Ride ‘Em, Cowboy!!

This blog is not entirely about birds, but also general photography. I was going through some old photos that I thought you might like to see.

This is an image that I shot a few years ago at a Professional Bull Riders event.  I was sitting in the stands.  I had a Canon EOS 20D at the time, and I was using a 100-400 zoom lens.  I was too far away for my flash to do any good.  To get the shot in available light, I set the ISO to 1600, opened up to f5 and let the camera do the work.  I knew the shutter speed would be low, actually it was 1/160, and I tried to time the action so I would get the cowboy and bull at the top of the jump, that brief instant when the action almost comes to a stop.  The result was a bit grainy, but otherwise I thought it was acceptable.  Click the image to see an enlargement.

Bull Rider

I done the post processing in Photoshop Elements.  I couldn’t afford Photoshop at the time.  I also was shooting in JPEG, as I hadn’t got into shooting RAW yet.

Pertinent information:

Date of photo:  May 6, 2006

Canon EOS 20D – hand-held

Canon L series 100-400mm zoom lens

Tele setting for shot:  120mm

Shutter:  1/160

Aperture:  f5

ISO:  1600

No Flash

Partial metering

Great Horned Owlets and others.

 

Click on the title to see more photos and read the complete narrative.

On Saturday morning Ann and I decided to visit the blind at San Angelo State Park.  We had wanted to go to our favorite local parks near Lake Nasworthy but knew that they would be crowded with weekenders, campers, hikers, bikers, etc.  That mix makes for not very good birding.

At the blind, there were a few other friendly birders and we enjoyed our little outing there very much.  We saw a good variety of birds plus a Bobcat that made a very brief appearance.  When that happened, it was so quick that no one had a chance to bring up the camera.  The bobcat had instantly sensed humans and quickly turned tail and ran.  Here are a couple of images of some Northern Bobwhites.

pair of Northern Bobwhites. Red-winged Blackbird in the background.

Northern Bobwhite

One of the other birders in the blind was Michelle Sundeen, the same lady that had told me about the Sandhill Cranes that were seen north of town several weeks ago.  This time she told me and Ann about a couple of owlets that she had discovered at Spring Creek Park.  She gave us the directions to locate the little birds.

After leaving the blind, we decided to make a quick little drive around the State Park before heading to see the owlets.

Cactus Wren

As we drove through one area we were hearing a Cactus Wren at a distance but we were unable to see it.  Finally, we saw a bird sitting on a branch far away, so far that it was merely a dot.  With binoculars we could make out the shape and thought it was the wren we were hearing.  But with it being so far away and backlit, I tried to get a photo to use for identification.  I had my Canon 70D and the Tamron 150-600mm lens.  Of course, the bird was on Ann’s side of the car.  I had to lean across her and hand-hold the camera to get the shot.  I really thougth I had no chance of getting anything usable, but I got lucky and the result is the above photograph.  Of course, I had to lighten it up first to see what I had, then tweak the sharpening quite a bit, not to mention cropping very severely.  What a credit to that new lens.

Next along the way was a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, this time on my side of the car, and much closer.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Now, on to Spring Creek Park.  Fortunately, when we got there, there were no people in the area where we were to look for the owlets.  Michelle had told us about a large tree, and the owlets were nestled in the crook of it.  We parked the car and got out to walk around.  It didn’t take long to find the tree and sure enough, this is what we found.

Great Horned Owlets

They were about twenty feet from the ground.  I had my camera and long lens on a tripod about thirty feet from the tree.  They were very aware of me, never taking their eyes off of me.  I also knew that somewhere, an adult was probably watching me like a hawk, er, I mean an owl.  Ann and I looked around, and there it was.  He (or she) was about thirty-five feet up, with a good vantage point, watching to make sure I didn’t make any aggressive moves toward the little ones.  Here is a shot of the adult.

Great Horned Owl

I hope you enjoyed my telling you about our little adventure.  Click on the photos for enlargement.  Enjoy.

Great Blue Heron Rookery

Here in San Angelo there are several Great Blue Heron rookeries.  One is downtown along the Concho River near Santa Fe Golf course.  Ann and I visited there yesterday and after observing and photographing them, we decided that there are about six to eight breeding pairs there.  Because of the dense foliage it was difficult to get an exact count.  But I did get several photographs.  Click the images to see enlargements.

