• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Tony's Takes Photography

Wildlife, landscape and weather photography

  • Home
  • Top Shots
  • Latest News & Images
  • Purchase Prints
  • Photo Books
  • Calendars
  • Contact
  • About Tony

Tony’s Takes Facebook page is down – hopefully temporarily

August 25, 2022 by Tony Leave a Comment

Tony’s Takes Facebook page is down – hopefully temporarily

Update, 8/25/22, 4:00pm. Scroll down for the original posting and previous updates. 

I’m free! After four weeks in Facebook jail, I am free.

Earlier today I received an email saying my account had been compromised and to follow some steps at a link that was provided. I did so and then received a personal, follow-up email, saying, “Our team received an escalation from a Meta employee regarding your Facebook account.”  Well, okay then. It appears all my tweets, emails and letter writing got someone’s attention.

Following some further emails, setting up a separate email account, submitting proof of my identity etc my Facebook account access has been restored. Finally. 

Certainly, it was my fault for having that old email address in my profile (see below). However, restoring my access was far more painful and time-consuming than what I think it should have been. Lesson learned for sure and I am glad to be back on the platform.

Update, 8/16/22, 4:00pm. Scroll down for the original posting and previous updates. 

A small victory. Once I realized the source of the hack of my Facebook account was likely someone registering a domain name I relinquished six years ago (see below), I started working to get that domain shut down. I contacted the registrar of the domain in Japan, the DNS provider, the company providing the email forwarding for the domain and Google whose Gmail service was the end recipient of the forwarded emails.

I almost immediately had success with the email forwarder. I showed them the domain registration record and how less than one and a half hours after the domain was registered, email from Facebook through their service was used to hack my account. Behind the scenes they stopped the email forwarding.

The domain registrar initially rebuffed me, saying I had no proof and that it was my word against the person that registered the domain. However, I contacted them again providing detailed records including the time of the domain registration and the email headers showing the time the initial email went out right afterwards. They never did reply again, however, today I see the DNS servers have been changed to an “abuse” address leading me to believe I convinced them.

The DNS provider proved to be useless in helping and I have yet to hear from Google about getting the end Gmail address shut down.

At this point I can at least derive some, tiny bit of satisfaction that my efforts appear to have gotten the domain name associated with the hack shut down.

Having said all that, so far, all of that work has not accomplished getting me back on Facebook and my account reinstated. I can clearly demonstrate that my account was hacked by an outsider, how it was hacked and thus that I was not responsible for the postings that occurred. That does me little good, however, because there is no way to communicate all of this to the company.

Yesterday I sent off another batch of snail mail letters to all the officers at Facebook. I continue to tweet at them in the hopes of getting their attention. I even emailed and tweeted at the NPR reporter that did the story a year ago about cases almost exactly like mine.  

The silence from Facebook is deafening, maddening and just wrong.

Update, 8/9/22, 4:00am. So frustrating. I have tried everything I can think to regain access to my Facebook account. I’ve emailed every address possible, written letters, tweeted, etc, all to no avail. It really is infuriating to say the least.

A bit of a mea culpa in the interest of being honest. I do think I have figured how the hackers were able to gain access to my account.

Many years ago, I worked on a side project and had registered a domain name and then setup an email address with that domain. While I let the registration for the domain name lapse in 2016, it appears I might have still had that email address listed in my FB profile or somewhere else.

Well, the bad guys registered that domain name for themselves in Japan on Saturday, July 30 and within hours, were hacking into my account. I had received emails saying someone was trying to login with that email address I used long ago but never put two and two together until the other day when I sat down and started hashing through everything that happened.

I’ve since emailed the new registrar of the domain and the DNS provider trying to get it shut down but have not had any luck so far.

One lesson learned that should be passed on is to be sure all your contact info on your social media accounts is accurate. Get rid of any old stuff in there or it may come back to haunt you.

So, it does fall on me for having an old email address listed on my Facebook profile. That, however, does not justify Facebook continuing to lock me out and not giving me the opportunity to correct the issue.

Original post, 8/4/22, 4:00pm. 

Well, no good vacation goes unpunished. I spent much of this past week up in the Colorado high country taking in the sights and critters. I return to find my Facebook account was hacked and they have put it on hold, pending deletion.

First, let me say that I am no computer dummy. I am an IT manager by trade and take all possible precautions to lock down all of my important accounts, including all social media. For Facebook, this included a ridiculously complicated password and two factor authentication.

Last Saturday, I received a notification from the Facebook app that someone was trying to login as me and, with two factor authentication enabled, asked if it was authorized. Naturally I immediately clicked the “no” button.

