This chick stays close and pays attention as the parent demonstrates foraging techniques:
The Limpkin inhabits freshwater wetlands and marshes and feeds primarily on apple snails. Studies have shown that its long bill often curves slightly to the right – as does the shell of the apple snail. Nature never ceases to amaze me!
A secondary food source is freshwater mussels as pictured below.
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To maximize chances of viewing Denali, our photo tour included three days in the park. On day one the mountain was completed socked in. We enjoyed our 90 mile, east to west drive on the park road, spotting wildlife and checking out the wild flowers, but even the closer and lower Alaska Range was not to be seen. On the morning of day two, the mountain was still not visible from the ground, but on a flight-seeing tour we could see both the North and South summits from above the cloud. Still, we wanted to see the whole mountain and planned a hike for the afternoon, hopes high.
Our hike took us past Wonder Lake toward Blueberry Hill, but only the Alaska Range was in view. Though impressive themselves, most of the peaks of this range are only one third the height of Denali, as we discovered as we continued our hike.
As a friend and I started the McKinley Bar trail, something began to come into view behind the Alaska Range and we realized we were getting our first glimpse of the mountain – and that its size was stunningly much greater than anticipated.
The clouds continued to shift as we continued our walk toward the McKinley River, giving us tantalizing glimpses of different parts of the summits and slopes.
At last almost the entire summit was visible, dwarfing the foreground mountains almost to insignificance, and it became clear why Alaska Natives named the mountain Denali – the Great One.
This park, at over 8 million acres (larger than Belgium) is designated as wilderness area, meaning that it has no roads and no trails. You can fly in (and land on one of the gravel bars along the braided river channels) or you can walk in. As you might imagine, this means that it is also the least-visited of all the national parks.
Lacking the time, equipment, and expertise to do an on-the-ground visit, I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to do a flight-seeing tour. On the day of our flight, weather conditions were mixed – some overcast, some high clouds, showers, and windows of sunlight – creating ideal conditions for some dramatic lighting.
Flying through the "gates of the arctic" -- Frozen Crags on the left and Boreal Mountain on the right -- with the North Fork of the Koyukuk River flowing between them:
High peaks and a glacial lake in the Brooks Range:
Bull moose wading in kettle pond as we approach Wiseman airfield:
For more aerial views of Alaska, click here.
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In evening light on dark water, it is even more striking:
The Spoonbill feeds in shallow water by swinging its bill back and forth in the water, using its “spoon” to sift for insects, frogs, small crustaceans or fish. Below, this Spoonbill has captured a small crab.
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It was constructed in 1974 in order to transport equipment and workers to build the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and is still primarily used for pipeline maintenance and transport to and from the Prudhoe Bay oil fields. It gets very little tourist traffic and was not open to the public until 1981.
Beginning at Deadhorse, our photo tour group spent three days driving south on the highway, with a two-night stopover at Wiseman. After traversing the tundra of the North Slope, we climbed into the Brooks Range and crossed the Continental Divide at Atigun Pass, elevation 4,739 feet. Other stops along the way include the Arctic Circle Wayside Rest Area and the E.L. Patton Yukon River Bridge.
Below are a few photo highlights from this trip.
Descending from the Brooks Range at Atigun Pass into the Diedrich Valley:
Moose cow wading in roadside lake looks toward her calves hidden on shore:
Leaving the mining town of Wiseman (population 14 at 2010 census):
For more views along the Dalton, including caribou, brown bear, fox, and musk ox, click here.
While other herons and egrets prefer to move slowly through shallow water to stalk their prey, the Reddish Egret takes a more energetic approach. Looking sometimes graceful and sometimes ungainly, it rushes actively about, wings upraised to form a canopy to shade the water.
Photographing it while it engages in its frenetic feeding “dance” is challenging but entertaining. Trying to maintain focus on the eye while the bird’s head bobs this way and that is quite the test for a bird photographer. Luckily, over the course of a several days, a few cooperative birds gave me plenty of chances to get it right.
Keeping an eye out for an unsuspecting fish:
Creating a bit of shade, the better to see you!
Success!
You might not expect such an industrial area to offer much in the way of wildlife viewing, but wildlife – from caribou and brown bears to arctic ground squirrel and fox – is definitely to be seen. Though the area is semi-arid tundra, the underlying permafrost layer prevents surface water from penetrating, creating plentiful ponds and lakes -- desirable habitat for waterfowl and a variety of other birds.
My recent photo trip to Alaska started here in mid-June. Spring was late arriving. There was still snow on the ground and ice in the ponds and lakes. Overcast skies kept temperatures in the thirties during our stay. Low light and far-away subjects made for challenging photography, but it was exciting to see familiar species, such as Sandhill cranes and White-fronted geese, and also some new species – King and Spectacled Eider.
A low-lying landscape with scattered ponds among oil field equipment:
And a sampling of the birds found around the ponds:
For a few more photos from around Deadhorse, click here.
]]>For many years the land was used for cattle ranching and has had owners as various as Britain’s Lord Delamere and Adnan Khashoggi, Saudi arms dealer and billionaire. With the declining profitability of cattle ranching and the increasing need for wildlife conservation, the land has passed from private ranches to not-for-profit wildlife conservancy and land trust. Today Ol Pejeta is one of the world’s foremost rhino sanctuaries, with populations of both white and black rhino, and is also host to Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, a home for orphaned and rescued chimps.
The Black Rhino population reached the milestone of 100 animals in 2013. Ol Pejeta is also home to the only four remaining Northern White Rhino and a significant number of the closely related Southern White Rhino.
Below, Southern White Rhino has the distinctive wide, flat "lawnmower" mouth, well suited for grazing.
While the Black Rhino has more curved, prehensile lips suited for browsing on leaves and branches.
Above, female White Rhino with offspring.
In spite of the costly and varied security measures employed at the conservancy, including fencing and patrols by aircraft, drone, dogs, and armed teams of rangers, rhino poaching continues to be a problem. In the eastern part of the conservancy a rhino cemetery commemorates the Ol Pejeta rhinos lost to poaching since 2004.
Ol Pejeta is home to Africa’s well-known “Big Five” (rhino, elephant, buffalo, lion and leopard) and to a host of lesser-known animals and birds. Click here to see more images from Ol Pejeta.
