Fearless Deer...

Yosemite deer are the most relaxed I've ever come across - they were just lying there next to the walkways without a care in the word... Made for easy shooting...

Vulture Tree...

I came upon these turkey vultures this morning alongside the road - very photogenic (if they weren't so ugly)...

The basking tree...





Preening...


Catching some rays...

All shot with the Tamron SP 400mm F4, on a tripod f/7.1, 1/2000 sec., ISO 400 (last is f/9 & 1/500)

A country drive...

Went out on a long, winding, virtually untraveled road fairly close to here. I drove mostly in 1st gear at idle with my long lens on the camera in my lap... This allowed me to come across many birds and critters, though mostly the birds all look about the same, perched on the barbed wire.

Here's a few of my favorites. Shot with the Tamron SP 400mm f/4 + the Adaptall 1.4x TC.

There were a few flowers in the background of this shot. I think this is a Grasshopper Sparrow...

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I think this is a Western Kingbird...


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A killdeer tries the old "broken wing" routine on me...


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Ground Squirrel Buffet...


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Western Pond Turtle

I saw this rock walking across the road the other day, and after successfully swerving to avoid hitting the little guy, I grabbed the camera and went and lay in the dirt...

I've identified it as a Western Pond Turtle (and had that confirmed by experts - thanks Traci).

You can see a few more out of the series here. After being harassed by the paparazzi, this dude decided to wander back into the road, and I got worried about his pace, so I picked him up and carried him about 30 feet from the road - I hope he decided to stay off the asphalt after that.

cosumnes river preserve...

Got to check out the Cosumnes River Preserve yesterday and shoot a few photos. I was using the Sigma 50-500mm (the Bigma) on a Kenko 1.5x teleconverter on my Pentax K20D, and while the results weren't universally good, they weren't universally bad either - I did get some sharp photos, and it was a good time...

I'm no bird expert, so feel free to fill me in on names I don't know or correct me on what I got wrong ;).

Here are some of the better shots...

(click to see a larger version)...

Egret


Black Necked Stilt (identified by Marc L, a real bird photographer. - Thanks Marc.)





Red Wing Blackbird


Sandhill Cranes


???


Great Blue Heron