At the refuge on the way home from Bear Lake tonight…..still NO CHICKS!!!!
Jun 192011
Jun 142011
Still no Avocet Chicks……..
I did however run into this beautiful pheasant. Yikes. The light was perfect. While I was at the property boundary at a farm in Farmington getting shots of this beauty, I was approached by the landowner. She asked if I was from Animal Control. It seemed weird for her to ask such a question. Photographing a pheasant? I sure wasn’t trying to look conspicuous. To her I probably looked somewhat covert….Like I intended. I did not notice in the large field a 27 year old horse (not typically at full stop to photograph horses standing in their field). She said that she has almost weekly complaints about how she is not caring for the horse. It has a slight limp. Arthritis she told me. Looked like a really old horse to me (still not worthy of the pixels). She was pleased that I was not in fact from animal control. And I was sure glad that the light was perfect and the bird was there for me. Because as soon as she stopped and walked up to me the pheasant departed…….
Jun 142011
Something is going on at the refuge.
Fight night? Eggs ready to hatch? Boredom? All I know is that the Acocets are beating each other. Can’t we just get along? Really it is ok with me. Makes for some fun photographs……..
Jun 132011
The Common Tern
Not so common a bird. Black and White. Short beak. Pretty small at about 7 oz’s with a 23″ wing span. Flies above water always looking down. Food is down. When the turn spots a snack it will stop and hover then dive into the water. Or just turn quickly and dive in. Often it will fly low. Close to the water. Then quickly drop their head so only their beak touches the water snatching up the morsel. A blast to watch. A monster to try and get in the camera. Especially flying directly at the camera! Tonight I really lucked out. The little bugger flew right at me and scooped a dinner snack. (by the way the Avocet chicks still have not hatched). At 9-11 frames a second it was still pretty much luck that I got the shot.
Couldn’t help myself. Just thought the Black and White beauty would look best on Black and White…….
(click on the photo to enlarge on your screen)
Jun 122011
Yesterday was another great weekend day.
Ran a lot of errands, did a couple of chores and checked on the Avocet nest. No chicks yet. Had a quick visitor. A pelican. Turned and got his landing…..
Man they can water ski. Had the exposure a half stop too high. Check out the white on the wing it is a little burned out. Can’t win em all!
Jun 102011
This morning I had to check on the Avocet nest. No chicks yet.
I did however get a better shot of the coot little ones. They were all still buried in the thistle and cat tails. This one peaked out for a second……
Tonight I was a bachelor and had to make some calls (thank goodness for cell phones) so I went out (again) to check on the Avocet nest. Still no chicks! Every trip out to FBBR puts me around common Malard ducks. A lot of them. Usually I down play the need to get a shot. Not much to shoot tonight. Until this guy did the big duck stretch!!!!
Kind of a show off don’t you think? Gorgeous bird!
Jun 102011
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….
Jun 092011
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!
Jun 082011
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.
Jun 072011
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……
