Posts in Category: New Jersey
Big Grey at Lighthouse State Park
Friday was the only day in Cape May during CMBO’s Autumn Weekend Festival with decent light, and it did not really get bright until 10am when I already had to be at the Convention Center for set up. Still I took the trail early that runs out over the boardwalk behind the Hawk Watch at Lighthouse State Park, past the pond, and on around through the newly manicured pine forest, across the marsh again on boardwalks, past the second pond, and back around below the dunes and behind the pond by the Hawk Watch Platform. It is always further than I think it is, and takes more time, especially if you stop for any photography.
None the less, I could not resist stopping for this acrobatic Grey Squirrel in the pine forest section of the trail. It was making a big deal of scampering up and down a tree trunk about 15 feet from the trail, taking very obvious exception to my being there, but unwilling, for some reason, to give up its tree. Everything is still an experiment with this new camera (Canon SX50HS), and the light was not bright enough to really hope for sharp shots of this rapidly moving critter (or even accurate focus)…but still…I shot off several different bursts and was able to sort 3 keepers from the lot. Not bad at all.
I especially like the bright yellow green leaf behind the squirrel that completes the composition.
Canon SX50HS. Program with auto iContrast and Shadow Fill. 1800mm equivalent field of view. f6.5 @ 1/60th @ ISO 800. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.
Terns on the Wing
In the same murky dawn light as I found the Gannets in on Saturday, ahead of Hurricane Sandy, in Cape May New Jersey, there were terns fishing. The Gannets in-close were a surprise, but, of course, I expect the terns in Cape May.
These are Forester’s Terns, as were most of the terns fishing along the beach that morning. Despite the dim light I was practicing with the Sports Mode on the Canon SX50HS. I really need to find some birds in flight in decent light to see how it really works. (I will be in New Mexico at Bosque del Apache NWR next month. Maybe there 🙂
Canon SX50HS. Sports Mode. 1200mm equivalent field of view. f6.5 @ 1/640th @ ISO 800.
Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.
The top image benefits from a larger view. Click on the image to open it in the lightbox on WideEyedInWonder.
Gannets in the Dawn: Happy Sunday!
Most days in the fall, with binoculars or a spotting scope, you can see Northern Gannets off the beach in Cape May, New Jersey. They are generally fishing the waters well beyond naked-eye view. You might catch a glimmer of white from the winds as they turn, a shimmer on the horizon, but it is mostly faith that brings the binoculars or the scope up to scan the distance for these magnificent birds. And faith is generally rewarded. They are out there most days.
The Northern Gannet is a big bird. It is a yard long, with five to six foot wings, and weighs six and a half pounds. That is very heavy for a bird. They nest in the North Atlantic, almost 70% on rocky islands off the UK. I have seen at least one pair nesting as far south as Machias Island, off Rockland Maine, but that was very unusual. Generally they only enter US waters in late fall, through the winter, and into early spring. They spread down the US coast and around the Caribbean and just into Mexican waters. And as I say, they generally fish well out to sea, diving from a hundred feet in the air, completely submerging with a splash that could easily be mistaken for a whale spouting, coming back to the surface and taking flight with any prey.
Saturday morning, the coming storm (Hurricane Sandy is scheduled to make landfall right over Cape May on Tuesday morning) had driven the Gannets in, and there were hundreds of them…more likely thousands of them…visible just off-shore just after dawn. I watched them from the top of the dune behind the The Meadows (The Nature Conservancy’s Cape May Migratory Bird Sanctuary) and then walked out to a hundred yards from the tide line for even closer views. I had never seen so many Gannets so close. There were two local birders out there on the beach and they had never seen so many Gannets so close either.
The first image is a group of Gannets fishing what as apparently a fairly concentrated school of fish just off the beach and between me and the sunrise (well buried in clouds). (The line of birds low in the frame are Scoters.) The light was a challenge. It was after dawn but the heavy clouds kept it pretty dim. I switched to Sports mode for some flight shots, but again these images are pushing the boundaries of what is possible. They look pretty good at this size, but you would not be impressed if you viewed them 1 to 1 on a large monitor. They look more like clever drawings than photographs at that size…and, in essence, they are just that. The camera’s software used the data collected by the sensor to draw an image of the bird using tiny little dots of color…and in this light, there was barely enough data. Still, considering the conditions, and the difficulty of flight shots in the first place, I am pretty happy with the results.
