Steven Helmer Publications

It is absolutely gorgeous outside right now. The temps are in the 70s and it's sunny out. In fact, it was really hard to return to the office after my walk as a result of that. I didn't see too much that was overly unique, mostly just the usual subjects. And, I missed out on getting a good photo of a groundhog when it saw me before I could get the shot. But, I still managed to get some photos while I was out. Here is a selection of those:

Other than the baby turtle, I was actually a little disappointed in my walk today. I've been in a bit of a batting slump when it comes to photographing birds. Yes, I can get decent shots of larger ones, like herons and pelicans. But, I've been struggling to get a good photo of some of the smaller birds I've seen. Today, for example, I had some beautiful finches hopping around in a tree I walked pass and a hummingbird just a few feet in front of me on one of the paths. But, I just could not get them in focus when I tried to get a shot of them and, more often than not, couldn't even get them in frame. Fortunately, I was able to get a few other photos while I was on my walk. The best of them are below: Yes, he is missing a wing. I'm really not sure what kind of caterpillar this is. If you know, please say so in the comments section. I really wish I had a re-do with this one. If I would have spotted him sooner, I could have gotten closer. I...

The weather was pretty nice today while I was out for my walk. The sun was shining and it was warm enough to be comfortable without becoming overheated. At first, I didn't think I was going to see anything on my walk. I'm not sure why, but the park just seemed to be a bit deserted today. However, I ended up going down a path I haven't taken in a while (mostly because, up until today, it hadn't been mowed in a long time) and wound up seeing a few things. Here are some of the photos I took:

After having cloudy weather most of the past few days, it was great to go for a walk at lunch and have the sun be out. And, the best part was there was a slight breeze so it didn't get too hot walking. I saw quite a few signs of life today too. This included a couple snakes, including one that was very cooperative and stopped long enough for me to get a photo. Here are some of the photos I took: