Birds On A Stick.......

Back on the Gulf Coast for some vacation time, which means shooting for me!! Pulled a rookie mistake on my first day here. I walked out of a cool, air conditioned room into a 75 degree, very humid morning. The camera instantly fogged up and stayed that way for over an hour until it came up to temperature. Sure glad I didn’t have a client with me!
But the second day was a little better. I got a chance to shoot some birds on a stick. For a wildlife photographer, especially a bird person, that means shooting birds in their natural habitat but in a very common pose. Like sitting on a log, perched on a stick, etc. You get the idea. Nice pics but nothing you haven’t seen before. Below are some examples. Click on the images to enlarge.

All the way to Floride for a pic of a Wood Duck!

Juvenile white Ibis…..

Green Heron

With a common bird like a green heron, you try and get something a little different. Maybe catching a fish, or perched somewhere unusual. I was able to get some nice bokeh behind the bird in this one by using an aperture of f/2.8, which totally blurs the background and highlights the bird.

I did find one unusual bird this morning though, a Yellow Crowned Night Heron. I have plenty of pics of the Black Crowned Night Heron, but this was my first opportunity at the yellow crowned. Normally you find them tucked way back in the brush and unable to get a shot at them, like the pic below.

He knows I’m watching!

But this guy was trying to impress his sweetie so eventually he came out and showed himself, but he was still very wary about anything strange in the area, like me!

He’s stylin’ for the ladies!!!!

He kept a careful watch for his girlfriend but she wasn’t impressed. He was all dressed up with no place to go! His girlfriend wasn’t buying it so he thought that he would impress her by bringing her a stick!

Waiting and hoping….

But alas, it just was not to be. He left shortly after to search for the love of his life…..

I also had some wonderful Bald Cypress trees across the pond on the far bank that would make interesting compositions so I tried a couple shots with a Tri Colored Heron and a juvenile Blue Heron. They’re okay, but nothing to write home about. I will eventually get the composition I want with the Cypress trees!

An absolutely huge Cypress tree!!!!

A juvenile Little Blue Heron. The blue color slowly appears as they mature…..

A closeup of the little blue heron.

And so I think it’s fitting that I end up with a final “bird on a stick” picture. Hey, they’re not all Nat Geo winners!!!! All for now, stay tuned!

NEVER Trust The Weatherman!!!!!!!

KInd of an odd title for a post, right? Well, it was kind of an odd day. Very satisfying in the end, but the way it started had me wondering.

I had planned on going out early on Thursday. I checked the weather the night before and the rain was supposed to end by 3am so I have should have no issues the next morning. So, guess what it was doing at 6am the next morning? As I drove up to my spot in the rain (I know better than to cancel a shoot on the word of the weatherman), I was trying to come up with an alternate plan to salvage the morning. I knew it wasn’t going to rain all day and I’m too stubborn to give up that easy.
But my luck turned for the better when I got there. The rain had turned to a fine mist and then stopped altogether, only to be replaced by thick, wet fog. This ended up working in my favor because the fog would help me setup without alarming the birds. The only question was how long it would take for the fog to burn off so I could get some decent images.

I don’t know what they’re looking at either…. maybe somebody dropped a contact…

At 6:30, half an hour before sunrise, I was able to start figuring out how I wanted to deal with the fog. Images with fog are a double-edged sword. On one hand fog can add an ethereal sort of look to the image, but too much fog is very tough on the autofocus system. It’s the same as shooting in a heavy haze. So I was praying for the fog to lift soon because the courtship rituals were starting.

Do I know you??? Or, hey do you come here often???

Many times, they act like they don’t know who the strange bird is next to them. It’s a very clumsy kind of courtship in the beginning, kind of like watching 12-year-old kids at their first school dance. You remember, don’t you?

Well, they finally get around to a little bit of snogging (look it up) and the damn birds are on the wrong side of the tree!!!!

Again with the wrong side!!! I’m getting a complex here! Don’t they like me????

Finally they see it my way and move to my side of the tree! The courtship can be very intricate and involved but these two had just met, so it was just some harmless jousting!!!

I knew that I had to work quickly, because the Sun was just starting to peek up over the hill and I knew the light would change very quickly now. And not for the better. After each of these brief skirmishes they go back to ignoring each other again. Eventually they will realize that at some point they’re supposed to mate! And take note of the color of the light because you will see how quickly it will change…..

Are these birds beautiful or what??????

Look at the difference in the color of the light compared to the previous images. All it took was few short minutes for the light intensity and direction to change.

