Even On A Bad Day.......

Bill Baburchak August 22, 2020

I was at Lindsay Parsons this morning, enjoying another beautiful sunrise! But today was definitely not a busy day of photography. I don’t know what it was, maybe the birds took a day off or they called in sick. But I definitely wasn’t deluged with shot opportunities. Maybe that’s just as well because it gave me the chance to just enjoy the day for what it gave me.
Eventually the photo gods allowed a small group of Wood Ducks to wander through on their way to breakfast. This group was just getting their plumage back and they were starting to look presentable again. The males look especially ragged when they are molting. There’s something about the color palette of this image that I like. I think it’s the desaturated color look. But the ducks didn’t stick around for long….

Beginning to look like wood ducks again….

And I almost got an image that is on my to-do list: A bird in flight shot of a woodie. This is harder than you think. The way wood ducks fly is like watching a drunk walk down the street…. at 80 miles an hour! They twist and turn on their way in to a landing so that it’s nearly impossible to track them. And I say almost because I’m not in love with the image below. It’s okay, but I posted it to keep me motivated to get a great one!

And this Kingfisher? I need to have a talk with him. He spent 2 hours fishing without catching a single fish!!! He’s got to pick up his game or I’ll replace him with a GBH…..

This guy is going to starve to death the way he fishes!!!

And last but not least, even on days that no other birds show up, you can depend on the Canada Geese to be there for you. So they get their props from me today…..

Even on the worst day, it beats the Hell out of workin’……… Enjoy!

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Just Another Shitty Day In Paradise...... With a Nod to Jimmy Buffett…..

Bill Baburchak August 21, 2020

I gotta tell you, this retirement gig is awesome!!! Pretty much any day I want I can get out and watch the world wake up! The ducks and herons come by on their way to deal with their own busy lives, and I get to document this stuff. The lion’s share of the images never make it to the light of day, but that’s my fault and a story for another time.

This morning was very foggy at Brick Pond. I had set up in a new spot, about 30 or 40 yards in front of the new blind. The water level is so low that you can walk out into what used to be two feet of water! This gets me closer to the beaver lodge, which is where most of the birds end up at during some point in the day. That’s because the lodge still has water around it with fish in it, something the herons seem to enjoy.
It didn’t take long for the GBH’s to show up. And with the water level being so low it didn’t take long for them to start catching fish.

Doesn’t get any fresher than this!!!! Click to enlarge. — Doesn’t get any fresher than this!!!! **Click to enlarge.**

But these Great Blue Herons seem to be a bit on the sadistic side. This guy above spent 15 minutes picking this fish up, dropping it, and then spearing it again with his bill. Then he would dip the fish into the water to clean it off and start the process all over again! I wouldn’t want to be a fish around here. There’s no future in it!

And of course the Green Heron tried to get in on it but he was wayyyyyy out of his league!

And the Kingfishers aren’t any better. When they catch a fish they bash it against the branch they are perched on until the poor fish pretty much falls apart!

The wood ducks stopped by for a quick shower and some preening. It’s really hard to spot these guys with all the brush that has grown up at the pond. But they were fun to watch!

After bath time is over, they of course need to dry off. So they rub their little heads along their wings and that seems to be good enough for them!

So that is my tale of woe. No great images so Nat Geo won’t be calling. But I got to spend a beautiful morning with my friends. What could be better than that???

I Owe You One Teri......

Bill Baburchak August 18, 2020

I was talking the other day with Teri Franzen about the problems down at Brick Pond. Essentially, the pond had to be drained to have work done on the water control system that keeps the pond from getting too high and with the dry weather this summer it appeared that BP was in trouble. I commented that BP was done for the year, whether or not the water came back. I had been over to visit a few times recently and the pond looked like a big open field. But Teri cautioned me not to write the obituary yet, that she thought it could come back.

