Glossy Ibis at the Pahranagat NWR...

I took 45 minutes out of a recent drive through the Nevada desert to stop at the Pahranagat NWR. Armed with the K-7 / DA* 300mm, I went stalking the local bird population - mostly Glossy Ibis that day...

click a shot to see a larger version...


Prior to launch...



Liftoff...



Climbout...







Cruise...







Approach...



Short Final (and landing)...

First shots with the DA* 300mm...

Nice lens!
:D...

(click the photo to see a larger version...)

Bees...

w/ the -F 1.7x adapter...

A Damselfly...

A duck...(no TC for the following shots...)

not sure what these guys are, I think maybe bank swallows...

And a bumblebee video (somewhere in the upload process, the quality got a bit mangled, full size looks better...)

click the screenshot to link to the video...

Dragonfly Video...

My new Pentax K-7 (amazon link) shoots HD video too... I was playing with the video mode yesterday at Pahranagat Lake, Nv...

High Desert Lightning...

Shot these last night from the airport, I'm pretty happy with them (esp. the first)...

Stormy Sunset in Panaca...

The sun broke out under the ragged edge of the thunderstorm overhead a few evenings ago...

A five shot pano of the fire rigs parked out in the sagebrush...

(click this one for a larger version)


A SEAT plane (Single Engine Air Tanker)...


The helicopter...

Lightning in the North Pahroc Range...

Desert Hawks...

It's been a slow season and sitting around the the desert heat is starting to get to the guys :D ... someone had hair clippers...

"if you guys do hawks, I'll shave my eyebrows..."

Oasis Landscapes...

A few from various wetlands in the Nevada Desert...

Pahranagat Lake

Comins Lake Sunset...

Grass with a twist...

I believe this grass tuft at Pahranagat Lake was sculpted by a passing dust devil...

Pahranagat Dragonflies

I stopped briefly at the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge yesterday and the dragonflies were just swarming - I've never seen such abundance of these bugs...

All shots with the K20D and the Tamron SP AF 70-200mm, mostly @ 200mm with the Pentax-F 1.7x TC.