This used to be called a rufous-sided towhee, although the powers that be have decided that the western and eastern variants in the US are separate species. So to be hip, we’ll call it its new name, the spotted towhee (the eastern guys are appropriately called eastern towhees). Regardless of the name, both suffer from the cruel injustice of the female cowbird. Seems the cowbird sneaks into the towhee’s nest when an expectant mother isn’t there, removes the towhee eggs and then deposits a few of her own. The cowbird splits the scene before the towhee knows what’s going on. Unable to distinguish that a switch has occurred, the towhee will incubate the eggs as if her own.
We stumbled upon this landscape while driving from Montalcino to Montepulciano in southern Tuscany. In several of the Tuscan hill towns, we had seen postcards depicting this exact view. I would have liked to have photographed it either earlier or later in the day when the light was more dramatic, but those low clouds provided an interesting sky and just enough cover to diffuse the sun a bit.
Before I get to this good looking red frog, you might have noticed that the blog looks different today. I’ve been trying all sorts of things over the weekend to integrate it into a regular website. Everything is still in the works and unfortunately, in the process, I lost my subscribers list. I added back all those that I was able to save but if you didn’t get an email, please re-subscribe at the bottom of the page.
As for the frog, I posted a similar shot a couple of years ago. This is a tomato frog from Madagascar. This one is the female. She is much larger and more colorful than the brownish male.
I’ve always been a big fan of hippos and when I went to Uganda I wanted to get an eye level shot of one with its mouth open. What I didn’t want was for the mouth to be open on account of me. Hippos kill more people per year in Africa than any other mammal and approaching too closely can be a big mistake. They are herbivores, but get annoyed easily and are very quick in the water. They do most of their damage to people in small boats who get too close, but they can also charge in an instant on land. This guy was agitated when I approached water’s edge with my guide and he went through a serious of mock charges. I took a few quick shots before getting the message and quickly ran back up the riverbank.
Ever since my first trip to Tanzania I’ve been a fan of the warthog. Ugly little bastards but I like them. This guy was racing alongside our vehicle allowing me to get some nice blurred action shots.
This coachwhip snake was out hunting lizards when I came across it on a hike in the Colorado Desert of southern California. Of course, my first instinct when I see a small animal is to get down on the ground for a few pictures. Fortunately, the snake cooperated by raising its head up out of the bushes for a few seconds before continuing on its way.
Another black-tailed jackrabbit from Anza-Borrego State Park in southern California. The ears, of course, are for hearing but they also help to reduce and regulate body heat, enabling the rabbit to live in the hot conditions of the desert.
A couple of attempts at panoramics from my neighborhood in Brooklyn. I really can’t think of a place in the city that has better views than those just outside my apartment in Dumbo. For the top shot, I merged three HDR images into one (total of 15 exposures) and for the bottom I used 4 HDR images for a total of 20 exposures. Being a :3o second walk from my apartment, I’ve taken photos at this location several times but still haven’t quite gotten the shot I’m after. I’ll keep at it and post when I do.
Volterra is a classic Tuscan hill town, sitting high above the farmland below and encircled by a 13th century stone wall. Just below the wall in this particular shot you can see the old Roman Theater, which was built in about 10 BC but cut off from the city by the wall and soon forgotten. Eventually it would be covered in garbage, serving as the town dump, until being rediscovered in the 1950s.
We use cookies to enhance your experience while using our website. If you are using our Services via a browser you can restrict, block or remove cookies through your web browser settings. We also use content and scripts from third parties that may use tracking technologies. You can selectively provide your consent below to allow such third party embeds. For complete information about the cookies we use, data we collect and how we process them, please check our Privacy Policy
