End of 2015 = Peregrine Falcon + Avocets
2015 ended on a high note with my last trip this year to Bolivar Flats in Texas. The sun hasn’t been out much lately in this part of Texas so it was time to shoot in cloudy conditions. It was great weather to be lying on the wet sandbars at 44 deg F (with waders on of course). The Avocets were out in mass with several hundred of them hanging out off shore near sandbars. Found a decent location and ended up crawling closer to a flock of Avocets. Several more came in to land, which provided some action shots.
Just before getting up to leave, all of the birds took off, which usually means that a raptor is in the area. Turned to my right and saw that a Peregrine Falcon had landed on a sandbar. I’ve never seen one land that far from the shoreline before. Didn’t think that he was going to stick around long so I stayed in place focusing on him while anticipating some lift-off and flight shots. He obliged soon after and it was a great way to end this outing.
Also it was nice to meet Hal on this trip, a follower of this blog.
Have a great new year everyone!!
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.
Aperture priority, 1/1600 sec @ F5.6, ISO 1600 + 1 1/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
Aperture priority, 1/800 sec @ F5.6, ISO 2500, + 1 exposure compensation, 700mm
Aperture priority, 1/2000 sec @ F5.6, ISO 1600 + 1 1/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
Avocets with New 7D II
Made a trip back to Bolivar Flats last weekend working as a guide, which gave me a chance to try out my new Canon 7D mark II camera.
From a guide perspective, it turned out to be a good trip with Newton. It was very low tide and we found a large flock of Avocets not too far off shore before sunrise. Got some decent shots and moved on to several other locations shooting Willets, Long Billed Curlews, Marbled Godwits, a Yellowlegs and several smaller shorebirds. Ended up working our way around the bend and found a Reddish Egret and then a flock of Avocets worked their way towards us, as I predicted. What appeared to be a lucky guess was actually an accurate prediction based on several similar encounters at that location. Ended up being a very good morning.
From a testing out the new camera perspective, it was also a good outing. I’m a little too spoiled with my 1DX but the new 7D II worked well. It’s obviously not as good with high ISO as the 1DX but it’s much improved over my old 7D. Looks like it will be a good back-up camera. It’s also very light compared to the 1DX.
Ended up getting the new camera as I recently experience problems with my 1DX. Made a trip during the week of Thankgiving and found that my 1DX wouldn’t focus on my 500mm lens. Experienced issues with the contacts as the mounts were bent up from a previous crash/burn from my kitchen table. Got my lens repaired from a local repair shop in Houston but have to send my camera to Canon as they wouldn’t sell him (or me) a replacement ring mount. Took my old 7D to the Santa Clara ranch a few weeks ago as a back-up but would have had major issues with the low light levels. That convinced me that that I needed a newer back-up camera and getting $500 off during black Friday week also helped my cause.
These photos were taken with Canon 7D II with Canon 500mm F4 IS II mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head.
Aperture priority, 1/1250 sec @ F5, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +1 exposure compensation, 500mm
This photo was a little dull due to being taken before sunrise so I increased the exposure in Photoshop to make it more of a “high key” image which worked better.
Aperture priority, 1/3200 sec @ F5, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +1 exposure compensation, 500mm
Taken after the sun came up
Bobwhite Quail
Bobwhite Quail are beautiful birds with very distinct feather patterns. Males have a bold black and white head pattern with the females having buff colored heads. They are very fast and can be hard to track with a camera as they run around.
Had mostly cloudy skies on this trip and had crank up the ISO and break out my flash for some of these shots.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II mounted on tripod with Wimberley II gimbal head.
Aperture priority, 1/320 sec @ F5.6, ISO 3200, evaluative metering, fill flash with better beamer (-3 stops)
Aperture priority, 1/250 sec @ F5.6, ISO 3200, evaluative metering, fill flash with better beamer (-3 stops)
Aperture priority, 1/320 sec @ F5.6, ISO 3200, evaluative metering, fill flash with better beamer (-3 stops)
Aperture priority, 1/1250 sec @ F8, ISO 1600, evaluative metering
Roadrunner from Santa Clara Ranch
Made another trip to the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas, this time to the Santa Clara Ranch. Had a great time, thanks again Scott for the invitation. This property has a ranch house that you can stay at and get meal service, which was a highlight of the trip with some of the best Mexican food that I’ve eaten. I wanted to bring the cook home with me. Hector, the ranch manager, was our guide and did a great job.
