Wolverine on Frozen Lake
One of the major highlights of my trip to Churchill this year was when our workshop leader, Marc, spotted this wolverine near a frozen lake. It was before sunrise and very dark when he made his way across the lake. He has a very interesting gait with his back legs being longer than his front legs.
He came back to the lake later for some amazing interactions with a raven and silver fox. I’ll be saving those videos for a future contest.
Sitting on a frozen lake taking videos of a wolverine was mind blowing. Such a rare opportunity to see one in the wild, so getting video of him was very special. This was day 4 of my 14-day adventure and thought that it was going to be downhill after this, but it wasn’t.
120 fps, 700mm (R3 + 100-500 +1.4x), handheld, zoomed in 20% in post
Sparing Polar Bears
On my latest trip to Churchill in Canada, the polar bear activity picked up during my second week there. On November 1, we spotted a couple of male bears sparing as they waited for the ice on Hudson Bay to freeze. Sparing lets them develop their fighting skills and establish dominance over other bears. It’s good practice for when they will fight during mating season in the spring.
These bears would spar for a while and then take a break to rest and then spar again. We saw them sparing off and on for 4 days. It was amazing to witness and take videos of their action.
120 fps, R3 + 100-500, handheld, uncropped
Red Fox Following His Nose
On my first day in Churchill, we found this red fox hunting along a road. We pulled over and got some cool photos and videos, with him ignoring us. They stay focused on finding food by following their nose.
120 fps slow motion video, Canon R3 + 100-500, handheld
After capturing this video, switched back to stills to get a few photos after he got very close to me. Love his eye in this photo.
1/800 @ F11, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, +1/3 exposure compensation, 420mm (R3 + 100-500 + 1.4X), handheld, minor crop from bottom
Red Fox on the Run with Captured Raven
While taking photos of ptarmigans in Churchill, this red fox came running right past us carrying what looks like a partially frozen raven. Never know what you may see in the wild.
120 fps, R3 + 100-500, handheld
Polar Bear in Snowstorm Slow-Motion Video
During my trip to Churchill in Canada this year, had the opportunity to take many slow-motion videos of the polar bears and foxes. These two male bears were resting from sparing when it started to snow. Love how the snow looks in slow motion. We didn’t see much snow, but the polar bears loved it.
120 fps, Canon R3 + 100-500, processed in Adobe Premiere Pro, 4K converted to 1080P, handheld
Polar Bear in Snowstorm
It didn’t snow very much in Churchill, but when it did it offered some great photo opportunities. This was from the first day that we saw these two bears sparing. They were taking a break when the snow started coming down heavy. It had been above freezing for a few days, so they were grateful to see the snow.
1/1250 sec @ F11, ISO 12,800, evaluative metering, +1 exposure compensation, 254mm (R3 + 100-500), handheld
Cross Fox on the Run
Cross Fox – Churchill
While taking photos of polar bears on the rocks, this cross fox showed up and was running around. She kept marking her territory all around us, so I probably belong to her now. The foxes at Churchill this time of year are very beautiful. They can be very curious and will get very close.
1/640 sec @ F8, ISO 10,000, 420mm (R3 + 100-500 + 1.4X), mounted on tripod
Churchill Polar Bear
Got home on Sunday after 2 amazing weeks in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. It was epic including several polar bear moms with 1st and 2nd year cubs, nursing cubs, bears climbing in the rocks and sparing bears. The other wildlife didn’t disappoint either, including silver/cross/red foxes with one amazing encounter with a cross-fox mating with a silver fox. Plus, to top it off was a wolverine on a frozen lake with a silver fox trying to play with it and raven telling him who was the boss.
Here is a lone polar bear walking by at 700mm (R3 + 100-500 + 1.4X) handheld, uncropped.
Reddish Egret Silhouette
Reddish egret from yesterday about 10 minutes before sunrise. The pre-dawn colors are gorgeous, which helps to justify getting up at 3:30 a.m. Not much light so had to crank up the ISO to 12,800. He was all puffed up when another reddish egret was in the vicinity, which made for a great silhouette.
1/125 @ F10, ISO 12800, evaluative metering, + 2/3 exposure compensation, 700mm (R3 + 100-500 + 1.4X), Skimmer ground pod
Blue Crab
Blue crab taken on my last trip to Bolivar Flats on the Texas gulf coast on July 1. This was my first time seeing a live blue crab so had to get a few photos. The birds weren’t very cooperative that day so was very happy to get a chance to photograph this crab.
Shows how even at F10, you can see the depth of field with blurring out the background and foreground when lying down.
1/800 @ F10, ISO 2500, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, 700mm (R3 + 100-500 + 1.4X), Skimmer ground pod
Honorable Mention in Audubon’s 2024 Contest
I’m honored to have won “Honorable Mention” in Audubon’s 2024 contest. I’ve been taking lots of slow-motion videos over the past couple of years and it’s starting to pay off.
This video of avocets was taken this year at Bolivar Flats Audubon Shorebird Sanctuary on the Texas gulf coast.
