Mar

31

A Forest Dream

Shot of the Month  Posted by / 0 comments

Shot of the Month – March 2018

Great Grey Owl, Yellowstone NP (0561)So, there I was driving along a road in Yellowstone NP when I noticed a collection of cars pulled off to the side of the road — always a sign of wildlife nearby.  Luckily, I found a place close by where  I could completely pull off  and park.  I got out and ran across the road to where I could see the tops of a few heads of people gathered together.  As I made my way down a small hill I saw this lovely Great Grey Owl.  I ran back to my car and collected my gear and made my way back.

There were perhaps 12-15 people in a semi-circle around the bird as she (I am not sure if it is a he or she, but let’s go with she) was perched on a dead tree stump.  I was annoyed as folks with smaller lenses were, in my opinion, getting too close to the bird.  One of the benefits of shooting with a 600 mm lens is that I don’t need to get super close to my animal subjects and can avoid the risk of disturbing them.  That all being said, this magnificent owl didn’t seem to take any notice of the humans — she was in hunting mode and was focused on listening and scanning the grass below.

After a few moments the owl took off and flew about 20 yards to a nearby tree.  And with that most of the humans started walking back to their cars.  I was amazed by this, given that the bird was just right over there, not that far really.  But I said nothing and just watched as the crowd left.  After a few minutes I walked over to the tree.  Sure enough there she was, sitting at the top of a pine tree, still hunting.  Now there was just 3 humans- me and two other photographers.

The owl took off again and followed the line of the narrow valley leading to the forest – she was still hunting and apparently following the rustling sounds of mice that we certainly could not hear.  She flew from tree to tree as she listened for prey in each little meadow.  After about 45 minutes the other two humans lost interest and went back to their cars.

And now here I was, alone with this incredible owl — the largest owl in North America by length.  We were now far enough into the forest that we could not be seen from the road.  No one would be able to find us here.  In total I spent 3 magical hours observing this beauty.  During this period I saw her catch at least 2 mice.  It was always over in a few seconds.  Leap from a tree, dive head first toward to the ground and at the last second pull up and strike feet first.  Gulp down the meal and on to the next tree.  Repeat.  She was not perfect and there were several pounces where she only caught grass and stems.

Wildlife photography can often be fast and furious — worrying too much about apertures, shutter speeds and other technical minutiae.  I often don’t really “see” my subject until after I get back and can review my images.  And with the growing number of people on this planet, and with more and more people with cameras, one’s time in the “wild” is far too often spent with a gaggle of other humans.  Crowds of folks with long lens and tripods like myself.  Usually, such forays are not prone to communing with nature and reflecting on life.

But spending three hours, in a pristine Yellowstone forest, with this larger than life owl?  Heaven.  The experience captured the ideal of what draws me to nature photography.  No sounds but that of the forest birds.  No banal banter.  Just the occasional sound of the rustling wind.  I could sit on the ground and just stare at the owl and really soak her beauty in.  Sure, there were some frantic moments when the hunt was on – but then many, actually most moments were spent just sitting and being.  A forest.  An owl.  A man.

But our spirit has an instinct for silence. Every soul innately yearns for stillness, for a space, a garden where we can till, sow, reap, and rest, and by doing so come to a deeper sense of self and our place in the universe. Silence is not an absence but a presence. Not an emptiness but repletion. A filling up.

~ from LISTENING BELOW THE NOISE by Anne D. LeClaire

 

Below are a collection of images from our journey into the forest together.  Click on the first image and then use your right arrow (if on a computer) to move through from one scene to the next.

 

 

 

 

 

Until next month….

 

 

 

Nikon D4S, Nikon 600mm f/4, 1/800 s, ISO 360,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feb

28

Antlarchy

Shot of the Month  Posted by / 0 comments

Shot of the Month – February 2018

Pronghorn, Yellowstone NP (5860)Despite living in a herd, the Pronghorn is really not prone to following the crowd.  For example this ungulate (hoofed animal) looks like an antelope, but it is not.  They are related to goats and antelope but actually belong to the family Antilocapridaea — they are the only members of this family.

Pronghorn are named after their namesake antlers.  Or are they horns?  Following their rule breaking tendencies, they are both, and neither.  I have a hard time keeping track of the difference between antlers and horns in the best of times, so let’s break it down:

Antlers

Antlers are made of pure bone tissue and are shed and regrown annually.  Typically antlers only grow on the males of the Cervidae family and include all species of deer, moose, and elk.  Caribou are the exception in that the female caribou also grow antlers.

Horns

Horns have a bony core which is covered with a sheath of keratin, the same stuff that makes up hair and fingernails.  Horns are found on members of the Bovidae family which includes a diverse crowd — cows, sheep, goats, water buffalo, antelopes and gazelles.  Horns can appear on both male and female.   Unlike antlers,  horns are never branched, and never shed, and in many species, never stop growing.  (source)

So the pointy things on the head of the Pronghorn take on characteristics of both horns and antlers:

—  They have two points or “prongs” which makes them like an antler.  True horns only have one point.

