Sunny and Warm

(December 12th) Well after the snow moved through, New Orleans recovered to its normal warm self. For third day in a row, I ate some form of oysters. We walked around the city for a bit looking at some of the great architecture and parks.

Snow!

(December 11th) Unbelievable... we come to New Orleans and for the first time in a decade there is snow - and it snowed quite hard too, even sticking to the ground for a little while. Here you can see the snow outside our hotel in the morning.

The Big Easy

(December 10th) I've arrived in New Orleans for a short work trip. It's almost Christmas time, so everything is all decorated up as you can see with the main hallway in our hotel. I'm off to eat oysters!

It Doesn't Feel Like December

(December 1st) For my last day of break, I returned to Savannah NWR. The previous time there was some frost before sunup, but today was warmer. It sure doesn't feel like Michigan weather down here. It was a nice sunrise over the ponds.

The morning had lots of interesting birds - Glossy Ibises, Double-crested Cormorants, and Snow Egrets aplenty. I spent quite a bit of time on some ducks - there were loads of Blue-winged Teals and Northern Shovellers. I ran into my best subject of the day after I finished up with the ducks and started to make my way out of the refuge. The wind kicked up a notch and a Little Blue Heron started to preen right in front of me. I just love the texture on its feathers.

Salt Marsh

(November 29th) I love salt marshes. They often have a sulfurous smell to them that dissuades some people, but when I smell that odor I feel energized. Salt marshes are teeming with life - they are the most productive habitat on the planet, on par with tropical rainforests. Most of the life you don't see - crabs in the mud, young fish and shrimp that spend the first part of their lives in the marsh waters, squid swimming through the deeper channels. The overflow that you do see is amazing though. Today I spent a couple of hours in the afternoon at a nearby salt marsh. Like clockwork, the clouds appeared righ as I got there. I stopped to take a picture of the Spanish Moss draping this Live Oak on the trail in.

When I got to the marsh, I tried to capture the enormity and vivacity of it, but I am not satisfied with the results. The dull light didn't help, but I feel like it still could have been much better. Here is the best of the bad.

I tried some driftwood shots and some wave shots, again with little success. On the walk out I saw this Horseshoe Crab someone have left just for me to capture in black-and-white. I don't have much B&W experience - well next to zero to be exact - but it's definitely something I want to work at.

Pinkney!

(November 28th) After filling up on the Thanksgiving dishes that I'm so fond of, I woke up early to head to Pinkney NWR. I know the refuge fairly well, having been to it a dozen or so times. It's fairly large and all access is by foot, so it was good to head in early. The refuge occupies the bulk of an island with salt marsh and oyster flats around the perimeter and oak woods and freshwater ponds in the interior. Most of the action was around the freshwater ponds today. The sun hadn't been up more than half an hour when clouds rushed in. It was densely overcast the rest of the time. As I found out, the overcast conditions made for perfect shooting the Common Moorhens I watched for some time. Here is one of the adults.

This Eastern Phoebe didn't seem to mind the overcast morning. It also was pretty nonchalant about my presence.

After an enormous alligator and a mockingbird, I ran into a flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers. The kept darting around the trees a couple of yards away from me. They'd alight for a few seconds, take a look at me, and then hop off to another branch. I was able to snag loads of images, like this one of a juvenile.

Happy Thanksgiving!

(November 27th) Thanksgiving means a lot of things. First and foremost it means being thankful for all that has been given to me. Secondly, it means spending time with my family. Lastly, it means food - and lots of it. Here's my dad happily carving the Thanksgiving turkey. Little does he know, while it seems easy now it's going to get a lot harder after the first few cuts and the pack of ravenous wolves won't be able to resist giving pointers on how it can best be done :)

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

(November 26th) I got up early today with that thrill of going to an unexplored new place - Savannah NWR in this case. It's under an hour from my parents' place, but since Pinkney NWR is 15 minutes, I tend to go there. Savannah NWR was locked when I got there (turned out the gate was having problems), but I parked outside and walked in. The day was a sparrow bonanza. The most abundant sparrows were these Savannah Sparrows, and they were everywhere near the entrance.

This Song Sparrow was another of the sparrows I was able to photograph. I literally had hundreds of photographs of "small brown birds" to sort through and identify when I got back :)

The refuge has some extensive freshwater ponds which historically were used to farm rice. Now they attract a variety of waders, ducks, and other waterfowl. This Little Blue Heron was one of the more abundant waders. Unfortunately, I could only spend the morning at Savannah NWR, but I'm sure I'll be back.