This Roadrunner surprised us as we were in the blind taking photos of other birds when he came up to the water. He walked away then came back to give us a good opportunity for some close-up shots. Ended up with over 8000 photos and still haven’t gone through them all yet.
Taken with Canon 1DX with Canon 500mm F4 IS II mounted on tripod with Wimberley II gimbal head
Aperture priority, 1/3200 sec @ F8, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, 500mm
Aperture priority, 1/5000 sec @ F8, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, 500mm
Aperture priority, 1/5000 sec @ F8, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, 500mm
Reddish Egret in Partial Silhouette
Time to get back to posting some winged subjects with feathers. These Reddish Egrets were doing their usual dancing around while fishing. Two partial silhouette shots taken at different locations along the Gulf of Mexico from the beach at Bolivar Flats in Texas.
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 @ F7.1, ISO 400, evaluative metering, +1 exposure compensation
1/1600 sec @ F7.1, ISO 400, evaluative metering, +1 1/3 exposure compensation
Shoot the Moon
On the last day of the Wings Over Houston airshow, hung out with Doug on the north end of the runway. Thanks Doug. Got some good close-up photos that I’ll post later. The moon was out and we tried to get photos of the planes flying near the moon. Didn’t realize that I had captured this photo until I got home. It’s a WWII Grumman Avenger torpedo bomber.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4X III teleconverter, handheld
Shutter priority, 1/250 sec @ F22, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +1 exposure compensation
Tern and Burn
I was watching a small group of Royal Terns close to shore when they started to fly away. Focused on the last one and caught him taking off, flying towards me and making a hard right turn. Got several shots in this sequence. This turn and burn sequence was good practice for the upcoming Wings Over Houston airshow.
Aperture priority, 1/1250 sec @ F5.6, ISO 2500, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
Aperture priority, 1/1600 sec @ F5.6, ISO 2500, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
Aperture priority, 1/1600 sec @ F5.6, ISO 2500, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
Aperture priority, 1/1250 sec @ F5.6, ISO 2500, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
Brown Pelicans Fishing at Sunrise
Brown Pelicans were out in force last weekend at sunrise along the Gulf coast. They would come close to shore diving for fish. Had a blast tracking them as they flew in and dove into the water. The take-off’s were fun as well. Good opportunity for some action silhouette shots.
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
Aperture priority, 1/8000 sec @ F8, ISO 800, evaluative metering, -2/3 exposure compensation
Aperture priority, 1/2000 sec @ F8, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +1 exposure compensation
Aperture priority, 1/1600 sec @ F8, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +1 exposure compensation
High Key Reddish Egret Portrait
Went back to Bolivar Flats yesterday to scout out the conditions for a Sunday shoot with a couple of clients. Thought that it was going to be a major bust when I first arrived. The tide was up near sunrise and there were no expose sandbars. Had to work the shoreline which isn’t my preference. Very few birds to be seen at first but it was still a little dark out about 45 min before sunrise.
Found a group of Skimmers and ended up belly crawling to get close to them, until a couple of wade fisherman walked right in front of me scaring all of the birds away while pulling a wagon behind them with their gear. Didn’t have time to get too angry as I’ve learned to take advantage of that situation by getting up and quickly moving forward and getting into position. As anticipated, the birds came back to that same spot and I spend then next 1.5 hrs shooting from that location.
Ended up being much better photo op’s than expected. Especially when the Reddish Egrets showed up. While taking photos of other birds, this Reddish landed right in front of me as he was chasing a White Morph Reddish Egret away. He ran in front of me and luckily stopped to bask in the glory of his conquest with his feathers all puffed out. He had his feathers puffed out in this position for about 1 second, so I was glad to get this shot.
