Spring 2011 Collection
This is one of the new photomontages that we will be offering this year, shown right next to its very inspiration.
Spring is the time of the year when I get most of my pictures of flowers and birds. The colors are brighter and the greens are new and after each shower the air seems more transparent. Nature's rebirth after the long winter months.
All that energy is also showing in our new line of products. We are adding greeting cards and bookmarks to our prints and calendars. For 2012 we will offer again the Bluebird Country calendar, with many new images. And all new for 2012, Orchid Garden Calendar. I'll post some images soon.
Be sure to visit our galley often. You won't be disappointed.
Early Spring Tulip
The Orchid House
Last Tuesday we visited the Orchid House at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The setting is tropical with thousands of orchids in full bloom on display. Combining that with several water features makes it a very beautiful place.
Entering the formal garden, with its raised flowers beds and pergolas, is like experiencing an explosion of color. You can find most of the colors of the rainbow in the form of orchids from pale yellow to dark red, including the white Sarraceniaceae from the tepuis in Venezuela (which means "house of the gods" in the tongue of the local natives).
The naturalistic garden is a little less colorful but more adventurous. If you look carefully you can find rare orchids from far away parts of the world hidden in the heavy foliage.
Close-up photography
A day well spent and a promise to ourselves of more visits to see all the other gardens and the canopy walk.
The bluebirds saga
Last year in March, a bluebird couple inspected our birdhouse. Obviously it wasn’t up to their standards because they didn’t come back. Soon after that, a less pretentious chickadee couple moved in and after a few weeks their three little chicks hatched.
You can see the pictures here.
This year, another bluebird couple has been checking our birdhouse and its neighborhood. Good food and water close by with a 24 hour security fence around the backyard. Maybe not the kind of luxury home to which they were accustomed but a fine house just the same.
The landlord cleaning the birdhouse.
They have been in and out several times during the day. The male perches on the roof and looks around, his head turning like a periscope, and the female goes inside to look around. But they still look undecided.
A chickadee couple has also been eyeing the house. It is too soon to know who is going to nest in our birdhouse but it will be interesting to see who will make it their home.
A tale of two weather radios
One of the first things we did after moving to the Atlanta area and being confronted with the possibility of tornados was to buy a weather radio.
It served us loyally for many years but a couple of months ago it started to lose its voice. At the end it was whispering the watches and warnings, as if they were state secrets.
We realized that it was time for a change. We went out and bought a new one. Shiny, bright, full of commands and lights, and with a vibrant voice capable of waking up even our neighbors across the street.
The problem is that it’s a little hysterical. It keeps losing the signal and it likes to share that information with us, with beeps and flashes, preferably at 2:00 in the morning.
It’s in those moments when we miss the old radio, with its soft and secretive voice.
Red Cyclamen
This is the first in a series of flower close-ups experimenting with different lenses and stacking techniques. This picture was taken with a Nikon D90 and the Nikon 18-200mm telephoto zoom lens. The next step will be to get a macro lens and see if I can get more details, especially when photographing red flowers.
Right now the decision is between Nikon and Sigma lenses, price is a major consideration. I'll keep you posted.
2011 Great Backyard Bird Count
The 2011 Great Backyard Bird Count — an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent — will take place Friday, February 18, through Monday, February 21.
Anyone can participate and it's free, easy and fun.
For more information visit their website.
