Trying to Survive the Dog Days....

Bill Baburchak July 27, 2021

With all the rain, fog, and wildfire smoke it’s been very difficult to be a wildlife photographer lately! The farther the distance that you shoot in the fog, the more difficult it becomes to get a sharp picture. Add in the wildfire smoke and you have the recipe for fuzzy pics. Below is a pic I took about half an hour after sunrise last week. Normally by then I would have blinded myself looking into the Sun but today it was a very eerie sky.

If only a GBH was sitting on a branch…. what a composition that would be!

This morning was a bit better, as I was trying to keep my shots as close as possible to minimize the effect of the fog. The GBH’s are all flying now, with only one nest being used occasionally as a gathering place for food. The parents are trying to encourage the young herons to find their own food. Many of the birds have already dispersed to other wetlands in the general area and there are only 5 or 6 left from the original 40 birds in the beginning. These two birds below got along fairly well when they were nest mates but now that they are flying they seem to get testy with each other. And the light was right for a high key image so I fortunately got one that turned out okay. Click to enlarge images…

Yin and Yang…. a candidate for the “negative space” competition?

The Wood ducks are growing up too. It won’t be long before they are zooming all over the pond, but for now they just swim in for breakfast and then find a comfortable log to take a nap on.

Nice of him to give me an interesting background….

This time of year you also begin to see the different markings of the male and female coming out.

I was also fortunate enough to see a Spotted Sandpiper. Unfortunately the Sandpiper was on the same log as an adult female Wood duck. The Sandpiper wanted to walk by the duck on the log but she wasn’t having any of it! She just gave him a look and the Sandpiper was wise enough not to push the issue!

Finally the female Wood duck had the log all to herself. Wood ducks are moody birds. They can be so bitchy sometimes and at other times they will sit next to each other and groom each other. Go figure.

By this time the Sun was brutal and it was getting hot. The mosquitos had already had they way with me earlier, so I went to find a cup of coffee and nurse my wounds. All for now, thanks for looking! Get out and shoot!!!

All Good Things......

Bill Baburchak July 6, 2021

The party is over at Lindsay Parsons, at least for the Great Blue Heron chicks. They are now old enough to begin leaving the nest, at least for short forays into the outside world. They are very humorous about flying down too. They will bounce up and down on a branch, flapping their wings furiously as if they don’t believe the damn things will work when they need them! Then they stop, look down and step into thin air. And suddenly they turn from an uncoordinated, ugly little chick into this graceful, beautiful member of the natural world. I consider myself very privileged to witness nature at it’s finest, albeit with a twinge of sadness. I have watched these chicks since they were born and I know that shortly they will leave to begin their own journeys.
So as bad as this world can seem at times I also realize that the world is also full of beauty and wonder. And I consider it my pleasure to show that beauty to all that can see it.
I wish them all well… until next year my friends!!!!
Click the images to enlarge….

Pre-flight check…..or a game of chicken……

This little one landed right in front of me, barely giving me any time to shoot!!! This is an uncropped photo, that’s how close he was!

That’s all for now! I’ll be heading out in the morning to see how many are left…… Enjoy!

Patience, Patience, Patience.......

Bill Baburchak June 27, 2021

I need to follow my own advice more often because my patience was wearing thin this morning. I was at Brick Pond for a morning sit. I got there at 4:45, got set up and was able to watch a beautiful waxing Gibbous moon sink over the horizon. It was just me and the bullfrogs.
By 6:15 all I had seen was a GBH, and he was way too far away. I was seriously thinking about cutting my trip short and leaving at 6:30. But part of being a wildlife photographer is perseverance, especially when things aren’t going your way. So you learn to stick it out just a little while longer, which is good because it paid off for me. A doe appeared out of the woods on the opposite side of the pond, which is not unusual for the area. I didn’t think much of it at the time. What the heck, I could just watch her to pass the time. Five minutes after she appeared her little fawn came out to join her. Do you think I could get a shot of the little one? No way, she was always behind a bush or behind Mom just enough to ruin any shot I had. But then the the two of them turned in unison and stared at the woods behind them. I thought there was a person walking on the trail behind them but then this little ball of energy came flying out of the woods and ran straight at Mom. What a cutie!!!! Click to enlarge.