Mother and child

Mother and children

In the above photo I believe there are a total of four young ones.

Great Blue Heron baby, a face only a mother could love.

The proud parents

Adult poised for take-off.

Adult leaving, probably going fishing for food.

It was great fun watching them.  The children were keeping a constant ‘chuk, chuk, chuk’ going on.  I guess they are always hungry.  These nest were about 200 yards away in trees across the river.  I photographed them with my Canon EOS 70D and Tamron 150-600mm lens.  Of course, all images were tightly cropped.  If you are reading this in your e-mail, click on the title, and you will be able to click on the images to enlarge them and examine them in greater detail.

 

Easter Weekend Memories

Ann and I were relatively idle over the weekend.  On Friday,without any specific projects in mind, we just drove around the area to see what we might see.  Of course, I think that is what we do most of the time, now that I think of it.  So I guess this weekend was no different.  Okay, so I sound like and old man rambling.  Well, I am old, so I guess that is my job. Anyway, here are a few miscellaneous photos that I managed to grab.  All photos were shot with my Canon EOS 70D with a Tamron 150-600mm zoom.  Please click on any image to see enlargements.

House Finch

The House Finch was photographed at San Angelo State Park.  I was in the bird blind there watching the activities of various birds.

Red-winged Blackbird

The Red-winged Blackbird was also shot at the blind.  I love the brilliant wing bars on these birds.

Ash-throated Flycatcher

After visiting the blind, we decided to just take a leisurely drive through the park.  I saw the Ash-throated Flycatcher off to the side of the road and photographed it from my car.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

On Sunday morning, after breakfast, we drove by the old K-Mart building where there is a creek nearby.  We had received about a quarter inch of rain during the night, and there was some substantial water in it.  There was also this Yellow-crowned Night Heron strolling by.

Solitary Sandpiper

This Solitary Sandpiper was also nearby.

American Kestrel

We then decided to drive the backroads down near Eldorado, Texas then visit the city water ponds in that city.  On the way we spotted this American Kestrel in the top of a dead tree off to the side of the road.  I brought the car to a stop, turned off the engine.  Since the bird was on the passenger side of the car, I had to hand-hold the camera across in front of Ann.  It was no easy feat,but thanks to the Vibration Control in the lens, I managed to get this shot.  The bird was about 150 feet away and I was zoomed to the full 600mm of the lens.

Wilson’s Phalarope

Arriving at the ponds, we saw quite a bit of activity, teals, gadwalls, shovelers, etc.  In one corner of one pond we spotted about twenty of these Wilson’s Phalaropes.  They were not skittish at all of my car, and I was only about twenty feet away for this shot.

Cattle Egret

On an island in the middle of one pond were a few Cattle Egrets.  This is my favorite photo, I think, even though there is a bit of a twig in front of the face.  The image was taken from a distance of about 200 feet.  The photo was severely cropped so I could show you the close-up.

After that, light showers began, so we headed for home.  We were not unhappy as this area needs as much rain as we can get.

Update:  New total for my Big Year Texas list is 147.  New additions are:

#146  Yellow-crowned Night Heron

#147  Cattle Egret

Birding South Llano River State Park

On Wednesday, Ann and I, along with our neighbor friend, Carl Williams, set out for the South Llano River State Park near Junction, Texas.  A distance of about 100 miles, we covered it nicely in about an hour and a half.  Before I get into the photos from the park, I want to mention the Red-tailed Hawk that I photographed on the way.  We were cruising along about 75mph when we saw the hawk sitting on a wire fence.  I whipped the car into the left lane, drove to the next turn-around and came back around.  As we pulled up to the hawk that was still sitting on the fence, it noticed that Ole Bob was coming with his camera.  He figured he would look better on that stub of a tree branch, even though he was going to get windblown.  The gusts were about 35mph at that time.  I remembered to thank him before I drove off, after I got a few nice photos.

Red-tailed Hawk.

