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

(FP-VI-QI)

 
Featured Pictures - the birds
Image 1First winter laughing gull in Riverhead, New York
Image 2Great blue heron lurching its head back to swallow a brown watersnake in Green Cay Wetlands
Image 3Palm warbler perched in Prospect Park
Image 4Snowy egret in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 5Great egret stabbing the water in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 6American woodcock in Bryant Park
Image 7Lesser yellowlegs at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 8Great blue heron in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 9Pine warbler in Brooklyn, NYC
Image 10Male house sparrow in Prospect Park
Image 11Tufted titmouse with a seed in Prospect Park
Image 12Northern rough-winged swallows in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 13A rescued American kestrel that couldn't be released so is now serving as an "ambassador" bird
Image 14Three ring-billed gulls in Red Hook
Image 15Female American redstart in Brooklyn, NYC
Image 16Immature mute swan in Prospect Park
Image 17Pine warbler perched in Prospect Park
Image 18Western tanager which popped up in NYC, far from its usual range
Image 19Northern shoveler pair "shoveling" together in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 20Ring-billed gull in Red Hook, Brooklyn
Image 21Downy woodpecker with a leaf on its nose in Prospect Park
Image 22House finch with a sunflower seed at a feeder in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 23American oystercatcher family portrait on Fort Tilden beach
Image 24Cedar waxwing in pokeweed in Prospect Park
Image 25White-breasted nuthatch on a suet feeder in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 26Female brown-headed cowbird chattering in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 27Juvenile eastern kingbird
Image 28Male northern shoveler in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 29Black-and-white warbler in Prospect Park
Image 30Gray catbird with a chokeberry in Prospect Park
Image 31Glossy ibis in Queens, NYC
Image 32Semipalmated sandpiper at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 33Male brown-headed cowbird in Prospect Park
Image 34American avocet
Image 35Brown thrasher (snow-nosed variety) in Central Park
Image 36House sparrow mother with chicks
Image 37Tropical kingbird in the rain by Lake Arenal
Image 38Rufous motmot, Costa Rica
Image 39House wren doing its best eel impression guarding its nestbox.
Image 40European starling in Central Park
Image 41Female wood duck
Image 42Immature cooper's hawk in Prospect Park
Image 43Short-billed dowitcher in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge East Pond
Image 44European starlings on a birdhouse on Staten Island
Image 45Golden-crowned kinglet
Image 46Black-crowned night heron in Prospect Park
Image 47American tree sparrow in Central Park
Image 48Rehabilitated eastern screech owl
Image 49Blackpoll warbler in a flowering dogwood tree in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 50Male northern cardinal in Central Park
Image 51Ring-billed gull in a rainbow over Niagara Falls
Image 52Chipping sparrow on a grave in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 53Immature herring gull manipulating a clam in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 54Great kiskadee in La Fortuna, Costa Rica
Image 55Downy woodpecker foraging in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 56Black-capped chickadee eating seeds in Central Park
Image 57Wood duck drake vocalizing in Central Park
Image 58White-throated sparrow in Prospect Park
Image 59Semipalmated sandpiper vocalizing in Queens, NYC
Image 60Winter wren in Prospect Park
Image 61Common grackle in Prospect Park
Image 62Ospreys in a nest on Sandy Hook, New Jersey
Image 63American coot in Prospect Park
Image 64Pine siskin in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 65Warbling vireo singing in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 66Great black-backed gull in Quogue, NY
Image 67Tufted titmouse perched in Central Park
Image 68Mute swan and cygnets on a duckweed-covered pond
Image 69Blue jay in Prospect Park
Image 70Fish crow cawing in Red Hook, Brooklyn
Image 71Veery in the Central Park Ramble
Image 72Western gull sitting on a boat in San Francisco Bay
Image 73Northern cardinal female in Central Park
Image 74House sparrows in Central Park
Image 75Male black-throated green warbler in Prospect Park
Image 76Juvenile Forster's tern calling for its parent in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 77Eastern kingbird
Image 78Lincoln's sparrow in Brooklyn, NYC
Image 79Dark-eyed junco in Brooklyn
Image 80White ibis in Ocean City, New Jersey (I kind of prefer the uncropped version)
Image 81Song sparrow on Lookout Hill in Prospect Park
Image 82Broad-billed motmot at the Arenal Observatory
Image 83Scarlet tanager eating a berry in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 84Ring-billed gull coming in for an unwelcome landing
Image 85Gray catbird watching a hawk fly overhead in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Image 86Tree swallow on a nest box in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 87Green heron in Prospect Park
