User: `Rhododendrites`

Long-time Wikimedian who decided, a few years ago, to try to take better pictures to contribute to Commons. I feel like I've learned a lot from this community, and continue to do so. Always welcome photography tips/constructive criticism.

Though I take pictures of lots of things, a few areas of concentration are the New York City area in general, protests, conventions (not so much in 2020), and birds (much more so in 2020). If you're in NYC (or coming to NYC) and want tips or to plan a photography outing, let me know. There are several Wikimedian photographers here.

My main camera is an Olympus OM-D E-M5 mark ii (micro four-thirds format). I like it, but don't know if I can recommend the format any longer. Olympus announced in 2020 that they plan to get out of the camera game. The future of its camera business seems unclear at the moment, possibly being transferred to another company, and Panasonic is the only other company making the gear (with some compatibility issues around the way they do their image stabilization). I hope it'll look up, but we'll see.

This is my main account for contributing to Wikimedia projects. From March-July 2021, I contracted with the Wikimedia Foundation, researching the impact of Suggested Edits on Commons. My WMF account is User:Rhododendrites (WMF), which is now inactive. Edits I make through this account are strictly as a volunteer.

Rhododendrites

rhododendrites AT gmail DOT com
@Antisomniac

[gallery] (FP-VI-QI)

 
Featured Pictures - the birds
Image 1Golden-crowned kinglet
Image 2Immature herring gull manipulating a clam in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 3Northern flicker looking out from its nest in the Central Park North Woods
Image 4Juvenile Forster's tern calling for its parent in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 5Great blue heron lurching its head back to swallow a brown watersnake in Green Cay Wetlands
Image 6Downy woodpecker foraging in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 7Anna's hummingbird in Pacifica, California
Image 8White-throated sparrow in Prospect Park
Image 9Northern rough-winged swallows in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 10Ring-billed gull in a rainbow over Niagara Falls
Image 11Short-billed dowitcher in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge East Pond
Image 12Common grackle showing off its iridescence in Central Park
Image 13Gray catbird in Prospect Park
Image 14Black-capped chickadee at a feeder in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 15Tufted titmouse floofed up in Central Park
Image 16House wren doing its best eel impression guarding its nestbox.
Image 17Blackpoll warbler in a flowering dogwood tree in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 18Gray catbird with a chokeberry in Prospect Park
Image 19Field sparrow in Central Park
Image 20Song sparrow on Lookout Hill in Prospect Park
Image 21Great egret stabbing the water in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 22Piping plover chick in Queens
Image 23Male house sparrow in Prospect Park
Image 24Female northern cardinal in Central Park
Image 25Ring-billed gull in flight over Red Hook, Brooklyn
Image 26Male northern cardinal in Central Park
Image 27Purple martin in flight in Cape May, New Jersey
Image 28Pine siskin in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 29Baltimore oriole (immature/female) in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 30Redhead in Central Park
Image 31Lesser yellowlegs wading at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 32Red-necked phalarope at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 33Female hooded merganser resting on the Central Park Reservoir
Image 34American coot in Prospect Park
Image 35American tree sparrow in Central Park
Image 36Ring-billed gull in Red Hook, Brooklyn
Image 37Western tanager which popped up in NYC, far from its usual range
Image 38Northern cardinal female in Central Park
Image 39First winter laughing gull in Riverhead, New York
Image 40White-breasted nuthatch doing its nuthatchy pose in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 41Juvenile American robin
Image 42Male black-throated green warbler in Prospect Park
Image 43Black-and-white warbler in Prospect Park
