I was unpacking from a quick trip to photograph Gina playing lacrosse when I heard a bird near by chirping up a storm. I homed in on it and found this junco sitting in our new dogwood tree. What is a guy to do? The lens was mounted and the monopod was at the ready. I fired off a few shots just as the bird hit a peak in its singing. Bonus shots I guess.
We love it when friends visit and are willing (eager?) to take a short trip out to the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. It is particularly fun to take others to Ridgefield when it is their first time out. The place almost always never disappoints.
Yesterday our friends Barb and Jon were with us and we woke to rain and overcast skies. We had already planned to go to Ridgefield and confirmed that it was still a good idea as we lingered over breakfast. We exited Portland after the morning rush hour and turned into Ridgefield about 10:00. Checking in at the entrance station went quickly and I noticed that there were not many entries on the white board. We headed out to see what we could see.
It wasn’t long until we found a male red-winged blackbird calling from a cattail along the road. What was different this time was the number of red-winged blackbirds in the area. While I’d still consider the numbers to be less than in the past there were more of them around than I’d seen so far this year. I take that as a good sign. We got some nice shots of both male and female RWBs.
We made a full lap without much to brag or write about. Lap two changed that for us in a rather dramatic fashion. As we approached marker #6 we were flagged down by a Ridgefield regular who pointed out a Great Horned Owl in a tree off to the right. We got ourselves oriented and glassed the bird before shooting. It was a long way away but still impressed all of us with its size. I have 4 files showing the bird but branches in front of the bird and closed eyes spoil any quality that might have been present. Regardless, these are some of the few great horned owl files I have. Others are from years ago at the Bosque del Apache.
As we moved on we saw a car parked just past marker 6 at a solitary tree on the left. What caught our eye first was a group of racoons hiding in a tree cavity and climbing around on the trunk and branches.
Then Barbara spotted a rust color and got excited as she said “OWLS!” Sure enough, two barn owls were seated on a branch about 15-20 feet from the racoons and were very intent on watching the coons as they gradually exited the tree and headed for the water. We jockeyed around to get a decent camera angle and proceeded to take photos. I had never seen a barn owl before… I know, I need to get out more. It was great to watch these birds and to have the opportunity to photograph them.
After we had exhausted our image opportunities we drove on. I had hoped to show Barbara a bittern and was anxious to make the corner around Rest Lake and head into the area where I’d most frequently seen bitterns working along the ditch. Dianne surprised me with a “BITTERN” call well before we got to the area. Sure enough, a bittern was off to the right side of the road. We barely pulled to a stop and the bird began extracting a large frog from the dense grass. When the frog was exposed I was amazed at the size. Dianne and Jon began capturing the action and about 20 seconds later the frog was gone and bird was smacking its beak.
We headed on toward the exit from the refuge and made one more stop to photograph a kestrel sitting on one of the roadside signs. I sure wish there were some natural perches along the road for the birds to use. Kestrels seem to really frequent the signs and while it is always a treat to see one up close and get a photograph I really wish it wasn’t sitting on a bright white sign. Breath deeply Bruce, it will be OK.
We all agreed that the trip was a success and headed out for lunch in SE Portland. I never tire of the relaxed drive around Ridgefield’s refuge and enjoyed this trip a great deal. It’s a good thing when good friends visit and give us an opportunity to visit one of our favorite places. Thanks Barb and Jon.
It’s great to have friends…especially those who will open their homes to you and share their time and interests. We’ve been fortunate lately to take advantage of visit good friends Steve and Suzanne in Pasco, WA, Jon and Barbara in Medford, OR and John and Alice in Walnut Creek, CA. We’ve put a few miles on the cars and the miles were our ticket to our time with these friends.
We adjusted our trip schedule last week to beat a snow storm that was invading southern Oregon and northern California. That meant one less day with our friends in Medford and one more day in California. Friends will let you visit. GOOD friends will adjust a visit on the fly and at short notice. We were glad to get over the Siskiyou Summit before the storm hit and the doors opened to us when we arrived in Walnut Creek.
