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Great Egret showing plume feathers, Texas coast
Share the excitement and fulfillment of fabulous wading bird photography on a two day, pre-festival (Galveston FeatherFest) photo tour with me at a rookery island near Rockport, Texas on Tuesday-Wednesday (April 12-13). The $700 fee covers your share of the boat and captain for two mornings at the rockery island, professional instruction and assistance by me, and more fun than you thought possible. Sign up immediately at www.GalvestonFeatherFest.com, or email: FeatherFest@gintc.org ,or simply call 832-459-5533.
During a short trip to Santa Fe, I grabbed a few photos of landscapes to share with you. The weather was great with clear, crisp (38 degrees in Santa Fe on March 10) days. While it was raining across Texas, New Mexico was enjoying beautiful spring weather.
Almost everyone seems to appreciate the history and pueblo style architecture of New Mexico. With some of these images, I tried to capture a sense of those qualities.
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A Santa Fe hotel with luminaria along the walls.
Most of these images were done with the Canon 5D Mark II and 24-105 lens with polarizing filter, hand-held.
Window and flower box with reflection of Santa Fe building.
This blue window photo was a little difficult to compose since it was covered by a canopy of ugly fabric.
Apricot in bloom, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe
This apricot tree was blooming in the patio of the Georgia O’Keefe Museum at Santa Fe. I decided to try it in black and white and color. The shadows on those adobe walls were irresistible.
Pink apricot blooms and shadows on an adobe wall.Historic Santa Fe Church at night.Petroglyph from the Three Rivers site in central New Mexico.
This petroglyph photo is my favorite of the trip. By waiting until sunset on Sierra Blanca and painting the rock face with light during a slow exposure, I wanted to bring the face to life while capturing some color on the peak.
*** If your monitor isn’t properly calibrated, this image may be too dark or too bright to properly render the intended effect. I strongly recommend that all photographers purchase and use a monitor calibrator and use it often. I use Spyder3 Express software but several others are available.
Rainbow and windmill west of Del Rio, Texas on the return from New Mexico.Windmill and cloud reflection at sunset.
As we reached Sanderson and Del Rio, Texas on the return trip, pools of water left by recent heavy rains were everywhere. Thank you, Lord, for this sunset and reflection after the rain.
On Wednesday, I captured several images of roseate spoonbills resting and preening by the boardwalk at South Padre Island. During that last hour of sunlight, the birds were reluctant to move, so I was able to work (if you can call it work) without moving. What a perfect way to end the day!
Note how details of the birds tend to blend into the busy, cattail background. While the location offers a good view of spoonbill habitat, I think a clean, water background would have improved these shots. This is by no means a complaint; I was blessed to be there.
Take a look at a few of the photos:
Click on an image to enlarge and sharpen it.
Roseate Spoonbill chasing black-necked stiltsStretching roseate spoonbill with black-necked stilts in the foreground.Roseate Spoonbill stretching by cattailsResting roseate spoonbills by cattails.
Several white ibis, black-necked stilts and heron mixed with the spoonbills occasionally, so I had to photograph them. The reflections of all the birds really helped these images.
Tricolored Heron wading past a relaxed white ibis.
The raised foot gives this shot a sense of action that would have been missing in a typical “standing bird” pose.
White Ibis sleeping in the shallows at sunset.
By the time this “sweet light” came, the hundreds of talking, boardwalk vibrating tourists had gone to dinner, leaving three photographers and the birds to finish a beautiful day.
Three days in Rockport/Fulton, Texas last week was time well spent as five people joined me to photograph whooping cranes and several other species, mostly from Kevin Sims’s boat the Jumping Jack Flash. Sunny skies and warm temperatures kept everybody comfortable, but the weather was a little too bright for ideal photo conditions. Nevertheless, the group had great success, so who am I to complain.
Here are a few of my images from the trip. Don’t forget to click on a photo to enlarge and sharpen it for viewing.
Blue crab numbers were up for the first time in several years.
Whooping Crane family feeding on abundant blue crabs. The orange-headed bird is a young of the year.Whooping Crane family feeding while on adult maintains almost constant vigil.Whooping Crane pair feeding at sunrise
whooper takeoff as a willet watches from the background.Whooping Crane family in flight.
Sometimes you just can’t get the bird wings in sync.
American Avocets on the sunny side of the boat.
Always be aware that good things can happen when you photograph wildlife while shooting into the sun.
Peregrine Falcon on Aransas National Wildlife Refuge boundary sign.
This very cooperative young peregrine falcon held his position while everyone captured many frames of this once-in-a-lifetime pose as we boated along in choppy waves on the last morning of our shoot.
Brown Pelican landing on perch.
