Spectacled caiman at night in the Pantanal

The 2nd posting during lockdown. This Spectacled caiman was taken at night using a torch to find and focus on the subject and then a single flashgun on the camera. I have tried it with ducks since, but not got the same weird effect. The caiman are not dangerous and during the day you can get close without spooking them or feeling threatened, but during the night I did find them more intimidating. They were quite active and moving about on the water more than during the day.

Spectacled caiman, Caiman crocodilus, Brazil. Canon EOS 1dx Mk2. 500mm lens. 400 iso. 1/250th at f10 and flash.

House sparrow during coronavirus lockdown

Now our small garden is tidy, knives and forks neatly aligned in the drawer and all the coathangers are facing the same way. What to do next. To entertain myself I am going to load an old image every day on here.

What I like about this House sparrow picture is the roof. Its rustic colour and lichen made it a very attractive situation. Also it was very low so I was level with the birds. It is the Meercat house inside Twycross Zoo. This was taken in 2013. If the roof is still as good it would be nice to be there now shooting video. They will be singing (of a sort), courting, mating and nest building.

House sparrow, Passer domesticus, single male with nest material, Warwickshire, May 2013. Canon 1dx mk2. 800mm lens. 1/2000th at f5.6. 800 iso.

Snow buntings

Snow buntings are quarrelsome birds like many species that go around in flocks. Here they are scrapping over food put out for them in the car park at the Cairngorms ski lifts.

Snow bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis, two birds fighting in snow, Scotland, March 2020. Olympus M1x. 300mm f4. 1/4000th at f4. 400 iso.