A Jaunt Down South

(November 25th) For the Thanksgiving holiday, I went down to South Carolina to visit my family. I was down for a few days, so I got a few chances to take some shots. The first afternoon I got there, I walked around near my parents' house and was intrigued by the geometry of this palmetto.

My dad and I took their dog for a walk. Well, he took the dog for a walk and I took a few more shots. Here's a view of the sound near their house catching some shade (for those who didn't grow up near the ocean, a sound is the part of the ocean that goes between an island and the mainland).

Back to Familiar Haunts

(November 1st) After the trip to south Texas, the Ann Arbor locations may not be as exotic or have quite as much wildlife, but just being out in nature is rewarding. Today I walked the trails of Dolph Park with different eyes. I was eager to see if I could notice some improvements in my photography after the trip. I got some nice pictures of this Red-bellied Woodpecker and experienced a bit of deja vu. This female looks quite similar to the Golden-fronted Woodpeckers that were all over the Rio Grande Valley.

Just Can't Rush a Photo

(October 22nd) For my last morning, I returned to the Sabal Palm Audubon Sanctuary. Although this wasn't the best spot for wildlife at the time, it was the only one close enough that I could make a 9am flight after. As usually is the case with wildlife photography, trying to squeeze in a quick shoot under conditions that aren't the greatest isn't the best formula for success. The only shot of the morning that passable was of this Eastern Phoebe - and it's nothing to write home about.

While Sabal Palm was dry when I went there and I didn't have the best photographic luck, I still saw some great things there and when there's water, I'd imagine that it is an exciting location. As an ecosystem, the palm forest is very different than the rest of the ecosystems I visited. Unfortunately, it's close to the Mexican border and the threat of a border wall threatens its very existence. You can find out more about this saddening possibility at: click on the Save Sabal Palm link

South Texas was an exciting adventure for me. It was my first time taking a trip alone just for the sake of photography. The birds and butterflies were truly outstanding. The refuges and state parks were well maintained and food and lodging was economical. I cannot recommend the area enough - the only downside were the nasty run-ins with chiggers that I had.

My Kingdom for a Macro!

(October 21st) How'd it go by so fast? Today was the last full day of shooting I had before I had to leave to head back to Michigan. I decided to head back to Bentsen Rio-Grande State Park for the morning. The Javelinas were out again, but no sign of the lame one I saw previously. Some of the birds were cooperative. I was fortunate enough to see a Clay-colored Robin (a mostly Mexican species), but it remained behind the brush. This Great Kiskadee gave me a comical pose, as if to wonder just exactly what the fool with the big camera was doing.

I couldn't not show a picture of a Plain Chacalaca. These turkey-sized birds were very abundant in south Texas. Most of time they remain behind branches up in the trees, often in small flocks. If they are around, they sure you let you know with their raucous calls rarely ceasing. Bentsen-Rio Grande is one of the best places for them too. Here's a shot of one of the adults - but it's definitely a bird I need to come back to capture better.

Most of my trip, I shot during the morning and afternoon and saved the mid-day for travel and eating. The butterflies were so amazing though that I wanted to spend some time just shooting them. Before I came out, I had tried to get a macro lens, but had some issues with it so I left without one. This was a huge mistake. Trying to butterfly shots with the lenses I had was quite challenging. I headed over to the nearby NABA International Butterfly Park to do the best I could. One of the abundant butterflies was the Giant Swallowtail. This butterfly really does live up to its name and was quite breath-taking to watch.

Fritillaries are some of my favorite butterflies, with their vibrant colors and strong flight patterns. I'm a sucker for the color from this Gulf Fritillary feeding.

Another large and impressive butterfly was the Malachite. At the time I went, these butterflies were very common. The inner wing pattern is quite striking with a strong fluorescent green and black pattern.

Lastly is another favorite of mine. I find the elongated wing shape of Zebra Longwings to be very delicate. Here is a more abstract shot.

There were many other amazing butterfly species that I failed to capture well. I have never been to a place with as many or diverse butterflies as south Texas. Sometimes walking down the trails there would be hundreds of butterflies flying around you. If you can get a chance, I cannot recommend enough seeing them some fall. For my late afternoon shoot, I visited the Sabal Palm Audubon Sanctuary. Unfortunately the water had mostly dried up when I visited and with a couple of hours, I walked away with only a few lackluster photos.

