Video from our Safari back in Sept. This is a group of spotted hyenas that stole a lion kill. Video is a bit shaky since it was hand held with a long telephoto. Sound up to hear the hyena laugh. #Africa #Tanzania #wildlife #nikon #z8
A bright, rosy-red male Pine Grosbeak sitting on a pine branch during snow fall. The male has a vibrant raspberry-red head and chest, grayish flanks, and dark wings with two distinct white wing bars. The bird is shown perched on a snow covered pine branch.
A male and female Pine Grosbeak perched together on a platform feeder. The male is a vibrant rosy-red and is in the background. The female is in front and is a soft gray with yellow highlights on her head and rump. Snow is falling around them while they eat from the feeder.
A male Pine Grosbeak perched on a backyard bird feeder during winter. The image shows the back of the bird who is looking off to the side so we see its bright rosy-pink head, and the gray and rose pattern of feathers down the back and dark wings with two white bars,
Some pics of Pine Grosbeaks. #Colorado #Birds #cobirds
I see him!!! haha
Brown-capped Rosy-Finch with the most restricted range in Colorado and northern New Mexico. Body is milk-chocolate brown with pink highlights in the wings, tail, belly, and indistinct grayish-brown crown.
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch most widespread rosy-finch. Body is the color of milk chocolate with pink highlights in the wings, tail and belly. Two different variations of this finch. Pictured is the plain Gray-crowned variety with the gray forming a ring around the crown.
Pictured is a second variation of the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch. This is the Hepburn's variety with the gray extending down over the cheeks of the bird.
Some still images of the Rosy-Finches. These guys have been a bucket list bird for me for many years thus lots of posts. Brown-capped Rosy-Finch is endemic to #Colorado reaching a bit into WY and NM. Gray-crowned have a larger range from NM to AK and out to the coastal mountains. #birds #cobirds
A wider video view of Rosy finches. Got some good close up images that I will post next. The birds sit up in a tree all together and then swarm down grab some seed and then back up to the trees as a group. Feeder visit lasts 15 secs but the visiting lasts all day. #birds #cobirds #colorado
Out birding for Rosy-Finches. Found Brown-Capped & Gray-crowned. They breed at the highest elevations of any birds on the American continent at 14,000 ft but in winter they drop down to 11,000 feet in large flocks. Video of part of the flock we saw which we counted at 400. #birds #cobirds #Colorado
Thank you so much Mark for the kind words.
Sorry, I should have added that it's nicknamed Thor's Helmet
That does seem like a better name right?!! I always see a flowing dress and the arms of a Flamenco Dancer.
Thor's Helmet Nebula (NGC 2359), a cosmic cloud of gas and dust shaped like a winged helmet, glowing with blue and red/pink emissions. RGB or stars. Equipment: RC 6 with ZWO ASI1600mm. Bi-color image with Ha and Oiii data. Processed in Astro Pixel Processor, Seti Astro Pro, and Photoshop
Since Jan 14th I have been working on imaging NGC 2359. Seeing conditions have been spotty. I collected over 21 hrs of data, but only used 15.4 hrs of data tossing the rest due to poor seeing. I have to say this is better than any previous attempts with OSC camera. #astrophotography #colorado #ZWO
Great video clip.
A Common Hoopoe (African subspecies) perched on a branch. The bird has cinnamon-colored plumage, a long down-curved bill, distinctive zebra-striped wings and a tall erect "crown" of feathers with black tips.
Common Hoopoe perched on branch looking down at the ground for insects. It uses its long curved bill to probe the ground for insects.
Captured this Common Hoopoe in Maasai Mara National Reserve. He very obligingly posed for us in the evening sunlight. #birds #nikon #z8 #safari #Africa #Kenya #wildlife
Killdeer maybe???
A bright open star cluster, known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters, featuring several prominent blue stars surrounded by faint, wispy blue reflection nebulosity.
Wrapping up post on data collected before Christmas. Pleiades open star cluster taken with ASI 1600mm and William Optics z63. 4 hrs of LRGB data. #astrophotography
A false-color image of the Seagull Nebula using the SHO palette, where sulfur is mapped to red, hydrogen to green, and oxygen to blue. The "head" of the seagull (NGC 2327) appears as a bright, dense golden-yellow cloud at the top. Its massive "wings," spanning 250 light-years, stretch across the frame in a blend of amber and gold. The center of the nebula glows with turquoise hues where oxygen is most concentrated.
