Wolves of the Air

The Harris Hawk is just a sexy bird. They fly with amazing grace, speed and stealth. They also fly in groups, as many describe as a pack and they are referred to as wolves of the air because of their hunting tactics. Here you see the one on lookout, looking for prey which is often rabbits.

Once the prey has been caught, then they feed like you would think how a wolf pack feeds. They are very effective, very cool and the only place I know I can go out and say I’m going to photograph them and actually photography them is here on the border in TX.

Photos captured by D3x, 600VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

TX is just hot!

After a amazing light show at 3AM, Jake & I headed out to the blinds. While the hour rain dropped an inch of rain, that didn’t slow down the birds coming to the blinds. This is a Scaled Quail and what it’s doing is protecting its territory from another Scale Quail couple. I’d never seen this crazy behavior before, so I thought it was cool. It would throw its head back and then pump it forward making this crazy call. It was fun to watch.

With a couple of Scale Quail couples about fighting over turf, a Bobwhite Quail couple eased in and just ate and drank as if the other quail didn’t exist. It’s such great entertainment and challenge to bring that across in the still image. All this with the temp gauge saying 99 in the shade. That’s TX hot! Speaking of hot, check out Jake’s blog, the kid is taking no prisoners this summer!

Photos captured by D3x, 600VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

Nikon's Best Kept Secret

What lens took this photo of the Thunderbirds screaming by? It is probably the last one you would think of, it is Nikon’s best kept secret…until now!

Why do we do these videos? Sometimes I ask myself that question when I read the silly things forum posters post. But the answer is really simple, to help those with open minds seeking help. I receive hundreds of emails each week, folks asking what I use, what I recommend and the only answer I can provide is those lenses I like (yeah, I like the lenses I’ve bought, go figure) and own. This advice is free and you all know what they say about free advice. I leave it up to you, the photographer to THINK it through what works for you and your photography and decide if the info here works for you or not. I know they work for me, they create the images that permit me ot making a living from my images, that’s why I own them.

Nikon’s Best Kept Secret

What lens took this photo of the Thunderbirds screaming by? It is probably the last one you would think of, it is Nikon’s best kept secret…until now!

Why do we do these videos? Sometimes I ask myself that question when I read the silly things forum posters post. But the answer is really simple, to help those with open minds seeking help. I receive hundreds of emails each week, folks asking what I use, what I recommend and the only answer I can provide is those lenses I like (yeah, I like the lenses I’ve bought, go figure) and own. This advice is free and you all know what they say about free advice. I leave it up to you, the photographer to THINK it through what works for you and your photography and decide if the info here works for you or not. I know they work for me, they create the images that permit me ot making a living from my images, that’s why I own them.

The Afternoon got things going

Jake & I were in a different blind this afternoon, a new one I’ve never shot in before. It produced all day long despite the wind storn producing a dust devil that went right through our shoot.

It was a “northern” afternoon with the more common Northern Mockingbird and Northern Cardinal being hams for the lens. Yeah, we had other very cool birds come in but I’m going to save those species for a little latter. The main attraction is the water which in this heat and dry environment acts just like a magnet.

Photos captured by D3x, 600VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

Tough Start

It was one of those mornings when I just couldn’t make things click, in my mind, heart and camera. That happens, but I hate, just hate when I miss cool photo opps because of it. Like this pair of Crested Caracaras on a perch. Just too damn tight for me.

Then there is the Scissored-tailed Flycatcher, a favorite of mine. It came in to bathe in the pond in front of our lenses. But where did it prefer to perch, on a ugly wire fence with an even uglier background. Argh!

But that’s all OK, it goes with the territory. We still had a good morning, saw some cool biology, made a couple of clicks and have this particular blind dialed in for tomorrow or the next morning when we have blue skies.

We came to TX now for hot temps, dry air and clear skies. We have humidity, cool temps and the threat of electical storms this afternoon. You just never know but whatever blows, we have our cameras ready. Time to head back out to the blind.

Photos captured by D3x, 600VR w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital film

In serach of TX T

The best laid plans….while we planned on spending the afternoon in a blind in TX photographing such gorgeous birds as this Green Jay, the airlines had other plans. We did make it but too late to do any shooting. This photo was taken a couple of years back on my original trip here with my dear friend David Cardinal when he originally scouted the locale. I’m back this time with Jake for what we expect to be killer photography. You might notice that most groups come here in April, when it’s not over 100 degrees. My good friend Steve Bentsen has long told me that the best time to be here is when it’s hot. We’re here to find out if that’s true, stay tuned in.

Photo captured by D2xs, 600AFSII on Lexar digital film

Nikon 24-70AFS

There’s one lens Sharon knows by site, the 24-70AFS. Why is that? Because I often point it in her direction.The 24-70AFS is a gorgeous lens and a workhorse of my photography. Here’s a couple of thoughts about it.

Thank You for your gift!