South Llano River State Park is relatively small, only about 200 acres, consisting of many, many oak trees.  It is a popular camping area, but also has four bird blinds and is considered one of the better birding areas.  We decided that we wanted to visit each blind.  I think we spent a total of three hours there and saw thirty-two species in all.  We missed some nice ones, like the Lazuli Bunting, Painted Bunting, and Indigo Bunting.  Some other birders said that those three were around just before we got there.  But it is early yet so we will probably go back in another two or three weeks.

Here are a few images of some that we did see.  They can be viewed best if you will go to the blog, then you can click the images and see some beautiful enlargements.

Summer Tanager – male

Summer Tanager – female

The next photo is one of my personal favorites.  The Yellow-rumped Warblers consists of two sub-species, the ‘Myrtle’ and the ‘Audubon’s’.  This image is an Audubon.

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s)

What would a birding trip be with out a bunch of sparrows.  Here are three that we encountered in the park.

Black-throated Sparrow

Field Sparrow

Lark Sparrow

Then last, but not least is the ever-popular Spotted Towhee.

Spotted Towhee

That does it for photos on this post.  I got a few others that I may post later, and I got a lot of throwaways that will never see the light of a computer monitor.

Update on Texas Big Year list:

#141  Neotropic Cormorant

#142 Little Blue Heron

#143  Wilson’s Phalarope

#144  Western Kingbird

#145  Summer Tanager

See complete list on my blog.

 

Just a few images from the past week.

This post might be a bit brief from the narrative side.  I couldn’t think of anything to write about more deeply.  We did make a few excursions this past week to do a bit of birding, and get a few photographs along the way.  We did see our first Bullock’s Oriole and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers of the year.  Also the first Black-necked Stilts that we have seen in over two years.  With the level of Lake Nasworthy having dropped three feet, the shoreline is wider and making great habitat for the wading shorebirds.  Here are a few photos for you to see.  I would strongly ask that you read this post by clicking on the link.  Then you can click the images and see some great enlargements.

Osprey

I watched the Osprey for twenty minutes, hoping he would turn to face me a me a little bit, but it never happened.

Eastern Bluebird

The Eastern Bluebird was in the shade a little bit, almost making the face too dark, but I love photographing them.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was a harbinger of many more to come.  Summer is almost upon us.

Eastern Phoebe

Solitary Sandpiper

Black-necked Stilt

I love the elegant, gracefulness of these Black-necked Stilts.  Their slender legs are about the size of straws.

Bullock’s Oriole

The Bullock’s Oriole is the predominant oriole in this area.  The one above was the first I saw this spring.  It was nearly too far away for a decent photo.

Great Horned Owlets

The owlets were over two hundred yards away, across the lake, high in a tree.  My friend, Julie Stewart, told me about them.  She attempted to photograph them with her 300mm lens, but were almost out of reach.  She thought that with my 150-600mm lens I might have a better chance.  I got the above shot, putting my setup on a tripod at the water’s edge.  Even then, I had to do some extreme cropping, and a little sharpening.  Those tiny twigs in front of the birds made focusing from that distance very difficult.  But thank you, Julie, for giving me the chance.

So, that’s about it for this time.  I love reading your comments, so if you feel like saying a few words, give it a go below.

By the way, the Solitary Sandpiper is number 140 on my Texas Big Year list.

Photographing the Vermilion Flycatcher

The cute and feisty, little Vermilion Flycatcher is probably my favorite of all of the flyctchers.  They are tiny little guys that dart here and there, flitting around to catch elusive little gnats, insects, and  mosquitos.  They are also adept at avoiding getting photographed.  To get the job done takes a bit of patience.

It is my experience that they generally hang around in the vicinity of the same tree.  So I usually park my vehicle several yards away, giving myself a large shooting field.  Having a long lens is a definite help and I use my Tamron 150-600mm zoom on my Canon EOS 70D.  I rest this setup on my driver’s side window, using a cushion fashioned from a Noodle that I purchased at Walmart.

Using this described recipe I was able to get the two images below, one each of the male and female of the species.  I used Photoshop to crop them tight for composition, and made the necessary lighting and color adjustments.

Vermilion Flycatcher – male

Vermilion Flycatcher – female

To get the full enjoyment of viewing the photos PLEASE click on either one.  You will be pleasantly surprised.