Glad that I went yesterday as today was a wash out with the rain along the coast.
Taken with a Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II lens with 1.4X III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head.
Aperture priority, 1/1000 sec @ F8, ISO 400, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
The Look
After a couple of hours shooting shorebirds, hiked back to the car worn out and ready to clean up/pack away my gear and head home. However, this White Morph Reddish Egret was fishing just off shore close to the parking area and he forced me to lay down one more time. Glad that I’m easily influenced by birds.
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
Aperture priority, 1/1600 sec @ F14, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, 700mm
Wing Span
Got to practice some flight shots at Dayton, TX while waiting for the Kites to show up. Found that I was in the flight path of several Great Egrets. Took my camera off the tripod to get these shots.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4X III teleconverter, handheld
1/1600 sec @ F10, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
1/2500 sec @ F10, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
Raise Your Wings
Fishing action with a White Morph Reddish Egret. More ground pod action from my last trip to Bolivar Flats. Converted to B&W using NIK Silver Efex.
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
1/1600 sec @ F11, ISO 1600, evaluative metering
The Landing
Caught this Snowy Egret as he was coming in for a landing while fishing. He ended up catching the fish but his landing poses made for better photos.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500MM F4 IS II lens with 1.4X III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head
1/1250 sec @ F14, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, -1/3 exposure compensation
1/1250 sec @ F14, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, -1/3 exposure compensation
The Chase
Made my first trip back to Bolivar Flats yesterday since Galveston’s FeatherFest in April. Took a new client along to show him the ropes of getting down and dirty shooting shorebirds. He got up close and personal with some birds along with the sand of Bolivar. Good job Newton.
It felt really good to get back out there and luckily the tide/winds cooperated, along with the birds. We found the usual suspects, along with two Reddish Egrets and a White Morph Reddish Egret.
Reddish Egrets are very territorial and this one chased a juvenile away right in front of us. Got a series of 64 photos of this chase. Changed to all focus points during the action to make sure that they would stay in focus. Only needed some minor cropping on these shots.
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.
All photos are Aperture priority, 1/1600 sec @ F11, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
Kite Action
Make my second trip to see the Swallow-tailed Kites in Dayton, TX this morning. Found one in the usual location but this time he was sitting at the top of a tree. He dove off of the tree and soared around and eventually caught up with another Kite. Tried to catch him going past the moon but just missed it.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4X III teleconverter mounted on tripod
1/1250 sec @ F9, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
1/1600 sec @ F9, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
Swallow-Tailed Kites
Found the Swallow-tailed Kites near Dayton, TX again this year. Saw six of them up high with only one of them coming in closer. They catch insects and eat them while soaring with their large wings. Will have to make another trip one of these weekends.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4X III teleconverter, handheld
1/2500 sec @ F10, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
Crawfish Festival…YCNH Style
Headed to Brazoria NWR on Saturday to check out the Wood Storks. Thanks for the tip Doug. Slept in until 4:15 a.m. (not kidding) and headed to the NWR for some sunrise shooting. The Storks typically aren’t there at sunrise so I had some time to check out the other birds in the area.
Found more Yellow Crowned Night Herons than I’ve ever seen on one spot before, around 100. Most appeared to be juveniles. My first reaction was that I already had too many YCNH shots, until I saw that they were feeding on crawfish. Turned out to be a very good time. Got about 50 shots in this series as he dove in for the catch and eventually flew to the road to chug him down.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4X III teleconverter, handheld out the car window
1/800 sec @ F 5.6, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, 700mm
1/800 sec @ F 5.6, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, 700mm
1/800 sec @ F 5.6, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, 700mm
1/800 sec @ F 5.6, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, 700mm
1/800 sec @ F 5.6, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, 700mm
1/800 sec @ F 5.6, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, 700mm
1/2500 sec @ F 5.6, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, 700mm
Black Skimmers at Dow Plant
Made my first trip to the Dow Chemical plant in Freeport, TX last weekend for their annual open house to see some of the 2000 Black Skimmers that are nesting in the middle of their plant. They have one of the largest nesting colonies along the gulf coast and they have done a great job of maintaining the nesting area in an old parking lot in the plant since the late 1960’s.
