Thanks for your feedback, Shelley and Lois.
You're right, Shelley, you would need to have a decent chunk of time to take advantage of the great wildlife locations nearby. I'm glad that I'm in an area where opportunities to see a wide variety of nature is within easy reach. Of course the wildlife does not always show up just because I want it too, so you've got to be patient. That's another reason why having enough time is important.
Lois, the camera I'm using is a RDC 4300, a 4 1/2 year old Ricoh Digital Camera, with very limited telephoto ability. It has served me well over the past 2 1/2 years (it sat in a box for 2 years!!!) although current models have much more advanced features than mine does. The groundhog looks so close because he was close. I was practically hanging out of the birdblind while he was munching away at fallen seed just feet away. The one thing I've learned is that I can't get wonderful shots of birds or butterflies unless I'm practically on top of them. One of the reasons I love taking photos of praying mantises is that I can get oh so very close to them without them flying away or otherwise disappearing before the digital camera kicks into action.
~~Leequi <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
