July in the Davis Mountains

For the last three years, my wife and I have gone to the Davis Mountains of west Texas for a week-long summer retreat.  While the temperatures hovered close to 100-degrees in south Texas, the mountain air was refreshingly cool throughout the July trip.  Of course, I had my camera gear along and used it every day to capture hummingbirds, foxes, mountains scenes and wildlife.

Here are several images I hope you will enjoy.  Don’t forget to click on an image to make it enlarge and sharpen for better viewing.

Aoudad Sheep, ewe on hillside near Fort Davis, Texas
Aoudad Sheep, ewe on hillside near Fort Davis, Texas

While eating breakfast one morning and watching for wildlife on the hills out the back window, I spotted a herd of approximately 13 aoudad sheep ewes and lambs grazing on the mountainside.

Aoudad Sheep, ewe on Davis Mountain hillside near Fort Davis, Texas
Aoudad Sheep grazing near several sotol plants.

By adding a 1.4 X tele-extender behind my 500 mm IS lens, the magnification was improved significantly for the sheep photos.

Black-chinned Hummingbird, male feeding at salvia flowers, Davis Mountains, Texas
Black-chinned Hummingbird, male feeding at salvia flowers, Davis Mountains, Texas
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird male with purple gorget.

Although there were only about 8 hummingbirds around the house, most were males and I had a lot of fun working them at the multi-flash setup.  All the birds were black-chinned hummingbirds.

Black-chinned Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird male in flight.
Full moon and agave
Full moon and agave

Century plants (agaves) were in full bloom at mid-July.

Agaves in bloom, Davis Mountains, Tx
Agaves in bloom, Davis Mountains, Tx.

Just after sunrise, I captured this scene with clouds and century plants (agaves) along the roadside near McDonald Observatory.

Davis Mountains and agave in bloom, Texas, July
Davis Mountains and agave in bloom, Texas, July

I used HDR toning while processing the photo above.

Scott's Oriole, male in agave flowers, Davis Mountains, Texas
Scott’s Oriole, male in agave flowers, Davis Mountains, Texas

This Scott’s Oriole fed among the agave blooms for several days at our residence near Fort Davis.

Scott's Oriole, male on agave bloom.
Scott’s Oriole, male on agave bloom.

Alerted by this bird’s distinctive call (the windows were always open so we could enjoy the cool breeze), I simply sneaked out of the house and photographed him from under the edge of the porch roof.

Gray Fox strolling across the hillside behind the house where we stayed.
Gray Fox strolling across the hillside behind the house where we stayed.

A long-time resident pair of gray foxes came by the house each afternoon at sunset, looking for a handout (usually weenies).

Gray Fox, Davis Mountains
Gray Fox, Davis Mountains

The 70-200 Canon lens with 1.4 tele-extender on the Canon 1D Mark IV body, hand held.

Gray Fox in grassland, Davis Mts, Texas
Gray Fox in grassland, Davis Mts, Texas
Gray Fox in side oats gramma grassland, Davis Mountains, Texas
Gray Fox appears from behind the sideoats grama, Davis Mountains, Texas.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the chance to do this again next year.

Larry

 

Bird with a Swinging Nest

I spent a couple of mornings in April photographing Altamira orioles at the nest.  As you may know, this species constructs an incredible hanging nest which sometimes reaches 2′ in length.  Coupled with the birds’ incredible gold and black colors and melodious song, they are a joy to watch, hear or photograph.

The following photos were made with the tripod standing on the ground and/or the back of a pickup.  As usual, my equipment included a Wimberley tripod head, Canon 7D Mark II camera and 500 mm IS lens.  I mostly tried to capture behavior and flight shots… fun but not easy.

Just click on a photo and it will enlarge and sharpen for viewing.  Click on the right border of a photo to advance to the next image.

Altamira Oriole leaving nest, s. Texas; tepeguaje tree.
Altamira Oriole leaving nest, s. Texas; tepeguaje tree.

 

 

 

Altamira Oriole singing from the nest entrance; tepeguaje tree.
Altamira Oriole singing from the nest entrance.
Altamira Oriole adult in flight, s. Texas
Altamira Oriole adult in flight, s. Texas

 

Altamira Oriole leaving nest, s. Texas; tepeguaje tree.
Altamira Oriole leaving nest.

 

Altamira Oriole adult in flight, s. Texas
Altamira Oriole adult in flight, s. Texas

It was almost impossible to anticipate the birds’ flight path as they returned to the nest with invertebrates for the young.  Hence, I got no flight shots of birds carrying colorful caterpillars and bugs, but I hope to get ‘er done next spring.

Have a good week,

Larry

Hot Wildlife Photography at Santa Clara Ranch

Santa Clara Ranch owner, Dr. Alberto “Beto” Gutierrez, called me at lunch yesterday to see if I was interested in heading out to the ranch for an afternoon of photography.  At the time, I was comfortably engrossed in a good book and didn’t want to leave the air conditioning.   Besides, the outside temperature was already hovering at 100 degrees.

Of course, I threw the book aside, jumped into my field clothes and headed for Beto’s place.  We arrived at the ranch around 3:00 PM and crawled into the blind to enjoy the 103 degree afternoon.  Birds were everywhere and everybody needed water.  In five minutes, we were “blazing” away at various birds, rabbits, ground squirrels and other critters.  The photography just got better as the day rocked along and things peaked about 6:45 PM when a young bobcat came in for a drink.    By that time, we’d already photographed deer, rabbits, and over a dozen species of birds.

