Mar

15

The Rest of the Iceberg — March 2012

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Shot of the Month – March 2012

Iceberg?  Huh?  What iceberg?  You know the one.  I am talking about the “proverbial” hunk of ice that you hear so much about.  And when people refer to said metaphorical ice flow, which part gets all the attention?  Yes, exactly — the tip.   As we learned in 5th grade science, only about 10% of the total volume of an iceberg is visible above the surface of water.  That relatively small object that we see floating fails to convey the true scale and entirety of the object.  We often use the phrase to indicate that we have not fully expressed or captured the scale of a problem.

“Jimmy, use the phrase in a sentence.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Climate change is making severe weather events more frequent and more intense.  Yes, that is true, but that is just the tip of the iceberg.” (Jimmy, apparently, has a strong sense of irony also.)

Photographers, like me, rarely allow you to peer beneath the surface at what lies below.  We deal almost exclusively at the very tipity tip of the iceberg.  When we show you an image, if we are smart, we only share the best of the best of what we have captured.  When you see an image on a website, in a magazine, at a gallery, on a card, or via whatever medium of choice, you are seeing the tip of the iceberg.

So, what lies beneath the surface?  What makes up that massive pyramid on which this image rests?  For a wildlife photographer, capturing a compelling image of a wild creature is stunningly difficult.  For a given “winner” shot there can be thousands of images that didn’t work.  Too dark.  Too blurry.  A branch in the way.  The light too harsh.  Light is too dull.  Boring composition.  Too far away.  Too close.  The damn thing blinked.  It looked away.  It ran away.  It flew away.  The shutter speed was wrong.  Wrong aperture setting.  Used the wrong white balance.  Too much grain.   Got a picture.  Could show you, but I never would.  Too embarrassing.  Didn’t work.  Too much…too little…just too ________.

That is a big part of the iceberg.

Another part of that iceberg, that you never see, is a massive space of — nothingness.  Never even got a picture.  Finding wildlife is HARD.  Many hours are spent looking.  Driving.  Walking.  Sitting.  Seeing, nothing.  Of course, the more elusive the animal, the more I want to photograph it.  That is my curse, my insanity.

There is an Audubon wildlife area near where I am living here in Vermont.  I have gone about a half dozen times over the last year.  I have yet to get a single usable photo.  There is nothing unusual about that — that is expected.  This weekend we went to explore a new area in the NorthEast Kingdom — we hiked for three hours.  A nice walk through the forest.  A lovely day spent, far, far below the surface of the water.   I took a few shots of a very small bird, that was very far away, into the sun.  File, delete.

Since moving to the upper northeastern part of the US  last year I decided that one of my goals would be to get a good shot of a Snowy Owl.  I have never lived far enough north previously to make this a feasible venture.  That was my winter project (and will be for the next several years).  Given that I do have a day job and various family and social responsibilities, the time for this project was limited.  I managed to get out on three weekends.  For two of those trips I traveled to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge — seems that most years a few Snowies come down from the Arctic to spend the winter at this coastline park.

I was very lucky in that I did see Snowies almost every day.  Here is the best shot I have so far.

This is not a shot I would display publicly.

(I actually feel a little queasy).

It is an OK shot.  But the light was weak.  The bird was quite far away for my lens.  I had to use a very high ISO setting (Remember ASA ratings for  film?  This is the digital equivalent) to make an exposure.  So to create this image I had to crop the photo significantly, but that high ISO then caused the image to be very grainy.

Unacceptable for public consumption.

 

 

 

 

Other shots from the depths? (click on an image to see it larger)

You will find no shots of Snowy Owls on my website.  Not yet.  This iceberg is a work in progress.

There are many similar blank spots on my site.

My spring project is Wood Ducks….wish me luck.

Stay tuned, hopefully towering icebergs are on the horizon.

All the best…michael

 

 

Feb

15

Intense (Green Heron) – February 2012

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Shot of the Month – February 2012

Green Heron, Botswana (9166)

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, implying that a photo can often much more richly convey the action, the emotion or the beauty of a scene than can a narrative.  This month I fear that both images and prose alike will fail to capture the spell-bounding ten minutes we spent watching this green heron hunt for fish in a shallow puddle in Botswana.  I realize that it sounds absurd, but this heron put on a show that was as captivating as any lion kill that I have seen.