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Though water levels have fluctuated over the years, the alkaline water consistently supported an abundant population of blue-green algae, which in turn attracted huge flocks of flamingoes to breed on the lake. However, water levels rose dramatically and mysteriously in 2013, flooding significant portions of the national park and diluting the salinity of the lake. As a result the flamingoes have mostly moved to another of the Rift Valley lakes, Lake Bogoria. Researchers are still investigating possible causes: increased rainfall in the watershed area, changes to the lake bottom, and the possible emergence of new underground springs feeding the lake. It is uncertain whether the lake will return to “normal” levels. In the meantime, birds, animals, and fish must adjust to a very different environment.
Above, a small group of flamingoes forages along the shoreline. Below, a wading zebra and egrets.
Lake Nakuru National Park is also a sanctuary for both black and white rhino. Though the white rhino is endemic to the area, the black rhino have been relocated there for protection, as have a small population of Rothschild’s giraffe.
Below, white legs distinguish the Rothschild's Giraffe from other species.
Click here for complete Lake Nakuru gallery.
]]>The Defassa Waterbuck is most at home in wetland areas such as the Saparingo Swamp.
A variety of birds make the swamp their home, including the Black-headed Heron and Egyptian Goose.
This Black-headed Heron is very similar to our local Great Blue Heron.
Preening Saddle-billed Stork; preening is an essential activity for birds to keep their feathers conditioned.
The characteristic bald head of vultures (and Marabou storks) historically thought to be a mechanism to keep the head of these birds free from bacteria, also plays a role in thermo-regulation.
Vultures have an interesting variety of collective nouns. A group of vultures feeding on a carcass is called a wake; in flight, a kettle; and roosting in trees or gathered on a termite mound, a committee, venue or volt.
Here, a wake of vultures is joined by a Marabou Stork.
Below, a mixed group of vultures (Lappet-faced, larger, darker, and with red head and neck; Ruppell's Griffon, light-colored beak; and White-backed, dark beak) rest after feeding on a carcass. You might call this a post-wake venue of vultures.
While not unusual to see groups of vultures gathering on the ground near carcasses, it was surprising to see them, along with a Marabou stork, feeding on carcasses in the Mara River.
A White-backed Vulture in flight, coming in to join a wake -- I couldn't zoom fast enough to capture the entire bird with its large wing-span.
The Maasai Mara has one of the highest lion densities in the world. The Masai lion (Panthera leo nubica), found in East Africa, is a subspecies of the African lion. Male lions spend 18 to 20 hours sleeping, while females, who do most of the hunting, get about 15 to 18 hours.
That's why you'll often see scenes like the one above. Hunting is for the most part nocturnal, but lions can be seen, when not sleeping, feeding on the previous night's kill.
Male Masai lions are known to have a variety of mane types. Generally older males have fuller manes but geography also plays a role. Lions in the lowlands of eastern and northern Kenya may have scanty manes or no mane at all.
Cheetah are seen more rarely than lions. Classified by the IUCN as “vulnerable,” they suffer from loss of habitat; they require a large home territory and much of their territory is unprotected, putting them on a collision course with farmers and pastoralists.
Hyenas are serious hunters, not just scavengers as they were once thought to be. Clans are matriarchal and have an extremely complex and fluid social structure. Taxonomically they are closer to cats than to dogs and are classified in the Feliformia, along with cats and mongooses. Michigan State University’s Project Hyena has been conducting research on the Spotted Hyena population in the Mara Triangle since 1988. Here, seen outside the den entrance, this adult female with cub belong to a clan that's a subject of the MSU study.
A young male hyena on a mission!
The overall populations of predators in the Mara are controlled by the numbers of indigenous animals such as the buffalo, topi, eland, and impala, rather than by the huge numbers of animals participating in the migration. However, the abundance of wildebeest and zebra as the herds pass through the Mara make life a lot easier for the local predators.
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Crossings can have as few as a hundred animals or as many as tens of thousands. For the largest crossing that our group witnessed, our guides estimates ranged from thirty-five to fifty thousand. Wildebeest make up the majority of the herds, with zebras and various species of antelope participating as well.
Individuals can be separated from their family groups during the chaos of the crossing; sometimes a few animals will cross back, swimming against the tide. Once most of the animals have crossed, loss of momentum may leave a group of animals behind on the far bank where they will wait until joined by new herds and critical mass is again achieved.
Above, a small group of Topi join the wildebeest and zebra herds. Below, just a few more leaps and they are across!
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The Great Migration, a circular movement of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, zebra, and a mixture of antelope takes place each year as these animals follow the rains and the new grasses that follow. Starting in the southern Serengeti of Tanzania in January to March, the herds graze and give birth; calving season usually beginning around February and lasting six to eight weeks. As the grasses are depleted and the rains end by May, the herds begin their northward journey arriving in the renewed grasslands of the Maasai Mara from roughly July until October.
The most common grass in the Masai Mara is red oat grass (Themeda triandra), a palatable and nutritious food base for the vast herds of herbivores. Grazed down to stubble each year, the grasses are renewed by the long and short rains and fertilized by the copious droppings of the herds. Below, zebra and wildebeest graze under a Balenites tree.
Obstacles to the migration are the Grumeti River in Tanzania and the Mara River in Kenya. Rapids, steep banks, crocodiles and hippos all pose a threat to the herds as they cross these rivers. Also predators, present all along the migration route, can lie in wait in the thickets along the river.
More on the predators and the actual river crossings in future posts…
End of the day.
On our first morning, we photographed from the aptly named Inspiration Point. This overlook provides stunning views of the Silent City -- a part of Bryce with an especially dense concentration of hoodoos and fins with narrow channels between them. To modern eyes they resemble a warren of skyscrapers and narrow streets. To the native Paiutes they are the “Legend People” dressed in their finest, colorful clothing.
In the pre-dawn light the colors began to glow from the diffused light.
Less than ten minutes later, directional light revealed completely different colors and highlighted the shapes of the rock formations.
On the second morning, after a sunrise shoot from Bryce overlook, I walked down into the amphitheater on the Queen’s Garden Trail to get a different view of the hoodoos. Looking up, the sky was an even deeper blue than from the rim, making a dramatic contrast with the orange hues of the rock.
On morning three, a hike along the Navaho Loop Trail provided a variety of views of Thor’s Hammer, one of the most recognizable formations and one that quickly became a favorite.
