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.