Image 88Palm warbler in a meadow in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 89White-breasted nuthatch doing its nuthatchy pose in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 90Apricot Mandarin duckling in Royal Lazienki Park
Image 91Dark-eyed junco at Bush Terminal Park
Image 92Gray catbird in Central Park
Image 93Male yellow-rumped warbler singing in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 94Bay-breasted warbler in Central Park
Image 95Ovenbird in Prospect Park
Image 96Baltimore oriole (immature/female) in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 97Field sparrow in Central Park
Image 98Blue jay fledgling calling for its parent in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 99Piping plover chick in Queens
Image 100Redhead in Central Park
Image 101Eastern wood pewee in Central Park
Image 102Gray catbird in Prospect Park
Image 103Brown creeper about to be released at a bird banding station in the United States
Image 104American robin
Image 105Mute swan cygnet pontoon on a duckweed-covered pond
Image 106Palm warbler in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 107Northern waterthrush in Central Park
Image 108Eastern wood pewee in Prospect Park
Image 109First-winter American herring gull, Brooklyn
Image 110American robin making a dog whistle-like alarm call in Prospect Park
Image 111Semipalmated plover in Queens, NYC
Image 112Close-up of a white-throated sparrow in Central Park
Image 113American avocet fishing in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 114Marsh wren singing at Hammonasset Beach State Park
Image 115Cedar waxwing in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 116Purple martin in flight in Cape May, New Jersey
Image 117Female hooded merganser resting on the Central Park Reservoir
Image 118Northern mockingbird on a fence in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Image 119Golden-crowned kinglet at a banding station
Image 120Marsh wren singing at Hammonasset Beach State Park
Image 121Western kingbird at Bush Terminal Piers Park
Image 122Tufted titmouse floofed up in Central Park
Image 123Canada goose gosling in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 124Least sandpiper in breeding plumage in Queens, NYC
Image 125Piping plover in Queens
Image 126Red-tailed hawk yearbook photo, class of 2022, Central Park
Image 127American goldfinch in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 128Northern mockingbird in a "tail up" display in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 129Lesser yellowlegs in Queens, NYC
Image 130Red-tailed hawk, fearsome predator
Image 131Female Blackburnian warbler in Brooklyn, NYC
Image 132Black-capped chickadee at a feeder in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 133Northern flicker looking out from its nest in the Central Park North Woods
Image 134Common grackle showing off its iridescence in Central Park
Image 135Great blue heron on frozen pond in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 136Mourning dove perched in Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Image 137Yellow-bellied sapsucker in Central Park
Image 138A rescued Eurasian eagle-owl
Image 139Western kingbird at Bush Terminal Park
Image 140Red-tailed hawk rescue
Image 141Blue-gray tanager in La Fortuna, Costa Rica
Image 142Mandarin duck drake in eclipse plumage in Royal Lazienki Park
Image 143Lesser yellowlegs wading at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 144Snowy egret
Image 145Anna's hummingbird in Pacifica, California
Image 146Ruby-crowned kinglet in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 147Killdeer at the South Cape May Meadows
Image 148Red-necked phalarope at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 149Hermit thrush at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Image 150Huge flock of gulls just after they were spooked by something during a horseshoe crab feeding frenzy in Cape May, New Jersey
Image 151Juvenile yellow-bellied sapsucker in Prospect Park
Image 152Male northern flicker in Manhattan, NYC
Image 153Ring-billed gull preening/bathing in Marine Park
Image 154Juvenile American robin
Image 155Juvenile yellow-crowned night heron at Plumb Beach
Image 156Cape May warbler in Prospect Park
Image 157Yellow warbler in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 158Ring-billed gull in flight over Red Hook, Brooklyn
Image 159Female northern cardinal in Central Park
 
Featured Pictures - everything else
Image 1Chinese mantis ootheca in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 2Lincoln Center during Pride at dusk
Image 3Defunct Chestnut Hill Pumping Station in Boston
Image 4Two juvenile Nubian ibex
Image 5Fork-tailed bush katydid close-up in Walland, Tennessee
Image 6Salix catkins
Image 7A cavapoo dog chasing a malipoo dog with a ball
Image 8Red-legged grasshopper feeding on a flower in Tennessee
Image 9Coney Island Mermaid Parade (no, this is not a picture of Rhododendrites)
Image 10Great golden digger wasp in Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Image 11Male elephant seal resting between fights in Ano Nuevo
Image 12Tiger bee fly
Image 13Triq San Patrizju facing the Basilica Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta, Malta
Image 14Window in a cafe in San Gimignano, Italy
Image 15Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco (18-frame panorama)
Image 16Crocuses in early spring.