And for the Sunday Thought: this new camera has features that are constantly tempting me to attempt the impossible. Really the light Saturday morning was just too dim for flight shots, to dim and flat for photography of any kind. A conventional DSLR and long lens (half the 1200mm focal length of the zoom on the Canon SX50HS) would have had extreme difficulty finding focus on these moving birds in the dawn murk. Yet, in Sports Mode, the SX50HS locked on, and, despite my lack of practice with flying birds, I was able to frame and follow the birds as I shot bursts of 10 frames. Sports Mode automatically pushes the ISO to 800 and above to give faster shutter speeds, and switches in 5 frames per second burst mode with focus between frames.
Considering what the camera had to deal with, I have no right to quibble with the results. These images would not have been possible at all without the advanced features of this little Point & Shoot Super-zoom. So when I blow them up very large and look very close, and see the less than perfect rendering, I try to remember not to compare them to what I had hoped to see…but to compare them to no image at all! By that standard, they are pretty good indeed.
Shifting to a spiritual view, I am thinking that we need to be tempted to attempt the spiritually impossible more often…you know, things like unconditional love, absolute generosity, self-less giving and self-less living, and even intimacy with the pure light of creation. The best we might manage is enough to make a rough sketch of the reality of those experiences, but then, we should remember to judge those sketches, rough and imperfect as they must be when we blow them up large and look close, by the standard of how they compare to no sketch at all. A very rough rendering in action of unconditional love would transform most of us…and any attempt at self-less giving and self-less living has to be more satisfying than the alternative. And just the tiniest glimpse of the pure light of creation, filtered through the imperfect medium of our lives and haltingly shared with others, is so much better than the darkness of unbelief!
We have to be thankful for any image of Gannets against the dawn.
Coop at Cape May!
The weather could have better when I got to Cape May yesterday. By the time I got out onto the boardwalk behind the Hawk Watch at Lighthouse State Park, at 4PM, it was pretty dark. There were a fair number of birds, mostly Yellow-rumped Warblers, but they were skitterish…never staying in one place for more than a few seconds. Challenging photographic conditions and I am still learning the new camera.
And then, of course, being Cape May, this Cooper’s Hawk flew up into the tree right above my head, and sat there while I took way too many shots. It even let me sidle along the boardwalk for a clearer shot through the branches. Very nice! It was dark. The bird was against the grey sky. Not the best conditions, but it does not matter how bad the light or the angle, when a Coop lands that close and sits, you take pictures!
I got to try all the various focal lengths available, from 2400mm (2x digital tel-converter function, as above) back down to the 1200mm optical zoom.
Canon SX50HS. Program with auto iContrast and Shadow Fill. 2400mm, 1200mm, 1800mm, and 2400mm. f6.5 @ 1/160th – 1/400th @ ISO 125-400. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness. All shots required some purple fringe removal.
5/31/2012: Red Admirals Everywhere
There seem to be Red Admiral Butterflies everywhere this year. Due to the mild winter across much of North America the Red Admirals migrated north faster and further than normal, and in greater numbers. The individuals we are seeing in Maine are pretty worn, and travel weary.
The first two shots are from my yard this week. The next shot is from Cape May New Jersey, also a very worn butterfly.
Then we have a Red Admiral from Magee Marsh in Ohio, also a migrant (Like the Painted Lady, Red Admirals have to recolonize much of North America each year), but looking much fresher! However, according to the wiki on the species, this may be a butterfly that is fresh out of hibernation, as they are known for deeper colors in the spring.
Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation. 1) 1240mm equivalent field of view (840mm optical plus 1.5x digital tel-extender function), f5.8 @ 1/500th @ ISO 100. 2) 1240mm equivalent, f5.8 @ 1/800th @ ISO 160. 3) 1680mm (2x digital tel-extender) equivalent, f5.8 @ 1/500th @ ISO 125. 4) 1680mm equivalent, f5.8 @ 1/640th @ ISO 160.
Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.
5/16/2012: Shy Seaside Rabbit. Cape May NJ
The seaside rabbits of Cape May New Jersey are famous, at least in my mind, for their nonchalance around humans. At Lighthouse State Park, long the trails behind the Hawk Watch, and below the dunes at The Meadows (Cape May Migratory Bird Sanctuary), the rabbits go about their business pretty much without regard for human traffic. If you get too close, say inside 6 feet, they just kind of hop our of sight…no rush…but they don’t want to be stepped on. I have never seen one run.
That makes bunny photography very easy in Cape May. This was late in the day, getting on towards supper time, and on trail behind the Hawk Watch at Lighthouse State Park.
As you see, my rabbit friend was aware of me, but not overly concerned. Just keeping an eye on me out of the corner of his eye. I like the rich detail in the fur in these shots. It makes me what to reach out and touch it, and gives the illusion that I might.
The final shot is my closest approach. After that shot he ambled into the deeper grass.
Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation. 1) 3) and 4) 840mm equivalent field of view. f5.8 @ 1/200th @ ISO 160 and 200. 2) 526mm equivalent. ff.8 @ 1/160th @ ISO 160.
Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.
5/14/2012: Black Swallowtail, the Beanery, Cape May
Let us continue yesterday’s theme (of beautiful butterflies) one day more. I found this stunning Black Swallowtail while birding the Beanery in Cape May. On the way in it eluded me, flitting from clover to clover ever deeper into the field of tall grass where I was not following for fear of the voracious Cape May ticks. But on the way out, it lit just far enough from the mowed path so that I could reach it with my Canon at the long end of the zoom plus 2x digital tel-extender. Nice!
The Black Swallowtail is not an uncommon butterfly, occurring over most of North America, but this is only maybe the second I have seen, and my first photographs.
Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation. Both at 1344mm equivalent field of view (using the 2x digital tel-extender). 1) f5.8 @ 1/500th @ ISO 200. 2) f5.8 @ 1/200th @ ISO 125.
Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.
5/13/2012: Red-spotted Purple. Happy Sunday!
Yesterday, while the real teams were racking up species for the World Series of Birding competition all over the state of New Jersey, I did an unofficial and informal photographic Big Day in Cape May. The World Series Teams (and we are talking hundreds of teams in this 29th run of the event) count all the bird species they can see or reliably hear between midnight and midnight on a Saturday each May. They collect pledges from friends and family (and the public at large) for each species they count, and the money goes to good conservation causes. The winners of the various divisions get bragging rights and a trophy. And everyone has a lot of fun.
I, on the other hand, spent the day trying to photograph as many bird species as I could. There used to be a photographic division, but it has lapsed. I too had a lot of fun. I only photographed 30 species or so, but I was not, honestly, trying as hard as I might, I did not get out until 8am and came back to process at 5, and I set myself a location limit of a “reasonable drive” from my hotel. Still, I had a lot of fun.
One of the places I visited was the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge. This is a kind of unknown refuge, made up a scattering of isolated parcels in South Jersey. They have built a headquarters on one of the parcels and a few trails on few more. I hiked the Songbird trail near the headquarters off Route 47 north of Rio Grande and south of Goshen.
As I was hiking, I came on what looked like a jet black butterfly. It was staying high in the trees and was constantly in motion so it was hard to see. I really hoped it would light so I could get a look at it, but it disappeared deeper into the tree line between my trail and the fields beyond. I hiked on.
The Songbird tail was billed as .6 mile loop, and it looked pretty straight forward on the map. It crossed the road by the headquarters and entered a stand of forest that belongs to the Nature Conservancy. In there it got kind of sketchy, with blue blazes on the trees and not much else. After hiking what seemed like a very long way without any sign that it was returning to my car, I turned around and headed back. I figured I could check the tree where the butterfly was on my way.
And it was there! I saw it in flight first again, but it settled on a branch just at eyelevel and I was able to study and photograph it to my heart’s content. It was new to me. Not really black, as you see from the photograph, but dark blue/purple with an electric blue trailing edge and red/orange spots on the fringe of the wings. It was a big butterfly…not quite Monarch size, but close. Spectacular!