Image 44Northern mockingbird in a "tail up" display in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 45Green heron in Prospect Park
Image 46Red-tailed hawk yearbook photo, class of 2022, Central Park
Image 47Northern shoveler pair "shoveling" together in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 48A rescued Eurasian eagle-owl
Image 49A rescued American kestrel that couldn't be released so is now serving as an "ambassador" bird
Image 50Male northern shoveler in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 51Yellow-bellied sapsucker in Central Park
Image 52Juvenile yellow-bellied sapsucker in Prospect Park
Image 53Snowy egret in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 54Canada goose gosling in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 55Western gull sitting on a boat in San Francisco Bay
Image 56Wood duck drake vocalizing in Central Park
Image 57Winter wren in Prospect Park
Image 58Cedar waxwing in pokeweed in Prospect Park
Image 59Marsh wren singing at Hammonasset Beach State Park
Image 60Tufted titmouse with a seed in Prospect Park
Image 61Northern waterthrush in Central Park
Image 62Lesser yellowlegs at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 63Tree swallow on a nest box in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 64Chipping sparrow on a grave in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 65Killdeer at the South Cape May Meadows
Image 66European starling in Central Park
Image 67Palm warbler in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 68Ovenbird in Prospect Park
Image 69Three ring-billed gulls in Red Hook
Image 70Great black-backed gull in Quogue, NY
Image 71Downy woodpecker with a leaf on its nose in Prospect Park
Image 72House finch with a sunflower seed at a feeder in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 73Eastern wood pewee in Central Park
Image 74Female brown-headed cowbird chattering in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 75Blue jay in Prospect Park
Image 76Marsh wren singing at Hammonasset Beach State Park
Image 77Veery in the Central Park Ramble
Image 78House sparrows in Central Park
Image 79Bay-breasted warbler in Central Park
Image 80Close-up of a white-throated sparrow in Central Park
Image 81Ring-billed gull preening/bathing in Marine Park
Image 82Huge flock of gulls just after they were spooked by something during a horseshoe crab feeding frenzy in Cape May, New Jersey
Image 83Red-tailed hawk rescue
Image 84Northern mockingbird on a fence in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Image 85Cape May warbler in Prospect Park
Image 86Mourning dove perched in Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Image 87Rehabilitated eastern screech owl
Image 88Immature cooper's hawk in Prospect Park
Image 89Brown thrasher (snow-nosed variety) in Central Park
Image 90Mute swan and cygnets on a duckweed-covered pond
Image 91American robin making a dog whistle-like alarm call in Prospect Park
Image 92Gray catbird watching a hawk fly overhead in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Image 93Fish crow cawing in Red Hook, Brooklyn
Image 94Great blue heron in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 95White ibis in Ocean City, New Jersey (I kind of prefer the uncropped version)
Image 96Male yellow-rumped warbler singing in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 97Gray catbird in Central Park
Image 98Ruby-crowned kinglet in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 99Ospreys in a nest on Sandy Hook, New Jersey
Image 100European starlings on a birdhouse on Staten Island
Image 101Piping plover in Queens
Image 102Semipalmated sandpiper at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 103Blue jay fledgling calling for its parent in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 104Great blue heron on frozen pond in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 105American robin
Image 106Scarlet tanager eating a berry in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 107Immature mute swan in Prospect Park
Image 108White-breasted nuthatch on a suet feeder in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 109Cedar waxwing in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 110Mute swan cygnet pontoon on a duckweed-covered pond
Image 111American oystercatcher family portrait on Fort Tilden beach
 
