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Saturday, November 4, 2017

Brilliant Cottonwoods from the Air

The autumn colors in Utah were beautiful. Some flowers were still blooming like the yellow ones in the foreground of this photo and they complemented the yellow Cottonwood trees (background).

Some Scrub Oak were brilliant red.
While I was taking the red leaf photo, I heard something that sounded like a swarm of bees. Being a mountain person, I discounted it because it was too far into fall for there to be so many bees.

Hmm, a few yards later, I saw this guy on the ground. Yup, that's a rattle on the end of his tail - that I bet could sound like a swarm of bees when being rattled. What a moron I can be!

I had a reasonably long lens with me so I could take this closer up photo. He's one of the midget rattlesnake species from that area that have particularly poisonous venom.

Well, that showed me that taking photos from the ground had its dangers. I'd been eyeing an arroyo with cottonwoods in it. The photo is just one small section of a long line of trees. I took from a distance with my handheld camera.
I couldn't get to the Cottonwoods by foot without damaging the delicate desert soil. Hmm, did I dare try to pilot my drone over to it? I'm finding that it takes a fair bit of skill and practice to both pilot a drone on the route that I want AND get decent video at the same time. I decided to give it a try.

Here's the short video that I made.

And here's a photo from directly over the most brilliant part of the arroyo.
I miss having those brilliant colors in our landscape!

12 comments:

  1. Hari OM
    That worked! Yellow is such a happy colour... excellent snake image; glad it from a distance! YAM xx

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  2. Good grief, the snake! I'm going to knock on wood right here, but we have never seen a rattle snake in the desert. Good thing he rattled at you. The cottonwoods and rabbit brush are a beautiful yellow. Your video was sure nice too.

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  3. Such wonderful photos but we wouldn't want to stumble across that snake either!

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  4. You were much calmer about the snake then I would have been. The drone video was stunning.

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  5. I have never seen cottonwoods, these are awesome and the view from above is so beautiful. yikes on the rattlesnake... we have pygmy rattlers here in Florida and they have been out and about out east a lot. people finding them in their yards and pool enclosures... they have tiny rattles but aren't loud enough to hear

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  6. The yellow of those cottonwoods is as brilliant as your fields of gold from earlier posts. And it looks like you are mastering those skills with your drone quite well.

    Have a good weekend.

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  7. What an amazing landscape. Think you captured it very well!

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  8. The video is just beautiful - much better than that scary snake!

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  9. Amazing photo and video. I would never go anywhere near a rattlesnake even with a long lens. You are very brave

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  10. I love seeing the landscape from above,
    it gives thing a different perspective.
    You did a mighty find job with the video
    the music was nice too!
    Happy Saturday.
    XO Astro

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  11. Lovely photographs and amazing video.

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  12. HOLY CRAP! That would have scared the poopie outta me! I don't mind snakes, butts those...yikes! I'm glads you were able to avoid scarring him! Anyhu, your video is FABulous! and those yellows are just amazin'!
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

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