Of course I had to look it up when I got back to the car. I had my Xoom Tablet with me with my Audubon Guides installed, and I found it fairly easily. Red-spotted Purple!
Back at the hotel, after processing the images, I was checking my identification and I kept finding images of the Red-spotted Purple in groups with the White Admiral. Finally I found a site that explained that the Red-spotted Purple and the White Admiral are two radically distinct forms of the same species. The species range is from the artic south across much of North America, with isolated populations in the mountains of the southwest deserts and even into Mexico, but the two forms are divided north/south along a line that follows the US/Canada boarder and splits New England. I live north of the line, where the White Admiral is the common form. New Jersey is, clearly, south of the line where the Red-spotted Purple predominates.
And just to confuse matters, there is a Black Admiral butterfly common over this whole range that is not part of the complex. White Admiral (Maine) and Black Admiral (Ohio) shown below.
Such a lot to learn! And such beautiful creatures.
And for the Sunday thought. I told this whole long story because it is a good example of what delights me most about birding and bugging and photography and life in general. If the Songbird trail had done as it was billed, I would have hiked on back to the car and never seen the “black” butterfly again. But it did not, and I did not, and I did! Even after turning around, the likelihood of seeing the butterfly a second time…and of its settling so I could photograph it…was marginal at best. Vanishingly small in the cosmic perspective. And yet I did, and it did, and I did.
I don’t believe in chance or coincidence. And I don’t believe in determinism, either mechanistic or divine…not even if you dress it up and call it fate. But I do believe in what might be called, for lack of a better word, cooperation. I believe in an intelligence in the universe that is expressed throughout what we call nature. I believe that intelligence is personal. We have, by grace, a relationship. I believe that intelligence is loving, and wants me to be both good and happy. And, finally, I believe that to be good and happy, all I need to do is cooperate. I need to do what that intelligent, loving person is doing…do my bit of what is, in a cosmic sense, happening. I don’t have to. There is no compulsion. But when I do, I feel good (and this is case where that is grammatically correct), and I am happy.
So, following my feelings that the trail was too long and too vague, I turned around. The Red-spotted Purple was waiting. That is cooperation, not coincidence in my universe! All I can say is thank you.
And get a load of the white racing strips on the head parts!
3/19/2012: Total Turtle, The Goshen Center, Cape May Bird Observatory
It was not a great weekend for photography in Cape May New Jersey this past weekend. Watery sun inland and fog along the coast, and it is definetly still that awkward season between winter and true spring…trees just budding, birds moving and singing certainly, but not in Cape May spring numbers…either of species or individuals. Still a walk around the grounds of the Goshen Center of CMBO turned up a few things of interest, starting with the resident turtle in the tiny pond.
Canon SX40HS at 1680mm equivalent (840mm optical plus 2x digital tel-extender function). Program with iContrast and -1/3EV exposure compensation. All three f5.8 @ 1/125th @ ISO 100.
Processed with Photo Enhance Pro on the Xoom tablet.
11/5/2011: Kinglets Again!
To say Cape May last weekend was crawling with Kinglets would not quite be accurate, but Kinglets were certainly conspicuous in the bushes…well…in the bushes everywhere on the Cape. Yellow-rumped Warblers had them outnumbered, but maybe not by much! It is always a treat to have Kinglets at eye-level and below, where they fall easily under the lens of the camera. I have already published one set of images (Kinglets) taken using the 2x digital converter on the Canon SX40HS for truly intimate views. This is another sequence, taken at the unassisted 840mm full optical zoom setting, which shows the birds more in context of their feeding.
Each of these shots was selected from a burst of 4 or 5 taken when I had the bird in the frame and focused. I have almost as many Kinglet shots on my hard drive as there were Kinglets in Cape May last weekend…but they are all of only 4 different birds 🙂
Canon SX40HS at 840mm equivalent field of view, all at f5.8 @ 1.200th @ ISO 400. Program with iContrast.
Processed in Lightroom for Intensity and Sharpness.