Here are some of the images we captured on that toasty Texas afternoon:  click on the photos to make them larger and sharper.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo landing in granjeno bush, s. Texas
Yellow-billed Cuckoo landing in granjeno bush, s. Texas

These are the best yellow-billed cuckoo shots I’ve made.  These were done with the Canon 7D Mk II, 70-200 mm lens and 1.4X teleconverter, hand held.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo drinking at ranch pond, s. Texas
Yellow-billed Cuckoo drinking at ranch pond, s. Texas
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher flushing from ranch pond, s. Texas.
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher flushing from ranch pond, s. Texas.

Once we photographed the cuckoo and this scissor-tailed flycatcher, we knew for sure it would be a hot afternoon.

Female Bullock's oriole bathing while a young golden-fronted woodpecker waits its turn in the pond.
Female Bullock’s oriole bathing while a young golden-fronted woodpecker waits its turn in the pond.
Molting golden-fronted woodpecker and cardinal sitting in shade on a 102 degree afternoon by the ranch pond.
Molting golden-fronted woodpecker and a young cardinal sitting in shade on a 102 degree afternoon by the ranch pond.
Greater Roadrunner taking dust bath
Greater Roadrunner taking dust bath

Although this roadrunner drank often, it chose a dust bath instead of the wet type.

Groove-billed Ani drinking
Groove-billed Ani drinking

Eight anis were among the last birds to arrive at the pond on this afternoon.  The group of young and molting adults were more fun to watch than to photograph.

Groove-billed Anis grooming, s. Texas
Groove-billed Anis grooming, s. Texas
White-tailed Deer, does drinking at s. Texas photography ranch (Santa Clara).
White-tail does drinking at s. Texas photography ranch (Santa Clara).

These cautious white-tailed deer were all ears as we clicked away while they drank.

Bobcat drinking at pond in summer
Bobcat drinking at pond just before sunset.
Bobcat headed into brushy cover
Bobcat headed into brushy cover

This young cat almost walked into the blind after drinking from the nearby pond.  We were so excited by this cat that we pretty much forgot about photographing birds for the last half hour of the day.

As we left the ranch at sunset, the resident pair of Harris’s hawks showed up at the ranch house raptor blind, assuming Beto would leave a beef kinney supper on their favorite perch.   He did.

Larry

Bird Diversity of SE Arizona

In April, I guided a group of photographers on a three day instructional photo tour into southeast Arizona.  I’d always heard about how great the birding and bird diversity are in that place, but seeing is believing.

With the heavy rains throughout last summer, autumn and winter, the vegetation was lush and the birds were scattered.  Water was abundant so the bird concentrations were not as good as usual.

The weather was great.  Our cabins were at about 5,000 feet so the temperatures were really nice.  If I’d known how hot it was going to get in south Texas this year, I might have stayed on in Arizona.

The group did a lot of photography at my high-speed flash setup for hummingbirds.  Because the birds were scattered, we only got three species of hummers…blue-throated, broad-billed and black-chinned.  Everybody got tons of good images at the setup, however.

Click on an image to enlarge and sharpen it.  Click on the right edge of each photo to bring up the next image.

Acorn Woodpecker on agave.
Acorn Woodpecker on agave.
Arizona Woodpecker, female
Arizona Woodpecker, female on alligator juniper.
Western Tanager male on agave.
Western Tanager male on agave.
Black-chinned Hummingbird male feeding.
Black-chinned Hummingbird male feeding.

This male black-chinned hummingbird was photographed with natural light at 1/400 second, f4 @ ISO 640 with the new Canon 7D II.

Blue-throated Hummingbird in flight, Az.
Blue-throated Hummingbird in flight, Az.
Blue-throated Hummingbird in flight
Blue-throated Hummingbird in flight
Blue-throated Hummingbird in Arizona
Blue-throated Hummingbird in Arizona
Broad-billed Hummingbird, male in flight, Az.
Broad-billed Hummingbird, male in flight, Az.
Gambel's Quail male perched in dead willow
Gambel’s Quail male perched in dead willow
Gambel's Quail stand in shaded brush with evening sunlight streaming through.
Gambel’s Quail stand in shaded brush with evening sunlight streaming through.
Young male Lazuli Bunting, Arizona
Young male Lazuli Bunting, Arizona
Hepatic Tanager on century plant, Arizona
Hepatic Tanager on century plant, Arizona

My first hepatic tanager (above) was shy but posed for a few images.

Band-tailed Pigeon in juniper
Band-tailed Pigeon in juniper
Painted Redstart with spiders, Arizona
Painted Redstart with spiders, Arizona
Painted Redstart with spider, Arizona
Painted Redstart with spider, Arizona
Painted Redstart
Painted Redstart

These painted redstart photos were my first, too.  This hyper little bird was feeding young, but allowed our entire group to stand on the walking trail and photograph.  Talking about a difficult exposure…a black and white bird with a red breast.

I left that magnificent hummingbird dream photo out in Arizona, but just seeing it was a big reward for the effort.

Larry