Posts in Category: action
Crane coming in…
Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache NWR, Socorro New Mexico
Yesterday morning, before the winds came up, the light was beautiful at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge south of Socorro, New Mexico. A large group of Sandhill Cranes was feeding along the north end of the Tour Loop, where the refuge staff had knocked down standing corn for them. It was next to a field of winter wheat, planed by one of the families that farms the Bosque on shares, and there was much coming and going between the fields. I caught this Sandhill coming in above the wheat. You get a real sense of the power of these big birds which their matching wingspan.
Sony RX10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. My specialized Birds in Flight Mode, using Continuous Focus, with the Auto ISO set to provide a minimum 1/1000th second exposure. Processed in PhotoShop Express on my Android tablet.
Snow Geese at dawn
Snow Geese, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge south of Socorro, New Mexico
One of the most popular activities at the Festival of the Cranes at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is, believe it or not, to get up at 4am to be at the Refuge in time to stand in the cold beside a body of water in the dark and wait for the sunrise. Generally, if you have picked your spot correctly, just before the sun crests the horizon, the Snow Geese will rise from the water and fly off to feed in fields deeper in the Refuge, followed shortly but the Sandhill Cranes. Seeing the Geese and Cranes rise in the dawn light is what brings the folks out that early, and it is indeed an experience not to be missed. I do it once at least on each visit. Yesterday I actually taught a workshop and had 4 other intrepid souls with cameras beside me at the pond in the dark, and were amply rewarded.
This is a small flock of Snow (and Ross’) Geese moving just as the first light came into the sky. Sony RX10iii. Program Mode. Processed in PhotoShop Express on my Android tablet.
Snow Geese Rising
Snow and Ross” Geese, Bosque del Apache NWR near Socorro New Mexico
After my morning workshop at Bosque del Apache’s Festival of the Cranes (Intro to Point and Shoot Nature Photography) I went out for a quick drive around the Refuge Tour Loop. There are not a lot of Snow and Ross’ Geese in yet (too warm still north of here), but what there were were all on the main Flight Deck Pond near the entrance station. I pulled over to get a few pics. I was isolating a Snow Goose with 1200mms (using Clear Image Zom) when the Geese suddenly rose and took flight. I swung the camera up and caught this close up of the rise. The circled long enough so I got many more shots of them in the air, but this one catches the sheer energy better than most. 🙂
Sony RX10iii at 1200mm equivalent field of view. Program Mode. Processed in PhotoShop Express on my Android tablet.
Black-tailed Jackrabbit
Black-tailed Jackrabbit, Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, Cochiti, New Mexico
We spent the day at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument in Cochiti, New Mexico yesterday. We finished the day’s hiking (which is to say my legs had had enough) by about 2:30, and had a dinner appointment in Albuquerque at 5:30 so we had some time. I sat at a picnic table and processed pictures from the day on my tablet. As it was getting time to think about moving on, Carol, who was in the car knitting, leaned out the window and said, “look to your left.” I obeyed, and there was a Black-tailed Jackrabbit sitting not 20 feet away in a patch of sun. By the time I got my camera out, it had moved closer, and it kept coming until it was sitting about 12 feet from my table. I, of course, took way too many pictures. 🙂 The Jackrabbit is actually a hare, the third largest in North America, and is certainly an impressive beast. Compared to a Desert Cottontail, which shares its habitat, it is huge…heavy and dominated by those very large ears and the equally as large eye. Impressive.
Sony RX10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. Program Mode. Processed in PhotoShop Express on my Android tablet.
Cedar Waxwings at Arroyo Hondo
Cedar Waxwings, Arroyo Hondo Open Space, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
We went walking at Arroyo Hondo Open Space on the southeastern edge of Santa Fe yesterday morning. While the more vigorous hikers did the loop down toward the stream, I took the trail that stops gently up to the top of the hill, and was rewarded by a flock of 30-40 Cedar Waxwings. They circled around the hill several times, just close enough to see what they were, and then settled in interior of a large bushy pine. They remained there, buried in the foliage, but I was able to walk up relatively closely and catch them through the branches when they perched in slightly more open spots. There are 4 in this shot.