This little one didn’t stop until he was reunited with his family! And when he got there Mom gave him a stare down to let him know he should stay closer to her from now on!

Next time you come when I call you, hear?????

While that was happening a couple ducks had snuck into my view but they were behind some brush so I could only make out the movement. Probably a couple of Wood ducks, I thought. So imagine my surprise when I finally got the camera focused on them as they swam out of the brush and into the open!!!

“Hey, you got a green thing on your beak”…

These are Common Gallinules, another species I had never seen at Brick Pond! They are relatively common but I had never seen them here. I think the change in the water level at BP will be a good thing, because these birds need shallow water to feed.

“Do these feathers make my ass look fat???”

But I have saved the best for last. After the Gallinules had moved on I picked up and called it a day. I was a bit hungry so I stopped at Mickey D’s and grabbed a coffee and a McMuffin. You know how I like health food! I took my breakfast to what I call the confluence. This is a spot in Owego where Owego Creek meets the Susquehanna. There are often GBH’s there and I thought it would be a great place to eat and watch the river go by. My arrival managed to scare a juvenile Bald Eagle off his roost on a tree a hundred yards away. I spent a few minutes watching this bird soar over the river in larger and larger circles. But then I saw something I have never seen before. I saw something swimming across the river about 300 yards away. Too far to tell exactly what it was so I grabbed my binoculars to take a look. This is what I saw:

This is the largest brood of young Mergansers I have ever seen! I counted roughly 40 birds, with Mom leading the way. And the closer I look I think a couple of the birds may not be Mergansers. Unfortunately they were way too far away for a good image, which is a shame. You should have seen them fishing as a group!
So remember, your luck can turn in a split second. You just have to wait for it!!!

More Of The Same......

Bill Baburchak June 24, 2021

What can I say? The Wood Ducks are molting so you don’t want to see any pics of them and the vegetation is hiding many of the young ones and the Green herons have been few and far between. But the Great Blue Heron chicks are still in the nest. I’m guessing some of them will be leaving the nest next week. You can see them testing their wings when a puff of breeze comes along. They get an inch or two off the nest, get scared, and drop back down as fast as they can. And for the most part they are homely little creatures only a mother could love. And even she can’t stand them at feeding time! Click on the images to enlarge…

**There’s always one that has to be different…**

**They finally got it right! Family portrait.**

It’s also very interesting to see how white balance affects the images as the cool blues of the morning give way to the warmer tones after the Sun makes an appearance. In the very first image the background was in the sun while the birds were still in the shade, which makes for an interesting picture. It almost looks like the image was taken in the Fall! Enjoy!!

The Little Ones Are No Longer "Little"......

Bill Baburchak June 15, 2021

The Great Blue Heron chicks are growing quickly, getting more demanding every day! Until you see it yourself, you won’t believe what these parents put up with when it’s feeding time for the chicks! It’s easy to see how a parent could lose an eye at feeding time. These chicks want food and they’re not afraid to abuse their parents until they get fed!!! Click on the photos to enlarge….

The image below is telling. Mom or Dad are not sure they want to jump down into the craziness!

Too late to back out now!

It’s every man for himself now. Check please!!!!

Nothing like a good belching contest after a good meal!

Mom or Dad has had enough! They sneak out the back door with both eyes intact. Next time it’s the other spouses’ turn for this punishment. Fortunately for the parents the chicks will leave the nest soon and be on their own…..
All in all, a fun day…… for me at least. Thanks for looking!!!

Time Flies.......

Bill Baburchak June 13, 2021

And so do the birds that I enjoy watching and photographing. So here we were again at the Riverwalk in Owego. I was joined by my best shooting partner, Mel, and we were here to see if the Cedar Waxwings had come back this year. I have some images from last year that were okay, but I was looking for something different.
We didn’t have long to wait. Five minutes after we got there the birds came to greet us. Well, actually they were more interested in fighting with each other to even notice us. Here are some of the quick edits from today. We hope you enjoy them! If you want to go, the birds are usually found in the Serviceberry trees behind the Taqueria on the riverwalk. We hope you enjoy the birds as much as we did!!! Click on the images to enlarge…

I love the background created by the Sun!

