A little Rose among thorns

[Gabriela Plesea]

Hello everyone,

I thought long and hard whether I should post this image or not. Something tells me I shouldn't, my little Rose was captured on camera one evening at 7 pm, somewhere up a large tree surrounded by darkness - those were not ideal conditions for photography. At the time I thought to myself "no way, I will ever to be able to share this". Yet I treasure it, so I am going to show it to you at the risk of being told to "dump it".

Nikon D3S
Nikon 500/F4
F4
ISO 2000
1/320s

The end of a hot day in the Kalahari, the temperature finally drops below 40'C and the Tree Rats step outside their nests to wait for the evening breeze. Just before we reached the Rooiputs camp site we drove past this majestic tree and a small yellow spot caught my eye. I asked Andre to stop the car and reverse slowly, then we placed our cameras on the bean bags and got ready...there she was, her tiny paws holding onto the sharp thorns, so lovely...a little Rose among Thorns. Just about every tree in the Kalahari has a similar nest in it, yet most people have never seen the Tree Rat...here she is!

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Gabriela,
thanks for sharing this cutie.Never seen them in KTP simply because driving past , too fast :t3.
Regarding the image not the best IQ as per your normal postings.Large Crop ?
Comp is not ideal from my POV , subject too close to RHS , looking out of the frame.Colors are nice and subtle.
Not much you can do about the light sky blobs in the Bg , i think .I would address the noise that is visible in the OOF areas just above the Rat.
I know it is easy to say from here, next time move the car more to the RHS……:w3.

TFS Andreas

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Gabriela - always nice to see a different species. Those thorns look sharp, I bet they make a good defense for the rat. Andreas has covered the main points. I don't mind Rose's placement in the frame as it seems like she is looking down rather than to the right and you can see her tail to the left of her body. I do wonder how it would look without the oof branch at the bottom.

TFS,
Rachel

[Don Railton]

Well spotted Gabriela..! Glad you shared this, Love the ears, agree with Rachel that the lower OOF branch could go.

DON

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

It would have been a shame not to have shown us this beautiful pic, Gabriela! Nice contrast between soft and 'harsh' and nicely focussed where it matters most! Great photo!

[Marc Mol]

All issues aside, good on you for posting something a little different, we'll all be on the lookout for these guys now!:w3

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Gabriela, I'm very pleased you posted this, it has a real cuteness/endearing quality about it, keep posting these captures, not only as it's makes for a good stockroom of images, but diverse too.

Nothing you could do about the environment and being backlit, but you handled it well. I really like the posture, as if he/she is pushing the thorns aside to get a better view. May be shooting on a tripod and a little more ISO, but again, you may lose the spontaneity of the moment. technically yes there are some flaws, however images do not have to be perfect all the time, this is all about fun & enjoyment and for me, this says it all.

Bring it on, lets see more...

TFS
Steve

[Nancy Bell]

O.K. the bkgd is cluttered & there are bright spots, but this is darling, with a nice inquisitive pose. Your little Rose apparently thrives among the thorns and that also makes this an interesting image.

[Gabriela Plesea]

Hello, and thank you Friends,

All I wanted was to share this and make you aware of the existence of this little cutie...They are everywhere in the Kalahari but only come out at night and they do cruise those tree branches at the speed of lightning! They do not try to eat your cheese or biscuit crumbs (I have never seen them come close to our table or trailer). I just love them, I give them as much respect as I give lions and other creatures (and please, when you do see them, try not to shine a strong spotlight into their eyes:tinysmile_shy_t: ). The nest is usually a large messy gathering of thorny branches high up in a tree, although on one occasion I discovered a nest - consisting of mere a hole situated about eye level on the trunk of a tree, and no twigs. There were three tiny babies in it, eyes closed, minute little white nails, really pink and just a tad of fur. I used a torch to see inside but placed a cloth over it to soften the light, saw their Mom lying on a bed of camel thorn pods (they are soft and kind of hairy) and the babies around her. The tree was situated near the tent and I only discovered the nest because I heard some noises (little squeaks) while sitting at the table and downloading images taken during the day. No photographs taken, and because I was so good and so behaved I got to see the same nest, again filled with babies, some months later:w3

The camps are quiet on the Botswana side and we love it there because there are no fences. We are often visited by hyaenas and jackals at night, sometimes by lions, and once we had a Cape Fox right inside the A-frame while we were busy eating supper. Other sightings include a barn owl who took residence in the roof of the A-frame, beautiful geckos, beetles, a sun-spider, and in February this year we had quite a few scorpions to contend with. I once stepped on a PuffAdder in the darkness but fortunately she did not bite me, that evening I have learnt to wear my boots during stormy weather...

...so that's my story for tonight, I just want to mention I did not do much work on this image, special sighting indeed but not much detail to extract, pity I could not crop better but the RHS of the original is not nice, sky is blown on the RHS and OOF branches, so I opted for this unusual presentation to give you some idea of the environment of this little critter.

Wishing you all a great day tomorrow,

[Steve Kaluski]

Gabriela, I think we should start a new arena within BPN where you can write a 'story' for the week, so we can read it just before bedtime. To me it's becoming the wildlife version of Mma Precious Ramotswe (in it's descriptive depiction of the scene/location), I think we are ALL becoming captivated in your story telling and insight to your images, please keep it up. :cheers:

[Gabriela Plesea]

Dear Steve,

I am more than happy to write a "story" every week:w3, but does that mean I must limit myself to just one story per week? :t3 Just kidding, and I really appreciate your comparison, read The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency some time ago and loved it! I am more than happy to share with my BPN friends some extracts of my Kalahari diaries, as long as they do not find them too boring...My stories might (at times) be accompanied by not-so-good images, but with your help and guidance I will try and improve my PP work, I find that the best sightings happened early morning or late afternoon when the light was not favourable, but I just love to share these special moments...

[Morkel Erasmus]

Gabriela, besides the critique already offered, it's the best shot I've seen of this species, will now throw mine away :5
Lovely story and emotion again, and I agree, keep posting for diversity and keep sharing your experiences in word and image... :cheers:

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hi Gabriela,

a lovely little chap, love it. Most is said already, I also wish the little one to sit a tad more to the left, but I take that back right now. Just did some images today and was quite a bit mad, the subject also could have moved a bit to the other side!! Oh well, we cannot have everything, but many :w3

have a great eve

Ciao
Anette

[Gabriela Plesea]

Thank you so much Anette,

I did have enough space on both sides, but on the RHS there was this over-exposed sky and OOF branches, decided to go the easy way, and just show you the little un'...thought this was too cute to keep it to myself:w3

Have a wonderful evening,

[keith mitchell]

Gabriela that really is a prickly perch, pleased you posted this and I like to read your little stories, beautiful little Mammal.

Keith.

[John Robinson]

Hi Gabriella
Great image. I would go for a tighter crop- taking some off the left ( forget the tail) and go for the head etc.
Just my personal view.
John