I tried again with the moon. I am more content with this one! The upper right side has definition showing the craters and that's what I reeeally wanted to see. Seeing those, I know I have a perfectly good lens and it doesn't need to be returned. That would be a bummer if I had to return it, worse because I am past the seven day return policy anyway. It's a non-issue now. The scuttlebut on the forums is that some copies of the lens are "bad" as in not as good as others and bad news, whether it's rational or not, travels far in the discussion forums. I would like a bit more definition but I think with time and maybe a better tripod, I can improve. At least seeing the craters on the upper left side leads me to believe that my ability, not the lens, is affecting the photo. I turned off the IS, made sure mirror lock was enabled and shot a bunch of pics. A bunch of 'em were blurred too. I had to fiddle with the hue for a long time to find the color I wanted for the moon to match the one I found online that I admire. Found it. Yeah, don't mess with Liliana because I will find that hue if it's the last thing I do! Perseverance, my dear Watson.
A badger! This is why I had a stellar day. A badger sighting! I've only seen these guys on tv and that was when we had a tv! He is nosing around and digging in the prairie dog holes. Badgers can be mean you know. I didn't want to get too close, but he didn't come as close as I wished he might. Man, it was awesome. I was stoked. The prairie dogs didn't put up as much of a fuss with their barks as I thought they might. I would think that I would hear a difference in their calls, but I didn't. I guess Prairie Dog Woman is not yet any kind of expert with the prairie dog grammar and syntax. I hoped to see more of him so I walked the entire trail around the open prairie meadow area. No luck with seeing him again.
But I did get my first best bird photo though. This female bluebird alighted near me. I'm thrilled with the background which is call 'bokeh' in photographer-speak. It's creamy bokeh and that's like half the reason why I bought this telephoto lens. It gives great bokeh. (Bo as in bone and Keh as in Kenneth.) Creating good bokeh enables you, the photographer, to cause the viewer to see what you want them to see. Your eye is drawn to the bird. He is sharp. The background isn't.
I had several misses today, so getting these three makes up for it. I think I saw a pileated woodpecker. Are they here? I don't know for sure if they are, but he was some kind of fancy bird. That I do know. He landed on the sign and I asked my husband to stop and he sort of did but my shot was overexposed and there was someone coming up behind us, then the bird flew off. Drats! Then I cut off the tippy nose of ANOTHER prairie dog jump-yip. I kill myself! He was healthy and cute too. I deleted it so I don't have to lay my eyes on it again. Then I came upon a doe lying in the grass, but I also startled her and she startled me, so no photo. She ran off at about 50mph. She was real pretty curled up in the grass though, and I was standing above her on the road so it would have been a nice vantage point. The key words there, are would have. Oh well. Que sera, sera!
I have four big mosquito bites on my right arm and two on my left. I never see or feel anything biting me, and they're so big. I don't like that.
