Mating Stilts
Takes a good balancing act for Black-necked Stilts to mate with those extra long legs. Just wish that they had not been facing away from me but you take what you can get.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head
1/1,000 sec @ F10, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
1/1250 sec @ F10, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
1/1,000 sec @ F10, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
Reddish Strut
Here are a couple of shots of the Reddish Egret that walked by me as described in my last post. It pays to take shorebird photos from the prone position. Only minor cropping required.
Taken with Canon 1DX with Canon 500mm F4 IS II and 1.4X III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head
1/400 sec @ F11, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +1 exposure compensation, 700mm
1/1000 sec @ F11, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +1 exposure compensation, 700mm
Avocet in Breeding Plumage
Took Friday off of work to properly break in my new camera at Bolivar Flats with a little sand and salt water. It was low tide at sunrise but most of the sandbars were covered in seaweed. Just as well since I forgot to take my rubber boots with me. The outing started out slow with some Willet shots at a distance but ended up great with getting head shots of Avocets and a Reddish Egret.
Relocated my position a couple of times and ended up with two options. Off to my left was a group of Brown Pelicans/Black Skimmers and off to my right was a Reddish Egret with a few Avocets near by. Not likely to get close to the Pelican’s without spooking them so I headed towards the Reddish Egret. Couldn’t get real close without my boots so ended up picking a spot upstream of the Egret and laid down with my ground pod hoping that the birds would come to me. I love it when a plan comes together. The Reddish Egret ended up going right by me and two of the Avocets walked right towards me. One ended up being too close to get a full body shot so I focused on the top half of this body. Minor cropping to reposition him in the frame gave me this shot.
Losing the crop factor from my 7D won’t be a big deal when the birds cooperate like this. Only minor adjustments in Photoshop with saturation/contrast for this photo. No sharpening was required in Photoshop. Something tells me that I’m going to like my 1DX/500mm combo.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head
1/1250 sec @ F11, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +1 exposure compensation
Reddish Chase
Here are a few more shots of Reddish Egrets from my last trip to Bolivar Flats in Texas during my FeatherFest field trip. One Reddish Egret was fishing when another came in and started chasing him around.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II lens mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II head
Aperture priority, 1/1000 sec @ F5.6, ISO 400, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 500mm
Aperture priority, 1/640 sec @ F9, ISO 500, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 500mm
Aperture priority, 1/640 sec @ F9, ISO 500, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 500mm
Aperture priority, 1/800 sec @ F9, ISO 500, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 500mm
Aperture priority, 1/800 sec @ F9, ISO 500, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 500mm
Galveston’s FeatherFest “Birds Eye View” Field Trip
Had a great time again this year leading workshops and field trips for Galveston’s FeatherFest. Friday’s field trip was to Bolivar Flats, my home away from home in the world of bird photography, to work on low-level photography “at a bird’s-eye view”. We had a full class as this trip sold out early. We left at 6:00 a.m. and got to the flats about 7:00 a.m. and were met with low tide, wind and partly sunny sky’s with lots of clouds mixed in. Made for some challenging lighting conditions with the sun popping in/out periodically.
We started by taking some silhouette shots of Willets and moved on to some Marbled Godwits and Terns. Several groups of Brown Pelicans made for some good flight shots. It was a target rich environment. There were large flocks of Terns near the jetty that would launch periodically but we couldn’t see any Avocets. Ended up scouting the area further down the shoreline to try to find some other photo op’s. Still no Avocets but did spot a couple of American Oystercatchers. However, they took off before the group could get there.
We did get a nice surprise when a Reddish Egret landed right in front of us and started dancing around while fishing. He arrived right on time and was worth the price that I had to pay his agent 😉 He caught two fish with the last one being a good size catch. Another Reddish Egret then showed up and they chased each other around and put on quite a show. When it was time to leave, a few of the ladies didn’t want to go, which was a good sign that they were having a good time.
Ended up being a great outing with everyone getting an opportunity to see lots of shorebirds. Had much better luck with the tide/number of birds compared to last year. The participants got covered in sand/salt water as seen in the group photo. Thanks to everyone that attended this year and to Phil for helping out. I’m looking forward to doing it again next year.
My photos were taken with a Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head.