Image 17Pond sliders in Prospect Park
Image 18Eastern chipmunk with stuffed cheeks in Prospect Park
Image 19Abandoned van by Gerritsen Creek
Image 20Comme des Garcons at the Met
Image 21Green iguana panorama in Palm Beach County
Image 22Abandoned car in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 23Makhtesh Ramon
Image 24Arenal volcano
Image 25Maroon Bells. Easily one of the most awe-inspiring natural scenes I've experienced.
Image 26Bow Bridge in Central Park (panorama)
Image 27Strawberry poison dart frog in Costa Rica
Image 28Jun Takahashi dress for Undercover in the Sleeping Beauties exhibition at the Met
Image 29Pearl crescent on purple coneflower
Image 30Castle Square, Warsaw
Image 31American lady butterfly on a purple coneflower
Image 32Quogue Village Wetlands Preserve
Image 33Pier 66 and Hudson Yards
Image 34Eldridge Street Synagogue
Image 35Quarry in Makhtesh Ramon
Image 36Memorial to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting, taken just after Stonewall Inn was designated part of a National Monument
Image 37Common buckeye in Eagle Creek Park, Indianapolis
Image 38A [pretty dodgy] bridge along a cliff path at the edge of Makhtesh Ramon
Image 39Saint Christopher Street in Valletta
Image 40Magnolia x veitchii bud
Image 41Oculus
Image 42Female eastern amberwing
Image 43Condenser at the defunct Chestnut Hill Pumping Station
Image 44Panorama of the Apennine Colossus in Tuscany
Image 45Mantled howler monkey with baby in Costa Rica
Image 46Optical illusion on the floor of the Florence Cathedral
Image 47Ship 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 48Prospect Park Vale of Cashmere covered in lesser celandine, with a leucistic white squirrel in the distance
Image 49Waldemarsviken in Stockholm
Image 50Moss-covered oak trees in the Bothe-Napa Valley State Park
Image 51Sasheer Zamata at a Time's Up event during the Tribeca Film Festival
Image 52Rooftop farm on the Lower East Side
Image 53Algal mat in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 54Blue dasher with Arrenurus water mites in Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Image 55City Hall Station in Manhattan, abandoned since 1945 because it looked cool but didn't
Image 56A mural of patients in the long-defunct Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital
Image 57Alexander 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 58Hudson Yards in New York, taken from the top of Hudson Commons (9-frame panorama)
Image 59Cattlianthe Gold Digger ‘Orglade's Mandarin’ orchid
Image 60Monarch butterfly
Image 61Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge East Pond
Image 62Baird's tapir mother with baby in Costa Rica
Image 63Twice-stabbed stink bug on meadow anemone
Image 64Orchard orbweaver
Image 65A mural of patients in the long-defunct Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital
Image 66Pond sliders (red and yellow) and a river cooter fighting for basking space
Image 67Sarracenia leucophylla
Image 68Wonder Wheel sign on Coney Island
Image 69Hell Gate Bridge
Image 70Eastern cicada killer perched on a black-eyed susan
Image 71White (leucistic) eastern gray squirrel with a peanut
Image 72The Dyker Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn is known for lots of elaborate Christmas lights, earning the nickname "Dyker Lights"
Image 73Familiar bluet in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 74Razor clamshell dress from spring/summer 2001, in the Sleeping Beauties exhibition at The Met
Image 75Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Katowice
Image 76Eastern gray squirrel in Central Park
Image 77Burberry rainbow cape at the Camp: Notes on Fashion exhibition
