Quiet Spot in the Marsh

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 stilts
Roseate Spoonbill chasing black-necked stilts
Stretching roseate spoonbill with black-necked stilts in the foreground.
Stretching roseate spoonbill with black-necked stilts in the foreground.
Roseate Spoonbill stretching by cattails
Roseate Spoonbill stretching by cattails
Resting roseate spoonbills by cattails.
Resting 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 feeding past as sleeping white ibis.
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 the sun sets.
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.

Larry

Another Fun Whooper Trip in the Books

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.
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 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 family feeding while on adult maintains almost constant vigil.
Whooping Crane pair feeding at sunrise
Whooping Crane pair feeding at sunrise

 

whooper takeoff as a willet watches from the background.
whooper takeoff as a willet watches from the background.
Whooping Crane family in flight
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.
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.
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.
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.
Flushing green-winged teal.

Lots of ducks and wading birds winter in the Rockport area.

Male ruddy duck loafing.
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
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
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.
Green Heron feeding in the last rays of daylight.
Oystering boats in Fulton Harbor, Texas
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
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.

Join me next winter for a week with the cranes.

Larry

Santa Clara Dream Morning

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 drinking

 

Bobcat, female with "ocelot" markings on side.  Experts say  one cat in twelve, on average, will have these reticulations in their fur.
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 # 2 at photo blind pond.

 

Bobcat pausing in front of photography blind.
Bobcat pausing in front of photography blind.

 

Audubon's Oriole landing
Audubon’s Oriole landing.

This oriole was missing a toe on its right foot.

Northern Cardinal and Pyrrhuloxia scolding
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.
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.
Photo demonstrating who rules the feeding post.

 

Male golden-fronted woodpecker posing in mid-air.
Male golden-fronted woodpecker posing in mid-air.

 

Green jay can't decide who eats first.
Green jays can’t decide who eats first.

 

Pre-focusing just behind the perch can insure a sharp image with full wing spread...provided the shutter speed is high enough to stop those wings.
Pre-focusing just behind the perch can insure a sharp image provided the shutter speed is high enough to stop those fantastic yellow wings.

 

House sparrow has lowest  rank at the feeding post.
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.
Eight northern bobwhites lined up for their first drink of the day.

The nature photography life is a sweet one on days like this.

Larry