CRITTER (& MORE) CHALLENGE!

LIFE’S TOO EASY RIGHT NOW! Right? Of course not. But to take our minds off the pandemic, here’s a nature photography CHALLENGE! From May 1 to May 31, try to photograph as many of the following as you can while social distancing, abiding by all CDC & locale jurisdiction rules, and following ethical photography guidelines. Most of these critters, birds, plants, & landscapes can be found in your own neighborhood or nearby.

Please join the Meetup BEFORE MAY 18 ( https://www.meetup.com/Nature-Photography-DC-MD-VA/events/270282039/  https://www.meetup.com/Nature-Photography-DC-MD-VA/events/270282039/ ) and then upload your photos (1 per category) to our Meetup album by May 31. Each find counts ONE point. The “extra credit” categories count FIVE points each. The photographer with the most points who uploads her/his photos by 5/31 at 11:59 p.m. wins. FIRST-PLACE WINNER GETS BRAGGING RIGHTS & FIVE PHOTO OUTINGS.  See Meetup for details.

We’re using the HONOR SYSTEM — but photos shot before May 1, 2020 do NOT count. Be prepared to send us your RAW photo if there’s a tie or a question. If there are up to three ties, all will win. If there are more, we will do the equivalent of a "coin toss."

Trouble finding these local treasures? Check iNaturalist, eBird & other online resources. I will also post a selected bibliography with some invaluable local guidebooks. Questions? Please post them here or message me. HAVE FUN!

******* 1. BIRDS *************************************************

Female Northern Cardinal

Osprey

Occupied osprey nest

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Hummingbird

Prothonotary Warbler

EXTRA CREDIT: Scarlet Tanger

******* 2. CRITTERS *************************************************

Gray Squirrel

Deer

Lizard or skink

Green treefrog

Any butterfly besides a swallowtail or monarch

Horse OR the cutest cat or dog you can find. Costumes permitted.

EXTRA CREDIT: Bear

******* 3. PLANTS *************************************************

Violet

Azalea

Tulip tree bloom

Mountain Laurel

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Morel mushroom

EXTRA CREDIT: Wild orchid

******* 4. LANDSCAPES *************************************************

Flower garden

Creek

River

Waterfall

Farm

Hill or mountain

EXTRA CREDIT: Combo of 2 of the above

PHOTOGRAPHING SPRING'S BEST 

BIRDS, BLOOMS, & BEASTS

March 11, 2020, 7 pm

Chantilly Public Library 

4000 Stringfellow Rd., Chantilly, VA, 703-502-3883

             When and where to find close-up 

            critters, birds, and blossoms in the 

                    Mid-Atlantic this spring.

Please join Barbara Saffir, nature photographer, Virginia Master Naturalist, Sierra Club hike leader, and author of "Walking Washington, DC" for a FREE nature photography talk, slide show, and exhibit at the Chantilly branch of the Fairfax County Library on March 11, 2020 at 7 p.m.

Her 92-page nature photo book, 2-page spring nature guide to the MidAtlantic, photographs, blank photo greeting cards, & signed copies of "Walking Washington, DC" will be for sale after the talk.

REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED, but it would be appreciated to give the library a heads up on the attendance.

https://www.meetup.com/Nature-Photography-DC-MD-VA/events/266303870/

https://librarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov/event/6035144

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

                                         DC photos:         https://www.flickr.com/gp/olympusbjs/DXiQW0/

                                         Nature Photos:   https://www.flickr.com/gp/olympusbjs/siKuK0

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope 2020 brings joy to everyone!

Here are a couple of unique hikes to help you enjoy.

1/25/20: 

FLYING SQUIRREL FRENZY & FLOWERS

https://www.meetup.com/sierrapotomac/events/267368336/

Best "two-fer" ever -- especially in the frigid winter! First, we'll hike roughly 6 miles in Wheaton Regional Park. We'll start at Brookside Nature Center and hike at a moderate pace (about 3 mph) on dirt and paved trails through and outside the park and through Brookside Gardens' outdoor gardens. Most trails are flat but there are several hills. We'll stop from time to time for photos. Then we'll wind up at Brookside Gardens' indoor glass conservatory, where we'll dawdle for a while to enjoy the flowers and the tropical heat! Tropical flowers bloom indoors -- but surprisingly flowers even bloom outdoors in January. They might include winter-blooming orange/yellow witch hazels, pink hellebore flowers, and white snow-drops. We'll also be bombarded by other colors, such as the bright red berries of nandina plants. After the conservancy, we'll return to the Brookside Nature Center, where we'll eat our picnic dinner outdoors on the deck. (Dress very warmly!) Finally, around dusk, nocturnal southern flying squirrels will blast down from the tall treetops to nosh on their dinners -- or breakfasts. They eat raw, unshelled sunflower seeds that Brookside provides. If we're lucky, we'll squeal like little kids when about a dozen of these palm-sized critters with big doe-like eyes dash from tree to tree and huddle together on the feeders. Wildlife, however, is totally unpredictable. If it's too windy or an owl is hanging out, the little critters may not come.