Three days is nowhere near enough time to fully explore Byrce Canyon, just enough time to whet the appetite for a return visit.
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As one might guess from the name, “brine shrimp” (or Artemia, a genus of aquatic crustaceans) can live in water of high salinity. So it’s no surprise that they are present in large numbers in the Great Salt Lake and serve as a food source for large flocks of migrating shorebirds.
Antelope Island is home to a herd of American bison. On an easy hike along the lakeshore, I encountered several of them and -- rather unexpectedly they were right in front of me on the trail. I yielded to them and made a wide detour to get around them.
I also encountered a group of Chukars and large numbers of small lizards. The Chukars proved to be too elusive for photographs, so I turned instead to the lizards, which have their own photographic challenges. Though numerous, they are quite quick to take cover under rocks and it is very difficult to get a catchlight in their deeply hooded eyes.
Not being by any means an expert on lizard identification, my best guess is that mostly what I saw were Western Fence Lizards (though I didn’t turn them over to see if they had blue on the underside). One of the lizards I photographed was in the process of regrowing its tail -- a condition which, so I've read, puts males at a significant disadvantage in the mating game.
I had stopped by the Oxbow on the previous afternoon and saw that there was still some good fall color -- an added incentive to try for some early morning photographs. I got up about an hour before sunrise, gathered up my photo gear and headed out the door. On emerging from the cabin, I was stunned to find that the whole area was socked in with thick fog. I almost gave up and went back to bed, but decided to give it a try. If not the Oxbow, maybe there would be other early morning opportunities.
At the Oxbow I waited patiently (with a number of other photographers who had not been discouraged by the fog) and slowly the fog began to drift away and reveal partial views of the mountains. As the sun broke through and illuminated the top of Mount Moran and gave a glow to the aspens on the shoreline, I was rewarded for my perseverance -- a beautiful goodbye to the Tetons.
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Backgrounds are as important as the subject when photographing wildlife and I love the soft greens of the grasses and sagebrush in these images.
What's even better is getting some significant distance between subject and background, as with this young ram and the distant and darker hillside.
For more wildlife from this recent trip to Yellowstone, click here.
]]>As mentioned previously, the Gros Ventre campground in Grand Tetons National Park is the best place in the park to see moose at just about any time of year. What’s not so reliable are the viewing and photographing conditions. Sometimes the moose congregate right in the campground among the RVs, tents and restroom facilities – not an ideal setting for wildlife photographs. Even when the animals are in more natural settings – sagebrush, cottonwoods, or willows – dappled light, tangles of branches, and crowds of photographers create challenging photographic conditions.
But whatever the situation, it’s always a great experience to see and photograph moose in late fall color in this park.
Cool mornings pass quickly and give way to warmer temperatures.
Bull moose beds down early to avoid over-heating in unseasonably warm weather for late October.
Finally this Bull moose poses for a portrait in good light!
Surfbird flock on rocky beach
Tufted Puffins on cliff outside their burrows
Nesting colony of Black-legged Kittiwakes
Likewise otters and harbor seals could be spotted in the open sound, in bays, or hauled out on beaches.
Northern Sea Otters are larger than the Southern subspecies that inhabits the coasts of Central California. Once hunted almost to extinction for their pelts, the otters have made a remarkable comeback. However,thousands of Prince William Sound otters were killed by the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989.
The Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina, also called Common Seal) is one of the most widely distributed marine mammals. The Pacific subspecies inhabits the coasts of North America. Both otters and seals are wary of humans but occasionally an individual would allow a closer approach before disappearing under the surface of the water.
The Steller’s Sea Lion (Eumatopias jubatus) is the largest of the sea lions. The species is classified as Near Threatened due to a significant, unexplained decline in their numbers over recent decades. We observed a group of well over a hundred at a haul-out near Bull Head on Glacier Island. Some literally filled the water while others sunned themselves on the rocks.
For more wildlife images and the complete Copper Delta/Prince William Sound gallery, click here.
After a day of rain and overcast skies, a peaceful evening and clearing storm.
Seaweed, lichens, and moss add color to the shoreline near St. Matthew Bay. Spruce and hemlock, often covered by mosses have a precarious hold above the rocky shore.
Approaching Meares Glacier, Unakwik Inlet.
A closer look at Meares Glacier calving.
Snowmelt creates a profusion of waterfalls along the steep walls of Harriman Fjord.
Calm water creates kaleidoscopic reflections of the rocks and lichens.
Prince William Sound is famously the site of the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989 in which more than 10 million gallons of oil was released into the sound. While the area appears to have recovered from the event, scientists are still finding new evidence of this ecological trauma.
Less well known, perhaps, is that the epicenter of the 1964 Alaska Earthquake was also located within the Chugach National Forest adjacent to the sound. As an oceanic plate plunged under a continental plate, some areas were uplifted while others sank. Ghost forests of dead spruce trees sometime line the shoreline, marking the areas that subsided and drowned the trees' root systems.
]]>While accessing and viewing the birds on the Delta itself is difficult, many of the birds also pass through a low point in the Chugash Mountains and congregate at Hartney Bay, just to the west. There it is possible to view and photograph flocks or individual birds as they pass through the area, stopping for a day or two to forage on the mud flats. At low tide the birds are spread out over the extensive intertidal areas, but high tides push the birds into smaller areas and greater concentrations, making for a spectacular viewing experience.
The incredible synchronization of the individual birds in these large shorebird flocks is amazing to watch. A wave passes through the flock as the birds change direction -- showing dark backs or white underparts -- rising or falling, breaking into smaller groups or consolidating into larger flocks – all with the mountains and bay as a beautiful backdrop.
A flock of sandpipers masses and then, changing direction, circles low against the bay.
One lone Dunlin in breeding plumage (upper right with distinctive black patch) stands out in a crowd of Western Sandpipers.
Shorebird flock with Chugash Mountains as backdrop.
The large flocks that congregate at Hartney Bay also produce opportunities for close-ups of birds in their bright breeding plumage.
A clear view of the yellow legs makes it easy to distinguish the Least Sandpiper (above) from the black-legged Western Sandpiper (below).
Distinctive black collar, eye stripe, and bi-colored bill also make the Semipalmated Plover easy to identify.
