Jul 16, 2009 | Wildlife Photography
01.01.2013 Pages are in the process of being updated. In the meantime you can watch our videos on our YouTube Channel as well as all Videos are available on iTunes as Podcasts!
Here’s the 2nd in the two part series of Moose Cam from our Texas bird shoot earlier this summer. This was shot at the premier raptor blind in North America. The main show is the Crested Caracara and Harris Hawk. Previously, I had only photographed the Caracara here, the Harris illuded my lens. Not this time! The Harris Hawks performed, performed and performed. As you’ll hear, we shot a lot at this blind. And besides the two raptors, other birds come in which make for great photography as well. In fact, a very special bird came in and posed. Who? You’ll just have to watch.
Like Pt1, Pt2 has a bit of TLC put into the final production. Hope you enjoy it. And if you want to experience this amazing photography for yourself, come join us next June when we do it all over again!
Photos captured y D3x, 600VR w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital film
Jul 15, 2009 | Wildlife Photography
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DMLBECG5456.swf, 396, 600 [/swf]
We’re getting ready to go north again, heading to Brooks so Sharon can camp with griz (she really loves that now). We’re going to be there for a week so there’s a few things to get ready, checked out and packed so all we do is have fun while at Brooks. We won’t be able to ship stuff up to ourselves because of our travel schedule, so everything we need has to go with us. You probably think that since we do this so much, heck, camped with the griz just last summer at McNeil, it’s kinda no-brainer for us. Well…..
What’s changed in a year? The first thing is, I’m older so we have a little bigger high country tent that it a bit taller. I learned from last time that normal luggage doesn’t work well at Brooks (pictured here are the luggage handlers), so we had some new waterproof duffles made for us at Nomar. The m4300 Dell has been replaced with the m4400. All new battery usage, time table to learn. While we have a new tent, it doesn’t come with a 120v plug. So testing for battery consumption goes on as I type. Being tired of buying notebook specific batteries, I’m trying a new external battery that I’ll report about later. New is the Moose Cam, dealing with its power and storage is something new to the mix. Then there is the main thing, photography.
I’ve not been to Brooks for eight years, alot has changed photographically since then. The last time I was shooting there it was with a D1 and 400f2.8AFS. Now it’s the D3x & D3, FX rather than DX so that begs the question, which lens to take? We’re going to be up with my shooting bud Kevin Dobler and his wife. Kevin & I have worked Brooks twice before together. After looking at my images from previous trips (something I always do prior to heading out) and talking it over with Kevin, right this moment I’m not sure which lens I’m taking, 600VR, 200-400VR or both. I’ve shot there previously with the 300f2.8 and 400f2.8 with an effective focal length of 450mm and 600mm. Since everything has to go up there on my back, I’m not sure what to do. It will be a couple of long days thinking…..
Photos captured by D1, 300f2.8AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film
Jul 14, 2009 | Wildlife Photography
01.01.2013 Pages are in the process of being updated. In the meantime you can watch our videos on our YouTube Channel as well as all Videos are available on iTunes as Podcasts!
Earlier this summer, Jake & I spent an amazing week in Texas on the border photographing birds (which is why we’re going back). I started off with good intentions of doing a running Moose Cam during the whole week. Well, after the 1st day, I realized I really didn’t have what I needed to make a video and shoot stills at the same time. It was either one or the other so, the video stopped after the first day.
But what I got the first day doesn’t suck, it most definitely does more than give you a feel for the great photography the Valley provides on a daily basis. This is pretty much your classic small bird blind set up with water being the main attraction for the birds. You’ll find these (this is part 1 of a two part series) Moose Cams are a little different then previous versions. How, well you’ll just have to watch to find out. Enjoy!
Photos captured by D3x, 600VR w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital fiml
Moose Cam captured by Canon HF-10 on Lexar digital film
Jul 13, 2009 | Wildlife Photography
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DBSRK0030.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
The Red Knot’s amazing congregation and feasting on the Delaware Bay has long been on my bucket list to see and photograph. This little colorful shorebird makes one hell of a journey twice a year. On its way north, it depends on refueling at Delaware Bay and the Horseshoe Crab annual coming ashore to lay its eggs. I’ve seen some amazing photos come from there. The Red Knot though isn’t doing so well, and Delaware Bay doesn’t sound like it’s faring much better. You might want to give this a read and put it on your calendar for next spring. I know I have now.
This photo is a real small flock of Red Knots coming in for a landing on Pass-a-Grille Beach, FL. I was laying down on the job when I made this photo, using a Panning Plate to get a bird’s eye view of life on the sand. I went low because as you can see, the sea mist was pretty heavy and the color of the water (the background at any angle except low) had an icky color. So down I went. I located myself in a locale where the shorebirds seem to be feeding so I just waited for them to come to me.
Photo captured by D3, 600VR on Lexar UDMA digital film
Jul 10, 2009 | Wildlife Photography
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DBCBG0522.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
Really, I’m supposed to be working, writing like a mad man! At 08:28 Sharon says, “I hear her clucking outside!” We look and sure enough, the Blue Grouse family is back in the meadow. Didn’t see them yesterday but with the road work and gardeners next door, not too surprising. Today is a nice quiet day (which is why I’m supposed to be writing) and perfect to take the kids for a stroll.
Well I grabbed the 200-400, headed out the garage and around the house to find mom on the edge of the meadow just looking around. I got right up on her, 12′ away and she really didn’t care. In fact, at one point she hopped down from where you see her here to the driveway and walked up to me to check me out. I looked, she didn’t have a camera.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DBCBG0694.swf, 392, 600 [/swf]
After a while I headed back in to find Jake shooting out his window with his 6. I looked out to see the female had come around and was point blank in front of his window. Jake was smart enough to have his SB-800 up and firing. I asked if I could plug into his 6 for a moment to get a shot. This is what you saw from his vantage point. And as I made a quick couple of clicks so I could give Jake his lens back, in the background I heard explosions. I turned around to see Jarhead playing on his TV. It’s just another rough day at the office!
Photos captured by D3x, 200-400 (handheld) / 600AFS II on Lexar UDMA digital film
Jul 9, 2009 | Wildlife Photography
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_BMP00677.swf, 585, 414 [/swf]
Where most folks have a lawn in their front yard, we’ve planted a meadow with over 30 native plants. Besides making more time on Saturdays (no lawn to mow), this time of the year we call it the nursery with all the baby animals that call its thick growth home. I ventured out this afternoon to the deck and looked down on the meadow to find a female Blue Grouse. It’s only the 2nd time we had them in our yard (last time over a decade ago). Well, I ran in the house, Jake focused in on the bird from his window with his 6 while I ran to get a camera. Not too soon later, I got an eye in the viewfinder.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_BMP01237.swf, 585, 414 [/swf]
After I made a complete circle around the meadow to get a shot, Mom came around out in the open and then hopped up on the stump to take a gander around. Blue Grouse aren’t the brightest of birds, they are hunted in some places with a bow & arrow. It wasn’t too much after taking this photo that Sharon called out chicks. From my vantage point, I couldn’t see down into the deep cover. But sure enough, there were two chicks with mom but there was no way to get any glass on them.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_BMP02327.swf, 585, 414 [/swf]
After a long while, mom took the family for a stroll as they kept moseying along their way. The chicks came scooting out of cover and stuck to the shadows for quite a while. Then finally they had to make a break across an opening and for a moment, one of the chicks stepped into the only drop of sun in the area. It was great fun for an hour even if the shutter speed never got above 1/45, made a couple of fun clicks.
Photos captured by D3x, 200-400VR (handheld) on Lexar UDMA digital film