Capture Time

(October 20th) Having a good idea of what locations were best in south Texas, it was time to go out and make some images. The morning stop was Santa Ana NWR. It started out great with a Harris's Hawk that watched over the marsh and me in the early light.

The morning continued with some more great birds - a mockingbird in wonderful light, a chattering house wren, several duck species, and some dynamo least grebes (a bird I'm definitely going to have to come back for since none of my shots did it justice). I also saw the endangered Mexican Spiny Lizard. While not as unusual, this Rosebelly Lizard looked a bit dejected having lost its tail - perhaps to avoid some predator.

In the afternoon I headed back to Laguna Atascosa NWR for what would wind up being some of my best photography of the trip. As I entered the park I got a great view of a pair of Crested Caracaras, one of which you see here. These birds have such a regal presence.

I have some of my fondest childhood bird memories of Northern Mockingbirds. While they are fairly common in much of the country, they have some amazing behaviors and songs. I had a wonderful time admiring this common, but intriguing bird which posed for me in some great light.

The refuge had a large number of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, many of which were raising their young. Here is a shot of one of the adults in the wetlands.

I saw some more incredible animals - a loggerhead shrike, the endangered Texas Tortoise, a lame Black-necked Stilt, and some graceful Roseate Spoonbills. To top it all off, there was another great Texas sunset as I left the refuge.

Last Day of Scouting

(October 19th) When I go to a new place like south Texas, I really don't know what the best spots in the area are. Sure, I've done some research and know where birders like to go, or have a list of state parks and national wildlife refuges in the area, but these locations aren't always the best photography spots. So I try and use the first portion of my trip to scout out locations - after all, if I run out of time, I can always come back :)

Today was my last scouting day in south Texas. I spent the morning in the birder hotspot Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park. State parks are a mixed bunch for wildlife - sometimes they are teeming, but sometimes they just have trees and lots of recreational users. After dropping off my entry fee in the dark, I headed into the park, not quite sure what it would hold. Like most places in south Texas, it was great. At the beginning of the morning it was teeming with birds - woodpeckers, chachalacas, jays, orioles, flycatchers, and of course the Great-tailed Grackles that are everywhere. I had an interesting run-in with a Javelina too (kind of looks like a big bristly pig). This Golden-fronted Woodpecker popped right into one of those magical beams of light shining through the trees.

The insects were abundant here too - butterflies, walking sticks, and grasshoppers everywhere. As I walked through some of the other areas of the park, I came across a hover-fly. You usually see these flies around flowers, but this individual was flying over the trail. There is a classic training scene in martial arts movies where the student practices their skills by catching flies with chopsticks. To photography a hovering hover fly (especially with a 200-400 lens) was a photographic equivalent for me. This was the best shot I was able to get from my effort - not bad, but I want to definitely want to try again. Maybe next time I'll be able to get a hummingbird.

I spent the afternoon at the Chihuahua Woods Preserve. This was the most arid place I had visited. Cacti were the name of the game here - in many forms and sizes. But unlike the movies, here the cacti were mixed in with lush trees and grasses. Here's an example of one of the cacti bearing fruit.

This was also a great spot for lizards. I saw several species, including my first wild horned toad. Unfortunately it stayed in the shadows for the brief while that I saw it. As I have to come to expect from south Texas, there were quite a few insects and spiders here. There's something about the eyes of a jumping spider that scream out other-worldly.

Lastly, the preserve did have some nice birds too. I had some nice looks at a Long-billed Thrasher, some Inca Doves, and a host of flycatchers. This Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is one of the smallest birds around, but with its inquisitive nature how could I not fire off some shots?

It Doesn't Get Any Better

(October 18th) Nothing can get me up in the morning like the prospect of great wildlife. After what I saw yesterday, I was up at 4am to drive out before sunrise to a location renowned among birders - Santa Ana NWR. My jaw dropped when I arrived. The first thing I noticed getting out of the car were the sounds - there were birds everywhere and many kinds, all unfamiliar to my ears. When I entered the refuge, I was dumbfounded. It was practically a jungle - with dense tree cover, butterflies and bird everywhere, and under the canopy it was incredibly moist and cool. The first of the trail led through eerie trees draped with Spanish Moss. Many butterflies clung to these trees and "moss", awaiting the warmth of morning before they would begin to stir. This tattered Zebra Longwing was one of the sleepers.