Fifteen minutes after this image and the good light was gone, replaced by harsh directional light that doesn’t work for these shots.
So what do you do when the light turns to crap? My advice would be to just put your camera down and enjoy the day for what it is, a nice sunny, beautiful day! And be glad you were alive to see it! Spend enough time out here and you will realize how lucky you are to be a part of this thing we call nature……. More to come!

Standing Room Only.....

I was out early yesterday. It was going to be such a nice day that I didn’t want to waste a minute!
Half an hour before sunrise, as the light in the sky grew brighter, I could see that I was not alone! The Herons were back! And I’m sure they were not happy because 90% of the pond still had ice on it….

So even though it was low light the conditions were good for hi-key photography. I’ll tell you, it felt good to put a few clicks on the shutter!
The pics aren’t anything awesome, but it just felt good to get out! The birds are coming back in full force and for a bird photographer this is the best time of year. So get out there because they are coming!!!!

Shaking Off The Rust.....

It has been a loooong winter. The weather hasn’t cooperated very well and it has been an unusually slow winter for photography. My friends the Otters have relocated to a spot that isn’t very photogenic so I’ll leave them be until the ice starts breaking up on the ponds.

As a wildlife photographer, if you don’t think your skills have gotten a bit rusty during this period of relative inactivity, you are in for a bit of a shock. Without constant practice you’ll be just a little off on your shots and your shot anticipation. So the best thing is to get out wherever you can and get some practice in.

I did just that last week at the towpath at Chenango Valley State Park. It’s easy to get to and has some open water that will draw birds like Mergansers, Mallards and Woodies. It may not be the greatest as far as backgrounds but your real goal here is to get your reflexes and hand eye coordination working together again. Click on the images to enlarge

Winter Surprise!

I really didn’t expect to see a Kingfisher in this area in the middle of winter, but you can’t mistake their call when you hear it. He never really got close enough for a good shot, but you take what you can get in the middle of February! He had gotten a Crawfish but when he shook it like they always do with their catch, it broke into several pieces and all he was left with was an empty shell!

Thankfully the Mergansers love the cold! They stick around as long as there is open water for them to feed and they were nice enough to swim by a few times.

Like a missile!

But what I really wanted was some practice on birds in flight and I finally got a few to oblige me and it was then when I realized that my skills were a bit rusty! I won’t tell you how many images I took that day, but I will say the keeper rate wasn’t very high!!!

So I didn’t end up with anything outstanding but that wasn’t the point. You work on your skills now so that when that awesome shot opportunity comes you will be ready for it!!!!

Won’t be long now until ice out and then the real fun begins!!!! Better be ready! Get out and shoot!

Going Stir Crazy.....

I was out twice last week. Two different places, very different conditions. Not exactly the weather I had in mind but damn, I need a camera in my hand on a regular basis!
First place was in West Danby, near Ithaca. About 14-16” of snow, a little crusty too. Just crusty enough to hold your weight for a few seconds and then bam, you fall through the crust! But I had my snowshoes with me and it was tolerable. And I’m glad I went because it was beautiful out there! It was the kind of day that it didn’t matter if I saw anything or not, I was just thankful to be out there soaking it all in. Unfortunately, all I saw was a small group of whitetails, but that was enough to call it a successful day. The Otter family that I have been watching for the last 2 years moved their winter den down the road a little. I know where it is but it’s not in a good place to get any images. No worries, they’ll be back when the ice melts a little.

The next place was an old familiar spot where I spent a lot of time in the summer. Chenango Valley State Park was a favorite swimming and camping spot for us when we were kids. And recently I had been hearing that there was some open water that just might hold some ducks. My kind of place!
But you know how cold it has been lately and when I got there almost all of the open water was covered in ice. I did a bit of hiking but was running out of luck and I was heading back to the car when I passed by a tree right along the road by the swimming area. I saw, or better yet heard, a Pileated Woodpecker rattling the tree, so I stopped to get a look at him. It was then that I saw 3 of them in the same tree, making short work of a fairly thick branch. Of course my camera gear was in the car, on the other side of the tree. I tried my best to sneak by, but us old guys don’t sneak very well anymore. I ended up scaring them off the tree. But I also knew I hadn’t pushed them too far away so I was hoping they might come back. In about half an hour one of them flew back. I was able to get a few decent images in a high key style. The backlight was perfect for this type of image and I knew it wouldn’t be long before the sunlight was too harsh for any good pics. Click on the images to enlarge.

Two slightly different images and two very different looks. One picked by me and one picked by Lightroom. Nothing special, but that’s not the point. I was able to scratch my photographic itch and enjoy just being out there! The second image is better but the light seems better to me in the first pic. Either way I was just happy to be out there! Spring is right around the corner. Get your gear ready!