So I made a trip over to BP this morning with my camera, not expecting to see much of anything. I was in the blind on the south side of the pond and the sight lines were terrible. The high grass obscured a lot of what water was left. But there was some open water around the Beaver lodge so I figured I would stick around for an hour, and after seeing nothing, I would head out to DD for a coffee. Well, I never got that coffee!
Shortly after dawn two Green Herons went zipping over my head, hightailing it for the far shoreline. And there was a goose following right behind. I thought it was very odd that a goose would be with a heron and when I got my binoculars on the birds I found that I was looking at a mature Bald Eagle! I think Heron was on the menu for the Eagle but he really couldn’t match the speed of the herons in a distance race……

After the Eagle gave up, the Herons came back and began to feed around the beaver lodge but I couldn’t get a good shot. There ended up being 3 of them competing for territory. I think they just like harassing each other! Then the Kingfishers moved in. It’s a long shot from the blind to the beaver lodge on such a small bird so I didn’t get anything awesome, but I can live with what they gave me.

There were 3 of them, but I couldn’t get them all in the same shot!

This little one kept me company…. this pic shows the effect of a long lens at a short distance in low light. Almost no depth of field! Note the tick right behind the eye….

Then it was the Great Blue herons turn. One positive thing about the lack of water is that the birds are more concentrated, making it easier to find the birds. And this guy was having a great day fishing!

It took him several tries to get the fish down his throat!!!!

Look at the difference in the white balance in the first two images versus the last two images. I left it that way purposely to show what a difference light quality makes in an image….

So thanks Teri for setting me straight. I had a great morning!!!

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Man Plans...... And God Laughs!!!

Bill Baburchak August 17, 2020

I posted a pic of a Green heron on FB this morning but there is a humorous(?) story behind it that all wildlife photogs will instantly recognize and I thought that you might get a kick out of it. Or at least feel a little bit sorry for me!
I was at Apalachin Marsh setting up for a sunrise shoot. I knew there were several Green Herons in the area as I had previously scouted the area. There was a dead tree laying in the water about 30 yards away and it had 2 branches sticking up parallel to the water. I knew that this could be a very convenient place for a wading bird to land and fish from, so I set my blind up with high hopes for the morning.
As dawn finally decided to show up I could see a family of wood ducks in front of me, feeding on the small floating aquatic plants. I was well hidden and the ducks never knew I was there, and fortunately they eventually worked their way out of view. I did not want them around if the Heron showed up because I knew sooner or later they would spot me and ruin the whole setup.
Suddenly I could see a bird flying right at me from about 100 yards away! I couldn’t believe it when he kept coming right at me and he landed on the exact branch I wanted him on! It was the Heron! I knew he would eventually walk his way down the branch to the water and begin feeding. With any luck he would catch a nice fish or a frog and I would have a perfect opportunity for a good action shot! There was no vegetation between me and him (or her), the light was a nice soft overcast light. I couldn’t have asked for a better setup. I silently congratulated myself for being so damn smart. But then…. the sonofabitch walked to the opposite end of the branch and hopped down right into a patch of heavy vegetation!!! The pic below he was on his way into the thick stuff!

I seem to remember something about not counting your chickens……

I wanted to jump up and say “Hey dummy!!! You’re going the wrong way!!!”. But I also knew that once again, the photo gods had given me a large slice of humble pie! So close, yet so far…. But if it was easy it probably wouldn’t be as much fun. So I am slowly learning to celebrate my successes and learn from the failures. The pic below was the only decent one I got from the morning.

So that is my tale of woe…. I think I will have to go soothe my wounds with a Margarita!!!

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Just Another Day In Paradise...

Bill Baburchak August 15, 2020

August is usually a tough time of year for local wildlife photography. The little birds are pretty much grown, the vegetation is thick, and the mosquitos are looking for blood! So there are days that I am a little short on motivation to get up early and drive somewhere just to be abused by the insect population. But it’s also true that if you don’t get your lazy butt outta bed your chances of success fall rather rapidly.
Brick Pond would be the logical choice for a local outing except this year you might as well forget about BP. They had to draw down the water level to make repairs on the water control system and it now looks like a big grassy field. There may be a few birds there but I’m guessing they are few and far between and they’ll be very hard to get a good shot. So my next local go to is Apalachin Marsh. Usually you are wading through standing water at the marsh but with this year being pretty dry you can get around the marsh without getting your feet wet. Except where you cross under the highway, which has a few inches of water in it.
I really thought I would just be out for a glorified walk, but I always take a camera because you never know. It was a beautiful, quiet morning with some pretty heavy fog covering the marsh. I walked the trail to the blind to see if there was anything on what was left of the pond there. I peeked over the top and there was a duck staring back at me, but not the kind of duck I was expecting!