Update:  While birding this morning I was able to add two more species to my Texas Big Year list.

138.  Bullock’s Oriole

139.  Black-necked Stilt

 

Birding the Big Bend National Park

We are back from a fun week birding and photographing in Big Bend National Park.  The weather was phenomenal for most of the week.  On Thursday the wind got up quite a bit and Friday we had blowing dust in the morning, otherwise it was mild and sunny.  We saw 46 different species during the trip, including an addition of the Gray Hawk to our life list.  When we weren’t birding, we were sitting on the porch of our little cabin, enjoying the desert view, and sipping refreshments.

We met new friends, including another excellent bird photographer.  What was amazing was that she has been photographing for only two years, but her work is outstanding.  Meet Sheen Watkins by clicking here.  Check out her website of beautiful photos of birds and wildlife.

When we stopped for a break at the store at Castelon, we met Ranger Ted Griffith, who happens to be another blogger and one of my readers.  What a small world it is.  It was early, and he was coming out of his office to raise the U.S. Flag on the nearby pole.  Click here to see his outstanding photos of the Big Bend.

I promised you new photos so let’s get started.  PLEASE click on the images to see some beautiful enlargements.

Sunrise in the desert of the Big Bend.

The above picture was taken early on our drive into Big Bend National Park.  The ocotillo’s red blossoms covered the desert.  All photos including this one, were taken with my Canon EOS 70D and Tamron 150-600mm lens.

Gray Hawk

We were at the Cottonwood Campground where the birding usually is very good.  In the campgrounds itself, there was a lot activity with the maintenance people working, plus many campers so birding was a bit difficult, although we did see many birds including several Vermilion Flycatchers.  However, when leaving the area, we saw this Gray Hawk atop a telephone pole.  What a sight!  We had never seen a Gray Hawk before so it was a treat to see him posing so nicely.

Scott’s Oriole

Scott’s Oriole

We were pulling into the parking lot at the Park Headquarters at Panther Junction, when we noticed two photographers out in the desert, with big lenses pointing at something.  After we stopped the car, we scoped out the situation with our binoculars and saw the Scott’s Oriole.  I took a few photos with the bird in the distance, then a few seconds later, it flew very close to us and perched in the ocotillo stem, where I got the above images.

Ash-throated Flycatcher

A few minutes later, I got this stunning photo of the Ash-throated Flycatcher near the same location.  There were several of these birds everywhere in the park.

Scaled Quail

This pair of Scaled Quail, also know as Blue Quail, were photographed outside our cabin right at sunset.  I loved the warm glow of the light.

Rock Wren

Curve-billed Thrasher

The Barton Warnock Nature Center is located outside of Lajitas.  The nature trail and gardens usually have birds and various wildlife wandering around and this is where I photographed the above Rock Wren and the Curve-billed Thrasher.  We are never disappointed when we stop there.

Common Black Hawk

Another of our favorite bird areas is the campground area at Rio Grand Village.  It is on the far eastern side of the national park near Boquillas Canyon.  For the past few years there has been a pair of nesting of rare Common Black Hawks there.  There are signs restricting getting too close, but with my long lens, I was able to get this and a few other photographs of the birds.  Because of the dense trees, the lighting was a bit touchy, but I think this image portrays it nicely.

Lark Bunting – female

A Western Wood Pewee show us his backside.

I hope you enjoyed these photos from our exciting trip to the desert.  We stayed at the Casitas at Far Flung Outdoor Center.  We strongly recommend them if you are making a trip to the area.

Of the 46 species that we saw during the trip, the Gray Hawk was a lifer, plus eight of them were additions to our 2014 Texas Big Year list.  It is updated below, including with birds we saw before we left on the trip.

122.  Lesser Yellowlegs

123.  Cliff Swallow

124.  Lark Bunting

125.  Brown-headed Cowbird

126.  Cave Swallow

127.  Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

128.  Gray Hawk

129.  Brown-crested Flycatcher

130.  Common Black Hawk

131.  Rock Wren

132.  Scott’s Oriole

133.  Purple Martin

134.  Phainopepla

135.  Bank Swallow

136.  Western Wood Pewee

137.  Green Heron.