How could this be so?  It was like watching a Kung Fu master – the intensity of his gaze was mesmerizing.  Stalking through the shallow water his body would go rigid, as he lowered into a tense crouch.  As he stood there like a ninja warrior, the anticipation was nearly unbearable.

 

Green Heron, Botswana (9139)OuuiiiiiiiiiiiiigghhhhGreen Heron, Botswana (9224)

(Imagine the cat-like shrill noise that Bruce Lee would make…)

 

 

 

Wait for it…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green Heron, Botswana (9143)Green Heron, Botswana (9206)

 

 

 

 

 

Strike a pose. Kapow! Another fish. Here we see only 2 of the 20.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We weren’t the only ones to take notice of this impressive display.

Pied Kingfisher, Botswana (9183)

This Pied Kingfisher was watching the show from a nearby branch. He was so outraged that the heron was catching all “his” fish that here we see him leaping from the branch as he dive-bombed the green heron. The heron simply ducked (you would expect nothing less from a ninja heron) and he continued obliterating the fish population.

 

 

 

Yes, little fishies, the legends are true.  Green Heron Ninjas are real.  And should one, perchance, happen upon your little puddle, be afraid.

Be very, very afraid.

Until next month….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jan

15

Pugnacious Pig – January 2012

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Shot of the Month – January 2012

Talk about truth in advertising – “warthog” pretty much sums it up.  There really is no way around it, these pigs are, well, not pretty.  In fact, they are so unattractive that many find them adorable.

This photo, taken in Botswana, does a pretty good job of highlighting a few of the warthog’s most notable attributes.

First, there are the namesake warts.  There are two, one on each side of the head, near the eyes, and two more just above the nose.  These protrusions have two roles.  The first makes some sense – they act as armor to help protect the pig when fighting or trying to fend off a predator.  The second is a bit of a shocker.  Those protrusions are fat reserves.  Turns out that warthogs do not have subcutaneous fat – so it is true that they are not beauty queens, but they can gloat about their low body fat.

Second, we have those tusks.  The ones on top are impressive, but it is the smaller bottom pair that is most dangerous.  The bottom set of ivory becomes razor sharp as it rubs against the upper set of tusks each time the warthog opens and closes his mouth.  Together these four tusks represent a serious threat and warthogs have even been known to kill lions with these weapons when lashing out in self-defense (more the exception than the rule, but still impressive…)

And last, the famous warthog tail, seen here pointing at roughly 10 o’clock.  When fleeing that tail points straight up like a flag signaling “Retreat!”  Ask anyone lucky enough to have gone on an African safari to list off some of their favorite memories – “warthog running with its tail up” is a safe bet to be among the top three.

The warthog, a creature that is so hard to look at that you can’t help but stare.

(and admire…and smile…)

Dec

15

Knock Knock, Who’s There? – December 2011

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Shot of the Month – December 2011

Woodpeckers are the avian jackhammers of the wild.  When at work, looking for food, or building a new home, their telltale sound is unmistakable.  Rat-a-tat-tat.  Rat-a-tat-tat.  Rat-a-tat-tat.  Rat-a-tat-ouch–that-makes-my-head-hurt-just-thinking-about-it.  Tat.

There are about 200 species of woodpeckers distributed around the world, though oddly, none are to be found in Australia.  I photographed this Golden-tailed woodpecker in Botswana.  This African species can be found across much of Southern Africa and in some isolated pockets of East Africa.

On a given day a woodpecker may strike a tree with his beak 8,000 to 12,000 times (up to 20 times/second).  With each blow, the woodpecker experiences 1200 g of force.  Is that a lot?  For reference, humans pass out at 4 to 6 g’s of force.  We get a concussion with a deceleration of about 100 g.  (Geek Note:  One g is the acceleration due to gravity at the Earth’s surface and is the standard gravity (symbol: gn), defined as 9.80665 meters per second squared, or equivalently 9.80665 newtons of force per kilogram of mass. Yawn)

How exactly do woodpeckers move around so easily in the trees and do what they do without knocking themselves out?  Seems that woodpeckers have developed some nifty adaptations:

Avoiding Brain Damage (always a good idea)