I want the birders to let me know for sure, but this looks like a male Ringneck Duck to me! Which is odd, because they are usually gone early in the spring. They breed in Canada and they usually use our area as a resting spot on the way up north. Below is a pic I took this spring at Brick Pond when they were in breeding plumage.

There are only a few smallish spots of open water at the marsh, although this can be an advantage for photographers. The lack of open water concentrates the birds into a smaller area which increases your chances of seeing them. At least that’s how it is supposed to go!
The rest of the images are nothing special species wise or quality wise, but they are important to me. They are the reason I wake up early to do this……

**Busted!!!! I’m getting the evil eye from Mom!**

**Mama’s little baby! The markings tell me this is a juvenile wood duck..**

**I don’t know what this is either, but I liked the composition…**

That’s all for now, enjoy!

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If Only I Had My Other Lens..... A Photographer's Lament

Bill Baburchak August 6, 2020

I went to check out a new place to shoot yesterday morning in Dryden, NY called the Jim Schug Trail. This is an old rail bed that has been made into a walking trail and runs for over 4 miles through wetland and farmland. Mel and I had stopped there last week and I thought it showed promise as a wildlife photography destination. We saw the usual GBH’s, Green Herons and also a few Cedar Waxwings.
So I arrived yesterday morning hoping to get a few images of the Waxwings feeding on hatching insects coming off the water. I brought my 400mm f2.8 for low light shots and my 200-500 zoom for when the light was good enough.
Early morning the birds were just kind of hanging out and easing into the morning.

I also noticed that there were many more Waxwings than we had seen just a few days ago. And my first thought was “boy, this will be easier than I thought”. Little did I know that I was about to be taken to photo school by these little speedsters!.

As soon as it warmed up enough the insects began to hatch and rise up out of the pond. And the Waxwings went into action! It was like a squadron of fighter jets in a dogfight! These birds are extremely quick, and they can turn on a dime. It was impossible to find them quickly enough with the 400mm so I switched to the 200-500. Now this lens is very good in decent light but has one flaw. It does not focus nearly as fast as a prime lens and it certainly wasn’t able to lock focus on the Waxwings before they changed direction. And of course, the one lens that would have worked, my 70-200, was sitting comfortably at home.

So I spent the morning trying to catch up to these speedsters but never really getting a good image. It was a very humbling experience and at the same time a great learning experience. I will go back with the right lens the next time and hopefully the birds will still be there!
The rest of these pics are just some that I got when they would take a break from gorging on insects. Enjoy!

That’s all for now! Stay safe and keep shooting!

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I Think I Somehow Pissed Off the Photo Gods....

Bill Baburchak August 2, 2020

I was at Lindsay Parson on Friday morning. This is usually a fairly slow time of year for me. It’s hot, the baby birds have grown up, and the vegetation makes photography more difficult. But I just can’t stay home, it’s not an option for me. As the gray shadows of early morning slowly faded away a Great Blue Heron came gliding in and landed on a log in the water about 40 yards away. Perfect. Far enough away for a good composition but close enough so I wouldn’t have to crop excessively. Now I just had to wait for the light to come up and for the bird to start fishing. Well, this bird must not have been listening when his parents taught him how to fish because he was terrible at it! In two hours of watching this bird fish he only managed to catch one frog! He also didn’t understand the concept of deep water because he twice stepped off the log into water that was over his body. The first pic below was just after he managed to get back onto the log after taking an unexpected dive. You can see the cool blue light on the bird but right behind him you can also see the Sun beginning to peek out. I knew I would only have a narrow window of good light Click on the images to enlarge.

Shortly after the previous pic he finally caught a frog!. And this is where the photo gods began to harass me. Instead of staying on the open part of the log to eat, he moved over two steps and stepped behind a small dead tree. What would have been a very good image turned into a ‘delete’. I couldn’t move because he was close and there was no cover between us. And moving a 400mm lens is not that simple.

But I thought, well just sit tight and he will catch something else. Forty five minutes later and he was still hungry. And the light was getting very harsh. So I stood up to leave thinking he would just fly away. Nope, he sat there and watched me while I packed up my gear and took off my Ghillie suit. This was the dumbest GBH I had ever encountered! Finally he decide to take off and I got a couple of pics of his departure. The light was very harsh but I massaged them in LR and at least made them presentable for a blog post.