A wide-field view of the Seagull Nebula in alternate Hubble palette colors. The gas clouds form a celestial bird with outstretched wings. the head and wings are shown in a a pale tan/red color with the central body a vibrant blue.
Continuing adventures with mono. Took a bit since I was fighting cloudy nights; thought I would never get my Oiii data. And post processing can be a major time sink hole. I have 4 different color versions of this target. Attached are two. #astrophotography #colorado
Thank you. I was pleased to see how well the gopro captured the night sky.
Streaks of stars arching across the night sky, over Ngorongoro Crater National Park. The North star Polaris is low on the horizon and not visible behind a mountain ridge.
#Astrophotography was not on the agenda during safari. But it was fun to observe constellations that are normally on the horizon at home straight over head. I did set up a go pro and captured a 1 hr star trail timelapse. Looking north with Polaris on the horizon. Bit different at 3° vs 39°
A juvenile American Goshawk hunting during yesterday's snow storm. He/she caught the squirrel in a tree and then proceeded to try and kill it by dropping it. Unfortunately the soft powder made that a challenge. Eventually seceded and flew off with dinner. #colorado #birds #cobirds
Cheetah stretches its front legs forward, with its back arched, on a grassy plain. The image highlights the cats lean, muscular body and spotted coat.
Big stretchies! Our #safari group came upon this cheetah waking up for the evening in Maasai Mara National Reserve. #wildlife #Africa #Kenya #Nikon #z8
Absolutely gorgeous image.
Thank you Mike. Your images are always impressive. Hopefully one day I can be as good.
Thanks. New toys and all that... LOL
Not sure why my overwhelming was deleted in that post.
Thanks. It has been a bit so far, but I am looking forward to the new challenge and learning new techniques.
The IC 1848 Soul Nebula, a star-forming region, is shown in a false-color SHO (Sulfur, Hydrogen, Oxygen) narrowband image, with a vibrant red/orange region surrounding a green and blue inner area, highlighting ionized gas clouds. Camera was ASI1600mm and the scope was WO z73. Captured 10 minute subs of Ha, SII, and OIII. Total stack was 7.4 hrs. Post processed in Astro Pixel Processor and Photoshop.
Same image shown in HOO color palette which shows mostly the hydrogen areas and the pink/purple area is the area of Oxygen. Camera was ASI1600mm and the scope was WO z73. Captured 10 minute subs of Ha, SII, and OIII. Total stack was 7.4 hrs. Post processed in Astro Pixel Processor and Photoshop.
So I have my first mono astro cooled camera. I was able to pick it up used from a club member. So now a whole new adventure begins. My first night out I targeted IC 1848 Soul Nebula. In post I created two versions: SHO and HOO. Lots to learn. Details in alt text #astrophotography #colorado
Small kingfisher perched on a branch. Back is to the camera showing its bright blue upperparts, rufous underparts, and long orange bill.
Small Malachite Kingfisher turned on branch facing the camera. Shows the bright orange chest, and a short blue/green crest on its head.
Malachite Kingfisher leaning forward on a branch as it prepares to dive. Image shows the bright orange chest, and a short blue/green crest on its head.
Little Malachite Kingfisher seen in #Amboseli National Park in #Kenya. #birds #nikon #safari #Africa
The Heart Nebula (IC 1805), a star-forming emission nebula located in the constellation Cassiopeia. Image shows the nebula in a false color palette of burnt oranges, green, and blue. Image was captured using a Nikon D750 astro modified camera. 8.8 hrs of data captured using L-Synergy filter combines with 7.7 hrs of L-eXtreme data.
Heart Nebula in SHO. I have been playing with the new L-Synergy filter from #Optlong for creating SHO palette images with a color camera when combined with L-eXtreme data. Still figuring out the workflow but like the detail. Total exposure is 16 hrs. #astrophotography #colorado #nikon
Thank you. It was an amazing night.
Thank you
Sorry bad typo. These were with my Nikon z6 not the z8.
