Tag Archives: woodinville

Hot Air Balloon Searching for a Landing Spot

Nice evenings during the summer mean balloon flights over Woodinville and the surrounding area.  I was driving home one evening and, as I came up I-405, I could see a balloon that looked like it might be close to home.  Rather than turn towards the house, I headed for one of the nearby fields that has been a landing zone for balloons before (and that have made it into posts on here).  When I got there, the balloon was close but was tracking slightly west of the field so no way it was going to make it in.  It was heading towards the town so I decided to drive towards the south side of the town to see where it might end up.

I was coming around the south side on the road that skirts the town and the traffic had come to a halt.  This was because everyone was watching the balloon low overhead.  I actually took a shot through the sunroof of the car as it came low over me.  I looped around the roundabout but didn’t take the south exit because the crew seemed to be heading that way and I didn’t need to crowd things.

I went around to the next road and looked back across the fields as the balloon continued on its way.  It wasn’t touching down so I guess the area was not ideal.  I figured I might head a little further south and see if it came even further.  I took the road to Redmond and pulled off at one of the field entrances.  Sure enough, they were still drifting south but looked like they might finally be getting close to landing.  I didn’t shoot much video, but I did get a little to emphasize the way the balloon was drifting through the trees.  As I watched it, the ground crew pulled up and started honking at me.  They were incredibly rude.  As soon as I saw them arrive, I was getting out of the way.  Not my fault that they were struggling to catch their balloon, but they behaved like everyone should just get out of their way.  I did anyway but, if you are reading this balloon crew, don’t be assholes to bystanders if you are struggling to recover your balloon and its passengers.

The Frogs Always Justify My Attention

While sitting on the deck one evening, a frog was climbing up a post.  I didn’t know how long it would hang around, so I grabbed a few quick pictures with my phone before going inside to get the camera with the macro lens.  It hadn’t gone too far when I got back but I was glad I had taken the phone shots when I did.  The frog was now climbing up the post and it jumped in to one of the hanging baskets.  This made getting shots a touch trickier.  There were also bits of plant getting in the way.  I ended up using the focus stack function to get a sequence of shots which I then processed in Photoshop later.  I just love close up shots of wildlife like this.

Bloody Great Bee!

The plants in our backyard attract a lot of insects and we get plenty of bees hanging out on sunny days.  One of our hanging baskets gets a reasonable amount of attention but not a lot.  However, one bee showed up on a Sunday afternoon and got our attention.  First, it stayed on the basket for ages climbing over the same flowers repeatedly unlike the usual bee behavior or constantly moving from flower to flower.  The other reason for our attention was the size of the thing.  It was huge compared to our average bees.  I wonder if it got so large by removing every morsel of nutrient from each flower!

Frog Visiting the Garden

Playing with macro photography is fun and, when I came across a small frog in our back garden, I grabbed the macro lens.  Clearly, the frog was not totally impressed by my interest in its presence, but I tried to get close to it without spooking it.  It did allow me to get a little closer but getting a good focus on its head when things are dynamic was a little tricky.  I got a lot of shots with the body in focus but not the eyes.  Still, a few worked out okay.

Hummingbird Guarding The Icicle

We try to keep the feeders stocked up for the hummingbirds.  However, while there is never a shortage, they still get very competitive about access with dominant birds trying to keep the others away.  If only they understood!  As the temperature dropped and I imagine their food sources got sparser, one of the hummers decided to take up residence on the arm that the feeder hangs from.  If I went outside, it would fly away but would immediately return as soon as I was gone.  It meant it was easier photographing it through the window.  The icicle hanging beneath it is a measure of the chilly conditions.

Balloon Low Over Woodinville

Balloon flights in the area around Woodinville are very common in the summer months.  It is not unusual to see balloons early in the morning as I head to work or later in the day after I have got home.  They are usually not too far away but, as I was coming out of a place in the town after seeing some friends, I was rather surprised to look up and see a balloon right above my head.  The phone was all I had to hand so I grabbed a couple of shots of it as it drifted south and down towards, what I presume was its landing site.  A nice surprise for me!

You Weren’t Expecting Me Were You?

We did some work on our backyard this year including replacing the grass.  Previously, the rabbits had been giving free reign in the yard since the grass was in poor condition.  Once we replaced it, it was time to stop them coming in and “spreading weeds”.  We have successfully blocked most of the access points that they had but there are still some areas where they have been tenacious enough to find a way in.  I stepped out on to the deck recently with camera in hand.  There, right in front of me, was a rabbit.  I was quite surprised and it looked pretty surprised by me for a moment too.  I grabbed a couple of shots of its slightly startled look and then, as soon as I moved, it bolted.  I encouraged it back out the way it had come and then replaced whatever it had pushed out of the way.  The battle continues…

How Close Can I Get To The Hummingbirds?

We had a quiet time with the hummingbirds in our back yard for a while.  I am not sure where they went but they were not on the feeders very often.  However, that has changed as summer has rolled on and we now have a ton of them in the yard, often fighting with each other over who gets to feed.  I decided to go and stand out near one of the feeders and stay still to see whether I could get closer to them or not.  Little did I realize how uninterested in me that they were.

After I had been there a few minutes, they came in to feed and also to check me out.  They would fly up to me and then move around me, stopping as they went.  I seemed to be a curiosity for a moment and then they lost interest.  Instead they would start sparring with each other.  Some dramatic aerial jousting would take place, often around me.  It must have been something to see from our deck because it felt amazing being there.  No pictures of that because it all happened at high speed but I was able to get some shots of them as they hovered near the feeder at the times when they weren’t in battles.

Butterflies Or Moths?

A bit of a Google search on the distinguishing characteristics of butterflies versus moths helped me out a bit but I don’t think it was quite as clear cut as I was hoping.  We have a fluttering insect that seems to like our lavender plants a lot.  I spent a little time one evening trying to get some shots of them at work.  They don’t stay on any one section for long so a little patience and luck is in order.  I didn’t know whether they were moths or butterflies.  I think that they might be butterflies but, if they aren’t please don’t be too harsh in the comments.

Bees On The Lavender

Nancy has been busy planting in our back yard at home and one of the plants she has gone with is a lavender plant.  Some of the plants take a while to get established and even longer to attract the wildlife but the lavender seems to be an instant hit.  It has had a steady stream of bees visiting it as well as other creatures.  Bees are the focus today.

I spent a little time lying on the ground by the plant with the macro lens fitted.  This is not necessarily an ideal choice as my macro is not a high end lens and it has pretty slow focusing motors.  The camera tries to drive it but often it can’t keep up.  However, stick with it and you can get some shots that work out.  One of the things I had not anticipated was the proboscis that the bees have.  Maybe they tuck it away when not on plants but, as they move between parts of the plant, it stays out and it is rather an intimidating looking item!