Each afternoon, we worked away from the boat to photograph wildlife at some of the many nice parks and habitats in the Rockport area.
Flushing green-winged teal.
Lots of ducks and wading birds winter in the Rockport area.
Male ruddy duck loafing.
It had been awhile since I’d seen a male ruddy duck going into breeding plumage.
White Pelican taking fish from cormorant
I had a little too much lens power for this shot, but I wasn’t expecting a pelican to go after a cormorant. Actually, the cormorant surfaced near the pelican and was carrying a fish in its bill. The pelican was trying to take it but there was no time to downsize lenses even though I had the 100-400 mm around my neck.
Green Heron stalking fish
Instead of making this image from the tripod, I laid down on the boardwalk to improve the perspective between me and the bird. The lower angle worked much better.
Green Heron feeding in the last rays of daylight.Oystering boats in Fulton Harbor, Texas
No whooping crane trip is complete until we’ve photographed around the harbors at sunset. We got the boats coming into harbor, unloading and docking for the night.
Fulton Harbor at sunset
This was a tricky shot in soft light after sunset with a one foot chop on the water. To smooth the water surface, I selected a long exposure to blur the waves into a smooth, pleasing foreground surface. It wouldn’t have worked if the boats had been rocking on the waves. All but one were securely moored.
Tuesday morning was a dream photo shoot for me at Santa Clara Photo Ranch west of Edinburg. It was one of the few times I’ve photographed alone this year and the absence of human sounds was deafening. It was obvious the critters appreciated the quiet time; birds were everywhere.
The big EVENT of the morning began with a scream, then screams and more screams…the kind cats make when mating. Around 8:00 AM, the chilling vocalizations started just 20 yards from my blind. Knowing what it was, I quickly prepared the Canon 7d II and NEW 100-400 mm lens for action. The first cat to appear was a large female that came within 20 feet of the blind before crouching for a long drink.
The cat was great; the new lens was great; the light overcast sky was great! She paid no attention to the zip, zip, zip of the camera. When she finally strolled away, a second kitty came in. It was one of the prettiest bobcats I’ve even seen. In the space of 5 minutes, both cats came and went. It was a “hum-drum” morning after that. Yep, there wasn’t much to do but photograph birds, green birds, red birds, orange birds, yellow birds, etc. , but somehow I muddled through.
Here are a few images from my big day at Santa Clara Photo Ranch: Remember to click on an image to enlarge and sharpen it.
bobcat drinking
Bobcat, female with “ocelot” markings on the side. Experts say one cat in twelve, on average, will have these reticulate patterns in their fur.
Bobcat # 2 at photo blind pond.
Bobcat pausing in front of photography blind.
Audubon’s Oriole landing.
This oriole was missing a toe on its right foot.
Northern Cardinal and Pyrrhuloxia sharing a perch.
This is “the year of the northern cardinal in south Texas”. Significant numbers have moved into McAllen for the winter and that’s a rarity.
It has taken me years to get sharp flight shots of a golden-fronted woodpecker. I got several this day.
Photo demonstrating who rules the feeding post.
Male golden-fronted woodpecker posing in mid-air.
Green jays can’t decide who eats first.
Pre-focusing just behind the perch can insure a sharp image provided the shutter speed is high enough to stop those fantastic yellow wings.
Nobody told this house sparrow she has lowest rank at the feeding post.
Eight northern bobwhites lined up for their first drink of the day.
The nature photography life is a sweet one on days like this.
I spent three hours yesterday morning photographing birds and a kayaker on the Laguna Madre at South Padre Island. The weather was beautiful with a gentle north wind blowing down the bay and the sun at my back. Hoping for some good flight photography, I patiently wasted 2/3 of my time waiting for ducks and pelicans that just didn’t come …at least not by air. Fortunately, there were some birds about so, I took advantage of their feeding and loafing activity.
Using a Canon 7d II camera and 500 mm lens on the Gitzo tripod and Wimberley head, I had enough telephoto reach to make some reasonable captures. Here are a few images from a slow morning on the Laguna Madre: Click on an image to enlarge and sharpen it for viewing.
This male American wigeon was one of the few airborne birds of the morning.
I prefer for birds in flight to be a little closer to my eye-level, but this bird was acceptable. Wing position and light angle are important, of course.
An unusual sight, this cinnamon teal male swam by looking for a freshwater inflow where he could drink and bathe.
One of the drake redheads that drifted by.
Mottled duck drake (yellow bill) loafing in the shallows with good cover.
*** When the wind is out of the northwest, photographers are mostly seeing the rear end of birds as they face into the wind. It is important to capture the subject look back over its shoulder.
Red-breasted merganser drake shaking water.
This red-breasted merganser was faster than his unlucky prey.