Aperture priority, 1/1000 sec @ F5.6, ISO 400. evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 500mm
Aperture priority, 1/1000 sec @ F5.6, ISO 400. evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 500mm
Aperture priority, 1/1000 sec @ F5.6, ISO 400. evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 500mm
Aperture priority, 1/800 sec @ F5.6, ISO 400. evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 500mm
Aperture priority, 1/800 sec @ F7.1, ISO 400. evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 500mm
Aperture priority, 1/400 sec @ F11, ISO 400. evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 500mm
Leggy Reflection
This group of Avocets were showing off their legs and reflections at Bolivar Flats.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II head
1/1000 sec @ F9, ISO 400, evaluative metering, -2/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
Published in Texas Highways Magazine
Finally got published in Texas Highways magazine (travel magazine) with help from Kathy Adams Clark, Houston based nature photographer/owner of KAC Productions. I’ve joined KAC Productions as a contributing nature photographer with Kathy marketing some of my photos. Didn’t take long to get published so I’m looking forward to a successful working relationship with KAC. Since I don’t have the time to do much self marketing, this opportunity is ideal for my situation.
Here is my photo that’s in the April issue. American Avocets from Bolivar Flats, full framed photo without cropping.
Willet Catches a Fish
I’ve seen a few Willets catching fish but it’s fairly rare from my experience. Got some nice side lighting at sunrise on this shot along with an open beak as he was facing in my direction. Bolivar Flats rarely fails to provide some good photo op’s.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head
1/640 sec @ F5.6, ISO 500, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
Head-on Skimmer
The normal flight path of Black Skimmers at Bolivar Flats is parallel with the shore line. Got lucky with this one as he was flying directly at me. My 7D did a good job of tracking the focus. Had to crank the ISO up to 800 to get the shutter speed above 1/100 sec. Taken just before sunrise while lying on a sand bar with my gound pod.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head
1/160 sec @ F5.6, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
1/200 sec @ F5.6, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
1/200 sec @ F5.6, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
1/200 sec @ F5.6, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
Willet Posing
This Willet was giving me his best head-on pose with some good eye contact. Had to use a little negative exposure compensation after the histogram showed some over exposed “blinkies” on his chest.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4xIII teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II head
1/500 sec @ F9, ISO 400, evaluative metering, -1/3 exposure compensation
Skimmer Catching Fish
Skimmers are always fun to watch as they fly along the water trying to catch fish. The challenge is to be at the right place at the right time when they actually catch a fish. Caught this one as he was going away from me. This photo highlights the narrow depth of field of the 500mm lens with the band of water in focus.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head
Willet vs. Crab
The Willet won.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II lens with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II
1/640 sec @ F11, ISO 400, evaluative metering, -1/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
1/640 sec @ F11, ISO 400, evaluative metering, -1/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
Avocet Halo Affect
One way to get action shots of shorebirds is to shoot a burst of shots when their head starts going towards the water. You can catch some interesting splashing photos. In this case, the Avocet ended up with a water “halo” around his head.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head
1/500 sec @ F11, ISO 500, evaluative metering, – 1/3 exposure compensation
1/400 sec @ F11, ISO 500, evaluative metering, – 1/3 exposure compensation
Flock O’ Snowy’s
My first trip in 2014 led me back to my favorite location, Bolivar Flats. Along the gulf coast, Bolivar is a premier location for shorebird photography, especially if you like to get down and dirty with a ground pod. The tide was going out at sunrise with several exposed sandbars.
My favorite targets, American Avocets, were all bunched up near the jetty behind a group of white pelicans. Didn’t want to spook the pelicans while trying to get to the Avocets so decided to divert to a favorite spot closer to the shoreline around the bend. This area is usually very muddy and it didn’t disappoint. Laid down to see what would come my way when a flock of Snowy Egrets flew in to feed further away from me. Didn’t want to scare them away with standing up and contemplated the best way to get to them. The terrain looked almost like a moonscape with holes in the muck like craters filled with water and higher flat areas like plateaus. Decided that crawling wasn’t a great idea so ended up walking on my knees using my flash bracket as a cane for balance. Went about 30 yards and laid down again to shoot and rest. The muck was smoothed out at this point and then belly crawled the rest of the way. The muck was so slick I was almost gliding. Got fairly close to the flock and a single Snowy off to the left feeding. Was getting some decent shots when the flock suddenly flew away. Looked to my right and another photographer had walked up along the shoreline and spooked the birds. Goes with the territory sometimes. Stayed put and some of the birds came back to finish off the session.