And the bird? He flew into a tree about forty yards away and watched me walk out of the woods. The moral of the story? Never trust the photo gods……

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The Boys Are Back In Town....

Bill Baburchak July 28, 2020

I was back at Lindsay Parsons yesterday looking to get a good image of one of the young Kingfishers. It was 70 degrees at 5 in the morning so I kinda figured it was going to be a little warm. I was also hoping I might see the Otters again. There were very few clouds in the sky so it got light very quickly. The Kingfishers were there but by the time they started feeding the Sun was already throwing some harsh light. But I persevered, took some crappy pictures until about 8 o’clock when I decided to pack it in and go get a cup of coffee. I had packed up my backpack, taken off my Ghillie suit and was just turning to head up the hill when I saw that burnt orange color of a whitetail deer in Summer. I had been watching this doe earlier in the morning but I lost sight of her a while ago. She was feeding in the tall water plants at the edge of the pond. But when she picked up her head I realized ‘the boys’ were back. It was a very mature 10 point buck! I watched this bachelor group of bucks last year in the same area and it looks like at least two of them made it through the winter. So I had to unpack my camera quietly and get in position quickly. All of these pics are handheld and my telephoto is very heavy so I’m surprised that I got any keepers at all! There were at least 5 in the group but I only saw 3. These two 8 pointers were the same deer from last year but now the antlers were longer and heavier. By the time the antlers quit growing this year they will be 10 pointers. Deer antlers fall of in the Winter and grow back every Spring. While they are growing they are living tissue and very sensitive to the deer. By early September photoperiodism takes over and the tissue hardens and dies, forming the gleaming antlers you see in the Fall. But if a buck damages an antler while it is still growing, that antler will grow the same way for the rest of the bucks life!

Now these images aren’t going to win any prizes, that’s for sure. But I will definitely keep my eye out for this group for the next month or so!

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Time Is Running Short.....

Bill Baburchak July 7, 2020

I know I’ve been shooting a lot of Orioles lately but there is a good reason. Probably by this time next week they will pretty much be gone. And I’m not ready for that yet. That means that Summer is making it’s inexorable march towards Winter. And I’m definitely not ready for that!!! I have two Oriole families that visit the feeder every year. One family is a bit ahead of the other and the young can feed themselves just fine now. But the other little ones still need some help from the parents.

So as you can see I’m trying to capture my friends as best as I can so next February when the thermometer is telling me it’s too damn cold, I can look at these pics and believe that yes, Spring will come again….

And for you serious birders here’s a peek at a very rare specimen, Columba Livia. This is the only image I have ever been able to capture of this elusive bird!!! Don’t forget, this is a copyrighted image, no stealing!!

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It's Not Supposed To Be Like This.....

Bill Baburchak June 19, 2020

There I was, waiting for the birds to come in. But there was something that just wasn’t right. It was 70 degrees and sunny, I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I must be dreaming, or else I’m shooting in Florida. Usually I’m in full camo in a blind and the mosquitos are tattooing their names in my forehead. But here I was, with Mary Lou and Jack, waiting for the birds to arrive. And they didn’t disappoint us! There was at least a half a dozen near us at any one time, picking their way through the Serviceberry tree to get at the delicious berries that they came for.

The light was beautiful, the bird was beautiful, what more could you ask for???

We got a few nice pics with nice light, but we knew it wouldn’t last. The birds started looking into the middle of the tree where it was all dappled light. It’s hard enough to keep up with the birds let alone an ever changing light!

Don’t get me wrong these birds are not easy to shoot. They are always on the move and with people walking on the Riverwalk the birds were always moving from one tree to the other.

these guys thought nothing of hanging upside down to get a berry!

The last two images I put in just to give you some interesting tidbits about the birds. The first image shows why they are called Cedar Waxwings. The wingtips and tail look like they have been dipped in wax and the body is the same color as Cedar wood. And the second image will show that they actually have red eyes, not black. But you can only see it when the light hits the eye at the right angle. I never knew that until I zoomed in on this pic. The stuff you learn! …… Hope you enjoyed the pics. There are several more in my gallery page. Just go here… http://longcreekphotography.com/feathers
That’s all for now. Thanks for looking!!!!