The Party's Over..... :(

That’s me in my Ghillie suit, crying the blues because all of my favorite shooting spots are covered in ice…..

It’s that time of year when all of my favorite shooting spots turn into skating rinks. I think nature is trying to tell me to take a little break now. We’ve been busy shooting high school sports championships for the last month and my butt is starting to drag a little. Shooting sports is in many ways similar to shooting wildlife. You use much of the same equipment and the technical knowledge needed is the same. A fast flying bird or a fast flying running back, it’s all the same. You better be ready for both!

It’s also that time of year to reflect on how lucky we all are just to be alive. The last 2 years haven’t exactly been a cakewalk for us as a country but at this time of year we can surely put our differences aside to just enjoy each other’s company and realize how important our family and friends are.

But don’t think I have put my camera away for the Winter. Now it’s time to start looking for the four legged opportunities. Fisher, Bobcat, Mink, deer, and Coyotes are all active and hungry in the winter. And now is primetime for all the backyard birds.

Thank you all for visiting my blog this year. If it has brightened your day a little then that puts a smile on my face! We have enough bad in our world right now, let’s concentrate on the good.

Merry Christmas to you all!!!

Barking At The Moon.....

It was duck day at the pond…. I only saw one GBH and that was after I had packed up to go home. You know how I always say “pick a time and don’t leave before that time is up?” Well that proved to be right on the money because these ducks waited until 15 minutes before I was scheduled to leave to come close enough for a few pics. Patience is a learned skill and if you don’t practice it you will never get better at it.
Anyhow, it was actually Wood duck day, and both the drakes and hens were at their peak of color! The two males below spent half an hour just cruising up and down a small section of the pond, trying to impress the ladies. Click to enlarge the images…

showing their best side….

Take a closer look at the two males below. Notice how the one on the left doesn’t have the feather colors or configuration of the one on the right? I’ll make a guess and say that the one on the left is a first year bird while the other one is a true studmuffin!

before and after….

How about me????

And don’t count out the ladies either! This girl is telling the Mallards that they are in her spot!!!
The one below isn’t anything special but it is a pleasant composition and I like it… we call these kinds of pictures “birds on a stick”…

Chillin’……

And here is where I explain “barking at the Moon”…. The next sequence is one you’ll see quite often if you spend any time watching Wood ducks. I’m sure the other ducks do it too but woodies are just look prettier doing it! It just seems to me like like he is barking at the Moon!!!

Struttin’ his stuff…

Look at me honey!

If he gets any higher he’ll fall over backwards!

Coming back to earth….

Notice during this whole sequence the female is not paying any attention whatsoever!

And that is why you never leave early! I would have missed a great performance! (at least I thought so even if the female didn’t)
Hope you enjoy!

Yeah, It Was That Kinda Day.....

Sometimes when you go out to shoot early in the morning, so early that even the birds are still asleep, you just get the feeling that it’s not going to be a Nat Geo kind of day. By that I mean you feel that for whatever reason you know that it’s not going to be your most productive outing, photographically speaking. That was the case on Wednesday morning. The wind wasn’t right, my angle to the sunrise wasn’t all that favorable and to top it off the Otters came in a half hour before sunrise. All I saw was 5 little black heads bobbing in the water.
But as the sun began it’s race to the other side of the mountain I realized what a beautiful morning I was being treated to! A gorgeous colorful light filled the sky, with backlit clouds providing perspective to the scene. Shortly after sunrise while the light was still pretty dim, this male Wood duck and his girlfriend started working their way towards me. Of course they stayed in the dimmest part of the pond but I was still impressed by their Fall colors. Nothing spectacular but the day had already exceeded my expectations. Maybe it wasn’t such a dud after all!

After those two passed out of my sight I decided to have a cup of coffee. I always carry a thermos of coffee with me when I’m out shooting. If I’m going to sit for 3 or 4 hours in the same spot I am damn sure going to be comfortable! The problem is every time I pour a cup somebody shows up to get their picture taken! It’s like they wait until they see me pour a cup and then decide to come by. That is exactly what happened when I saw the little one below.

This little cutie is a Pied Billed Grebe. They are one of the smallest ducks that inhabit our area. Maybe they just look small because they have no tail, just a little puff that looks like a cotton ball. But do not let the small size fool you! They are as vicious as the Otters when they are tearing apart their prey.

Spin Cycle….

They enjoy doing the Spin-o-rama on their prey to basically break every bone in the poor minnow’s body! I wish I could have used a faster shutter speed on this but it was early morning and I needed all the light I could get! I like the next one a bit better.