The Kids Are Gettin' Frisky.....

Bill Baburchak June 7, 2021

I’ve hit a bit of a lull in my shooting, mainly because I’ve been so busy!! End of year at the photo club, the club picnic, Waterman photo contest and just getting the grass cut twice a week!
But this morning I was at Lindsay parsons in Danby. I haven’t been there in two weeks andI wanted to see hoe the GBH chicks were doing. The last time I was there you could hardly see them above the top of the nest but they have grown considerably and are becoming a handful to their parents.

I have plenty of GBH pics and I need to learn how to shoot video so I spent most of the morning butchering one video after another. Finally I got one that I’m not totally embarrassed to show you. They are totally unedited because I haven’t learned the editing software yet. One step at a time! These little ones are already becoming a handful and they are only half grown! Hopefully by the end of the year I will learn how to edit videos so they won’t look so bad. The clicking you hear is from the chicks yapping for more food! The video is below. Enjoy!

You Can Get Anything You Want..... at Brick Pond!

Bill Baburchak May 13, 2021

I’m way behind on my posting but yesterday at Brick Pond was interesting. It felt like I was in an episode of Wild Kingdom! I saw all kinds of wildlife yesterday! I was half expecting Marlon Perkins to step out of the brush and start his monologue! (you have to be of a certain age to get the Marlon Perkins reference!)
But quickly, here are the highlights:

I had just settled into my spot before sunrise when Mom and the youngster began crossing the berm. I was in full camo and tucked into some brush so she didn’t see me …. at first.

All of a sudden Mom got a hair up her butt and began to run right at me!!! I couldn’t understand what she was doing but notice the little one didn’t move until Mom gave the all clear signal. They were still a hundred yards away.

When she had cut the gap in half between me and her she suddenly noticed a blob of something that wasn’t there yesterday…. me. She had no idea what I was and the wind did not give me away, but she still didn’t like it. So she gave me half a dozen head bobs to try and get me to move.

Finally she got to within 20 yards away and she decided she had had enough of this crap, so she wheeled around and took off and went straight back across the berm. Then she turned and looked back as if to say “can’t fool me old man!!!” I’m glad to see she is teaching the young one well! And she is very obviously pregnant so in a couple weeks there should be some new additions!

Next up were the Wood Ducks. There is a sizeable group of woodies down there this year, definitely worth checking out!

And the rest of the images are of two different Sandpipers, the Spotted Sandpiper and the Solitary Sandpiper (I think) Both are pretty little birds that stop in on their way north to their breeding grounds. You can find them feeding in the shallows around the berm.

Oh, and I almost forgot about Chris Audette’s (Waterman director) favorite animal at BP, the Muskrat!!!! :)

The Sandpipers won’t be there forever so take your camera and your binoculars and have some fun! And tell Marlon I said Hi!!!

Finding My Way..... With A Little Help From My Friends

Bill Baburchak May 6, 2021

The last month has been a very interesting chapter in my photographic journey. Shooting in Florida is something every wildlife photographer should do at least once in their life. Just to experience the beauty and the sheer numbers of birds and wildlife is a feast for your eyes, not to mention your camera! Up here if I get one good photo opportunity a day I consider it a good day. If that happened to me down there I would consider it a slow day.
And it was through sheer luck that while I was down there I was invited to watch an online presentation by professional photographer Lisa Langell. Lisa was kind enough to give the photo club a free seminar on high key photography. And that experience made me think about my own photography. Wildlife photographers are subject to many rules about when and how they can get their images and then about how they can edit their images for competition. And I understand the reasoning behind most of those rules. But at the same time those rules can also stifle creativity in the photographic process. And that is not good for the photographer or their audience. So you may see a bit of a change in my photography in the future. You maybe won’t see quite so many “bird on a stick pictures” and possibly more creative attempts. I’m still a wildlife photographer at heart but it doesn’t hurt to spread your wings once in a while!
So it was with creativity in mind when a few days ago I was at LIndsay Parsons Preserve in Danby. The forecast was for high clouds much of the morning and I knew exactly how I was going to use those clouds to my advantage. That is the perfect scenario for high key photography. You need good diffuse light to be successful at this type of shooting. I didn’t really know what I was doing because I’m very new at this but that wasn’t going to stop me.
Long story short, I haven’t had that much fun in a long time! The light cooperated, the birds cooperated and the temp was just right. I was in heaven! For 3 hours I was shooting practically non-stop and I ended up with more than 1700 images. But the birds were giving me a rare opportunity and I wasn’t leaving until the birds decided it was over. I owe them one……