Reddish Egret + Sunrise + Mud
Made another trip to the local mudflats yesterday and the third time was the charm for last week. On my last trip, missed a spectacular sunrise that was already up by the time that I drove onto the beach. This time, decided to get up at 3:00 a.m. to make it onto the 5:00 a.m. ferry, which turned out to be a very good move.
Found a reddish egret in the same location as previous visits, along with the mud being exposed at low tide. Went down on my knees in the mud to confirm the best spot to lay down. There were some wade fishermen walking behind me on the beach that reacted when I laid down in the mud.
Before the sun came up, this white morph reddish egret landed right in front of me. He ended up walking to my left near where the sun was going to rise.
Once the sun started to pop, had to shift my position to the right to get the sun directly behind the egret, which was easier said than done. Didn’t want to get up as it could spook the bird, so did a shuffle with my elbows and knees.
Ended up being an amazing time with lots of great photo ops with this egret, some of which might be contest worthy.
Had to take a couple of cell phone shots of my mud bogging experience. It’s a dirty job but somebody has to do it.
Tri-Colored Heron in Silhouette
Tricolored heron in silhouette taken with my ground pod from the mud bath at Bolivar Flats in Texas. He kept going back and forth catching small fish right in front of me, which was amazing. Don’t often see them offshore in this location.
The mud was deep so had to take a selfie to show that it was a great day in the mudflats. One of the first times that the mud was so deep that it came over the top of my ground pod. Had to wade out in the gulf to wash off the mud from my boots before throwing them into a garbage bag for clean-up when I got home. Clean-up is a major pain but well worth the effort to get low level photos.
1/1600 sec @ F10, ISO 640, manual exposure, 700mm (R3 + 100-500 + 1.4X), Skimmer ground pod
American Avocets at Sunrise
Had beautiful weather this weekend along the Texas gulf coast. Needed to add to my shorebird portfolio for Audubon’s photo contest so made a trip back to Bolivar Flats Audubon Shorebird Sanctuary. Will see out there next time Sheldon.
Tide was going out and fairly low when I got there before sunrise. It was one of those rare days with no wind and flat surf on the Gulf of Mexico.
The surprise of the morning was seeing a fin coming out of the water behind a small flock of avocets, just offshore near the parking area. It was a dolphin hunting for fish, which was only the second time that I’ve seen a dolphin out there in the past 15 years. Took some video of him but missed the money shot when he jumped out of the water with a fish just off of his nose.
After that excitement, settled into getting some avocet photos and videos. Here is one of my favorites with back-lit feathers on some incoming birds. My happy place for sure.
1/3200 sec @ F10, ISO 800, evaluative metering, 700mm (R3 + 100-500 + 1.4X), Skimmer ground pod
American Bittern
Here is my first bird photo in 2024, which is an American Bittern from Anahuac NWR in Texas yesterday. Found him along the road and got some head shots out my car window. Slowly opened my door and sat on the ground to get this shot.
1/400 @ F10, ISO 12,800, evaluative metering, -2/3 exposure compensation, 700mm (R3 + 100-500 + 1.4X), handheld, uncropped
Barred Owl in Flight
Subscribe to continue reading
Subscribe to get access to the rest of this post and other subscriber-only content.
Amazing Bald Eagle
It takes 5 years before a bald eagle’s head becomes totally white, but I prefer the colors of the juvi eagles from a photography perspective.
We came across this bald eagle sitting in a tree along the water’s edge and immediately recognized that this one was special. The colors on his back were amazing. He could have cared less that we were floating by in a boat, so he just hung out on his branch, watching the waters for his next meal.
Florida Eagles
Couple of juvi bald eagles taken on a recent trip to Florida. Spent some quality time with Facebook friend, Dick Vautrinot, on his boat. Had to decide whether to spend a couple of days at Disney or take bird photos. It was a no-brainer and a very good choice. Lots of eagles, osprey, bard owls and anhinga.
1/1250 sec @ F9, ISO 2500, evaluative metering, +1 2/3 exposure compensation, 420mm (R3 + 100-500 +1.4X), handheld on moving boat
Willet Feeding in the Fog
Made a scouting trip to Bolivar Flats on the Texas Gulf coast yesterday in preparation for leading four field trips for Galveston’s FeatherFest in April. It was extremely foggy and could only see a couple of car lengths in front of my car while driving on the beach. The guy following me almost crashed into the barricade.
The fog finally cleared some but then rolled in a couple of times. I’m a major fan of shooting in the fog under the right conditions when the sun pops out, which was the case on this trip.
It was high tide with lots of birds along the shoreline and in a couple of tidal pools. Captured this willet feeding in one of the pools right in front of me while I was lying is some real nasty stuff with my ground pod.
1/3200 @ F10, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +1/3 exposure compensation, 700mm (R3 + 100-500 + 1.4X) mounted on Skimmer ground pod with video head
Spider Web in the Fog
Not much animal action yesterday at Anahuac NWR, so set my focus on dew covered spider webs. It was a very foggy morning, which always makes for some great photo op’s with the spider webs being covered with small water droplets. The barbed wire also adds interest to the photo. The sun started to pop through just before the fog lifted.