  1. Thick Skull:  Woodpeckers have a thick skull with spongy cartilage at the base of their beak.  This spongy base absorbs much of the force.
  2. Strong Muscles:  Woodpeckers have developed very strong muscles that attach the upper and lower jaws to the skull.  By contracting these muscles a millisecond before contact the woodpecker diverts some of the impact to the base and rear of the skull.
  3. Accurate Strike:  The woodpecker does a very good job of whacking (yes, that is the technical term for it) his target at a very precise ninety degrees.  This perpendicular strike reduces torque which could cause a concussion.
  4. Small Brain:  Woodpeckers have relatively small brains for birds of their size.  The small ratio of brain weight to brain surface area allows for the impact to be spread over a large area, reducing the risk of damage.

Hmmn, thick-skulled and small-brained…make your own joke here ____________

Other nifty adaptations:

  1. Safety goggles:  Just before contact a nictitating membrane (a transparent third eyelid) closes, protecting the eye of the woodpecker from flying wood chips.  This membrane also acts like a seatbelt holding the eye in place – given the tremendous deceleration of the head the bird’s eye could literally pop out without this extra support.
  2. Kick Stand:  Woodpeckers have a stiffened tail that is useful for climbing and foraging.  They can use the tail as a prop.
  3. Knarly feet:  Woodpeckers have zygodactyl feet, allowing them to walk up a tree easily.  If you look closely at the image you can see these feet in action.  Zygodactyl feet have 2 toes that point straight forward and 2 that point backward.

The wondrous woodpecker.  Probably not the bird to call if you need help with your homework, but definitely look him up if you want help remodeling the kitchen.

Until next month… 🙂

Nov

15

Zen Jackal – November 2011

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Shot of the Month – November 2011

This month we visit with one groovy, chillin canine – a Black-backed Jackal (BBJ) sitting in the sun in the Kalahari Desert in Botswana.  Look closely at his face.  His serenity appears sublime.

I have seen many black-backed jackals and such moments are rare.  More typically I have seen them, usually two, as they tend to form life-long partnerships, scampering along with great purpose.  No time to spare.  Looking for the next meal.  Perhaps hurrying home to feed the pups.  Other times scampering to avoid danger from a leopard or other predator.  Occasionally a restive jackal, but more often than not — scampering.

BBJs are cunning and exceptionally quick.  They can dash in and steal a morsel of food before a dining lion has noticed what happened.  Ok, that is quick, but these guys are QUICK.  Our guide Simon told us about the time he was asked to help sedate a few jackals with a dart so a local scientist could take some measurements.  For this exercise, they had to use blow guns to deliver the darts as a rifle would generate too much force on a canine that only weighs about 20 pounds.

Simon loaded the long tube, found his target, and fired.  Pfffft.  And the dart was off – faster than anything you or I could see.  The jackal, hearing the sound, looked over and at the last instant, scooted his butt out of the way and seemed to watch the dart as it flew by.  Ok, lucky move.  Reload.

Pffft.

Again, at the last moment, the jackal stepped aside like a matador as the raging bull dart missed its mark.  (Is he the “One?”)

They never managed to dart a single jackal.

Life on the plains is rarely restive, nor predictable.  Dozens of times over the years I have seen lions feeding at a kill – many of those times BBJs watched from a few feet away, waiting their turn at the scraps.  The lions never seemed to notice, let alone care, except one time in Tanzania several years ago.  We watched as the lions finished off a carcass and then sauntered off for a nap.  A BBJ finally moved in for a snack.  To my amazement, one of the lions got up and began to stalk the jackal.  The jackal was unaware.  The lion launched his attack, but the jackal, using the above-aforementioned quickness, managed to escape.  But boy, was that one annoyed jackal.  He barked up a storm in the direction of that lion as if some unwritten code had been violated.

Stalking lions.  Dart-zinging humans.  It’s a jungle out there.  When scampering along in your own jungle, remember to seek out Zen moments like the one captured here where you can.

Let’s try.  Oooommmm.  Oooommmm.  That’s right, stop and relax.  Light a candle.  Sit lotus style (if your joints will allow it).  Deep breath.  Clear your mind.  Innnnnhaaaaale.  Exhaaaaaaale.

If you get it right, the only sound you might hear is that of your soul catching its breath.  (I’ll keep my eye on the lion for you…)

 

Until next month…