I have posted many time the White Faced Ibis.  Every time they are in my viewfinder I am dumfounded by their beauty.  Often I show people as they fly by.  Comments usually are that they are  ugly black or black plain birds.

Maybe it is my life’s ambition to bring this beautiful bird out of normalcy and obscurity.    I love the colors on these guys.

The colors are incredible.  These are not enhanced or saturated.  It is a late day shot that adds to the wrap of the light a little.

And Like most water fowl they love and need to bath….

Sometimes  black and white is the only option.

On my recent trip to DLWS in california and the first day it was raining.  So?  It is the Pacific Coast.  Good photog’s at anytime.  Black and white.  I remember the days standing in my darkroom watching the image come up in the tray.  Way cool!  Many times my kids would be down there with me.  Every bit as excited as I.  Taking an image from role to paper.  Learning the Ansel Adams zone system.  Learning about the burn and dodge in the dark room.  Practice, practice and more practice.  A lot of wasted paper.  Then that one image would appear.  Today with digital you can see what the final pic should look like in post.  It’s wonderful.  And easy?  Maybe not.  I must still look at all the conditions and notable light variables.  Fun stuff.  Way fun!

I Pray

I pray for things like good son-in-laws.

My prayers have been answered.

My daughters are blessed to have good men.  Though their personalities are a dichotomy they each have wonderful traits and attributes.  I love them both.

The newest is still learning about our family.  He is kinda green (married since Jan. this year).  He is one of a kind (just like the other son-in-law).  Quiet at opportune times.  Intellectual when needed. Firm in his believes. Loves my daughter.  Will do anything for her.  Is even teaching her some social skills.  She doesn’t realize it now but in time she will.  They are a great couple.  Yes they are newly weds.  But are grounded in core beliefs and values.  They talk.  Like most marriages one talks a little more than the other.  He is a great listener.

Last week he and I drove to the Montpelier, Idaho to dump to drop some trash.  It was great to be with him and have him feel free to speak to me.  At the turn off to the dump was a field that was flooded from the high stream levels.  Of course I was looking for fowl.  Fowl love water.  Then I spotted it!  A Night Heron.  I have never seen one in person.  Yes I had my camera.  Always. Stopping would surely spook this beauty and cause him to fly.  Got the camera in hand backed up and….he just sat.  I begged him to fly.  Eventually he did.  Flying makes for a better shot than a static standing bird.  Even if it was my first record of a Night Heron, I wanted a good one.  One of the click’s worked.  I shot with my D3s with the 28-300mm.  Had to push up the ISO and cheated on the EV by +1/3.  Panned then click.  One of my personal favorites.  Partially because I experienced it with Ben.

After the short visit with the Heron we entered the dump.  To our amazement and shock, right where we backed up was a dead cow.  Bloated on it’s back.  Feet up.  Quite a sight.  Unusual garbage.  Didn’t take a pic of the cow.

I have been watching a Coot nesting for some time now.

Sped over to FBBR tonight and found chicks that can’t be more than 3 days old.  Only a mother could love these kids. UGLY.  It was a difficult shoot. 1). because the refuge was closing. 2). the coots were strongly backlit. 3). They were in thick brush to hide.

I relied in post to bring up shadows.  In ACR turned down the “darks”.  And with a few hundred shots only these three were clear of cat tails……

Friday afternoon.

Probably won’t get out this weekend to shoot.  Lots of birds at FBBR.  So I left work about an hour early.

For about an hour and half I saw a great variety of birds.

The Cormorant.

The Terns are back and performing their arial fishing acts.

This shot was taken at quit a distance with the 600 and a 2x teleconverter.  An ISO of 3200.  Needed it to stop the action.  To limit the noise I ran it through Topaz/simplify filter.

And the last in the viewfinder was my faithful Great Blue Heron.  Fishing….

Kanuck’s????

Met some wonderful people at DLWS.  One couple are Kanuck’s.  I think.  Canadians for sure.  Cool people.  Nik is shy.  Pretty humble about her pic’s.  Pretty good photographer I would say.  And with her is her supportive hubby.  One night he was right in the middle of a technical flash set up.  I am sure glad to have a few moments with these wonderful people.

We walked in the vineyards near Santa Rosa.  A big bush blooming in bright red flowers was covered with bees.  I was not prepared.  She was.  Handed me her 105 macro and took some pic’s of the bees.

NIK these are for you.  Thanks for letting me use your lens.  Hope all is well!

Perspective is critical!

I tried several locations to get a long angle shot of this duck family.  Had somewhat low light.  And lot’s of ducklings.  Then it donned on me.  Duh!  Stand up.  Move back.  And widen the angle.  The shot turned out with more interest and most all the kids in focus.  Shot with the Nikon 28-300mm lens on 38mm worked just great.  Hand held.  Joe McNally style.  It worked ok…..