I then attempted to change my password but due to the limited connectivity where we were camping, I couldn’t complete the process. I wasn’t overly concerned as I had told Facebook to deny the login. Makes sense, right? Nope. Apparently not.

Facebook did indeed let the bad guys in and they in turn started posting what I can only guess is some nasty stuff. Sunday morning I wake up to find my Facebook account was suspended and is pending review due to my violating their Community Standards.

Now, if someone had access to my account and they detected it, I applaud Facebook for disabling it. However, they have taken it too far by preventing me from accessing it again.

I have appealed their decision but now am sitting in limbo, staring at notices counting down the number of days until my account is permanently deleted. Certainly they have the capability to tell there were nefarious actors involved and that I had no part in posting the offending content.

There is literally no way to contact a real person at the company. I have sent emails to the few active email accounts I found and this morning even sent letters via snail mail to all of their executive team.

In my searching, I found many reports of people going through the same ordeal. Major news outlets including NPR have reported on Facebook’s failures to help their users. Many more examples abound including here, here and here. 

So, I sit here concerned about losing 10+ years of personal memories not to mention access to my Tony’s Takes Photography photo page that I have spent years cultivating and growing. It just is not right.

Yes, Facebook has a responsibility (and right) to police the content on their site. However, it is simply wrong to essentially “erase” someone through no fault of their own, something they have evidence of!

For you, my friends, this means I won’t be posting to Facebook until this gets resolved. At least I hope it gets resolved. If not, I guess I won’t be found on there again.

In the meantime, please head over to my Twitter account for my postings.  Thank you for your patience.

Coming soon: The Tony’s Takes 2017 photo book

November 29, 2017 by Tony Leave a Comment

I have just ordered my proof copy and should have it in a week. Once I do and have verified it meets my standards and looks good, I will make it available for ordering. It will be tight but I should be able to get it to you before Christmas.

From the Great American Eclipse to breathtaking landscapes and wildlife to raptors, it is all in there – 36 pages worth. I am trying a new vendor that, while my options for layouts were more limited, the cost is significantly less than last year’s book. I heard from some that the bucks prevented them from ordering them so I am hoping this will help get the book in more folks’ hands.

Keep an eye out and be ready once I make it available!

First Tony’s Takes photo book released

December 27, 2016 by Tony Leave a Comment

A first for me – a photo book. I spent a lot of time working on this over the last couple of months. Had to keep it a secret as I couldn’t risk the honored first recipient of it, my mom, finding out about it. It is a hardbound, 24 page book of all my ‘top shots’ from the past year – wildlife, landscapes and more – with a very special dedication. I will certainly sell copies to anyone that might be interested but they are a bit pricey – $75 plus shipping. If you’re interested, let me know.

An online version of the photo book can be viewed here.

Tony's Takes 2016 photo book.  (© Tony’s Takes)
Tony’s Takes 2016 photo book. (© Tony’s Takes)

2017 wildlife, landscape, raptor and Bald Eagle calendars now available

October 4, 2016 by Tony Leave a Comment

I am pleased to announce the availability of my 2017 calendars with some of the amazing animals, raptors, and landscapes I have captured with my camera over the past year. Whether you are struck by the sight of a majestic Bald Eagle, awed by sunrises and sunsets or amazed by the animals that we share the planet with, there is a wide variety of subjects to choose from. Get more details here.

Landscapes 2017 Calendar
Landscapes 2017 Calendar
Wildlife 2017 Calendar
Wildlife 2017 Calendar
Raptors 2017 Calendar
Raptors 2017 Calendar
Bald Eagles 2017 Calendars
Bald Eagles 2017 Calendars

Saying goodbye: Local Denver area Bald Eagle eaglet dies

July 24, 2014 by Tony Leave a Comment

February 28, 2014 - Happier times back then as the Bald Eagle parents set up their home.  Yesterday, July 23, their eaglet died. © Tony’s Takes
February 28, 2014 – Happier times back then as the Bald Eagle parents set up their home. Yesterday, July 23, their eaglet died. © Tony’s Takes

It is with a heavy heart that I learned late yesterday of the passing of a local eaglet.  The female Bald Eagle was the offspring of a pair of the majestic birds that I had closely watched and photographed for the past six months.

I first discovered the parents at the end of January as they worked on a nest near the intersection of a highway and relatively major street.  Despite the high profile location, they went relatively unnoticed and I routinely visited them in the following months as they courted and worked on their new home.