Back to the stick store……. must be she didn’t like that one…

The female was very specific about what sticks she would take. The ones she didn’t like were dropped and she sent him out for another. This went on for over two hours!!!

This poor guy tried to land on their nest. Ruh Roh Raggy! I guess that’s a major faux pas in the heron world!

So of course Dad went over to make sure Mom was okay, but Mom had it under control. It looked like Mom was about to open up a can of whoop ass on that poor bird! She was pissed!!!

He hopes this stick is more to her liking…..

Can you tell I was having fun?????
You only get a couple days like this a year, if you’re lucky. I am just glad that I was able to get by with a little help from my friends!

I have several hundred more! If you can’t sleep some night look in my Galleries drop down and look for ‘high key’. That’ll put you to sleep!!!! Thanks for looking!

PFD..... or Post Florida Depression....

Bill Baburchak May 2, 2021

The crack of dawn found me at Apalachin Marsh, and I couldn’t find a Reddish Egret to save my life! After shooting in Florida for 3 weeks it was a bit of a struggle to wrap my head around being back here and the kind of shooting we have here. After shooting in shorts and a tee shirt it was a rude awakening having to put long pants on again!!
But the birds didn’t give me much time to think about it because right at first light a cute little female Hooded Merganser came in to keep me company. I used to find these birds to be very ordinary, until I looked closer and realized how beautiful they are. Not as splashy as the guys, but beautiful in their own right.

The reflection is almost as sharp as the real duck!

This went on for about an hour, until the Sun began peeking through the trees and throwing some harsh shadows into the mix. The birds had gotten restless too and they decided to go house hunting. Hooded Mergansers are for the most part tree nesting birds. They find a cavity in a tree, usually made by a Woodpecker, and they call it home until the chicks hatch and jump out of the tree. Once the chicks are out of the tree the nest is abandoned until next year.
These birds, at least five females, were all flying and competing for the open cavities near me and it turned into quite a circus! These birds are very fast fliers and they were zooming through the woods looking for a nest tree while trying not to crash head first into a tree! I realized that I was very privileged just to see this but I did manage to get a few pics of the birds checking out the trees.

And how can I forget this little guy who kept me company until the big boys came in!

All in all, it was a gorgeous day with plenty to take in and I am grateful for the opportunity to be there. It even made me forget Florida! All for now! Get out and shoot!

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Just Reds.......

Bill Baburchak April 26, 2021

Way behind on my posting….. we are heading home this morning. Totally depressed, but thankful for the time we had!
These are from one morning when the light and the subject cooperated. Between the warm morning light and the breeding plumage of this Reddish Egret, it was like the bird was lit up from within! And I also was playing around a bit with some stylized high key images. Enjoy and we’ll see you back at home!!!

Difference Of Opinion.....

Bill Baburchak April 24, 2021

I was at “the point” this morning watching a Snowy Egret and waiting for the light to get to what I call “photographer’s light”. It’s that light that makes everything look good, but it doesn’t last long. Well this heron had the place to himself until a Tri-Color Heron thought he might join the Snowy for breakfast. And that’s when all Hell broke loose! That Snowy chased the larger Tri Color heron right off the sandbar!! Then he flew off to go harass someone else!!

Last but not least….. “photographer’s light”

Update......

