This is an exciting part of year to be in the Rocky Mountains!  The Elk are in rut and gathering cows into their harems and fighting to protect and keep them until they reach estrus and the mating can occur.  These guys are greedy and it seems the order of the day is the more cows to impregnate the better.  The cows, however, are a bit hard to keep in tow and frequently succumb to the call of the guy next door! And so the challenges and bugling, antler wrestling (sparring) and posturing that takes place in the big meadows are somewhat like a reality show: The Desperate Elk Harem Wives. Great drama and even greater photography!!  This big guy just lost 3 cows to one of the other bulls and is now engaged in bugling as he heads back to make sure the others in his harem are staying in place.

When you get tired of watching the Elk battles, take a ride along Ridge Road and maybe over the pass to Grand Lake for some absolutely gorgeous views and, if you are luck, maybe you will encounter some moose.  Unfortunately the day we went looking for Moose was a bust.  We visited all of the normal habitats several times during the morning ... no Moose but always enthralled by fantastic vistas.  This shot is towards the mountains over a lake, an incredible still lake which results in this clear as glass lake reflection.

 And everywhere you look are these incredible groves of Aspen, glistening in the sun in all of their green, yellow and red splendor.  Blindingly beautiful!!  I lived in Colorado Springs for 6 years and now remember why I always loved the area so much.  By the way, how many trees to you see in the grove above?  Would you believe possibly ONE!  Many of the trees in a grove are from the same root system and all share the same DNA and are all the same tree!!  That is why one rarely sees a single Aspen tree.

Now with thousands of images to process, I had better buckle down to the task!!!  See you next time!

I consider myself incredibly blessed this week, surrounded by fantastic beauty and the weather has been heavenly.  During this week I have visited the Crested Butte area, Black Canyon near Gunnison, Cripple Creek and, of course, Garden of the Gods, a free park, actually, inside the city of Colorado Springs.  Not really a garden but an area of incredibly beautiful rock formations of unimaginable variety and beauty.  This shot was taken yesterday morning shortly after sunrise.  Enjoy and I will try to post more as the week goes on!!

Checking In

First let me apologize to those of you who check my blog occasionally looking to be caught up on my wanderings and see some new images.  It has really been a busy spring and summer for me and I am just getting halfway caught up on the backlog. I received emails from several folks checking if I was alright since I had not been posting.  I appreciate the concern for my health and will try hard to establish a regular schedule of posting.  Since here last I have been back to Texas, in and out of the Smokies and Blue Ridge, including Cades Cove and Cataloochee.  Had some interesting Bear encounters in Cades Cove a week ago and next time I will share them with you and some images of the bear cubs and beautiful deer bucks that I photographed while there.  Coming up though is Colorado and South Texas (again).  I will spend 12 days in Colorado leaving on the 16th and will shoot a few days in the Rocky Mountain National Park with Weldon Lee.  This is the period of the Elk rut so I am looking forward to some good shots of these huge animals.  Then in November as the Fall Migration is in full stride, I will return to South Texas and spend 5 days on one of the ranches with blinds and all.  In preparation for Colorado, I was looking through my old image files and found a few that I like and that have great B&W potential.  One of these was taken in the Garden of theGods and  is posted here for your enjoyment.  The 2011 Photographic Society of America International Exhibition of Photography will take place in Colorado Springs the week of the 19th.  I have had 6 of my images accepted into this exhibition and am excited about my work being shown in the great venue!!  So long for now and take care!

Last leg of Road Trip 2011

A week after Charleston, ride sharing buddy and I packed up for 4 days in the Smokies with Donna Eaton and Adam Jones, both well-known photographers who have published lots of Smokies images.  As always, I forgot to take the right clothes and spent some periods of time uncomfortably cold.  We spent the first morning in Cades Cove and were lucky enough to be greeted by both fog and great light.  It looked just like this when I pressed the shutter:

My favorite subject in the Smokies is the water cascades and creeks.  I managed to capture a couple that I really liked to add to my collection:

On the way home from Charleston, we spent a couple of hours at the Beidler Forest Audubon Center.  The park is owned by the South Carolina Audubon Society and is a treat, especially in the Spring when the Prothonatory Warblers gather in numbers to nest and raise their next generation.  I knew from a friend that there was a nest near the boardwalk near the lake but could not find it.  Then suddenly we saw this fellow pretending to have a broken wing and leading us away from the spot where we were standing;

Of course, he accomplished just the opposite of what he intended because he only confirmed to us that we were in the right place.  So we settled down to wait and soon he came back, this time with food for the mom.  He stage himself on a Cyprus knee for a few minutes and then, seeing that we weren't going anywhere he flew to the Cyprus Knee that was the home of his wife and kids.

A great way to end a road trip!!This year promises to be wonderful for me!  Full of great new images!  You are welcome to come along with me and I promise I will post more regularly from now on!

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!