The pair provided many extraordinary photo opportunities and I became quite familiar with them, and they with me I like to believe.  We spent many hours in each other’s presence, me thoroughly enjoying their presence, they not minding mine.

June 24, 2014 - "Heritage", the name my daughter gave the eaglet, is seen here with her dad. (© Tony’s Takes)
June 24, 2014 – “Heritage”, the name my daughter gave the eaglet, is seen here with her dad. (© Tony’s Takes)

The latter half of March it was apparent the female had laid at least one egg as she spent her time sitting on the nest, rarely leaving.  That put an end to me visiting them other than to watch from afar as I wanted to be sure to give them their space and not endanger their eggs.

By May the little one was visible and she grew quickly over the next couple of months.  She was expected to fledge around the first part of July and as the time got closer, so did the public attention.

The Raptor Education Foundation (REF) put out a very public call on all local news media for people to start watching the eaglet.  The very real concern was that her first flight could take her onto the highway.

She was slow to take that first flight and finally did this past Monday.  Thankfully she went into a nearby field and seemed to be okay.

However, her parents ignored her and even after being moved closer to the nest by the raptor group Tuesday, she was alone.  Yesterday, Wednesday, came the news that the eaglet was found to be very ill and soon passed away.  The statement from REF is pasted below.

I can’t help but have a heavy heart today.

A flyby by one of the Bald Eagle parents this past winter.  Hopefully we see this again. (© Tony’s Takes)
A flyby by one of the Bald Eagle parents this past winter. (© Tony’s Takes)

Many early mornings were spent sitting in the winter cold watching them for hours.  I have shot hundreds of pictures of them and felt like I had gotten to know them, and they me as well.

My kids oftentimes went with me and it was great to share the experience. My daughter had even named the new arrival “Heritage” – a fitting name for such a majestic bird.  She and her parents have given me and my family so much joy.

The chances of a bald eagle surviving its first year of life are less than 50% so in some ways this isn’t surprising; that however is little consolation.

I hope they try again this coming winter and establish a new heritage of eaglets at the nest.

Writer’s note:  As the statement from REF indicates, a necropsy will be performed to try to determine the cause of death.  I can’t help but wonder if the tremendous increase in traffic in the area created by the group that put out the public call didn’t cause undue stress on the eagle family and contribute in some way.

At times there were more than a dozen cars lining the street and the news media made many appearances.  It seems to me there would have been other ways to get volunteers without potentially putting the birds at risk.

While the location of the nest was hardly a secret given its vicinity to major roads, few members of the public knew of its existence. The time an eaglet fledges is critical and this layman can’t help but wonder if the increased attention didn’t contribute in some way.

On the net:

  • KMGH: Volunteers sought to watch over baby bald eagle nesting close to E-470 near Commerce City
  • Denver Post: Volunteers needed to guard baby eagle near Commerce City
  • Denver Post: Eaglet leaves nest near E-470 in Commerce City
  • KUSA: Young eagle flies out of nest, avoids E-470 traffic
  • Denver Post: Baby bald eagle dies near E-470 in Commerce City

Post by Raptor Education Foundation.

Why you need a UV / haze filter on your DSLR lenses

March 29, 2014 by Tony Leave a Comment

“They say” you should have a UV / haze filter on your lenses to protect them from damage as much as for any other reason. I have always used them but at times wondered if it was worth it. Now I know.

Getting out of my truck one day I dropped my camera bag. Since my camera and bigger lens were around my neck I didn’t think too much about it. Last week I swapped to the lens in the picture below which was in my bag when I dropped it.

When I got home and downloaded the images I noticed strange ‘ghost’ lines on the images. Inspecting the lens I found the filter cracked severely.

Made a believer in protective filters out of me!

If you use DSLRs, be sure you have a UV / haze filter on there. A $30.00 filter is far more tolerable to replace than a $200.00 lens.

Even though in a bag, the filter on this lens was broken when the bag was dropped.  (© Tony’s Takes)
Even though in a bag, the filter on this lens was broken when the bag was dropped. (© Tony’s Takes)

Nesting bald eagles may force delay in rebuilding Boulder County bridge

March 7, 2014 by Tony Leave a Comment

With more bald eagles along the Front Range, it is possible summer construction projects will be delayed. (© Tony’s Takes)
With more bald eagles along the Front Range, it is possible summer construction projects will be delayed. (© Tony’s Takes)

Some nesting bald eagles may force at least one summer road project to be delayed.

According to the Longmont Times-Call, a pair is nesting near where a bridge on Boulder’s East County Line Road / Weld County Road 1 was washed out during last September’s big flood event.