Bill Baburchak April 21, 2021

Last week I was showing you images of a family of Wood Ducks with 8 little ones. Unfortunately nature does not exist in a vacuum and it wasn’t long before the family group got smaller, and smaller, and yet smaller. Now all that is left of the 8 ducklings is these 3 little ones. Tough lessons at such a young age….

That same morning there was a Black Crowned Night Heron that perched himself off to my right and had no intention of moving. I sat there for over an hour waiting for him to move but he had more patience than I did. Sometimes you just can’t get it to come out right no matter how hard you try! It’s just part of the learning curve…..

And on my way out of the wetland I came across an immature Blue Heron. They begin life as an all white bird and then gradually turn all blue as they mature. Beautiful!!!!

That’s all for now, more to come!!!!

Odds And Ends.....

Bill Baburchak April 21, 2021

Nothing earth shattering lately, been visiting with family down here. So the images are few and far between. But there are a few….

Nothing special, but a great background!

The small bird below is a Wilson’s Plover, which is a bird of special concern down here. Numbers have been dwindling and they are attempting to protect the breeding areas by informing people and roping off the nesting areas until the little ones are big enough to be out on their own. So far I have seen no evidence of nesting but the pairs are active on the beach.

And we also took a trip to the Naples Botanical gardens, which is always a visual treat!!! A spectacular garden that you should not miss if you are in the area! A tough place to shoot because of the light but well worth the visit!

If the weather breaks we can get back out and I will post more then. Thanks for looking!!!!

A Day At The Lakes....

Bill Baburchak April 18, 2021

Today’s travels took us to a place called Lakes Park in Fort Myers. It’s a county park that was originally an old quarry that the county purchased back in the 80s. It’s definitely a family themed park but with lots of bird life, so we decided to check it out.

While there is plenty of bird life, the position of the birds in relation to the sunrise quickly made the lighting conditions challenging. The first half hour the light was beautiful but after that we were having to get creative.

Best time for a vertical image? Right after the horizontal!!!

This is when the light started to get ugly. So I tried my hand at ‘high key’ photography, which is basically overexposing the hell out of the image in just the right way to get a very stylized image that is very different from the norm. Sometimes it works, sometimes you end up with crap. (just like my regular pics!!!)

And last but not least, a Limpkin spent a good part of the morning preening in front of us and I figure that’s a good spot to end this post! Hope you enjoyed them as much as I did! More to come, I hope!!!

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There's No Place Like Home......

Bill Baburchak April 16, 2021

Back at “the point” again. It’s only a 15 minute walk up the beach and it’s usually just me, a few shellers and the birds. And the birds did not disappoint.
There was a Tri Color Heron and a Reddish Egret feeding at first light. If you have never seen them in action they will run around like maniacs chasing a single minnow through the shallows, with their wings flared out to prevent reflections and to be able to see down into the water.

About the same time a Great Egret decided to get in on the action, but he was after a different prize. It looks like he was picking up some kind of sandworm and he was having issues with them! When he picked them up the worms would quickly wrap around his bill and he definitely did not like that!! He would drop them quickly and pick them up again hoping for a different result. He did this several times before the poor worm had the life squeezed out of him and could no longer fight back.

While all this was going on a pair of Black Crowned Night Herons came over to see what all the fuss was about. Usually you don’t see them on the beach. They normally are more secretive and don’t spend much time out in the open, but who am I to argue? I think the incoming tide was bringing plenty of food into the little tidal pool and they just couldn’t resist!

And of course we have to give some love to the little guys! I have no ides what this bird is but they are the comedy acts that amuse you when their bigger friends are nowhere to be found!!

This whole sequence takes place in a short period of time, which revolves around the food source, which in this place revolves around the tides. And if you’re not paying attention you will be wading through the water on your way home! All for now, thanks for looking!

Right Under Your Nose......

Bill Baburchak April 13, 2021

We were at Little Estero Pool in Fort Myers Beach this morning. It’s just a small tidal pool right behind the hotels and high rises that line the beach here, but it is an oasis for birdlife here. Mostly wading birds but some shorebirds and an occasional raptor like the Merlin.

First light saw a small group of shorebirds (Willets I think) working their way toward us. The images didn’t come out that well so I massaged one of the pics to try my hand at high key photography. What do you think? Click to enlarge….