For more images of the Cordova area and Prince William Sound, click here.
]]>The flat, sandy beach north of the Morro Bay harbor and Morro Rock is an ideal place to observe and photograph shorebirds. The tidal area is rich with marine creatures, notably mole or sand crabs, that attract shorebirds such as sanderlings, curlews, godwits, and willets.
Mole crabs live under the surface of the sand in the intertidal area. As each wave washes in, the crabs move toward the surface to feed, extending their antennae to filter nutrients out of the water. As each wave retreats again, the crabs burrow back down into the sand. Foraging shorebirds actively patrol the beach between waves, probing the sand, and extracting the crabs with their long bills.
When the shorebirds are intent on feeding, one can generally approach them closely enough for good photographs. The best perspective for photographing the birds is to get low, preferably lying down in the sand with camera and long lens on a ground pod, a device that looks like a Frisbee with an attachment for the camera.
Getting up and down from this position quickly enough to avoid the large incoming waves can be a problem. After nearly getting swamped by one particularly big wave, I learned to keep one eye on the waves and the other on the bird. With practice, I became quite accurate at predicting when I’d actually have to grab my gear and retreat.
A Long-billed Curlew successfully extracts a mole crab from the sand.
Shorebirds dig deep to find a meal. How do they find them?
They unearth other invertebrates, like this unknown creature.
They have to be nimble to juggle the crab from bill to mouth.
And sometimes, like me, they are surprised by an unexpected wave.
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For landscapes, the undulating shapes of the hills, scattered oak trees, barns, and interesting cloud formations offer endless possibilities. On this trip I only stopped briefly to snap a few shots, but the area definitely merits a return trip for further landscape exploration.
Encountering a badger hanging out at the entrance to a large burrow was an unexpected treat. Badgers are often nocturnal and nowhere near as plentiful as bobcats. The same ground squirrels that provide food for the bobcats are also popular with badgers. Their front legs and claws are designed for digging so, unlike the bobcat which must wait for the squirrels to emerge, the badger can excavate burrows to find a meal. In fact they are not very popular with the local ranchers because the large holes they dig are a danger to grazing cattle.
The Pinnacles area also provides excellent bird photography. On this trip we photographed quail, Varied thrush, and Wild Turkey.
With good reason, San Benito County and the Pinnacles is now on my favorites list. Click here to see more wildlife from the area.
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On my first attempt to photograph these cats at the end of December, our group counted fifteen bobcat encounters, but none of them yielded excellent photo opportunities. In wildlife photography it’s all about time in the field, a good guide (if one is unfamiliar with the area), and some luck. The best way to maximize opportunities for quality encounters is to be out there, so I decided to return for another two days of bobcat safari with Brent. This time we had fewer sightings but better photographic opportunities and were able to capture images of these beautiful cats engaging in a variety of behaviors.
Bobcat prey differs according to what's plentiful in the habitat; in the narrow valleys of San Benito County, ground squirrel, cottontail, and quail are primary food sources. Limited hunting and trapping plus the abundance of these prey animals contribute to the high numbers of bobcats resident in the area. We were lucky to observe several cats stalking or waiting near burrows for a squirrel to emerge.
Finding a cat in the open and at close range happens infrequently but we were lucky to see this female bobcat peek out warily and then walk along a fallen log.
Bobcats are similar in appearance to and only slightly larger than domestic cats. Hunkered down in grass with only its face visible, a bobcat could easily be mistaken for a domestic cat except for the distinctive dark tufts at the tips of the ears.
All in all, a very satisfying photo adventure to start the new year.
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Over the past five years or so I’ve had the opportunity to photograph several varieties of quail and they’ve become some of my favorite subjects. The variety of colors and patterns and, of course, those irresistible topknots, make them endlessly fascinating and excellent subjects for studying color, pattern, and feather detail.
Although they usually appear primarily gray, in the right light this male California Quail takes on unexpected colors of blue and gold.
The female of the species is less brightly colored but has beautiful patterns in muted colors.
Due to the very limited depth of field of super telephoto lens, it's always difficult to get good focus on multiple subjects, but despite the technical issues, I think the image below highlights the distinct differences between the male and female California Quail.
The plumage pattern of this more southern species of quail is well reflected in its name: Scaled Quail:
The Northern Bobwhite, also a member of the Quail family, lacks the tuft or topknot of other species but has a strikingly patterned head and neck and beautiful rufous coloring on the breast.
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One of the highlights of this short visit was "The Big Tree" located within Goose Island State Park; it is one of the largest live oaks (Quercus virginiana) in Texas. At an age of over one thousand years, it has survived many a hurricane. It is showing its age and is currently supported by cables and props.
Why do I not have a picture of this wonderful tree? Foolishly I did not bring a wide-angle lens with me (I blame that on the fuzzy thinking caused by my cold). I brought only my telephoto lens because we were hoping to find some Whooping or Sandhill cranes. We did see some Sandhills overhead in flight. It was a grey day with dull light but I was nevertheless able to get a few images of familiar Gulf Coast birds.
A Black Vulture foraging on the beach in Rockport. It's always nice to see these birds; a nice change from the Turkey Vulture commonly seen in most parts of the United States.
Double-crested Cormorant drying its plumage.
Adult Brown Pelican (above) and American White Pelican (below).
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Many of my photographer friends say that a beautiful sunset does not necessarily make a good image. Generally I agree, but sometimes I just want to reduce an image to its most basic elements – color, line, texture.
I think I found image #1 of this seascape series when we visited my cousin in Guilford, Connecticut, on our recent road trip. A short evening walk down to the shore with camera and tripod gave me a chance to watch, wait, compose, and click. I’ll be looking for similar opportunities wherever sky and sea come together.
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Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake and, though surrounded by salt water, has enough fresh water springs to support an abundance of wildlife. The island is home to a bison herd, mule deer, antelope, coyotes, and a variety of bird species, notably owls, hawks and falcons.
Farmington Bay separates Antelope Island from the northern suburbs of Salt Lake City and much of the bay is part of the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area. The area provides a variety of wetland habitats – fresh water ponds, marshes, saline mud flats and open salt water – essential to resident and migrating birds.
We spent most of a beautiful afternoon exploring the area, enjoying the views of the Great Salt Lake and spotting many species of resident birds and wildlife. It’s obvious that this area is a great place for bird and wildlife photography (not to mention some stunning landscapes). Now I just have to figure out when I can get back there!