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They Grow Up So Fast......

Bill Baburchak June 18, 2020

I was at Lindsay Parsons in Danby on Monday, checking on the Great Blue Heron chicks. It has been a couple weeks since I’ve been up there to check on them. Wow! They are getting very close to leaving the nest and it looks like one of the nests is actually empty. It’s easy to spot the young ones that have recently let the nest. They basically all congregate in the same area, not really sure of what to do or how to act. In a short time they will begin to explore and wander farther from the nest area. Eventually they will seek new areas of their own. These are not great pics by any means but the nests are a long shot even with a super telephoto. But they show the chicks interaction with the parent as the parent stops by to feed them. They are very aggressive as the chicks compete for food. Remember, the one who gets the most food has the best chance of surviving! There was one chick who never got up at feeding time, sitting by itself the whole time. It’s either very sick or it is already dead. Life is not easy for them……

This will probably be the last pics of the chicks in the nest. Time flies when you’re having fun! Hope you enjoy!

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ROAD TRIP!!!!

Bill Baburchak June 17, 2020

Last week I posted a short story about the time I spent at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, near Batavia. But that was just a taste of what I saw on my trip!
I left my house at 2am on Monday, hoping to get to the refuge before dawn to be ready for the morning shoot. I came close but it was beginning to get light out, so I picked the best spot I could and set up for the morning shoot. I was hunkered down in the cattails hoping that I had some openings to get a few clear shots. I knew there were birds in the shallows, I just didn’t know how many!

Reservations needed! Click to enlarge — Reservations needed! **Click to enlarge**

It was like a big block party for wading birds! At one point I counted around forty birds in this one pool. I had never seen this many birds in one spot before! I don’t know why they were all in this particular pool but I was too busy shooting to question it. The sun was just coming up which made for difficult shooting conditions. One bird would be in bright sunlight and the bird next to it would be in deep shade. But that is just something you need to deal with. I was just having a ball!

Eventually the Sun rose high in the sky and the birds began to scatter so I knew it was time to go explore other areas of the refuge. Which is very hard to do in one trip because the refuge encompasses 11,000 acres, of which 8,000 acres are wetlands!
My next stop was the Sour Springs Road area, where I found acres of wildflowers and some beautiful butterflies.

It was a little late for wildflowers but the Dame’s Rocket was plentiful and the wild Iris were absolutely beautiful!

What you can see when you sit still for a bit….

I did not see too many deer this trip but this is the time that the fawns are being born so Mom tries to find a secluded area to safeguard her little ones. By the end of this month you will see plenty of young ones! And I did have a visit one evening from a Raccoon. He walked within 10 yards of me looking for dinner.

He was not happy that I interrupted his dinner plans!!

The one bird that I was really hoping to photograph pretty much eluded me on this trip. The Black Crowned Night Heron is a fairly reclusive wading bird. I came close to getting a good shot on the last night there. I had one moving towards me until a Dad and his son came by on their bicycles. Can’t be mad about that because that kid will grow up enjoying and protecting these spaces we all enjoy! And it just gives me an incentive to come back.
I did manage to get an acceptable image of the Night Heron fleeing from the bikers though.

I have many more images from this trip in a gallery folder. Just go over to the Gallery button and look for the folder marked ‘INWR’. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoy taking them!!! This refuge is an incredible place to explore. For more info about the refuge: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/iroquois/

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In Appreciation Of The Ordinary.....

Bill Baburchak June 11, 2020

I was lucky enough to spend a few days at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge this week. (I just have the best wife!) Even though it was a slow afternoon for my intended species (Black Crowned Night Herons) I was given a front row seat to an amazing show put on by what we consider a very ordinary run of the mill bird. I’m talking about the female Red Wing Blackbird. Nobody pays much attention to them. They’re drab in color compared to the male of the species so they kind of fly under the radar. (pun intended!) She kept flying from the bushes on the side of the wetland out to the middle of the swamp. Back and forth, back and forth. I finally figured out what she was doing. She was collecting water bugs to feed to her little ones on shore! But it was how she did it that had me intrigued.