Image 78Male zabulon skipper in Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Image 79Coleus
Image 80California sea lion nap time at La Jolla Cove
Image 81Small milkweed bug in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Image 82Bluebells in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Image 83Left by Gucci/Dapper Dan, 2018. Right by Louis Vuitton/Kim Jones, autumn/winter 2018-19, Camp: Notes on Fashion exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image 84Monarch butterfly
Image 85Northern elephant seals in Ano Nuevo, California
Image 86Daubeny's water lily
Image 87Boston Public Garden
Image 88Sukkah at Congregation Emanu-El of New York
Image 89Hell Gate Bridge walking path on Randall's Island
Image 90Ash tree behind a columbarium in Mount Auburn Cemetery
Image 91Rice paper butterfly with light shining through in Butterfly World, Florida
Image 92Eastern amberwing
Image 93Juvenile Nubian ibex on a wall at the edge of Makhtesh Ramon
Image 94Open Ocean exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium
Image 95Glass 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 96Northern flatid planthopper nymph
Image 97Staszic Palace, Warsaw
Image 98Duomo Firenze terrace
Image 99Stata Center at MIT
Image 100Moschino fall 2014 ready-to-wear ensemble in the Camp: Notes on Fashion exhibit at the Met
Image 101Florence seen from the Duomo terrace
Image 102Male familiar bluet
Image 103Female Huron sachem in Brooklyn, NYC
Image 104The Seaside Sanatorium in Connecticut
Image 105Coney Island Mermaid Parade
Image 106Male tiger swallowtail butterfly in Central Park (missing its tails)
Image 107Frizzle sizzle
Image 108Large milkweed bug
Image 109Black Lives Matter mural in Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Image 110Panorama of the once-active waterfront of Sunset Park, Brooklyn
Image 111Immature male blue dasher
Image 112Raccoon in Central Park
Image 113One World Trade Center through the Oculus
Image 114Sunset sky over Governors Island, NYC (panorama)
Image 115An island (with ospreys) in Trustom Pond in the fog
Image 116Manhattan at night, looking north from Rockefeller Center
Image 117Abandoned building in Floyd Bennett Field
Image 118Nine-banded armadillo in Costa Rica
Image 119Northern dog-day cicaca exuvia on a flower in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 120Bigfin reef squid at Monterey Bay Aquarium
Image 121Camp: Notes on Fashion at the Met
Image 122Lower Manhattan panorama
Image 123Clouded sulphur in Brooklyn, NYC
Image 124Monarch butterfly caterpillar on butterfly weed
Image 125TWA Hotel
Image 126Toronto Reference Library interior from the top floor
Image 127Red squirrel in Lazienki Park
Image 128Group photo of four pears
Image 129Male monarch butterfly on Tithonia
Image 130Pipevine swallowtail
Image 131Composite of a clementine with/without peel
Image 132Male eastern amberwing dragonfly in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Image 133Red admiral butterfly on purple coneflower in Brooklyn Bridge Park
Image 134Meadow in the morning in the Great Smoky Mountains (with namesake smoke)
Image 135Fulton Center skylight
Image 136Crook 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 137Redbeckia occidentalis
Image 138White (leucistic) eastern gray squirrel perched on a tree in Brooklyn
Image 139Eastern cottontail portrait in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Image 140Hell Gate Bridge, with a scow being towed along the Hell Gate section of the East River
Image 141Proboscis bats in Alajuela Province, Costa Rica
Image 142Bee balm seedhead
Image 143California 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 144Maroon Bells