View from the causeway to Antelope Island: Island in the Great Salt Lake
Looking across Farmington Bay toward the Wasatch Range from shoreline of Antelope Island.
Great Blue Heron in flight, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area.
Great Blue Heron captures a small fish, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area.
Western Grebe with a large catch. He actually succeeded in swallowing this fish!
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We arrived just at sunset and the site, with its long shadows and the moon rising behind, was very evocative of the original on which it is modeled. It was a perfect time of day to enjoy this quirky American landmark.
Created as a memorial to his father, Jim Reinders constructed Carhenge in 1987 after studying the original structure’s shape and proportions while living in England. Over the years, additional automobile “sculptures” and a visitor center have been added to the site.
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Nature trails with boardwalks at two places along the Trace, Cole Creek (mile 175.6) and Cypress Swamp (mile 122), allow visitors to get a close-up look at this ecosystem without the need for waders or a boat.
Not many trees can survive in continuously flooded conditions, but the Water Tupelo and the Baldcypress are two species that can. Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) is a deciduous conifer that can grow up to 25 to 40 feet high with a trunk diameter of two to three meters. The wood is very resistant to rot which may contribute to its longevity – one specimen in North Carolina is over 1600 years old.
The Water Tupelo (Nyssa aquatica) is similar in appearance to the Baldcypress – notably the swollen base of the tree – but it is not a conifer. Rather it produces masses of flowers in the spring (which make it a favorite with bees) and bears a fruit that looks rather like an olive. The bark of the tupelo is smooth and gray and mosses grow readily on it. The Baldcypress has an orange-tinted bark, a bit shredded at the base, and not as apt to harbor mosses.
A short walk through these swamps on a partly cloudy day revealed intriguing shapes, shadows, and reflections.
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Following a natural geological ridgeline, the trail was first used by animals traveling from their grazing lands to salt licks located in central Tennessee. Native Americans used the trail for centuries before it came into use by European explorers, settlers, preachers, bandits, and traders.
Some of the most colorful travelers on the trace were the “Kaintucks”, frontiersman from Tennessee and Kentucky that floated flatboats down the river, delivering goods to Natchez, Mississippi, before traveling back on foot to Nashville to begin the journey over again.
Today the Parkway provides a pleasant escape from the interstate highways, of which we gladly took advantage on our recent trip. The winding road through mostly forested land offers many opportunities to visit historic and natural sites. The historic sites mostly tell the sad story of the making and breaking of treaties between the American government and the Natchez, Chickasaw, Choctaw nations who inhabited the area pre-European settlement.
Remnants of the original Trace are accessible from the Parkway, as are the remains of Native American ceremonial sites from the Middle Woodland period.
Even in late fall the forest of mixed hardwoods and pines creates a colorful backdrop to a drive down the Natchez Trace Parkway.
A small portion of the old Trace is carpeted with fallen leaves and bounded by thick forest of hardwoods. The trace crosses four distinct ecosystems and is habitat for almost 1500 species of plants and trees.
Remains of a Native American ceremonial site dating back to the first or second century AD.
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A small pool as water source, live oak and other shrubs as cover, and a few bird feeders attract a wide variety of visitors. Add a few blinds for photography and you have an ideal place to spend a couple of days observing and photographing on beautiful fall days.
This modest little creation of water, food, and cover provides a smorgasbord for both wildlife and photographers. Activity around the pool –- foraging, perching, bathing, drinking -- was almost constant during my visit. Sparrows, towhees, finches, quail, jays, thrashers, chipmunks and cottontails… if you build it they will come.
A Western Scrub Jay enjoys a bath.
Merriam's Chipmunk gets a drink.
Spotted Towhee pauses for a drink and is reflected in the pool.
Desert Cottontail remains wary while drinking.
California Thrasher enjoys a dip in the pool.
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On my recent visit to the Tetons, only small numbers of elk had made this transition from summer to fall range but the behaviors associated with the elk rut – bugling, wallowing, and herding and courting of females, were definitely in progress.
An elk’s antlers are testosterone-fueled, growing rapidly during the summer months and then shed each winter after the breeding season is over. The antlers can weigh up to 40 lbs and grow to over 3 feet in length.
Though carrying an impressive set of antlers, this male had yet to attract any females and seemed completely intent on grazing.
To view the complete gallery of Grand Teton National Park images, click here.
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It is considered the fastest mammal in the Western hemisphere and second worldwide only to the cheetah. Unlike the cheetah, which is strictly a sprinter, the pronghorn can sustain its high speeds for up to four miles. Zoologists suggest that the pronghorn evolved its running ability to escape from now extinct predators such as the American cheetah. Currently there are no North American predators that remotely approach the speed of the Pronghorn.
At the turn of the 20th century, conservationists thought that the extinction of Antilocapra americana was likely. Protection and habitat restoration efforts that begin in the 1920s and '30s have allowed pronghorn populations, except for three southern subspecies, to recover and thrive. Their range extends from Saskatchewan and Alberta in Canada, through the American West, and south to northern Mexico. They can often be seen in the sagebrush flats of Grand Teton National Park.
Here, only the distinctive head and antlers of a male Pronghorn are visible over the sagebrush.
In the two images below, the male Pronghorn is guarding his territory against younger males. In the first image, the distinctive pronged shape of the the horns and the dark patch which marks the scent gland are visible. Males rub this gland against the sagebrush and other vegetation to mark their territory.
A female and a young male run side-by-side through the sagebrush.
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This portrait highlights one of the features that distinguish moose from their relatives in the deer family: the antlers. Size and growth rate are determined by age and diet; older bulls have larger antlers and a mineral-rich diet is required to develop a set of large, symmetrical antlers. In mature bulls antlers can weigh up to 70 lbs and measure over 5 feet from tip to tip.
Most of the moose activity we observed on our visit to the Tetons was of the foraging and resting variety. When the moose are bedded down among the cottonwoods we could only catch a glimpse of head and antlers in the underbrush.
At other times a bull and multiple females could be seen grazing on brittlebush and other forbs. The overcast and rain plus late fall colors made an attractive, moody setting for photographing these impressive animals.