1/26/20: 

SKUNKS AND SPIES: 

https://www.meetup.com/sierrapotomac/events/267417808/

Skulking around Vienna, VA in January of 2001, you might just bump into Russian spies trading cash for secrets from an FBI agent turned traitor, a CIA building hidden in plain sight, and one of the oddest plants on the planet: skunk cabbage. Even ensconced in snow, this red, yellow, and green native wildflower, which creates its own heat, starts blooming in January.  The spies are gone -- or are they? -- but the skunk cabbage remains -- near the former CIA building.  We'll explore both nature & spies on this roughly 7-mile suburban hike. 

 . . . Then . . . we'll trek along tree-lined Foxstone Trail to Foxstone Park, the drop site where FBI agent Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested for espionage on Feb. 18, 2001 for trading American secrets to Russia and the former Soviet Union for cold, hard cash. The FBI still calls him the most damaging spy in its history. Then we'll walk past Hanssen's former home (one of two places he lived in Vienna), which is a couple of blocks off the W&OD Trail. 

____________________________________

*                   TREEFROG FEVER                * 

____________________________________

      It seems like every NOVA wildlife photographer contracted "Treefrog Fever" 

      the summer of 2019.  We addicts practically lived at Huntley Meadows Park  

      in Alexandria & Neabsco Regional Park in Woodbridge to capture a pic of 

      these teensy green treefrogs with suction-like feet.  When you first try to find 

      them, it's like a "Where's Waldo" children's game because they are amazingly

      well camouflaged.  Here are some pix I managed to capture at those parks &

      at Jug Bay Wetlands Park in Lothian, MD.   More of them are (temporarily)

       posted here: https://www.flickr.com/gp/olympusbjs/GGfB16

      These critters are especially amazing because the babies we found were

      only about 1/2 inch long -- and the frogs change color! 

      Want more info on them?  Visit: 

        https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Hyla_cinerea/

        https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/viewSpecies.php?species=443

        https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/green-treefrog/

          W E L C O M E !

                                  From time to time I will post public events here.  
                              You are also welcome to join my free Meetup groups: 

     MEETUPS: 

      * Nature Photography DC/MD/VA:

         https://www.meetup.com/Nature-Photography-DC-MD-VA/

      * Outdoor Boot Camp DC/MD/VA:

         https://www.meetup.com/OUTDOOR-BOOT-CAMP-DC-MD-VA

     NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY:

       Here's a link to some of my favorite nature and wildlife photos.  Most are available
       to purchase.  Questions?  Please email me at Barb22030 AT yahoo DOT com.
       https://www.flickr.com/gp/olympusbjs/siKuK0

NATURE PHOTO WALK. 

Please join Barbara on a nature photography walk at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary on Sept. 7, from 10 a.m. to noon.  Register here: https://www.jugbay.org/education/calendar

PHOTO SAFARI: Tips & tricks to finding fall & winter wildlife

Fall and winter are NOT for hibernation. They're the perfect times to go on safari at Jug Bay and all over the Mid-Atlantic. Your personal safari guide will be wildlife photographer, guidebook author, Sierra Club hike leader, and Virginia Master Naturalist Barbara Saffir. Barbara is a former journalist and a current bird-photography addict. Before Barbara takes you hunting outdoors at Jug Bay, she'll share some places to explore all fall and winter, including great places to photograph “fairy diddles" (acrobatic flying squirrels that can steal your hearts), intoxicating winter-blooming flowers, flamboyant ducks, and more. $20 per person to benefit the Friends of Jug Bay. Snacks and coffee/tea will be provided. Registration and payment are required, call 410-741-9330. This event is rain or shine. No refunds after August 31st.

NATURAL HISTORY TOUR

Register for WalkingTown DC's free walks.  I'm leading "Birds, Blossoms, and the Bull Moose: A Natural History Hike of T.R.'s Memorial in the Potomac" on Sunday, Sept. 15 from 1-3 p.m.  WalkingTown is run by the same nonprofit that runs the popular embassy tour. 

Register here: https://www.culturaltourismdc.org/portal/tours

* Meetups: 

     NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY DC/MD/VA:

     https://www.meetup.com/Nature-Photography-DC-MD-VA/

     FIT HIKE/RUN DC/MD/VA:

     https://www.meetup.com/Fit-Hike-and-Run-DC-MD-VA/

* Web:

             http://www.BarbaraJoanSaffir.com

             http://www.WalkingWashingtonDC.com/

* Nature Photos: 

             https://www.flickr.com/gp/olympusbjs/siKuK0

* DC photos:  

             https://www.flickr.com/gp/olympusbjs/DXiQW0/

CONTACT: Barb22030 AT YAhoo DOT cOm

Check Back Soon