Boulder County Transportation director George Gerstle told the Times-Call that it could be late summer before the project gets underway depending on when the fledgling birds leave the nest.

When that happens, construction can finally begin on replacing the bridge over the St. Vrain River that was washed out in last September’s flood, Gerstle said.

He said Boulder County is being careful to comply with guidelines the U.S. Endangered Species Act sets for such projects in order to ensure that the Federal Highway Administration will reimburse Boulder County for most or all of the estimated $4 million to $5 million total it’s expected to cost to design and build the new bridge.

I believe there has been a rather noticeable increase in bald eagles this winter along the Colorado Front Range.  It seems like with little effort one can find them, even in areas quite populated.  Indeed, one of my favorite places has been along the South Platte River in the north Denver area suburbs.

It will be interesting to see if more stories like this are repeated in the coming month or so as eagles mate.

In 2007 the bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list after staging an extraordinary comeback.  It is however protected by the 1940 Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

  • Also see: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – National Bald Eagle Management Guidelines

In Colorado, the state’s Division of Wildlife has established guidelines establishing buffer zones around the bird’s activities.  Those state:

Nest Site:
No surface occupancy (beyond that which historically occurred in the area; see ‘Definitions’ below) within ¼ mile radius of active nests (see ‘Definitions’ below). Seasonal restriction to human encroachment (see ‘Definitions’ below) within ½ mile radius of active nests from October 15 through July 31. This closure is more extensive than the National Bald Eagle Management Guidelines (USFWS 2007) due to the generally open habitat used by Colorado’s nesting bald eagles.

Winter Night Roost:
No human encroachment from November 15 through March 15 within ¼ mile radius of an active winter night roost (see ‘Definitions’ below) if there is no direct line of sight between the roost and the encroachment activities. No human encroachment from November 15 through March 15 within ½ mile radius of an active winter night roost if there is a direct line of sight between the roost and the encroachment activities. If periodic visits (such as oil well maintenance work) are required within the buffer zone after development, activity should be restricted to the period between 1000 and 1400 hours from November 15 to March 15.

Hunting Perch:
Diurnal hunting perches (see ‘Definitions’ below) associated with important foraging areas should also be protected from human encroachment. Preferred perches may be at varying distances from human encroachment and buffer areas will vary. Consult the Colorado Division of Wildlife for recommendations for specific hunting perches.

Primary Sidebar

Connect With Me

Tony's Takes on Facebook Tony's Takes on Twitter Tony's Takes RSS Feed

Recent News & Images

  • Red tailed hawk shows off its catch, opts to dine in private
  • Trio of eagles showcase differences in plumage between ages
  • American kestrel takes a dive
  • Video: Fox takes a nap on a bed of leaves
  • Bald eagle steals the meal

Photo Use Information

All photos © Tony’s Takes. Images are available for purchase as prints or as digital files for other uses. Please don’t steal; my prices aren’t expensive. For more information contact me here.

Galleries

  • Exhibits
  • In the City
  • In the News
  • Landscapes
  • Pets
  • Random Stuff
  • Sun, Moon and Stars
  • Transportation
  • Weather
  • Wildlife

Archives

Search

Tags

American Kestrel Astrophotography Bald Eagle Bear Bighorn Sheep Bison Burrowing Owl Canada Goose Clouds Coyote Deer Duck Elk Fall Colors Ferruginous Hawk Flowers Fox Golden Eagle Great Blue Heron Great Horned Owl Hummingbird Marmot Military Moon Moose Mountain Goat Mountains Northern Harrier Osprey Pelican Pika Prairie Dog Prairie Falcon Pronghorn Rabbit Red Tailed Hawk Snowy Egret Squirrel Sunrise Sunset Swainson’s Hawk Thunderstorm Turkey Turkey Vulture Video

Footer

Connect With Me

Tony's Takes on Facebook Tony's Takes on Twitter Tony's Takes RSS Feed

Search

Photo Use

All photos © Tony’s Takes. Images are available for purchase as prints or as digital files for other uses. Please don’t steal; my prices aren’t expensive and I will work with you to get you the art you desire. For more information contact me here.

Latest

  • Red tailed hawk shows off its catch, opts to dine in private
  • Trio of eagles showcase differences in plumage between ages
  • American kestrel takes a dive
  • Video: Fox takes a nap on a bed of leaves
  • Bald eagle steals the meal
Copyright © 2023 Tony's Takes Photography
  • Home
  • Latest News & Images
  • Purchase Prints
  • Photo Books
  • Calendars
  • Contact
  • About Tony