On one early morning we encountered a young bull (as evidenced by the much smaller antlers) making his way through sagebrush and emerging from the steam generated by nearby warm springs.
Whatever the location, I could not help but be impressed by the size and grace of the American moose -- Alces alces americana.
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Several areas in Grand Teton National Park are generously supplied with Hawthorn bushes, the berries of which are a vital food for Teton bears. Though the bears were not as plentiful in these berry-rich areas as they have been in previous years, late one afternoon we found a female Black bear in an unexpected place – thirty feet up in a cottonwood tree. We later discovered that she was a mother with three cubs (safely stowed in a thicket at the base of the tree) and surmised that she was taking a well-deserved break from mothering duties.
Eventually she climbed down and rejoined her cubs. Since she seemed wary of our presence, we moved on so as not to disturb her important food-gathering and cub-tending activities.
On several occasions, we also observed a larger (possibly male) bear foraging for berries on a hillside thick with Hawthorn bushes. For the most part the bear was engrossed in gathering and consuming berries and was almost completely hidden in brush. Once in a while, though, it paused and glanced our way through a clearing in the Hawthorn thicket.
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Successful lizard photography takes patience and a good spotter. I had a good spotter, Marlene Planck, and a certain amount of patience, given that it was about 90˚ in the direct sun. We drove down back roads near Bishop, California, where Marlene had seen lizards on previous trips and she scanned the rocky hillsides for lizards. Once found, I had to stalk the lizards by maneuvering myself and my unwieldy camera gear slowly closer to them, taking photographs every few steps until I discovered what my subject’s circle of tolerance was. When the lizard scampered off into a crevice in the rocks, I knew I was too close.
At this point, I would back off a few feet and wait for the lizard to emerge again and then repeat the process.
In the few days I had to learn the technique I was able to photograph three species of lizards: Yellow-backed spiny lizard, Collared lizard, and a species of Zebra-tailed lizard. The Zebra-tailed lizards were the smallest and the most skittish, and therefore I was least successful with them.
Anyway, here are some of the results of my stalking. I look forward to more opportunities to study and photograph these elusive creatures.
Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus uniformis)
Collared lizard (Crotophytus collaris
Zebra-tailed Lizard (Callisaurus draconoides) molting its old skin
More images from the Eastern Sierra are here, including more lizards.
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The Bristlecone pine finds a foothold in alkaline (limestone, sandstone or quartzite) soils that are inhospitable to most other trees. Cold temperatures, dry soils, high winds and a short growing season all contribute to the extremely challenging environment uniquely inhabited by these trees. The wood is dense, resinous, and durable. Resistant to insects, fungi, and other pests, the trees erode, rather than rot, creating the unusual sculptural shapes that attract so many photographers and other visitors.
An unexpected surprise during my recent visit to the Bristlecone pines was the discovery that in spite of the current drought and generally inhospitable environment, the rocky soil surrounding the pines was carpeted with tiny, multicolored alpine flowers. Most were no more than an inch or two in height but the profusion and variety of blooms was amazing.
A healthy Bristlecone in the grove at over 11,000 feet
A carpet of colorful alpine flowers among the Bristlecones
Bristlecone pine and view of the Owens Valley, California
For more images of the Bristlecones, the White Mountains and the Eastern Sierra, click here.
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To see the Reddish Egret, however, one must travel to the Gulf Coast, where it inhabits the coastal lagoons and saltwater marshes. Almost extirpated by plume hunters by the early 1900s, it has made a comeback though it is still the rarest of the members of the heron and egret family (Ardeidae).
The Reddish Egret has distinctive and attractive plumage -- the body is slate gray and the long neck and breast are cinnamon to chestnut-colored with long showy plumes. Like similar species, it feeds on small fish, crustaceans, frogs, and insects, but what is remarkable is its extremely active feeding behavior – running, hopping, and stirring up the water while foraging. It often spreads its wings to create a canopy as it dashes about – reducing the glare on the water the better to spot its prey.
On one occasion I was able to capture some of this behavior.
For more Gulf Coast birds, click here.
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Given its name, you might not expect to see it on a visit to South Texas for a few days of bird photography, but there it was – a favorite and familiar bird among all those South Texas specialties, like Crested Caracara, Scissor-tailed flycatcher and Green Jay.
I was happy to get multiple opportunities to photograph the Northern Cardinal -- males in their flashy red feathers, females more subdued but equally recognizable, and even recently fledged juveniles – engaged in a variety of interesting behaviors.
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This mostly gravel road travels over 400 miles from where it branches off from the Elliot Highway (near Livengood) to Deadhorse and the Prudoe Bay oil fields. Sometimes called the North Slope Haul Road, it was constructed from about 1974 to 1977 as a supply road to support the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.
The Dalton is one of the most remote roads in the United States and, as you might imagine, even in early fall we encountered just about every kind of weather. We enjoyed the fall colors in bright sunshine on the southern portions. Mist and rain appeared as we traveled farther north and culminated in driving snow as we crossed over Atigun Pass -- at 4749 feet, it is the highest point on the road.
In addition to the amazing fall colors of the tundra and boreal forest and the magnificent Brooks Range, there were many wildlife sightings along our way: caribou, moose, musk oxen, and even a distant wolf. If a drive along the Dalton Highway is not on your bucket list, it should be! I hope to make this trip at least once more – maybe summer of 2016?
All the colors of the spectrum are represented in this scene along the Dalton.
A misty view of Mount Sukakpak
A few miles south of Deadhorse, we hiked across the tundra to get a better look at these musk oxen.
For a few more images taken from the Dalton, click here.
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Male hummingbirds have iridescent gorgets – patches of feathers on the throat and upper breast that are brightly colored when they catch the light. On the Allen’s Hummingbird the gorget can appear bright yellow-orange to coppery to an olive green, depending on how the light is refracting off the specially adapted feathers.
Male hummingbirds perform elaborate swooping or diving displays to attract females – fascinating to watch but impossible to photograph because they are so fast. The males also like to guard their territories by staking out a high perch where they can watch for male intruders. They will usually return to their favorite perches after feeding forays or chasing away the other males, so finding those perches is one of the keys to photographing hummers.
For information on Bruce Finocchio's workshops or to access his blog, click here.
Allen's Hummingbird on precarious perch: their long tongues make them efficient nectar gatherers.
As this bird comes in for a landing, its gorget colors range from gold to drab green.
