO 100

Location:  Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan 

Latitude:  26.447

Longitude:  127.933

Date and Time:  JAN 10 2016   5:15PM

Related Post:

Bean Goose at Kin Dam

Cherry Blossoms on Mt. Yaedake in Okinawa

Some Early Bloomers

 

 

The Okinawa Island Guide says the Sakura Festival starts January 23 2016.

From then until February 7th, Mount Yae, will be crawling with cars and tourists.

If you don't like fighting the crowds, take a camera and get up there, now !

Yesterday, after shooting some plum blossoms, we went up the mountain. 

There were only a few people along the road, taking pictures.

That's because there aren't lots of cherry trees blooming, yet.

It's fun, for me, to get up high in the hills and, shoot photos out in the fresh air.

One year, I met a pretty, blond haired gal named, Heidi up on that mountain. 

She was real friendly and, let me shoot a photo of her, too.

 Anytime, a pretty gal, let's me shoot her, I give them a free print.

So, now we're friends on Facebook and, she shoots some awesome photos, I found out.

Heidi contacted me and asked if, the sakura blossoms were opening yet.

So, I hollered back on Facebook, "Yup, I was up there yesterday."

 And, I told her maybe, I'd post a few photos tonight if, I had time to do it.

One thing, I learned from having blond haired wives is, you don't lie to those women.

 I figured it'd be best if, I show these pictures so, she knows I ain't a liar.

Looking at these images, you might think Sakura Season is in full swing but, it isn't.

All these photos were taken at a focal length of 420MM.

A mathematician might say, the blossoms are at about 2 percent or, something like that.

We don't want Heidi, to go running up the mountain and, come back down, all angry at me.

Because, she's a blond and, I don't need any more black eyes.

For this Sakura Report my recommendation would be: Wait two more weeks.