Featured Pictures - everything else
Image 1Glass blower. This was moments before he accidentally dropped it. Heartbreaking (and vasebreaking). Talented folks here, though, and I actually went back a while later and took a class. Got a piece of lit up frozen spaghetti to prove it.
Image 2Bow Bridge in Central Park (panorama)
Image 3Bee balm seedhead
Image 4Algal mat in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 5Panorama of the once-active waterfront of Sunset Park, Brooklyn
Image 6Quarry in Makhtesh Ramon
Image 7Two juvenile Nubian ibex
Image 8Eastern gray squirrel in Central Park
Image 9Hell Gate Bridge, with a scow being towed along the Hell Gate section of the East River
Image 10Abandoned building in Floyd Bennett Field
Image 11Window in a cafe in San Gimignano, Italy
Image 12Composite of a clementine with/without peel
Image 13Male eastern amberwing dragonfly in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Image 14Burberry rainbow cape at the Camp: Notes on Fashion exhibition
Image 15The Dyker Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn is known for lots of elaborate Christmas lights, earning the nickname "Dyker Lights"
Image 16Oculus
Image 17One World Trade Center through the Oculus
Image 18Triq San Patrizju facing the Basilica Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta, Malta
Image 19Sukkah at Congregation Emanu-El of New York
Image 20Rooftop farm on the Lower East Side
Image 21Raccoon in Central Park
Image 22Prospect Park Vale of Cashmere covered in lesser celandine, with a leucistic white squirrel in the distance
Image 23American lady butterfly on a purple coneflower
Image 24Crook Point Bascule Bridge in Providence. It's been stuck in the open position for 50 years. A local landmark, but slated for destruction soon.
Image 25A [pretty dodgy] bridge along a cliff path at the edge of Makhtesh Ramon
Image 26Lincoln Center during Pride at dusk
Image 27Toronto Reference Library interior from the top floor
Image 28Makhtesh Ramon
Image 29Saint Christopher Street in Valletta
Image 30Florence seen from the Duomo terrace
Image 31Daubeny's water lily
Image 32Alexander Hamilton Custom House Collector's Room ceiling. Had to be a bit obnoxious to get this one, setting up a little tripod in the center of a crowded room and actually getting down on the floor to frame it. Who doesn't like a nice ornate ceiling with a nautical theme, though?
Image 33Sunset sky over Governors Island, NYC (panorama)
Image 34Green iguana panorama in Palm Beach County
Image 35Group photo of four pears
Image 36Hell Gate Bridge
Image 37Male tiger swallowtail butterfly in Central Park (missing its tails)
Image 38City Hall Station in Manhattan, abandoned since 1945 because it looked cool but didn't
Image 39Black Lives Matter mural in Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Image 40Moss-covered oak trees in the Bothe-Napa Valley State Park
Image 41Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge East Pond
Image 42TWA Hotel
Image 43Pond sliders in Prospect Park
Image 44Monarch butterfly
Image 45Sasheer Zamata at a Time's Up event during the Tribeca Film Festival
Image 46Juvenile Nubian ibex on a wall at the edge of Makhtesh Ramon
Image 47Hudson Yards in New York, taken from the top of Hudson Commons (9-frame panorama)
Image 48Eastern chipmunk with stuffed cheeks in Prospect Park
Image 49Familiar bluet in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 50Ship in the San Francisco Bay fog. Got lucky with the dramatic fog on this one, which opened up just enough to frame the ship in light.
Image 51Defunct Chestnut Hill Pumping Station in Boston
Image 52Sarracenia leucophylla
Image 53Coney Island Mermaid Parade (no, this is not a picture of Rhododendrites)
Image 54Chinese mantis ootheca in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 55California sea lion nap time at La Jolla Cove
Image 56Pond sliders (red and yellow) and a river cooter fighting for basking space
Image 57An island (with ospreys) in Trustom Pond in the fog
Image 58Manhattan at night, looking north from Rockefeller Center
Image 59Northern elephant seals in Ano Nuevo, California
Image 60Stata Center at MIT
Image 61Abandoned car in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 62Male elephant seal resting between fights in Ano Nuevo
Image 63Maroon Bells
Image 64Lower Manhattan panorama
Image 65Fulton Center skylight
Image 66Coleus
Image 67Magnolia x veitchii bud
Image 68The Seaside Sanatorium in Connecticut
Image 69Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco (18-frame panorama)
Image 70Comme des Garcons at the Met
Image 71Open Ocean exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium
Image 72Ash tree behind a columbarium in Mount Auburn Cemetery
Image 73Waldemarsviken in Stockholm
Image 74Quogue Village Wetlands Preserve
Image 75Pier 66 and Hudson Yards
Image 76Maroon Bells. Easily one of the most awe-inspiring natural scenes I've experienced.
Image 77Cattlianthe Gold Digger ‘Orglade's Mandarin’ orchid
Image 78White (leucistic) eastern gray squirrel perched on a tree in Brooklyn
Image 79Optical illusion on the floor of the Florence Cathedral
Image 80White (leucistic) eastern gray squirrel with a peanut
Image 81Eldridge Street Synagogue
Image 82Monarch butterfly
Image 83Wonder Wheel sign on Coney Island
Image 84Salix catkins
Image 85Boston Public Garden
Image 86Panorama of the Apennine Colossus in Tuscany
Image 87Frizzle sizzle
Image 88Razor clamshell dress from spring/summer 2001, in the Sleeping Beauties exhibition at The Met
Image 89Bigfin reef squid at Monterey Bay Aquarium
Image 90Jun Takahashi dress for Undercover in the Sleeping Beauties exhibition at the Met
Image 91Crocuses in early spring.
Image 92Great golden digger wasp in Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Image 93A mural of patients in the long-defunct Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital
Image 94Coney Island Mermaid Parade
Image 95Rice paper butterfly with light shining through in Butterfly World, Florida
Image 96Condenser at the defunct Chestnut Hill Pumping Station
Image 97Redbeckia occidentalis
Image 98A mural of patients in the long-defunct Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital
Image 99Bluebells in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Image 100California sea lion in La Jolla. My first experience seeing wild sea lions in person. It was ... loud. This one just looked downright majestic in the sun.
Image 101Memorial to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting, taken just after Stonewall Inn was designated part of a National Monument