I have a ton of friends.

Many of which read my blog.  Faithfully.  My dear friend from BHS was startled by my post last week.  After I read it I would say it was a little weird.  I don’t proof all my blogs…..yes english was not my major.

Three weeks ago I had my annual physical.  Yes all the fun included.  Saw my dermatologist as part of my check up(s).  Showed her some areas of concern.  She cut out a few areas for tests.  My dermatologist is ….beautiful.   Can you say that about your doctor?   Blonde….short…blue eyes…….I am 56 years old you know some things still look good.  Did not think twice about it (the samples).  Guess I was too busy in a daze admiring at her.   Much better looking than my doctor she just replaced that is retiring.

Last week her secretary called and left messages every day to say that my tests came back.  That the doctor wanted to talk me about them.   When I called back the doctor was busy.  The secretary could NOT talk about my results.  Sweaty palms now!  Later that day the doctor called me back when I was shooting this photo……

The call went something like this….

“Hi doc.  How are you?”

“Good Jim.  Listen your tests came back possitive for Cancer…”When can you come in so we can cut them out” (she used a medical term for cut out.  I knew what she meant) “Can you come in tomorrow?”

“Well Doc I am in California and won’t be home until next week”

“OK. I will put you on hold and the secretary will set a time when you are available”  ”As soon as possible”

“Thanks….I will see you later”

What?  I said thanks????!!!!!  Thanks for telling me I have skin cancer!  After I hung up I sat there looking at this california buzzard and thought what I just heard.  The “C” word.  After studying  it and asking questions I realized it was no big deal.  Minor.  Easy to fix.  Like a flat tire.  Not like pancreatic, or serious cancers.  In fact it’s pretty common.

Tomorrow I go in to get them cut out.  An hour or so in the office.  A Xanax to keep me on the table. Stitches.  A few glances at the DOC.  Then I will be on my way.  Better with a few holes in my head.  Adding a little character to a goofy face……

Love ya Wanda!!!

On my belly shooting at ground Level.

A different perspective. Pixels of little swallows.  Tiny little buggers.  Fast as fast can be.  They build their nests out of mud and saliva.  Reminds me of my grandsons when they were younger.  Not nest building but mixing mud and their saliva.  Anyway, the Swallow is a pretty bird.   Lots of energy.  Very difficult to photograph in the air.  Extremely difficult.  Last night was the time to get on my belly just before sundown and give it another try.  They knew I was there.  Let me in their world for a few minutes.  At first they just flew by their favorite mud hole.  Then one by one they trusted my presence.  Soon they were collecting mud again.  At times they were numerous.  I had to shoot wide open at an ISO of 3200.  The depth of field was very short.  All the shots with multiple birds in the frame where a little too busy for my taste.  Especially due to the short depth of field putting most of the birds out of the focus range.  After a little practice I was surprised to get a couple of keepers.

A side note- I was laying on my belly at the edge of the road.   I was shooting through a 4 bar gate.  I would hear cars slow as they passed.  I am sure they considered helping the beached whale on the road side.  Then it was obvious it was just a porky photographer with a giant lens, on his belly shooting at a mud hole.  Oh those photographers are weird people!

Yes I broke some photographers (Moose Peterson) rule of never cropping a photograph.  Hey it’s my world and I will do what I want!  Take that mr professional photographer(s).    Yes an editor may not take the crop.  So what.  I did………….

A good weekend.  Just too short.  It’s a day or two from June.  At Bear Lake this weekend it snowed.  No waterskiing or even playing in the water. We did however enjoy time together.  Games, food, more games, more food, de-winterized the boat and more food and naps.  At the North end of the lake I did notice an Osprey nest driving in.  Always looking.  So sunday afternoon I was off to get my annual Osprey shot.  It was going to be a long shot figuratively and literally.  The nest was at the very top of high transmission power lines.  Way up there.  They have to eat and feed the young in the nest.  I waited.  And waited. After some time I left.  Back an hour or so later and there he was.  Eye level on a post.  I guess he had been waiting for me.   I was prepared with the longest lens I have and a rain pouch for the lens and camera.  We then had a stare down.  He was not going to fly and I was not going to move a muscle until he did.  He even gave a  big shiver.  Maybe to scare me? …..Notice the feather dust he shook off…..

He was not going to win.  I have a ton of photographs of Ospreys sitting staring at me.  I needed one in flight close up.  My arm and hand was going asleep.  My feet were freezing. I was getting wet in the snow/sleet falling.   I think he was a little bothered also.  He would tuck one leg under his wing.  Then the other.  I slowly took my eye from the camera and said out loud “you win!”.  He was about 200′ away.  A minute or so passed and off he flew!…….

GOT EM!

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 1/4000 second @ f/4, ISO 800