Cedar Waxwing

by Michael

This weekend I was treated to a beautiful bird, the Cedar Waxwing.  This is the first time I have photographed these birds in my local area, but certainly not the first time they have been here.  The truth is that until I became more interested in wildlife photography, there were a lot of critters in my area which I just never noticed.

Saturday, Karen and I returned to LLELA once again for some hiking and photo practice.  I can’t allow myself to get out of the habit of lugging that 600 around or when the time comes, I could end up face-down in the mud on a paid vacation (ouch).  Instead, I’ll take every opportunity to go out and hike and practice.

On this day, the wildlife (birds) were pretty scarce.  We saw a few robins and cardinals that were simply too quick, and I saw some form of a woodpecker, but it was too far away for me to capture adequately so I’ll save it for another day.  But after finishing one trail and about to begin a second, I noticed a bunch of “flitty” birds doing what they do, flitting, around a couple of trees near the pavilion.  As I focused my lens on them, I realized they were cedar waxwings!  As they flitted around  here, I managed to capture a few decent frames of them.  They were really going after those berries on the trees.

Not bad, but photographically, very cluttered, and a bit too far away from the subject.  All those twiggy branches distract from the beauty that is the cedar waxwing.

After spending some time there clicking away, trying to get a better shot, we headed down the next trail.  This trail was shaded and therefore has a little less harsh light, and we were greeted with more waxwings.  What luck.  A second chance with better light.  After chasing a couple of them around the branches for a while, I finally got some shots that I was happy with.  This shot was my favorite of the day.

The darker background, along with some fill flash, helps bring out the bird more clearly in this photo.  And while I liked how it is looking at me over its shoulder, I really wanted a more front-facing shot.  That however, was not to be.  They kept their back to me, no matter which direction I came at them from.

Could this shot have been better?  Sure.  I could have done without the twigs coming out of the bird’s head and the berries could have been more in focus, but the beauty of the bird makes up for some of that.  Some days, you take what you can get.  For all the faults of this shot, it is still one of my favorites.

 

Ft Worth Nature Center

by Michael

Today, Karen and I woke up early and headed over to the Ft Worth Nature Center to be there when they opened the gates at 8am.  I had been told that a bald eagle had been spotted down around the river area and I thought we’d try our luck at finding it.

When we got to the gates, there were a few other vehicles waiting for them to open, and a few guys in camo standing around talking.  The sky was completely overcast and it was still in the 40s, but I got out and tried to strike up a conversation.  I could tell by the beanbag mounts on their doors that these guys were photographers, and the way they were dressed, they appeared to be looking for wildlife.  I tried to ask them about the best locations to shoot here, but they didn’t appear willing to share any of their “secret” places with me.  That was a first for me.  Ever other time I have met photographers out and about, they were more than willing to share whatever they knew.  These guys must be a different breed of photographer.  When I asked if they were with a specific group of anything one of them looked at me and said, “a photography group” as if to say “well duh!”  I got the hint.

About that time the lady came to open the gate and we entered the area.  We drove along the river and our first stop was the boardwalk at the marsh area.  As we were approaching the bird blind on the boardwalk, I looked over to notice a deer crossing the river.  I hurriedly set up my tripod and was able to capture a few frames before it was all the way across!

While still at the marsh boardwalk, I spotted a red-shouldered hawk on a tree near the bank of the river.  His feathers were being blown by the wind and even he looked a little chilled.  He stuck around for quite a while before finally flying away.  Gave us plenty of opportunities to capture his image.

As we began to leave the boardwalk, Karen pointed out a large white bird that was flying right at us.  I looked through the 600 and wasn’t really sure, but it looked like a pelican.  I wasn’t sure because I’ve never captured one before, but as it got closer, (and as I found later when I looked it up), it is indeed an American Pelican.  These guys can get large with a wing span of up to 9 feet!  This one flew right at me and at one point was so large in the viewfinder he no longer fit!