We noticed when we first got there that a Roseate Spoonbill was taking a nap at the far end of the pool. The Spoonbill is a bird that kind of looks like God made it out of spare parts he had left over from making all the other birds! Beautiful and homely at the same time.

And don’t even ask me what is going on in the next two pics. Looks like some kind of deranged avian Yoga!!

While I was watching this happen a small bird snuck in behind me and I ignored it for a while but eventually my curiosity got the best of me so I contorted my self like a pretzel to get a look behind and this little guy was staring at me. It’s a Cattle Egret and I had never seen them at the shore before. They are more at home in an inland environment. But he is a beauty!!!

Last but not least are a pair of herons, the Tri-Colored Heron and the Little Blue heron. Both of them are in breeding plumage and both are beautiful birds.

Tri Color Heron. All dressed up with no place to go….

It was early morning and in a shady spot, which made the blues the predominant color at the time.
The rest of the images below are a Little Blue Heron, a cute little guy who is a little spookier than the Tri-Color, but fun to watch!!!

That’s all for now, Margaritaville is calling!!!! Thanks for looking!

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IT Was A Reddish Kind Of Day.....

Bill Baburchak April 11, 2021

Reddish Egret kind of day, that is. I was out shooting at “the point”, a spot where the Estero River meets the Gulf of Mexico. There is usually enough wildlife here to keep me happy for several hours but this morning there were more people than birds. Normally at this time of year there aren’t many people here. Easter is over and kids are back to school. But because of the pandemic there were still plenty of people in the area. Fortunately for me the Little White Egret and the Reddish Egret don’t scare very easily! The Little White below just couldn’t get in the right position to catch a fish without falling in the water!

But it was the Reddish Egret that was the main attraction today. If you have never seen them fish before, they will chase down minnows in the shallow water acting like a deranged bird the whole time! They will open their wings to create shade so they can see into the water more clearly and they end up looking like a bird version of Batman!! And they are a beautiful bird and one of my favorites!

Swooping in….. Click to enlarge — Swooping in….. **Click to enlarge**

Definitely a “10”, with apologies to Bo Derek……. click to enlarge — Definitely a “10”, with apologies to Bo Derek……. **click to enlarge**

They can be graceful when they want to be….. click to enlarge — They can be graceful when they want to be….. **click to enlarge**

Intensity and Concentration…… click to enlarge — Intensity and Concentration…… **click to enlarge**

The fun didn’t last long. From first shot to last shot was just over 2 minutes according to the timestamps on the images. A group of people got a little too close and scared him away. But that’s okay because I had 2 minutes that most people don’t get a chance to see, and I enjoyed every minute!!! I hope you enjoy the pictures!!

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On The Road Again......

Bill Baburchak April 9, 2021

Visited the Six Mile Cypress Slough in Fort Myers this morning. We haven’t been here for two years and you never know what kind of shooting conditions you’re going to run into. With that in mind we tried to get good images of whatever was around. Even though there wasn’t a ton of bird life there was plenty to keep us entertained! The first pic below is a really severe crop but I just love the two chicks sitting on the lily pad!

And the next two look like teaching moments from Mom: “Don’t forget, Alligator Gar are not your friends!!!”

I can’t believe I traveled 1500 miles to shoot Wood Ducks!

Last but not least, the Green Heron. The reason I included these was not because of their awesome subject quality but the quality of the light and how it affected the background. Which affects the feel of the image. I’m not sure how it happened but if I didn’t know better I would say the background had been replaced in PS!

These are all quick LR edits and will need a bit of work when I have time. This vacation stuff is very time consuming!!! That’s all for now, thanks for looking!!!

Breakfast With Friends....

Bill Baburchak April 7, 2021

Back on the Gulf Coast of Florida for a few days, hanging with my old friends. Glad to see they survived Covid and are still here. Some of the images are before sunrise with high ISO and low shutter speeds, but hey, these are my friends! They look good in any light! Enjoy!

First light….. ISO 6400 I think, ss at 1/200…

Hopefully there’s more coming!!!

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