This has been one of the coldest, wettest winters I can remember over the past 21 years. Spring will be especially welcomed. Surely, wildflowers will abound and wild birds will be headed our way. We are already seeing yuccas in bloom throughout this part of the state in spite of the cold. I hope to spend a good part of April on South Padre Island to capture as many photos as possible of the many species of songbirds returning from Mexico and Central America. At the same time, the shorebirds and wading birds will be doing there thing along the Laguna Madre and Gulf shores. I hope you can join Joe Zinn and me for a few days of shooting. We set aside April 20-22 for a photography workshop and instructional photo tour. That week is almost always the peak of the songbird migration and it’s gonna be fun.
The World Birding Center at South Padre Island has added several hundred yards of new boardwalk through fresh and saltwater marsh. It already has a sizable wading and water bird population that should make the workshop and photo tour even more productive. Besides all the shorebirds and wading birds, there should be osprey and brown pelicans to keep those cameras clicking. If we anticipate the shooting might slow down for a few hours, we’ll head over to Brownsville and try our hand at photographing green parakeets and red-crowned parrots.
About 4 weeks after the South Padre Photo Tour, I’m planning to host a second hummingbird photography workshop at the Barnhart Q5 Ranch in Berclaire, Texas. The March hummer workshop is full and people are signing up for the May 22-23 workshop. Zip me an email or phone call soon if you can join me for that one. The ranch has many hummingbirds and a good population of other south Texas specialties like green jay, golden-fronted woodpecker and more.
Besides preparing for workshops, I’ve been visiting ranches around the Laredo area and helping them prepare for the big Images for Conservation Photography Contest (Pro Tour) coming in April. Several of those ranches as well as some in south Texas and the Texas hill country are constructing photography blinds and hanging out the bird feeders. They want to lure some of the thousands of nature photographers from across America and the world who have never seen a green jay or painted bunting. Their efforts will help save many acres of wildlife habitat and they will help introduce the world to wildlife photography, Texas style.
I hope you enjoy the photos this week. They are samples of what we will be photographing during the South Padre Island Photo Tour and Hummingbird Photography Workshop.
Male Hooded Warbler at minimum focus distance through a Canon EOS 1D Mark III camera and 500 mm IS Canon lens with 1.4X teleconverter from ground level
Bay-breasted Warblers and other small migrating birds forage among the tepeguaje trees on South Padre Island for insects and other invertebrates.
The blazing orange Blackburnian Warbler is one of the most eye-catching migrants we see during the South Padre Island Photo Tour in April.
Watch out for a stampede when someone spots a painted bunting during the South Padre Island Photo Tour. They are definitely the favorite of most photographers.
The South Padre Island Photo Tour revolves around small woodlots, marsh and beaches on the Laguna Madre. Last year, some of us were ready to shoot when a beautiful osprey nailed a fish in the shallows right in front of us.
A short side trip to Brownsville during the South Padre Island Photo Tour often yields photos of green parakeets and red-headed parrots. This photo was taken during the tour two years ago with a 500 mm IS lens and Canon EOS 1D Mark II camera with Gitzo tripod and Wimberley head.
Yellow Warblers are among the most photographed migrants on South Padre Island during mid-April.
I photographed this buff-bellied hummingbird here in McAllen two weeks ago while tuning myself and the equipment for the March and May hummingbird photography workshops.
This humming bird photo is a cropped version of a vertical shot taken two weeks ago.
I hope you enjoyed this little photo excursion with the birds. Of course, you can join me and capture your own south Texas gems this spring.
Bring extra flash cards when you come,
Larry
Great photos Larry….
OH NO . . . its “bird on a stick” again! LOL
Seriously, as always, excellent bird photography, especially the hummers and the parrots, which are my favorites. I am counting on getting this type of hummer photography at the Hummingbird Workshop next month.