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