Click here for more hummingbird images from USCS Arboretum.
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Since their black plumage often blends in with the dark rock on which they forage, I usually hear the birds before I see them. Their call is a distinctive keee and, once heard, I can usually spot the bright orange bills or pink legs among the black rocks. There are several places along the local coastline where they can be found regularly but they are most photographable at Pillar Point just north of Half Moon Bay. I spent an hour there yesterday watching them feed on mollusks among the rocks and in the surf.
Their genus name, Haematopus, is Greek for blood eye. The species name, bachmani, was given by John J. Audubon for his friend John Bachman. The eye – with a bright orange orbital ring and a yellow iris -- is one of their most distinctive features. Another not as noticeable feature (I only discovered this while editing some of my photos) is that they have black “toenails” on their pink legs. I now think of them as “goth birds.”
Black Oystercatcher with mollusk on barnacle covered rocks
Preening removes parasites and maintains aerodynamic condition of feathers
Black Oystercatcher foraging in surf
Click for more birds of Pillar Point.
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These owl portraits give a good view of the distinctive facial discs. These feathered concave areas surrounding the eyes collect sound waves and direct them toward the owl’s ears, making it possible for the birds to locate prey by sound. The feathers can be adjusted to focus on sounds at different distances, which, along with the ability to turn their heads 180°, contribute to their effectiveness as night hunters.
Western Screech Owl (Otus kennicottii)
Barn Owl (Tyto alba)
Great-horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
Click here for more images from the Sulphur Creek Nature Center
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The refuge complex is made of up six units consisting of almost 47,000 acres in the Klamath Basin of southern Oregon and northern California. Located on the Pacific Flyway, it is a migratory stopover for up to a million waterfowl and other birds.
We visited only two of the six complex refuges: Tule Lake NWR and Lower Klamath NWR. The weather was challenging – because of rain and heavy overcast we had only a few hours of good light on each day – but when the sun did break through the clouds the blue sky and golden fields were stunning. It was an experience that definitely whets the appetite for return visits to the area to explore it more fully. Thank you to our workshop leader, Jim Stamates, and our local guides, Gerry Hall and Barbara Scoles, for a great introduction to a wonderful location.
More images from the Klamath Basin refuges.
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Another reason for taking the camera was that recently a Peregrine falcon has been frequenting the north end of the state park beach and I hadn’t yet had a chance to photograph it. As I reached the area where the peregrine has been seen, I caught sight of it on one of its usual perches, a large log not far from the lagoon. As I approached I saw that it had just had a successful hunt and was busy plucking the feathers from its meal. When I got close enough to see the peregrine’s prey more clearly, I was relieved to see it wasn’t one of the plover flock! It was a much larger bird than the tiny plovers; at first I thought it might be a gull but on examining the pictures on my return, I could see that it did not have a gull’s feet – a dove perhaps.
I watched and photographed for a half hour or more. To my amazement, the peregrine consumed everything! Once it had finished and flown off, I examined the log and, aside from a few feathers blowing in the wind, there was not a scrap left behind.
Though it’s not a good idea to take sides in nature, I was happy to see that the beautiful peregrine had gotten a good meal – something more substantial than a plover
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All that was forgotten in the final week of this very memorable America's cup. I started out by watching the races on TV and quickly became hooked by a most unlikely comeback. With the US team down 8 races to 1, it looked like New Zealand would take the cup in a rout. But Jimmy Spithill and team kept their cool. They didn't whine about the penalty. They didn't make excuses. Larry Ellison kept a low profile and Team USA figured out how to sail their boat.
When the contest came down to a winner-take-all 19th race, I decided I had to get down to the Bay to watch the outcome. I got there early, before the Pier 27 gates opened at 10:00 AM and staked out a spot near the finish line. It was a great day to hang out by the Bay. The race started on time at 1:15 -- no delays because of not enough or too much wind. I got a chance to see those amazing boats (as tall as a 13-story building) fly across the Bay at speeds over 50 mph. Less than a half hour later, Oracle Team USA crossed the finish line 44 seconds ahead of the New Zealand boat in a truly amazing come-from-behind victory.
See more photos from the race here.
]]>Kaktovik is a Native Alaskan Inupiat village with a population of about 250 people. It is located on Barter Island, which is in the Beaufort Sea just off the northeastern corner of Alaska. Like the well-known community of Churchill, it is a place where Polar bears gather in the fall to wait for formation of sea ice.
The primary food source for polar bears are the ringed and bearded seals that inhabit Arctic areas. The bears are considered marine mammals and can swim long distances. However, they rarely catch their prey in the water but instead stalk the seals on the ice or seize them when they appear at their breathing holes. The presence of sea ice is essential — it is the platform from which they hunt.
Since the break up of the sea ice in early summer, the bears at Kaktovik have essentially been fasting and, though they can live on fat reserves for months at a time, the availability of other game or carcasses to scavenge can increase the chances of survival during this lean period.
Whale hunting for subsistence is a right granted to Alaska natives and the people of Kaktovik are allocated three whales per year. They do their hunting during the fall when Bowhead whales migrate along their coast. The harvesting of a whale is cause for celebration in the village and once the whale has been brought ashore, butchered, and the meat and blubber divided up among the villagers, the whale carcass is taken to a spit at the end of the island — the “bone pile”. This gives the bears another reason to gather near Kaktovik in fall. While the bears spend much of their time on narrow gravel bars off Barter Island, they visit the bone pile frequently in search of fresh whale remains.
The villagers have learned to adapt to life with polar bears. In whaling season a bear patrol vehicle keeps the bears out of the village. (Polar bears are intelligent and have learned to respond to the sound of certain vehicles; a blast of the horn generally sends them on their way.) All doors are kept unlocked in the village and inhabitants can take refuge in any house if a bear wanders into town. In addition, in a program jointly sponsored by the village and US Fish and Wildlife, schoolchildren meet with tourists when they arrive in town and instruct them on how stay safe when polar bear watching.
My thanks to the people of Kaktovik for their commitment to co-existence with polar bears and for their efforts to teach us about these amazing animals.
See more of the Polar Bears of Kaktovik in this gallery.
One of the highlights of my recent trip to Alaska was the chance to view the aurora borealis, or northern lights. I had seen them only once before and many years ago when a very unusual level of solar activity created a display that was seen as far south as Connecticut.