But it wasn’t enough for just this one pelican.  There was a whole flock of them.  At one point they flew right over our heads, at which point I was glad they weren’t mad at us for any reason.  I did capture this shot of a few of them flying in formation.

One last bird as we were leaving the marsh area.  This little song sparrow was sitting on the high grass just a singing away.  The cold and gray sky didn’t seem to darken his spirits any.

From here, we drove around a bit and found “Prarie Dog Town”.  I knew I was going to be in trouble here.  I have this thing for small, cute, critters, and sure enough, I shot quite a few frames at this location.  I just couldn’t get enough of these little guys.  Every time I would get a shot that I really liked, they would turn around and do something else cute.  So, here are a few of the many shots that I took.

 

And what could be cuter than the husband prarie dog kissing his wife good-bye as he leaves for work.

Okay, enough silliness.  Our next stop was Greer Island.  Yes, there is a sign as you cross over to the island that alligators have in fact been seen in the area, but we didn’t see any today.  I’m guessing that the cold water has those cold-blooded creatures looking for warmer climates right about now.

Hoping to see some more bird life, we were quietly waking through the woods on the island, when all the sudden, we hear a loud voice and then the sound of little girls screaming (playing).  Yep, all the birds flew away.  Luckily, once things calmed down again, I did happen to catch the sound of a downy woodpecker doing his business on the side of a tree.

And finally, as we were leaving the island to conclude our visit I spotted a great blue heron on the shore of the island.  He was just hanging out at the edge of the water as ducks swam by.  One last picture before we left.

All in all, not a bad day.  Got to explore some new places, and even through it was cold and the sun refused to shine, I was still able to find some photo-worthy opportunities.  If nothing else, the Prarie  dogs alone were worth the trip! And speaking of prarie dogs, one more before we go…

These guys are just too cute.  I could stay there and shoot these guys all day long.

All photos taken with the Canon 7D and the Canon 600mmL f/4 IS usm lens

New Years Day: Northern Harrier

by Michael

I began the year with a drive over to the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA).  Karen planned on some hiking, but I planned on shooting something while I walked, so I brought my big gun with me!

For the most part, the walk was void of any photographable wildlife.  We walked the Redbud trail, hoping to catch a look at some hawks hunting in the open field area, but all we saw were some vultures flying high and far away from us.  So, we diverted over to the Cicada trail which is more wooded.

On the Cicada trail, there were plenty of birds, mostly Cardinals, but they were very flighty and just were not sitting still long enough for me to focus on them.  By the time I spotted them, they were flying into the woods.  At one point we heard a woodpecker but it remained hidden from our view.  But from the sounds of the hammering, I’m betting it was the last of the Ivory-billed Woodpeckers!  At least that’s my story until I actually see it.  That $10,000 reward will buy some nice new photo equipment someday!  Smile

After shooting a few sparrows and a robin, we continued hiking and finished the trail.  We were considering aborting the rest of the day and heading home.  I was beginning to regret bringing the heavy lens when we we saw what appeared to be a raptor making lazy circles over the grass of the Lewisville Lake dam.  As we waited in the parking lot, it got closer, and I exit the vehicle and the 600mm lens comes back out as this beautiful Northern Harrier  begins hunting in the grass right in front of us.

As we watch, this beautiful creature goes up and down the dam getting close and going far.  I take the opportunity to practice using the big lens, firing away trying to hone in on the proper technique for capturing birds in flight.  Normally it doesn’t seem that hard, but when you are shooting with a lens then big, and the bird is actually this close to you, following the action is harder than it looks.  Finally, when all was said and done, I did end up with a few keepers.

So, never think the day is over until the day is over.  Had we just gotten in the vehicle and drove off, we would have missed this beautiful sight.  You just never know what God is going to place right in front of your eyes.  Don’t blink and miss it.

All photographs taken with the Canon 7D and Canon EF 600mm f/4 IS USM, and Canon Extender 1.4X II, mounted on a Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod and Jobu BWG-HD gimbal head with Really Right Stuff long-lens support package.