Custer Delivers on last Day

Our last day in Custer was great! I’ve been coming to Custer State Park for 20yrs and it just never fails to deliver over and over again. Base Camp’s last day was a prime example of the variety of photography it can produce. Here’s a little Slideshow of my images from the morning and afternoon. This baby Eastern Cottontail is just a small example of the days great fun. These images are all taken handholding the 600VR (except fighting bulls) and from the vehicle. The truck is the portable blind that permits us to get up close, especially to the birds and cover so many different subjects during the day. It was a great week, want to thank our campers for making it so memorable!

Photos captured by D3x, 600VR w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital film

I just love them dogs!

I always go to the Black-tailed Prairie Dog town saying I don’t need anymore images of PDs. Three hours later I have another 640 images and hating that I have to leave. Windcave’s PD town has exploded with more animals and with that increase is an increase of really great places to photograph these amazingly cute critters.

What made this particular PD my favorite for the day? You might notice the out of focus foreground and totally out of focus background. This is the kind of feel you get to a photograph when you are flat on the ground. The problem with laying on the grass to obtain this angle of view is the flees and can’t follow the PDs because of the grass itself. It’s just high enough so laying in the grass to shoot doesn’t work. So then how did I get this angle of view? You’re going to have to buy the book or come shooting with me at a PD town.

Photos captured by D3x, 600VR w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA film

The Big Boys

Besides the unique and beautiful landscape of Windcave, it grows I think some of the biggest and best looking Bison bulls. They hang in groups of 3 to a dozen and just cruise the landscape. The somewhat overcast light with just the occasional god beam that passes by is the perfect light for their dark coat and the landscape. Another advantage of Windcave is it is just you and the Bison. That is just killer! This photo is taken from the driver side window, the bulls are literally right beside the dirt road just doing what bulls do so well, eat.

Photo captured by D3x, 200-400VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

Windcave Nat'l Park

It was simply one of those great days when a number of sweet subjects graced the viewfinder. We headed into Windcave Nat’l Park, a pretty unknown place that has long been a favorite place of mine. There is a view point long ago shared to me by a dear friend that I share with others. This is the view from there.

It’s a place where you can watch the clouds float by and as they do, the holes them act as apertures painting the landscape with a spot of light. There is simply nothing finer!

Photos captured by D3x, 200-400VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

Windcave Nat’l Park

It was simply one of those great days when a number of sweet subjects graced the viewfinder. We headed into Windcave Nat’l Park, a pretty unknown place that has long been a favorite place of mine. There is a view point long ago shared to me by a dear friend that I share with others. This is the view from there.

It’s a place where you can watch the clouds float by and as they do, the holes them act as apertures painting the landscape with a spot of light. There is simply nothing finer!

Photos captured by D3x, 200-400VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

And then there was new life

Right after the sun broke we saw the ladies, the Rocky Mtn Bighorn sheep ewe group that hangs in this one spot. We saw four briefly before like ghosts, the disappeared into the sandstone formations. After a little looking with no luck, like good wildlife photographers, we went to breakfast.

We came back (that’s key) to find six ewes and TWO brand new lambs. For the next 3.5hrs, we had the greatest show on earth play out in front of us. There wasn’t any part of the lamb biology we didn’t see AND photograph.  One thing we learned is the lambs had more than one mom, at least one lamb feed from a couple different ewes. That’s really the best part, watching and learning! It was simply great. Wednesday didn’t end until 11PM making it a long day, but it was well worth every minute!

Photos captured by D3x, 600VR w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital film

It is the spot for sunrise!

By 03:00 we were on the road, heading east to the Badlands. It is a magical place! It is the best spot I know of for sunrise. Here you can see the sun coming up only minutes after sunrise via HDR.

And as the sun came up, the clouds which blanketed the landscape began to wisp away. In the process, they left behind some gorgeous views.

As the clouds worked their magic, I hit the road, walking up and down the grade to find the foreground that worked best with the ever changing sky. Besides stretching my legs, I enjoyed the challenge of finding the right foreground.

While it lasted for over 45min, it was over too soon for me. The Badlands are these very cool formations created in sandstore and when the have the right skies, there simply is no better place to shoot.

Photos captured by D3x, 14-24AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

Then the storm passed

Our first couple of days, the temps cranked up. The downside is the hard light at times, the upside are the afternoon thunderstorms. Tuesday the clouds broke without leaving a drop but they did leave a great spectacle.

And when they go, they go! These two images were taken just minutes apart but as you can see, the clouds changed a lot in that time. With including the sun hiding behind a cloud, my HDR technique had to be used to hold the range of light. That was important to me because of the focal point in the sky that sun brought to the overal pattern of the clouds.

Photos captured by D3x, 14-24AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

And then the sweetner is added

It’s 10:30, the light is burning a whole in the earth. You’ve had a good lunch and you’re just dying to make the click of the morning. Making lemonade is still in the recipe holder. Coming back from breakfast we ignored the cute prairie dogs in suckie light, blow off the pronghorn that is right next to the road for the same reason and head to the one place where we might make a click, the fence row. We switch out our big game lens and go with the bird lens. We have -1 exp comp dialed and, f/8 set and then we cruise. We stop for this bird and that, both giving us the cold cheek and then we find this one Western Meadowlark happy to pose and sing. Click, click. The morning is now sweetened!

Photo captured by D3x, 600VR w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital film

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