— They  have a layer of keratin like true horns, but they shed the horns each year, as if they were antlers.

—  Female Pronghorn also have pointy things on their heads, though smaller.  Antlers only grow on the males, usually.  Horns can be found on both.

Sooo, I guess they have “Hantlers?”  “Horntlers”?  “Antlorns”?

These nonconformists are wreaking havoc with our science books and making life tough for biology students.

And I didn’t even delve into rhino horns — yes they are similar but not quite the same.  And giraffe horns – again a bit different…but time to end before we fall into “antlarchy.”  (See what I did there?)

Until next month….

 

Pronghorn, Yellowstone NP (9391)

A male Pronhorn and his females (Yellowstone NP)

 

 

Nikon D4S, Nikon 600mm f/5.6, 1/800s, ISO 125

Jan

31

Falling for Nature

Shot of the Month  Posted by / 0 comments

Shot of the Month – January 2018

Waterfall, Yellowstone NP (6064)

Yellowstone National Park

Regardless of the country, people seem drawn to explore, visit, and photograph the natural beauty of waterfalls.  How big a draw are waterfalls?  Well, over 12 million people travel to see Niagara falls each year along the US-Canada border!   That’s just one waterfall out of thousands across the planet.

The dramatic settings and wild beauty of waterfalls are the visual equivalent of catnip for photographers and they hit the trails in droves to take images of falls, big and small, throughout the year.  Capturing a compelling image of a waterfall can be a fairly technical, tricky affair — one can’t really just walk up to the water’s edge and snap a picture and expect to get something special.

A few tips for those of you inclined to try your hand at shooting the shoots:

Primary Task:  Achieve A Slow Shutter Speed   (Confused by shutter speed?  Check out this great article)

When we look at a waterfall our eyes transform the falling water into a lovely silky cascade.  In order to create this effect in a camera we need to use a slow shutter speed.  This means that we want to keep the shutter open for a “long” time.  This means, probably a shutter speed of 1/4th of a second.  Or 1/3rd of second.  1/2 a second.  Perhaps one whole second.  You may even want to keep the shutter open for several seconds to make a dramatic looking image.  There is no “ideal” speed.  You need to experiment with different shutter speeds and find the look that you like best.

High Shutter Speed = The shutter is opens for a short duration (e.g. 1/1000 of a second or less)

Slow Shutter Speed = The shutter is open for a long duration (e.g. 1/2 of a second or more)

The challenge is that during the day, if there is a lot of light available, your camera will not allow you to access those slow shutter speeds as the images will come out overexposed.  How do we get there?

Use a Low ISO

Set your ISO to its lowest setting to help keep the shutter speed down.

Use a low Aperture Setting (Great article on understanding Aperture)

Stop your aperture down to f/11 or f/16 or smaller to reduce the amount of light that reaches your camera sensor — this will help create longer shutter speeds and will maximize the depth of field of your shot.

Avoid the Sun

The best time to photograph waterfalls is when it is cloudy – this will make it easier to achieve those long shutter speeds.  And shoot at sunrise or sunset when there is less light in the sky.  If the sun is out in full force, it might be best to go photograph something else.

Use a Tripod

With slow shutter speeds a tripod is essential to avoid motion blur.  No hand holding your camera for a great waterfall shot.

Use  Neutral Density Filters ( Learn more here)

Still too much light?  Most professional photographers use Neutral Density Filters to reduce the amount of light that can enter into the lens.  This allows for the lower shutters speeds that we need to photograph waterfalls and streams.  A polarizing filter can also be used as this will reduce the light and will also help remove unwanted reflections from wet rocks, leaves, etc.

I know, all this techno-geekness is rather tedious, but using these techniques and equipment will now allow you to explore the full creative range of one of nature’s natural wonders.  From here let your artistic juices flow.  How can you create a compelling composition?  What should be in the foreground?  Any interesting scenery that can be included?  How about an unusual viewpoint or angle?  Try different lenses – wide angle, zoom lenses, etc.  Shoot in portrait and then in landscape.  Find a way to get something new or fresh – not the same old shot that every other traveler took of the scene.  If you can, go back again and again and explore how the scene is transformed at different times of the day and during different seasons of the year.

 

Or, leave the camera at home and enjoy the hike and commune with nature.  Whatever it takes to get you out there….enjoy.

 

Here a few good articles on photographing waterfalls:

The Secrets of Stunning Waterfall Photography

More Tips

 

 

Nikon D4S, Nikon 28-105mm (@ 55mm), f/16, 3/5 sec, ISO 100

 

Jan

12

10 for 2017

Today's Shot  Posted by / 0 comments

10 for 2017

In 2017 I spent much of my “outdoor time” exploring Washington, our new state since mid 2016.  Most of my images from this year were clustered around a few species: bald eagles, short-eared owls, great horned owls, and jaguars.  Landscape efforts were focused mainly on Mt. Rainier.  Our “big” trip for the year was to the Pantanal in Brazil where we had great luck in seeing and photographing jaguars, as well as five types of indigenous king fishers.  These may not be my best shots from the last 12 months, but they are my favorites for a variety of reasons that I will comment on below.   2018 here we come!!