When I got up, I couldn’t see the camo pattern on my waders as the mud/muck was caked on so thick. Good times.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head
1/640 sec @ F11, ISO 400, evaluative metering, -1/3 exposure compensation
1/800 sec @ F11, ISO 400, evaluative metering, -2/3 exposure compensation
1/1250 sec @ F11, ISO 400, evaluative metering, -2/3 exposure compensation
Long Billed Curlew in Silhouette
Here are a couple more silhouette shots from Bolivar Flats. This time, Long Billed Curlew’s. Just can’t resist silhouette shots before the sun comes up. A guilty pleasure of mine.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II lens with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head.
1/125 sec @ F5.6, ISO 800, evaluative metering, + 2/3 exposure compensation
1/125 sec @ F5.6, ISO 800, evaluative metering, + 2/3 exposure compensation
Skimming into 2014
My last outing in 2013 was filled with silhouettes of Black Skimmers on the Gulf of Mexico at Bolivar Flats. Calm winds and calm water had the skimmers out in force. Took these before the sun came up in aperture priority with ISO cranked up to 800 to get some decent shutter speeds.
It was a great ending to 2013. It has been a very challenging and rewarding year for me. Photography highlights included a great trip to California to photograph sea otters, leading workshops at Galveston’s FeatherFest, teaching private lessons, getting some future opportunities and spending quality time in nature along the gulf coast. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to check out my blog. Hope that everyone has a fun/safe new year and a great 2014.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II head
1/800 sec @ F5.6, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
1/640 sec @ F5.6, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
1/640 sec @ F5.6, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
Strutting Avocets
These Avocets were strutting their stuff along the gulf coast. Used negative exposure compensation to keep the white highlights from blowing out after checking for “blinkies”, i.e. flashing highlights.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head
1/640 sec @ F11, ISO 400, evaluative metering, -1/3 exposure compensation
1/640 sec @ F11, ISO 400, evaluative metering, -1/3 exposure compensation
Peregrine Falcon
I’ve been looking for the Peregrine Falcon that hangs out at Bolivar during the winter months but hadn’t seen him until this trip. Found him sitting on a fence post as I was driving away from the beach. Didn’t recognize him at first and thought that he was a small hawk as I drove past him and made eye contact. Stopped the car and drove backwards to keep him on my left side. I’ve learned to keep my camera handy on the way out just for such occasions. Was able to get a few shots before a car came by and scared him off.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II lens with 1.4x III teleconverter, handheld
1/800 sec @ F9, ISO 400, evaluative metering
1/800 sec @ F9, ISO 400, evaluative metering
Avocet Posing
Found almost perfect conditions yesterday along the gulf coast with low tide, 36 deg F temperature, calm winds and sunshine. Was hoping for still as glass water but it wasn’t quite there. Found several flocks of American Avocets just off shore. Good opportunity to try out my repaired camera by getting sand all over it. Was successful at that, along with getting very close to some Avocets. Laid down on a sandbar with water on both sides of me and waited for the Avocets to walk closer. Got some shots looking towards the gulf and remembered one of my golden rules, look behind you. Turned around and found several Avocets walking in the water right behind me. Slowly pivoted on my stomach and got lots of close-up shots as they kept walking in front of me along the narrow stretch of water between my sand bar and the next one. Can’t wait to go out again.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II lens with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head
Aperture priority, 1/640 sec @ F11, ISO 400, evaluative metering, -1/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
Blurred Wings over Waves
Caught these Black Skimmers as they went behind some waves in the Gulf of Mexico.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4X III mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II head.
1/80 sec @ F5.6, ISO 500, +2/3 exposure compensation
7D Repaired/Returned
Got may camera back today via my friends at Fed Ex. Here is what Canon said about the repairs: “Your product has been examined and it was found that the internal component was broken causing the error to be displayed. The mirror box assembly and shutter assembly were replaced. Further, it was found that the top cover assembly has been submerged in liquid causing one or more buttons or controls to operate improperly. The top cover was replaced. Product functions were confirmed”.