A beautiful morning to kayak the shallow Laguna Madre.
Clapper rail on the hunt for invertebrates along the shoreline.
Common gallinule at first light.
Great blue heron cleaning his bill.
Tricolored heron preening on a black mangrove perch.
Reddish egret herding a school of silvery fish in the shallows.
…and so the morning ended. There are many birds about the Laguna Madre this time of year, but success is always regulated by wind speed and direction and by the tides. It takes some planning and good luck to catch a “fast” morning on the bay. I’ll hit it right before winter ends.
When December rolls around, I always try to dedicate about three days to photographing white-tailed deer at the peak of the breeding season. But, this year the time just got away from me and I missed the chase.
Here are a few deer images from January 9, just in time to capture the end of the main rut.
Don’t forget to click on an image to increase its size and sharpness for better viewing.
“How did that vine get on my antler?”
Young buck trailing a doe at sunrise.
Most of these photos were taken from ground level with a Canon 7D Mark II and Canon 70-200 mm lens, hand held. My elbows were on the ground and the stabilizer was on setting # 2.
Dominant buck testing the air for scent of a doe.
Getting this shot requires photographer vigilance and having the necessary camera/lens settings “dialed in” before that magic moment occurs.
Hot pursuit!
“This is my space!”
What spike bucks do while the big boys are chasing does.
These spikes played at “being bucks” for about 5 minutes and without paying any attention to me.
I hope you enjoyed this brief trip to deer country.
In spite of cold and windy south Texas weather last weekend, four Houston photographers and I managed to capture some good images at Laguna Seca Ranch. Here are a few of my shots.
Remember to click on an image to enlarge and sharpen it for viewing.
American Kestrel on hunting perch
The wind was blowing so hard this day that I was surprised this little kestrel never lost her grip on the perch.
American Kestrel on hunting perch
Hungry Green Jays stealing acorns from a stump.
There is always another hungry bird to take the last one’s place.
Harris’s Hawk going to food
Lesser Goldfinches drinking
Loggerhead Shrike on hunting perchLong-billed Thrasher swallowing a mouth full.
white-crowned sparrow
Pyrrhuloxia male
Northern Bobwhites on log, s. Texas
It’s just about impossible to get 4 bobwhites with their heads lifted at the same time. Patience……
Here is the final group of photos I will share with you from our Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge Instructional Photo Tour. Some in our group had far better luck and skill than I as they captured many beautiful images.
Click on an image to enlarge and sharpen it. Click on the right edge of a photo to advance.
Eared Grebe in winter plumageNorthern Harrier, female protecting a snow goose carcass.Feeding northern pintail drakeSandhill Crane leaving the roost in rich morning light.Sandhill Crane at Bosque del Apache NWR, NM
Many of the sandhill crane images I captured were at low shutter speeds with the Canon 7D Mark II and 500 mm lens on a Feisol cf tripod and Wimberley gimbal head. The slow shutter speeds allowed me to get the wings blurred while keeping the bird’s head sharp to give the impression of “action” to a still photo. I especially loved the water background in this shot.
Sandhill Crane at Bosque del Apache NWR, NM
How could a photographer not love photographing these elegant cranes.
A trio of cranes with blurred wings.Sandhill Cranes leaving the roost at sunrise.
The slow shutter speeds (1/80-1/125 second) also creates an impressionistic look to background vegetation.
Sandhill Cranes descending on a roost pond in the shadow of Chupadera Wilderness peaks.Feeding Sandhill Crane silhouetted against a red sunset on the roost pond.Sandhill Cranes wading in golden water.
Sunsets reflected in the crane roosting ponds can create many colors from red-pink-gold.
Snow Goose landing in alfalfa field along the auto tour route.Snow Geese are comfortable standing on ice.Sandhill Crane passing a red cloud on its descent to the roost pond.
New Mexico sunrises and sunsets are hard to match. Throw in several thousand ducks, geese and cranes and it’s magic for the wildlife photographer.
I didn’t want to cram so many photos into a single newsletter, so this is a second installment of Bosque del Apache Refuge photos. Enjoy!
Click on a photo to enlarge and sharpen it. Click on the right edge of a photo to advance to the next one.
Male American Wigeon landing.
Melody Lytle loaned me her new Canon 100-400 mm lens for this photo. That is one dandy lens…sharp with a quick focus.
Ducks flushing as sandhill cranes feed.
Above, a back-lighted shot with the 500 mm lens at sunset.
Sandhill Crane landing.Bald Eagle and blackbirdsSnow Goose coming head on at sunrise.
400 year old church in Socorro, New Mexico.
I photographed this 400 year old church in Socorro, New Mexico at sunrise on the way back to Texas. Shadows and light make this one well worth the frozen finger-tips.