I like this image a bit better than the previous one. The bird had just finished tenderizing the minnow but the spray was still in the air and the color palette is interesting too.

So as Mr. Peabody would say “there are no bad days. It’s just that some days are better than others.” And any day you can spend with friends like these is a gift to be appreciated…… now get out and shoot!

I Had Lunch With Some Friends Last Week.....

Sometimes you just need to Hang with your buds on a nice sunny day! I was invited to a luncheon put on by the Otter Society, spur of the moment of course, and I had a wonderful time! These cute little mammals (who are actually very efficient killers) seem to have a joy for life and a wish to enjoy every minute! Click to enlarge the images

Waiting for a lunch menu…..

Making a splash…

Should we order now???

Lunch looks great! Maybe the Bullhead in his mouth doesn’t think so though….

The whole sequence only took 3 to 4 minutes at most and is a compilation of two separate encounters. But I very much appreciated them inviting me to join them!

I hate it when a Bullhead gets stuck in your mouth!!!

The whole time this Kingfisher sat there watching…… He was probably wishing he could catch one that big!!!!

Making plans to skip out on the check!!!!

I felt very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. I just hope we can do lunch again next week!!!

Shooting In Shitty Light...... (with props to Lindsay)

This is a difficult time of year for a local bird photographer, especially in the wetland areas. It’s hot as Hell, the haze plays havoc with your autofocus, the light gets harsh quickly, and the mosquitos are tapdancing on your forehead. (I didn’t know that many of them could land in one spot!)
With that being said, it’s still an awful lot of fun! Your keeper rate will probably suck, but there are things that you can learn, even if you have to pay in blood!

For instance, I never knew that Green Herons could go full vertical without falling, but this youngster below did! And I’m pretty sure it’s a juvenile because of the white fuzz he or she has on the top of their head.

Now that is some great camoflage!!!

Now that is some great camoflage!!!

And usually when you see two Green Herons as close as these two were below it’s because they are fighting with each other. But maybe there is a temporary truce because one is an adult and one is a juvenile. The juvenile was probably afraid Mom was going to kick their ass if they started anything!

A rare sighting….. two in close proximity and they’re not fighting!!!

A rare sighting….. two in close proximity and they’re not fighting!!!

I actually like the next image below quite a bit but…… I missed the focus by just a hair. You’re constantly living on the edge of high ISO and slow shutter speed early in the morning and sometimes you just guess wrong….

A rare and endangered “Jumping Heron”……

A rare and endangered “Jumping Heron”……

I call the next one below my “live long and prosper” bird….. they are actually scratching their neck but it looks like they are trying to channel Spock….

What a great haircut!!!!

What a great haircut!!!!

And last but not least, this is the way you usually see Green Herons act……. like siblings! They constantly harass each other. If one is fishing the other has to try and sneak up and goad the other one into a game of tag. Or if one actually catches a fish the other will do their best to steal the catch!! They are a constant source of amusement in the swamp.

Another “almost” image that will end up in the recycle bin….. but captures their personality perfectly!!!

Another “almost” image that will end up in the recycle bin….. but captures their personality perfectly!!!

So that is my tale of woe…… but not really. I had a great morning!!!! Mosquito bites will fade, but the memories will last a long time! And remember, you’re going to miss 100% of the shots you don’t take! So get out there and shoot! Hope you enjoyed it!

Trying to Survive the Dog Days....

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…

Best friends…..

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.

Look at the markings on the head…..

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......

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….

One last fight with Dad……

Mom to the rescue!!!!

The other kids…..

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

Brotherly Love……

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.......

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.

Bundle of energy!!!

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!

No flies on this kid!!!

Coming Mom!!!!

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:

How many do you count?

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......

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…

Larry, Moe, and Curly…..

Meeting of the minds???

There’s always one that has to be different…

They finally got it right! Family portrait.

Mom has reached her breaking point!

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"......

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….

Thank God Mom is home! Let’s eat!!!

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

Like Larry, Moe, and Curly!

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.......

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!

Money Shot!!!!!

The Kids Are Gettin' Frisky.....

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.

Mom’s Home!!!!

A Chip Off the Old Block!!!

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!

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.

Spotted Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper

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

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……

My favorite of them all……

And the next one in the sequence….

Bringing home the sticks….

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!!!

Interloper….

It’s good to be the king….

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…..

Sneak attack!!!!!

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!

Old one leg……

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....

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!

The guys look pretty good too!

The guys look pretty good too!

Not to be outdone……..

The “Gumby” duck……

The “Gumby” duck……

Snorkeling…..

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.

Like an open house for ducks!!!!

Must be she didn’t like it!!!!

Must be she didn’t like it!!!!

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

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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!