Used negative exposure compensation to darken the scene and make the spider web pop. Converted to B&W in NIK.
1/8000 sec @ F10, ISO 2500, evaluative metering, -2/3 exposure compensation, 700mm (R3 + 100-500 + 1.4x), handheld
Reflections on 2022
My golden doodle contributed to the inspiration of this post with her reflection in my entryway, which was taken with my new RF 50mm 1.2 lens. You may wonder why someone focused on wildlife photography needs a 50mm lens. Well, I’ve read that it makes a good portrait lens, more on that later.
2022 ended up being a great year from a personal, professional and photography perspective.
On of the highlights from this year included taking the dive into mirrorless photography in March with getting a Canon R3. I’m loving the features in mirrorless cameras and haven’t touched my 1DX III since picking up my R3. I’m really glad that I didn’t wait for the R1 to come out.
Took a couple of amazing trips to Yellowstone in January and Alaska in June. This was my 4th trip to Yellowstone in winter and it likely won’t be my last as it’s such an amazing place. Got my dream shot on this trip of a black wolf staring at me with his yellow eyes.
Made my second trip to Alaska for coastal brown bear photography, which is my latest obsession. The bears were amazing, although we didn’t see the cubs like last year. However, made up for that with my first attempts at taking video with my new camera. Got some amazing slow-motion video of bears opening clams with their claws. Video adds another dimension to the storytelling of my wildlife photography, and it has been very exciting to add it to my portfolio.
After returning from Alaska in June, spent some quality time taking photos and videos at Bolivar Flats, on the Texas gulf coast. Quickly found that it was a little more challenging to take video of fast-moving birds than the slower moving bears. However, I’m very pleased with the results. Have been collecting some of my favorite bird videos to enter into the 2023 Audubon photo contest, so be on the lookout for them.
In total, made 50 trips to local areas around Houston for wildlife photography. Can’t wait to see what photo ops 2023 will bring.
The major highlight for 2022, and the reason to get a 50mm lens, is that my daughter is pregnant!! We are thrilled for Heather and Jack with their baby due in May. Next year will involve lots of baby photo shoots with some outfits already being purchased for Christmas gifts this year.
Happy New Year everyone!! 2023 is going to be amazing! Hopefully will have time for some wildlife photography. Already have two major trips planned with hopefully a third one as well. More on those later.
Bald Eagle at Anahuac NWR
Couldn’t resist heading out to take photos this morning with sun finally coming out while I’m on vacation. It was a little chilly in Texas at Anahuac NWR with 18 deg temperature and windchill at 0 deg F. Geared up with some of my winter Yellowstone clothing and got there about 1 hour before sunrise.
Some of the birds around Shoveler’s Pond were hunkered down but the raptors were out in full force as they still have to eat. Saw a juvi bald eagle flying at a distance, took a few photos and followed him towards the woodlot. Rounded a corner and spooked 2 other juvi bald eagles that were sitting on the fence line. Didn’t see them until they took off.
Captured this one as he was looking up while playing with the other eagle. They were too close to get a decent shot of both of them in the frame together.
1/8000 sec @ F5.6, ISO 3200, evaluative metering, 700mm (R3 + 500F4 + 1.4X), handheld out my car window
Gray Ghost
Broke one of my golden rules yesterday at Bolivar Flats on the Texas gulf coast: have your camera ready at all times when driving off the beach. Saw this male northern harrier sitting on a fence post along the road and my camera was in the trunk. There was a good reason for that as I couldn’t get the lens off of my fluid head. Went past the harrier, stopped, took my camera off my 500F4 and put it on my 100-500, and headed back to the gray ghost.
He was very cooperative and let me get several photos before he flew away. Luckily for me, he landed on the other side of the road, which allowed for more photos and some video in better light. He was finally spooked when another car came down the road.
The not so fun part of this encounter was that I was getting eaten alive by mosquitos. Didn’t have bug spray on as there were no mosquitos on the beach, but they were very intense along the grassy area leaving the beach. Had taken my jacket off so plenty of exposed skin for the feeding frenzy that took place in my car. As they say, everything is bigger in Texas, including the mosquitos. One of those times that you just grin and bear it as it’s always worth a little blood letting for a good photo op.
1/1600 sec @ F7.1, ISO 1000, evaluative metering, +1 exposure compensation, 500mm (R3 + 100-500), minor cropping off left side.
2022 Wings Over Houston Airshow
Late October is always one of my favorite times with the Wings Over Houston airshow. I’ve been going since 2005 and just love it. Was lined up to go to the drive-in show with some friends but it got rained out. Had already bought tickets for the weekend so went on Saturday. It ended up being a cloudy day with limited ceiling so the planes couldn’t fly their normal routines. Didn’t feel like going again on Sunday, which was a mistake as it had some sunshine. There is always next year.
I’ll post some of the Blue Angels photos later. All of these shots were taken with my Canon R3 and 100-500 lens, handheld.
F-16 demo team put on a great show. The female pilot rocked it.
F-15 from Louisiana lit up the sky with a short routine
Aero L-39 Albatros
Tim Timmis Photography 