http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles0503/kac0503-1.html
It’s not an ideal set up for bird photography but it was very cool to see that many Skimmers in one location and get a few photos. They apparently started nesting late this year with all of the rain in SE Texas so there were very few chicks to be seen.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4X III teleconverter mounted on tripod with Wimberley II gimbal head
1/4000 sec @ F8, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
1/2000 sec @ F9, ISO 800, evaluative metering
1/500 sec @ F11, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +1 1/3 exposure compensation
1/640 sec @ F11, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +1 1/3 exposure compensation
1/8000 sec @ F8, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
Caracara from Brazoria NWR
It’s been almost 2 months since I’ve taken any wildlife photos so it felt great to break out the camera again last weekend. On my way to see the Dow Skimmers in Freeport, TX, headed to Brazoria NWR to check out the action at sunrise. The NWR had an abundance of water, which leads to fewer photo op’s for shorebirds. Was hoping for some Wood Storks but none were to be seen at sunrise.
My best luck came on the drive into the refuge when I spotted this Caracara along the paved entry road. Had to turn around and slowly approach him with my car. They can spook easily so didn’t want to get too close to him. Took a few photos and then moved closer. He checked out his feathers and flew off to another perch. Tracked him down one more time for the last shot and went further into the NWR.
The sun had not come out yet from behind the clouds so had to crank the ISO up to 3200 to get any decent shutter speeds. Used positive exposure compensation on the first two shots with the bright sky in the background. Used some noise reduction on the second shot but not on the first and last photo. It would be very hard to go back to my old 7D.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4X III teleconverter, handheld out the car window
1/500 sec @ F5.6, ISO 3200, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
1/160 sec @ F8, ISO 3200, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
1/200 sec @ F5.6, ISO 1600, evaluative metering
Northern Cardinal
This male Northern Cardinal was striking a good pose with a clean background.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II mounted on tripod with Wimberley II gimbal head
1/1000 sec @ F9, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
Scissor-tailed Flycatchers
The first Flycatcher made a nice landing on the branch and then was dive-bombed by another. The first one held his ground. Taken at Laguna Seca Ranch.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II mounted on tripod with Wimberley II gimbal head
1/1600 sec @ F11, ISO 1600, evaluative metering
1/2000 sec @ F11, ISO 1600, evaluative metering
Crested Caracara
During my trip to Laguna Seca ranch, the raptors were scarce at the raptor blinds. However, we did see this Caracara near a pond where he would come for a drink at the end of the day. Captured him taking a drink, flying to a nearby perch and then using it for a good rub down.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II mounted on tripod with Wimberley II gimbal head
1/1250 sec @ F11, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +1/3 exposure compensation
1/2500 sec @ F11, ISO 1600, evaluative metering
1/3200 sec @ F11, ISO 1600, evaluative metering
1/3200 sec @ F11, ISO 1600, evaluative metering
1/2000 sec @ F11, ISO 1600, evaluative metering
1/2000 sec @ F11, ISO 1600, evaluative metering
Long Billed Thrasher
Long Billed Thrashers showed up at every watering hole at Laguna Seca ranch. They can only be found in South Texas and in eastern Mexico. Lack of sun forced me to break out the flash/better beamer for some fill flash.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II mounted on tripod with Wimberley II gimbal head
1/1000 sec @ F9, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +1/3 exposure compensation,
1/1600 sec @ F9, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +1/3 exposure compensation, fill flash @ -3 stops with better beamer
1/800 sec @ F9, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +1/3 exposure compensation, fill flash @ -3 stops with better beamer
Spiked Green Jay
This Green Jay got a punk rocker spiked hair look after he took a bath.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II mounted on tripod with Wimberley II gimbal head
1/1000 sec @ F9, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +1/3 exposure compensation
1/1250 sec @ F9, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +1/3 exposure compensation
1/1600 sec @ F9, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +1/3 exposure compensation
Tim Timmis Photography 