She would fly down as close to the water as she could without ending up in the water. She would even try to balance on one foot all the while searching for the bugs under a thin layer of pond yuck.

She would quickly swipe for the bug while stretching as far as she could, even reaching out on one foot!

Back safe on the branch, now to go feed the kids!!

Once she had the bug, she would dart over to the nest, drop off the morsel and start all over again. And the remarkable thing is she did this for 3 hours straight!!! She was still at it when I left!
Blackbirds will never be considered a favorite of mine but I now have a much greater respect for them! If you can sit still long enough Nature will sometimes reveal some of her interesting secrets. You just need patience…. More to come from my 3 days there….

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Close, But No Cigar.....

Bill Baburchak May 28, 2020

I was back at Lindsay Parsons yesterday and the morning started off well, with a pastel sunrise and a pair of GBH’s in silhouette.

Things would go downhill after this though. It was a very warm morning, in the upper sixties at dawn. As the sun began to rise I knew I was going to have issues. I was using a 400mm telephoto lens with a 1.7 teleconverter. This gives me an effective focal length of 680mm. It’s great for bringing distant subjects in closer but it also compresses everything else too. Like atmospheric haze. As soon as it got light I could see the haze hanging in the air and I knew it was going to cause issues. The haze makes it harder to focus accurately and even when you do it makes the image look just a bit out of focus. The image below is an example of a hazy image even after I have massaged the image in Lightroom. It just doesn’t have the crispness I expect.

Compare that image to the one below that I took 3 days earlier and you tell me which one looks better!!! It really is all about the light!

But don’t get me wrong. The day was not a total dud. The Spotted Sandpiper stopped to say hi for a few seconds. The light was good but I just couldn’t get him (or her) to turn toward me enough to get a great composition. It’s close but no cigar…..

Thank you all for looking! Now, get out and shoot!!!

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You Can't Always Get What You Want....

Bill Baburchak May 25, 2020

But as the Rolling Stones will tell you “you just might find you get what you need.” I was out shooting yesterday at Lindsay Parsons and I needed some Wood Duck images. It has been a slow season for me as far as Woodies go and I was hoping to get a chance with them. It was 5:30am, barely light enough to turn the camera on when a large silhouette came gliding overhead. My first thought was that it was just one of the many great blue herons that are nesting on the pond. But it turned out to be an immature Bald Eagle! I hadn’t seen this bird for over a month and just assumed he had just moved on.

But he didn’t stay very long, because a small flock of Blackbirds harassed him unmercifully until he finally left to escape his tormentors. They’re not great shots but it was early and he was a long way away.

It was easy to pass the time on a day like today. Temp was just right, the sunrise was pretty, and I had the Heron rookery in front of me. I find it very interesting to watch the behavior of these birds, especially now with the little ones being big enough to see at feeding time.

While I was watching the Herons a little bird slipped in on my left. I had to twist like a pretzel to even see what the bird was but I was glad I made the effort! It turned out to be a Spotted Sandpiper, which is a new bird for me. But as soon as he showed up, he took off. Glad I was able to get a decent image.

So I guess the Stones were right, I did get what I needed. I have the best “job” in the world!! Enjoy!
P.S. - Scott, the Otter came to visit today and wondered why you weren’t there!!!

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Working From Home.....

Bill Baburchak May 17, 2020

Today I spent the afternoon working from home, setting up a blind and my tripod in the backyard near the bird feeders. I wish more of my photography trips were this easy! Not everyone was as cooperative as the birds in the following pics. The Grosbeaks and the Indigo Bunting were a no-show. But that’s okay, I had fun anyways! I hope you enjoy the pics!!!

Not only can you get some nice images, it’s great practice so you can be ready for that once in a lifetime opportunity!!! Hope you enjoy!

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Bring Your Big-Boy Boots......

Bill Baburchak May 16, 2020

It was another day of torture at Apalachin Marsh this morning. I was the only human between two lanes of Interstate 86. And what a beautiful morning it was! Although it’s about time for the mosquito repellant!
Before it was even light enough to see, a GBH landed in a tree about 80 yards away.

Two hours later he was still there, seemingly content to nap the day away. A pair of Hooded Mergansers stopped by and Mom went into the nest. Dad went to hang out with the other boys. Didn’t get a shot. After 3 hours of watching the GBH preen and nap I decided to move over by the old blind. I’m guessing this blind must be at least 30 years old. It’s a little rickety but it still works just fine. While I was there the Warblers kept me company. Beautiful little birds but they never sit still!