I was expecting birds and reptiles in south Texas, and while I saw tons of birds and a fair number of lizards, it really was insects who dominated the show. Everywhere I went, I walked through flocks of butterflies. Each step I took in grass-covered terrain I heard dozens of clicks as large grasshoppers bounded out of my way. This Banded Peacock was a good example of some of the myriads of butterflies.

In the refuge there is an old cemetary. The wildlife has made these the tranquil setting of these tombstones home - as with this Rosebelly Lizard.

I saw over twenty species of butterflies within the refuge. It'd be hard to pick favorites, but the Mexican Bluewings and Julia Heliconians were definitely near the top. I was greatly regretting not having any macro gear with me. But if I can't get a decent photo of these two beauties, it'll give me an excuse to come back to South Texas later. The birds were amazing too - I saw over ten species that I had never seen before during the morning in the refuge.

After the refuge, I took a long drive to South Padre Island. Most of the beaches were packed with beach lovers, but I made a brief stop the South Padre Island World Birding Center where I saw some absolutely gorgeous Scissor-tailed Flycatchers (another animal I may have to return for). There were also some cooperative White-winged Doves and numerous waders. The sunset across the water was a breathtaking end to an exciting day.

South Texas!

(October 17th) I'm out here all my own, entirely to see some amazing wildlife and try and get a few good pictures of it. The Rio Grande Valley in south Texas is famous among birders as being one of the best birding spots in the country. It has some Mexican species that are on the northern limit of the range as well being a wintering ground for many northern species. After getting off the plane in the afternoon, I headed out to check out Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.

South Texas was not what I was expecting. For some reason, I was thinking it would be arid desert much like what I saw in Big Bend National Park. Some parts of it are scrubby, but the habitat is diverse - dense woods, gulf wetlands, grasslands, and even some palm-dominated landscapes. The wildlife was everywhere - even if it wasn't exactly what I was expecting :) Just outside the visitor's center, this Mexican Ground Squirrel was gorging himself admist several Green Jays.

As I explored the refuge, I ran into incredible spiders, walking sticks, numerous species of butterflies, whistling ducks, grebes, sparrows, herons, egrets, and many other bird species. Around the mudflats, I ran into this long-billed curlew.

The amount of wildlife I saw in such a short time was amazing. If every day goes like this evening, the trip should be a great success!

Fall Color

(October 11th) Today was a gorgeous day. Fall is definitely here full force - and you have to act fast because it doesn't last long in Michigan. Wildlife wasn't very cooperative today, but fortunately trees can't hide or run away. Staghorn sumac is one of my favorite plants in the fall with the lush color of the leaves and their distinctive fruits. Since color was definitely the subject here, I tried some zooming shots for effect. The results weren't quite what I was looking for, but I think the technique has merit - it'll be something to work on in the future. Here's a shot of some of the color that I did see.

Dreary Day

(October 4th) The start of the fall had been pretty busy for me, so it was a while before I could get back out and shoot. When I finally get back out, it was a cloudy day at Dolph Park. The light couldn't have been much worse, so I took it as a sign to practice creating some light of my own. I definitely need some more work at it, this shot of some shapely shelf fungi was my best of the day.

A Second Morning

(September 2nd) After such a wonderful day yesterday, I had to go back. Walking in on the path, this Eastern Cottontail stopped briefly to see what I was doing.

Then it was time to sit in the mud and watch the shorebirds. There were many Semipalmated Sandpipers around to tax my lackluster peep identification skills. Again some Lesser Yellowlegs gave me some great poses.

The highlight for the morning was definitely this Semipalmated Plover. Unlike the others which were scampered non-stop over the mud, it stayed for a while and proceeded to take a bath. In the midst of the bath it jumped up for a bit, giving me this shot.

A New Place!

(September 1st) Today was an exciting day. I found a great new place for wildlife, and it "only" requires a 50 minute drive. This place is special though and with the shorebird migration going on, I can't imagine a better place near Ann Arbor. I had a great morning out here. Nothing like lying down in a bunch of mud! You need to do that to get the angle I was looking for on this Lesser Yellowlegs.

In addition to the shorebird migration, after the morning started to warm up a little the butterflies here came out. There were these Clouded Sulphurs everywhere on the trails.

Waterfowl was in abundance too, although they were a little more timid than the shorebirds here. This Pied-billed Grebe came up in sea of duckweed and I could only smile at how funny it looked.