On the Road 2011

In April I entertained my 17 year old grandson for a week of college visitations.  I feel definitely blessed that my daughter has managed to raise such a grand grandson.  We had a ball together.  I hope he enjoyed me as much as I enjoyed him.  After I put him on an airplane to return home, I packed and, together with a friend, we drove to St Augustine to photograph the birds at the natural rookery on the grounds of the Alligator Farm.  Literally thousands of Wading Birds make their way to St Augustine Alligator Farm to give birth and raise the next generation.  Egrets of all types, Herons, Wood Storks, Ibis...and, this year, at least a dozen nesting pairs of Roseate Spoonbills.  All of this within 50 yards of the boardwalk that winds itself through the area and over the water which harbors the alligators.  The birds depend on the alligators to keep predators away from their nest and, occasionally and unwittingly, reward the alligators with a fallen chick or egg. 

From the Alligator Farm, we drove up to Charleston for the weekend of April 29th where the CNPA Photography Weekend was taking place. Nearly 100 photographers participated in daily photo shoots in and around Charleston, SC.  While on Kiawah Island searching for Painted Buntings to add to my life list, I discovered an Anole Lizard who was inflating his sac on a nicely textured tree stump and stopped for a couple of shots....What a surprise when the shot won 1st place in the contest held as part of the activity.  Here is the prize winner:

I also managed to finally spot and photograph the Painted Bunting while on the Island:

What an elegant creature.  What an imagination his creator must have!

On the Road Again

Finally, a few days to relax and rest for the next journey!
Since I posted last I have been on a whirlwind of a tour taking advantage of the good weather and great opportunities before the July/August heat forces me inside to catch up on my editing.  when I last checked in the birds at the Heron Rookery off of 4-Mile Creek greenway were rebuilding relationships and nests.  Unfortunately, of the original 15 nests a wind storm destroyed 6 of them and the rookery is now down to only 9 nests.  For the first time 2 of them built nests in live trees on the periphery of the wetlands area.  A nest with greenery around it definitely provides a new view of the families.  I continue to visit most every day when I am in town and continue to marvel at their antics and devotion to raising their young.  they could definitely be role models for some of us humans.

I left Charlotte on March 5 headed for Houston and then on to South Texas (McAllen).  If you like birds, you must visit South Texas.  The area around McAllen happens to be where 2 major flyways converge and, as such, is one of the most diversified places in the world in the Spring and Fall, during the migrations.  The International League of Conservation Photographers has worked hard selling the ranchers on the concepts of conservation and managing their lands in a way that accommodates birders and photographers.  A good number of them have set aside land that they allow to be natural, building ponds and blinds to accommodate photographers.  The experience is one that I will not soon forget and I definitely plan to return soon.  I spent Sunday, the 13th, on the Martin Ranch.  After settling in the first of 3 blinds I frequented that day, this Harris Hawk arrived to welcome me!

He was wary, as though he knew we were there (in the blind) but could not quite figure out exactly where we were. After a while he ventured down to the carcasses that had been left there to entice them for this photo shoot.  I shot mainly with a Canon 500mm f4 lens and there were times when the birds were too close to focus.  After a few minutes the first of half a dozen Caracaras showed up!  From that point on the action was non-stop and I am glad I was not shooting film.  I would have surely exhausted any supply I might have had.  These birds were magnificent.

While there I spent time also at Santa Ana NWR which happens to be one of the country's top birding locations.  I was able to capture for my first time birds that I had never been able to spot before.  Some of them do not range much further north than about Corpus Christi.  Here is a Great Kiskadee

And a Black-Necked Stilt

I was in heaven for this week!!

Spring is in the Air

Some of us forecast spring by checking whether or not the groundhog sees his shadow, others look for activity of Robins. For me, I know Spring is near when Cornell Lab of Ornithology kicks off the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), an event that I have participated in for as long as I can remember. After semi-hibernating during the cold season, for me it is what I need to kickstart me to clean my feeders, tidy up a bit in the yard and around my feeders and then sit and enjoy the sights. It is also a time to quantify what you know already, the many birds that frequent my yard and the area. During one 15 minute period today, I counted 11 species and 37 birds no farther away than the end of my patio. I am always amazed at the characters displayed by the different birds. They are curious, sad, angry, happy and flit about showing it all. I see Downys every day but this one, for instance, shows great expression. What is he thinking?

And, then, 2 blocks from my house in urban, populated charlotte, every year about 18 nesting pairs of Great Blue Herons, come back every year to a site just off of the 4-Mile Creek Greenway and establish relationships, builds and rebuilds their home(nest) and raises a family once more. The male shows up first and lays claim to a nest or nesting place, then the female shows and the courtship begins. It is a joy to watch the teamwork that takes place throughout these 2 or 3 months before the chicks fledge and fly off to start a life of their own.

My Favorite Place to Visit

Way back in the 80's and 90's I made my first visit to the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia. Over the years I am continually drawn back to that area. I do have 6 Grandkids who live on the Maryland Eastern Shore near Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and that is reason enough to visit but what draws me to the area are the fantastic and never failing photo opps up and down the coast. My favorite, bar none, is the Chincoteague NWR and the Assateague National Seashore. For the last 4 years I have guided a group of Carolina Nature Photography Association members there in mid-November. This is the time of year the snow geese arrive and If you have never seen 10-20,000 snow geese take flight at the same time...you have a treat in store for you!! The sunrises and sunsets are brilliant at Chincoteague and this one is looking out over Snow Goose Pond. There are about 6-10,000 snow geese in cove on the left and a few minutes after this shot they all took off (probably spooked by the eagle that was overhead looking for supper). I will post that image later and it is awesome. When on the island this song is constantly playing in my head:

How Great Thou Art
Lyrics ~ Carl Boberg, 1859 - 1940

English Translation ~ Stuart K. Hine, 1899 -
Stanza 1:

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder

Consider all The works Thy Hand hath made,

I see the stars,

I hear the mighty thunder,

Thy pow'r throughout The universe displayed;

Stanza 2:

When through the woods And forest glades I wander

I hear the birds Sing sweetly in the trees;

When I look down From lofty mountain grandeur

And hear the brook

And feel the gentle breeze;

Refrain:

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

All Things are Bigger out West

I am currently in Las Vegas for a conference and finally got a chance to visit Zion National Park. Left my Vegas Hotel-Casino early Sunday morning and it was an easy 2.5 hour drive to get to the park. Like many of the parks, Zion roads are getting some much need maintenance due to influx of TARP monies. The bad news is that some areas of the Park are near unaccessible. Lucky for me I chose Sunday to visit because there is no construction on weekends and the East area of the park is accessible though a bumpy ride along the road under construction. But if you want to see the Bighorn Sheep in Zion you need to go to the East side of the park which gives access to the higher peaks and areas where the sheep hang out. I explored the West and Southern parts of the park until about 4pm when I retrieved my car, loaded up and headed for the high country. Incredibly beautiful country. And the Sheep were exciting to watch. How do they manage to hang onto the sides of these sheer cliffs? The Columbine I found growing on the side of the cliffs along the river canyon. The wind was blowing like hell but I managed a couple of shots that are okay. Enjoy!!

Some Days are Definitely Better than Others

Spent the day at Pee Dee NWR with a bunch of my CNPA friends. We met at 8am and photographed different areas of the Refuge and then met for lunch at a barbecue restaurant near the Refuge. It was one of those days of good (not great) shooting opportunities but great company. As leader of the outing, I found myself worrying about everyone else all day and not my typical day of looking for inspiration for my own image making. There were some new CNPA members on the outing and a few that were especially interesting and fun to shoot with on such a day. Suffice it to say, I enjoyed myself and it turned out to be the best day of the week for me!!
Every photographer probably keeps a list of subjects they would like to explore and so do I. Previously, Owls were near the top of the list. They seemed to avoid me like the plague but this past year I have had several opportunities to make great images of Owls. I once say an Indigo Bunting on one of my backyard feeders but I was unable to photograph it. Today I saw several Indigo Buntings but gave up my chance to shoot them to help other participants get their shot. Another subject that always eluded my was the Tree
Frog. Well, today I was presented with several opportunities t shoot Tree Frogs, and, Boy!, did if enjoy myself and even got some fairly good shots. Here is one of my favorites of the day, enjoy!

Heron Siblings

I am still amazed that these Great Blue Herons come back every Spring to raise their families within a stone's throw of homes in the White Oak neighborhood off of the 4 Mile Creek Greenway. Even though some trees were lost due to storms this year, they built nests in new trees and so, again this year, there are 18 nesting pairs of herons in this rookery. In the midst of them this year and in a dead rottened out tree lives a raccoon who can be seen sleeping most of the day. I suppose he is ever on the lookout for the time one of the nests is unguarded and he can scurry up and have a gourmet lunch.
Almost al of the nests now have little ones and they grow fast. This is a shot of a nest that has 4 little ones that are about 3 weeks old. It will take them another 5 weeks or so to fledge so you can imagine how crowded that nest will be soon. They are very interesting to observe now as they learn about their surroundings and explore their little world.
The White Oak neighborhood have built a platform on the edge of the wetlands and it is very nice to be able to sit and enjoy the sites. If you sit quiet enough, you will see the Herons, an occasional Green Heron, Canadian Geese, a pair of Wood Ducks, lots of Red headed Woodpeckers, Blue Birds and other songbirds too numerous for me to list.

Tulips in Bloom

The folks who lived here before planted clumps of Tulips around the house. Since we have been here we have systematically dug them up and replanted them in locations where we think they have more impact. They play along with us and, in spite of what we put them through, sprout and grow and bloom again each year just in time for Easter. As I came back and forth and in and out of the driveway, they call to me incessantly until I gave in, got some gear, and crawled around on the ground at their level for the last few days. Across the street on the golf course there are some kind of flowering tree. The blossums are purple. I looked at a color wheel and found that the Tulip color and the color of the blossums on the trees were complimentary and blend together in a pleasing (to the eye) manner. So I get back onto my back to get low enought to make the trees the background and the Tulips the foreground and main subject. The results show that I should heed the lessons of theory more often. I think this is a pleasing image and a different, if not unique, image of Tulips. What do you think?

Some Days are Better than Others!

Yes, indeed, some days are better than others! For some time now the Piper Glen Golf Club patrons have been treated to a near daily show of an American Bald Eagle. He visits between 10am and 2pm on the days that he comes and his obvious purpose is to fish the lake next to the 18th hole and in plain view of the lunch bunch. The dining room staff have been kind enough to telephone me when he shows up and I jump in my car and in 5 minutes I am on the patio outside the Clubhouse armed and ready. He is a magnificent bird and my shots do not do him justice but I will keep trying. Notice the fish in the talons of the eagle in the middle image. Enjoy!

One last peek into the Alligator Farm

Came into the St Augustine area around 11am and couldn't help stopping to see how much activity had changed in a little over a week. The activity has certainly picked up there with Great Whites and Snowies setting up housekeeping and preparing for families. There were also a couple of Wood Storks and at least 3 Roseate Spoonbill couples in addition to lots of Green Herons and Night Herons. Things will be jumping here in a month. Wish I could come back!! The spoonbills were busy splashing in the lake, to our delight!!