The aurora are normally visible only in far north or south latitudes — 10 to 20° from the magnetic pole. The lights are caused by charged particles colliding with atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere. A solar wind is a stream of these charged particles which originate in the upper atmosphere of the sun and are attracted to the Earth’s magnetic field.
The aurora can appear as a slight glow in the sky, a curtain of light, or bright swirls of light, generally a fluorescent green. They may remain static for long periods or change shape rapidly, creating swirls of light.
Solar activity seems to peak around the times of the equinoxes, making my early-September trip an ideal time to view the lights. I was in the right place (the auroral zone passes through northern Alaska) at the right time (within two weeks of the autumn equinox). Now all that was needed was a good aurora forecast to coincide with a clear sky.
The conditions were ideal on September 6 when our photo group was staying in Kaktovik, a small Inupiat village located around 70°N. We got some spectacular displays and there were frequent clicking sounds coming from the cameras of eight happy photographers.
On the last night of the trip, farther south in Fairbanks (64.8°N), we got a partly clear night with a good aurora forecast and I was able to get a few additional pictures despite the lights of Fairbanks.
For more images of the aurora, see my Northern Lights gallery.
]]>The Laki or Lakagigar fissure eruption, a volcanic eruption that occurred on the south coast of Iceland in 1783, had world-wide consequences.
Locally known as the Skaftar Fires, this eruption started on June 8, 1783, and continued through February of the following year. The lava flow covered 565 square kilometers. Two churches and over thirty farms were destroyed in the initial eruptions. The long-term effects were even more devastating. Tons of toxic gases, principally hydrofluoric acid and sulfur dioxide, killed off half of Iceland’s livestock and the resulting famine killed almost one quarter of the population, leading this period to become known as the “Mist Hardships”.
The impact was equally dramatic on parts of Europe and around the world. In Britain, an estimated 23,000 people, notably agricultural workers, died from inhaling the poisonous gases that drifted southeast over the British Isles to Europe. The thick fog of gases and ash caused disruptions of transportation and crop failures. The eruption is thought to be a factor contributing to the unusually cold winter of 1874 in North America and a weakened monsoon season in Africa and India. An unusually low flow in the Nile caused a famine which killed a sixth of the Egyptian population.
Today the Eldhraun lava fields are covered with a thick layer of mosses that create an unusual and much-photographed landscape. Because water flows quickly through the porous lava rock, most plants have a difficult time obtaining a foothold in these lava flows. Pioneer species, such as Woolly fringe moss which can absorb water directly though the leaves, probably began to appear around 100 years after the eruption. Today they form a spongy carpet many inches thick. A dull gray when dry, the mosses turn vivid shades of yellow-green after precipitation.
The Eyjafjallajokul eruption of 2010 which caused widespread airline delays and cancellations is a reminder of Iceland’s volatile geology and the impact it can have on our world. In California we sometimes worry about what the next major earthquake will bring. Maybe the next “big one” will be an Icelandic eruption and not a local earthquake at all.
To be a successful wildlife photographer, you have to be ready for action at any time and sometimes I’m just not!
On our recent trip to Zambia, we were in a small boat cruising along the Lufupa River in Kafue National Park. The water was calm. There were a few birds along the shore, but too far away for photographing. To my right, in the sunlight, were some picturesque trees at the river’s edge. I decided to try some landscapes. I changed my f-stop to f11 and started to frame a few shots.
Suddenly the boatman/guide noticed some movement along the left bank. To the left, on the shady side of the river, we spotted a group of wild dogs in pursuit of a puku. Without thinking, I turned, raised the camera, focused on one of the dogs and started to track him, clicking away.
The action was over very quickly. The puku jumped into the river and swam to the other bank and the dogs were soon out of sight. Only then did I realize that because I had stopped down for the landscapes, my shutter speed was much too slow to capture sharp images of the dogs in action. What I got was, well, totally blown.
Of course that turned out to be our only opportunity to photograph these dogs in the wild since they are endangered and rarely seen. I couldn’t bear to delete all the shots so I kept a few to remind myself (again) to think before pushing the shutter. I guess you could say that the images at least capture something about the dogs – their beautiful distinctive coloring and their speed when hunting.
At least this story had a happy ending for the puku.
On August 3, as part of my recent tour of southern Africa with Overseas Adventure Travel, our group made a visit to Jabulani village, just outside of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
We were welcomed warmly by the headmistress and founder of the school. Several students came to school on the Saturday of our visit to perform songs and dance for us. Their poise in front of so many strangers was truly impressive. After introductions and the student’s performances, we were asked if we wanted to sing something for the students. We managed to get through one verse of “This Land is Your Land” but I’m afraid our performance didn’t match theirs in quality. There was a bit of eye-rolling on the part of the students as they listened.
Grand Circle Foundation, the non-profit entity of Grand Circle Tours and Overseas Adventure Travel, has recently added the primary and secondary schools at Jabulani to their list of sponsored schools. The list of the school’s needs is great – from basic school supplies to housing for the teachers – and I hope they will be met in the next few years by donations to the school through Grand Circle foundation. Meanwhile, the children are obviously proud of their school and were eager to talk with us, share their educational aspirations, and answer our questions as they took us on a tour.
The school tour was followed by a visit to the village. We were welcomed into one of the traditional houses, listened to a short talk by the village headman, and then invited to visit with the villagers and take photos. Normally I’m not much of a ‘people-photographer” but I was inspired by the warm welcome by the villagers and students to try to capture some portraits from Jabulani.
]]>The young chicks spend the first weeks of their lives riding on the backs of the parents. Often they are completely hidden in the parent's feathers, but sometimes they take a peek out to receive a fish from the parent and get a look at their world. After a few weeks they begin to swim on their own but still rely on the adults for food.
The nests, built and maintained by both members of the pair, are constructed of lake weeds. Built in about three to four feet of water, they appear to be free-floating on the surface of the lake but are actually anchored in place by more lake weeds. The eggs are incubated for 24 days.
Unfortunately there is a high rate of failed nests on Clear Lake. The cause is not known but may be due to heavy lake traffic or predation by otters, gulls, or other birds.
For more pictures of the grebes, see my gallery "Western and Clark's Grebes, Clear Lake, California".