Tag: animals

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 22, 20168:49 pm

Here Kitty, Kitty

I spotted three cats on North Ave. here in University Heights on the same block in two different yards. None was friendly, and one hissed when I approached but held its ground. The featured image is the twain that I disturbed. As I walked down the sidewalk, the one in the foreground caught my eye. I captured a couple shots and moved in closer for better composition. That startled the other out of the bushes to the left; I hadn’t seen it.

Last night, I snapped some street shots at dusk, and used the Fuji X-T1’s dedicated light Sensitivity dial to switch down from auto-ISO 6400 to 200. It’s a dual dial: Sensitivity top and Drive below. In near darkness, while moving one I nudged the other—from single-frame (S) to low-speed burst (CL). That setting error let me capture a sequence as the other cat exited. Lucky.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 20, 201610:42 pm

Bubba’s Gallery

Ten weeks ago I revisted the sad story of Bubba—baby bunny who died less than 24 hours in our care. He came to us on June 3, 2006, quite unexpectedly. A cat brought the furball home to his owners, who sought someone to take over responsibility. My daughter, wife, and I did but too briefly. Infection from bite or scratch doomed the little duffer. For years, I had but the two photos of Bubba that accompanied the original post. Today I discovered the others.

Earlier this month, I bought a LaCie Rugged Mini 4TB external drive. While I often store valuables in the cloud, I have nearly 20 years of photos and other files spread out on smaller discs and dozens of DVDs going back to 2000; all will consolidate on the large-capacity drive. I spent today searching the old discs, where I found some gems, including the Bubba NEF RAW originals shot with the Nikon D200.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 20, 201610:40 pm

If They Aren’t Twins, They Should Be

The tortoise theme continues for a second day, but with an oldie. I don’t recall shooting the photo (but surely did) on June 27, 1999. I have absolutely no idea what early digital compact I […]

Critters by Joe WilcoxMar 17, 20163:48 pm

The Old-Timer

Among our neighborhood cats is Fess, who carries kind of an angry expression, although being quite friendly. He’s a slow, mature mover, and you don’t see many of them round here because of the double-C […]

Critters by Joe WilcoxMar 16, 20164:42 pm

Little Lulu

About a week ago, I moseyed into the Mission Valley PetSmart wanting some supplies and stopped to look at the cats up for adoption. We have two, Cali and Neko, and don’t need another; I meant to briefly window shop only. But the story of one beastie just ruptured my heart. According to her info card, she had been in a shelter for a year. A year! What could possibly be wrong with the little furball that no one would want her?

The woman tending the cats couldn’t answer. She fetched the kitty, which she named Lulu, from a Long Beach shelter, that could keep the kitty no longer. The adoption outfit working out of this PetSmart, and two others in the San Diego area, often rescues rescues (that’s not a type but verb and noun). Meaning: Adoptable animals that might otherwise be put down.

Critters by Joe WilcoxJan 15, 201612:16 am

What Kuma Leaves Behind

Four years ago today we lost Kuma, our Maine Coon. He lived a short, full life over 18 months—from near-death abandonment; to adoption; to surgery removing nearly two-dozen hair ties; to being hit by a car; to roaming the neighborhood as the friendly but dominant male cat.

We don’t know what happened to our boy, although coyote kill is likeliest explanation. I hadn’t considered the risk, but there is a canyon close by and the females breed this time of year and come out looking to feed. So accustomed to dogs, an indoor/outdoor California cat wouldn’t necessarily perceive danger. On Jan. 31, 2012, city workers clearing brush in a canyon found Kuma’s collar, which IKEA cat has worn since.

Critters by Joe WilcoxJan 1, 201610:09 pm

Remembering Bubba

When I started Flickr a Day one year ago, I envisioned a photographic storytelling project, That was 2015. For 2016, I shift storytelling to broader venues but can’t promise daily delivery. Our first installment time travels 10 years to June 2006, when our family inherited lost baby bunny Bubba.

While walking our Kensington, Md. neighborhood on the evening of the third, we came across a couple clasping a tiny rabbit; their cat caught the bunny a day earlier. They desperately sought someone to care for the animal. As house-rabbit owners, we obliged, with the intention of taking Bubba to a wildlife rescue center the next day. He didn’t live long enough to be rescued,

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 31, 20156:34 am

Flickr a Day 365: ‘Cat Scratch Fever’

My favorite photo of the 365 is Day 38 “Master of Venice” by Alexis Bross. Cats are such an Internet stereotype how could I not conclude the series with another—conceding that Flickr a Day has too many. Additional Days: 51, 143, 201, 220, and 302.

In choosing the feline that would end the series, I favored habitat shots and ignored facial closeups or handsome subjects. None of the finalists is ugly, per se, but only the last two do I find to be attractive. I never imagined seeing more cat photos than I could possible tolerate, until selecting our winner.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 28, 20156:45 am

Flickr a Day 362: ‘Flying for Food’

Third black & white in a row, unplanned, brings back film. Leonidas Konstantinidis shot self-titled “Flying for food” on July 16, 2008, using Minolta Dynax 9, and he scanned to digital. Vitals are not available. I picked […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 22, 20152:31 pm

Flickr a Day 356: ‘Bank Vole Transporting Hazelnut’

The series should feature more nature shots, and what an animal candid capture is self-titled “Bank Vole Transporting Hazelnut”.”I bought my first camera in the middle of 2014, and my first dSLR a few months later”, Hanna Knutsson says. “Now I take every opportunity to visit the nearby forest and take pictures of the local wildlife, preferably small mammals”.

She shot the rodent (sounds grim, doesn’t it?) on Nov. 18, 2015, using Canon EOS 70D and EF-S55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens. Vitals: f/8, ISO 400, 1/250 sec, 250mm.

Critters by Joe WilcoxNov 26, 20157:25 am

Flickr a Day 330: ‘Tommy’

Gobble, gobble, it’s turkey day as the United States celebrates another Thanksgiving (the first was 1621). We don’t know the fate of this bird, whether he survived the butcher’s block four years ago or any other thereafter. But being named is hopeful for longer life.

Chris Burke shot self-titled “Tommy” on September 24, 2011, using Canon EOS Rebel T2i and EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS—one of the manufacturer’s best non-“L” lenses. Vitals: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/200 sec, 135mm.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 23, 20155:34 pm

Flickr a Day 327: ‘Thieving Monkey’

My heart stopped thinking that bottlers are shameless in the quest to expand their market reach”. 😉 “Just outside the gates of Ubud Monkey Forest“, which is in Indoensia, “this monkey stole a water bottle […]