If you have never been to Apalachin Marsh remember to bring your big boy boots!! The trail can be flooded in several places. It’s a very pleasant, easy walk and the songbirds are there!

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Kind Of A Mixed bag Last Week.....

Bill Baburchak May 14, 2020

I didn‘t get out as much as I wanted to last week. I messed up my back cleaning my wife’s car and I had trouble functioning for 4 or 5 days!!! So I actually did something intelligent and took it easy for a few days. (yeah I know right?)
So far this year has been a bit of a letdown, at least as far as waterfowl goes. I have not seen very many Woodies or Hooded Mergansers this spring. I don’t know if last year was an exceptional year or this year is a lean year. Thank God the usual suspects are back. Plenty of Orioles, Grosbeaks, and Goldfinches too! And my buddy the Otter popped in for a quick appearance the other day! He always seems to show up when the light is at it’s worst!!! So what do you do when things are a bit slow? Practice! Go out in your backyard and practice your birds in flight, or construct a setup so that the birds come in where YOU want them to. None of the following pics are all that impressive, especially the Otter! But to be good at this game you have to do the best you can with what you’ve got! And find some beauty in the ordinary…… Now get out and shoot!!!

Practicing DOF…. Your eye has a tendency to look right past the branch in front because it is out of focus..

All in all, nothing to write home about. But if every image was perfect it wouldn’t be much fun now, would it???

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An Otter-Ly Beautiful Morning......

Bill Baburchak April 25, 2020

Now that sunrise is just after 6 am, getting up to Lindsay Parsons Preserve in Danby means getting up very early! But once I am awake I’m okay with it and look forward to the day with anticipation. I was in my spot before dawn and it was a cloudy, dead calm day. The GBH’s were stirring in their nests preparing for the coming day. The Beavers were very busy (duh) gathering breakfast but there were no ducks of any kind to be found. No Woodies, Hoodies, Mallards, nothing but the Damn geese. And it stayed that way for two hours! I amused myself watching the Beavers criss-crossing the pond in their travels. One Beaver was making a bee-line for the shore not too far away from where I was in my blind, but it seemed like this Beaver was moving way too fast. I realized it was an Otter! I had been seeing Otters up here off and on for the last two years and I was hoping to get a good image of one this year. Once this otter had finished up on the shore (more on that later) he slid back into the water and began feeding. Fortunately for me he caught a fair sized Bullhead and was looking for somewhere to have breakfast! He headed straight for a log about 40 yards away from me and climbed up onto the log. I knew this was a long shot in iffy light, but it was the best chance I had ever had to photograph an Otter so I didn’t want to screw it up!

The one thing you immediately realize is how muscular and powerful these animals are! They are 30 pounds of pure muscle. And even though I was forty yards away you could hear the fish bones crunching under the power of those jaws and teeth!

I have two other images that I took while he was on land. I had no idea what he was doing until I did some research online. It appears that River Otters use a communal pooping area called a Latrine! It is a large part of their social structure and everybody poops in the same area. It is a way for them to keep track of one another, kind of like Facebook for Otters! There is even a YouTube video of this behavior believe it or not! Here is the link…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMr9fL9iXSY

Consider this your Natural History fun fact of the day!!! Enjoy!

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Practice, Practice,Practice....

Bill Baburchak April 13, 2020

It was early on Easter morning at Lindsay Parsons preserve and it was cold! There was a stiff breeze blowing and the wind chill was in the twenties. The birds were smarter than I was because they were nowhere to be found! So I packed my gear up and headed back to town, but I hate to give up so easily so I stopped at Apalachin Marsh on my way home. I wasn’t expecting much but the breeze had dropped off so it felt much warmer. It was slow at the marsh too but I was lucky in that there was a small flock of birds on the pond. And these little ducks are one of my favorites. These are Pied Billed Grebes and they are so small they would fit easily into your hand. And they have a very distinctive call that sounds almost like a call you would hear in a jungle! Kind of an ape-like sound!
I enjoyed being out in nature on such a beautiful day! Enjoy the pics and stay safe!!!

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