Sony RX10iii. 600MM equivalent field of view. In-camera HDR. Processed in PhotoShop Express on my Android tablet.
Blue Dasher at Santa Ana
Blue Dasher, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Alamo Texas
We are in New Mexico to visit our daughter and work the Festival of the Cranes, but yesterday was a travel day so today’s Pic still comes from Texas. The birding was somewhat slow at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge south of Alamo Texas when I visited last week, but there were lots of Butterflies and Dragonflies. This Blue Dasher posed nicely on its twig, giving me a good close up portrait of the face and wings.
Sony RX10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. Program Mode. Processed in PhotoShop Express on my Android tablet.
Tusker
Bull Elephant, Kruger National Park, South Africa
This good sized male Elephant at Kruger National Park looped his trunk up over his tusk while on the march. I am not sure if this a common behavior…I only saw it this once…but it seems like it might take some of the strain off the prehensile muscles while on the move.
Sony RX10iii at 165mm equivalent field of view. 1/500th @ ISO 100 @ f4. Processed in Lightroom.
Hippo grazing
Hippopotamus, Kruger National Park, South Africa
I somewhat maligned the Hippopotamus yesterday when I included it among Africa’s Big Five…the five animals that have no fear of a man on foot, and therefore are considered “dangerous game”. The fifth member of that group is actually the Cape Buffalo. However, as was pointed out to us several times during our stay, the Hippo kills more people in South Africa every year than any of the actual members of the Big Five. They are not aggressive at all, but you do not want to be caught between a Hippo and the water when Hippos are on the move, or between a Hippo mother and her calf at any time.
This image represents a somewhat rare sighting. Hippos have very sensitive skin, and can not stand long exposure to the direct sun, which is why they spend the day submerged in water, and only graze at night. Conditions in Kruger are so bad that this Hippo was out in full daylight, looking for food. Sadly the remaining grasses of Kruger after their long drought can not support the numbers of Hippos in the park. Dead Hippos are becoming a common sight in Kruger as they are dying of starvation at up 30 per week. The day I left South Africa they made the heartbreaking decision to cull 300 Hippos in Kruger and distribute the meat to surrounding villages. This image brings mixed feelings, to say the least.
Sony RX10iii at 485mm equivalent field of view. 1/250th @ ISO 250 @ f4. Processed in Lightroom.
Dwarf Mongoose
Dwarf Mongoose, Tshukudu Game Reserve, South Africa
We visited Tshukudu Game Lodge on the Tshakudu Game Reserve for a sundowner game drive…an afternoon/early evening excursion into the bush of Tshukudu. Tshukudu has the big five…the five African animals what do not fear a man on foot…Elephant, Rhino, Hippo, Lion, and Leopard…but the animals I liked best were the Dwarf Mongoose, seen here doing what Mongooses do in a pile of Elephant dung. Like all Mongooses, the Dwarf is a very social animal, and their interaction with each other, and with the world, is very interesting to watch. As you see, this is a late light shot, maybe a half hour before sunset, and I like the way the oblique sun lights the Mongooses (Mongeese?…no I don’t think so) and the dung.
Sony RX10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. 1/250th @ ISO 200 @ f4. Processed and cropped slightly for composition in Lightroom.
Elephants in the bath
Elephants, Kruger National Park, South Africa
As I have mentioned before, Kruger National Park is suffering the worst drought in a generation right now. It is easy to find Elephants. They are clustered around any water source. This dam is one of the few that still has standing water, and the Elephants come to drink and bath. Elephants love mud. They coat their hides with it daily, I assume as some protection from the sun. It is fascinating to watch these huge creatures apparently at play in the water.
Sony RX10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. 1/640th @ ISO 100 @ f4. Processed and cropped slightly in Lightroom.