To clarify, it wasn’t submerged in liquid but probably had some salt water dripped on it on a few/many occasions, for some odd reason. They replaced the back cover last time it was repaired so I’ve almost got a new camera at this point. I use a raincoat to protect the lens but the camera isn’t totally covered and it’s easy to have water drip off of my sleeves when I get up from lying on the water laden sand bars.
Now I have to reprogram all of the custom function settings. Good thing that I wrote them down.
While waiting for my camera to return, I ended up upgrading to Photoshop CC/Lightroom while the special deal was on for $10/month. Haven’t tried Lightroom yet but I like Photoshop CC so far. Also got the NIK software package since my old version of Noise Ninja wouldn’t work with Photoshop CC. I really like NIK Dfine for noise reduction. Color Efex Pro 4 looks very interesting as well. New toys to play with.
Here is another photo of a Long Billed Curlew from my last outing to Bolivar. More to come.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II lens with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II head
1/200 sec @ F 9, ISO 500, evaluative metering, + 1/3 exposure compensation
Success + Camera Failure
Spent Friday and Saturday mornings enjoying low tide at Bolivar Flats. It was a nice chilly 38 deg. F on Friday at sunrise but the high winds kept the bird activity low. Saturday had less wind and more cooperative birds. Found a flock of Avocets hanging out near a sand bar off shore in the Gulf. Waded out to an adjacent sandbar and slowly made my way towards them. Didn’t want to spook them so I laid down a distance from their location and crawled towards them while pushing my ground pod along. Ended up moving +/- 40 yards on my elbows/knees, which I’m still feeling today. Had to stop along the way to rest and take photos of other shore birds in the area, including this cooperative Long Billed Curlew. Only minor cropping on this one to get him off-center in the photo.
Finally got fairly close to the Avocets and spent about an hour watching and taking photos of them. Right before I was going to leave, my camera locked up showing ERR 22 with instructions to remove/reinstall the battery. Did this several times without any luck. Packed my gear up and headed home. Ended up shipping my 7D to Canon repair service in California. Will hopefully get it back soon as I’ve got more birds to shoot before the year is done. This one doesn’t sound like a shutter so not sure what the issue is.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II head
1/125 sec @ F 7.1, ISO 500, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
Stop! said the Avocet
This Avocet appears to be yelling at the waves to stop them from coming in. Didn’t work but added some interest to the shot.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II lens with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II head
1/250 sec @ F8, ISO 500, evaluative metering, + 1/3 exposure compensation, fill flash with better beamer set at -3 stops
Avocet just Chillin
The last few weeks have been a challenge so it was good to get out again to take some shorebird photos, although the alignment of the stars must have been off yesterday.
While driving to Galveston, an electronic sign along the interstate showed that the ferry to Bolivar was going to be shutdown from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., which meant that I could get to Bolivar but couldn’t return on the ferry. A two-hour drive home going around Galveston Bay was the alternative. Turning around wasn’t an option as it was going to be low tide at Bolivar and the shorebirds were calling. Although I had spent quite a bit of time the night before getting prepared for this excursion, I decided at the last moment in my infinite wisdom not to take my camera bag. It’s too small to hold my 500mm lens when the 1.4x is attached. Bad decision as my supply of CF memory cards were in that bag. Luckily there was one 32 gig card in my camera that was enough to get me through the mornings shoot. Arrived at Bolivar before sunrise and geared up. Another glitch in the system was a hole in my rubber boot. Beginning to wonder if someone was trying to give me a major hint. Ended up ignoring the pending signs of doom and had a good time with capturing photos of Avocets, Willets, Marbled Godwits and Snowy Egrets.
There were hundreds if not a few thousand Avocets feeding just off shore. This lone Avocet landed nearby just after sunrise and rested on one leg with its beak nestled in his feathers. Got close to him by crawling on hands and knees and got this nearly full framed shot. He kept his eye on me but didn’t spook.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4x teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head
Aperture priority, 1/500 sec @ F8, ISO 400, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
Tim Timmis Photography 