Click on an image to see it larger (highly recommended).  🙂

In no particular order:

#1 Hunting Jaguar

Jaguar (6748)

Seeing a jaguar in the wild was phenomenal.  And I was pleasantly surprised with how many good images I was able to capture of this amazing cat.

 

 

 

 

 

#2 Theft by Eagle

Bald Eagle (3425)

During the year I visited two areas where bald eagles congregated to feast on exposed fish.  In this scene the eagle is about to steal a bullhead fish that is just in front of the Great Blue Heron.  I have dozens of images of eagles to process from the year.

 

 

 

 

#3 Barred Owl

Barred Owl (9133)

I have seen barred owls several times over the years without much luck in getting a worthwhile image.  And then this happened in a small park in Seattle!

 

 

 

 

 

 

#4 Pygmy Kingfisher

Pygmy Kingfisher

We spotted this little jewel while in the Pantanal in Brazil.  I like this little guy because he reminds of this Malachite Kingfisher shot, that is also one my favorites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#5  Mt. Rainier Meadow

Wildflowers (2249)

On of my first decent images of the wondrous wildflower displays that one can find near Mt. Rainier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#6.  Reflection Lake

Reflection Lake (2114)

And my first decent image of Mt Rainier at Reflection Lake with a nice dash of color from wildflowers.  A twofer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#7 Cougar Rock

Cougar Rock (0050)

A lovely sunset vantage point near Mt. Rainier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#8 Mt. Rainier Fall

Rainier Color (3331)

An autumn scene near Mt. Rainier.  In Vermont the fall is all about looking up into the trees to see the display.  Here near Mt. Rainier it is all about looking down as Huckleberry and Larch provide much of the color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

#9  Goose Family

Canada Goose (3657)

Last year an image of a robin was a surprise entry in the top ten list.  This year it is the Canada Goose.  Usually not one of my favorite creatures, as explained here, but I love this image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#10  Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl (1917)

I prefer images of owls in flight but I can’t resist the grumpy face and devil horns of this short-eared owl.

Dec

31

A Golden Life

Shot of the Month  Posted by / 0 comments

Shot of the Month – December 2017

American Goldfinch, Vermont (2810)This month a dash of gold to help ward off those winter blues.  The American Goldfinch (AG) is a very popular, triple threat kinda bird.  First, the bright lemon yellow of the male in full mating plumage is a visual wonder.  After a long winter, nothing gives a jolt of hope like catching a glimpse of that bright yellow near the end of spring — it is a clear indication that warmer weather is just around the corner.  Second, the AG is not only a looker but also renowned for its lovely song.  And last, the AG flies with a bouncy, undulating pattern that is fun to watch — the males often call while singing to draw attention to themselves.  Triple threat, and not shy about showing it off.

The AG prefers open country where weeds thrive, such as fields, meadows, flood plains, as well as roadsides, orchards, and gardens.  The AG is also a frequent visitor to bird feeders.

As part of the finch family the AG has a short stocky bill that is useful for extracting seeds from the seedheads of thistles, sunflowers, teasel, dandelion, ragweed, mullein, cosmos, goatsbeard, alder and other plants.  This small finch is strictly vegetarian though they may eat the occasional insect inadvertently – hey, we’ve all been there; but generally they eat seeds almost exclusively.  Unlike most finches, the AG uses its agile feet extensively to grip the stems of seedheads while feeding. (source)

This strict diet is a problem for Brown-headed cowbirds.  How so?  Well, the Brown-headed cowbird lays its eggs in other bird’s nests and let’s those parents raise their chicks.  It is an incredibly lazy, if not brilliant parenting approach.  This strategy fails however if the egg is placed in a goldfinch nest.  Once hatched, the poor cowbird chick rarely survives more than three days in their adopted home as they cannot get enough nutrition from that all-seed diet that goldfinch parents feed their chicks.

The AG  nests later than most other birds, usually around June or July, to allow the birds to feed on the abundance of milkweed and thistle present at the time of the summer.

American Goldfinch Range (source)

The AG can be found across most of the United States though these finches will migrate during the winter.  Birds in northern areas will move south just enough to reach areas where the minimum average January temperature is no colder than zero degrees Fahrenheit.  Wow, that is precise.

The AG is the state bird of Iowa and New Jersey, where it is called the “Eastern Goldfinch”, and Washington where it is called the “Willow Goldfinch”.

The AG is not threatened by human activity and is widespread throughout its range.  The clearing of forests by humans, though harmful to many species, has benefited the AG.  Clearing of woodlands reduces the number of other birds and creates open spaces where weeds thrive — the preferred habitat for AG.

Good looks, favorable and expanding habitat, and a crowd favorite – for this little finch life is indeed golden.

 

Until next month….

 

 

Nikon D4S, Nikon 600mm, f/4, 1/1000s, ISO 1100,