We enjoyed our time at both locations (Medford and Walnut Creek) but felt badly about visiting when Jon and Barbara were both a bit under the weather. I know that when I feel sick I’m not really into playing “host” for visitors. Cutting our visit here short was a bit of a bitter-sweet decision. I’d like to think that our departure allowed our friends to recover more quickly since they didn’t have to talk or “be on”. At least I hope so.
Our time in CA was wonderful. We wandered around Walnut Creek a bit and I finally got to see where John volunteers time to the Monument Crisis Center. I get a phone call each Tuesday as he prepares to go to work here and I’d always wondered about the place. No I know. Full of nice people doing meaningful work. Good on ‘em.
The foothills of Mt. Diablo, Walnut Creek, CA
We headed out to spend a couple of days in the Monterey Bay area… actually a bit north in the town of Watsonville, CA. The area is a huge agricultural area growing a wide variety of crops…strawberries, raspberries, artichokes and who knows what else. 3 crops a year… all very labor intensive. One of the benefits of being in an area like this is the inevitable access to authentic Mexican food. Oh my! Great food prepared and served by happy and enjoyable people.
We stayed in a condo in Pajaro Dunes. Our friends have been coming here for 35 years and know the area well. We were given so many options of things to see or do that it was a challenge to make a selection. Our first outing was to the Monterey Aquarium since it was kind of a snotty, rainy day. The place is huge, the displays are really well done and interactive and the variety of animals on display is wonderful. For me, the jellyfish and sea horses were the high points among the wonders we saw. It was an unexpected answer to the question about taking photos inside the aquarium… the answer: “the rule is that you should take as many photos as you can”. Flash? “sure, anywhere but with the octopus”. What a breath of fresh air in today’s usual restrictive practices.
We hurried back to Watsonville with hopes of catching a sunset on the beach. Hey.. you really have to be near the beach at sunset don’t you? The few remaining clouds gave us a bit of a show.
Sorry about the bit of lens flare in the above shot.
The next morning broke clear and calm. The ladies of the house decided that a yoga session was in order and headed to the beach to “practice”. I set up to take photos with hopes of catching them at a moment of still posing that would last long enough to blur out the waves behind them. It worked… sort of. Lots of blurry lady shots bit the dust but the ones we kept are pretty nice. I’m always amazed at how much strength and flexibility it takes to perform what looks so calm and simple to a casual observer. Nice work ladies.
After breakfast we headed south to Carmel via the “17 Mile Drive”. This is chance to see how “the 1%” live as you drive through multi-million dollar homes and golf courses along the coast. Does the name Pebble Beach sound familiar? Just one of the many golf courses in the area… it’s the keystone course but, still, just one of many. How many do we need? It was interesting to see the houses even though their size is a bit irksome in today’s age and when contrasted to the homes of the people working the fields near by. No doubt that the mansions are beautiful but I have to say that they seem more than a bit out of place in an age when resources are limiting and there is so much need. Just saying.
We stopped to view the “solitary cypress”. I’m not sure that is the correct name but the tree is famous as the logo for Pebble Beach. There’s a sign in the area that declares that the tree is trademarked and any photos taken can’t be used for commercial purposes. Whatever. It’s a beautiful view.
If you look hard enough you’ll see cables holding the tree up and together along with decorative rock work that stabilizes the cliff face and tree base. Honestly, I wish the tree were more of a wind-swept curved cypress. You have to admire the tenacity of the tree though…. it’s been through a lot of storms.
As we moved around we stopped occasionally to take some photos. One area gave Dianne another chance to do a bit of yoga posing. I love watching her do this anywhere but it really made me happy to see her strike a pose in such a beautiful area.
We wandered the streets of Carmel and visited shops long enough to remind us that the area caters to the wealthy. We bought some food for dinner and went to visit the Carmel Mission. This is a great facility to visit to learn about the history of the church and religion. Built in 1721 it still serves as a parish church and has the original bell tower in place.
From there we headed back to Pajaro Dunes with hopes of another sunset on the beach. Yes, the sun set but the blank sky didn’t give the color anywhere to really mature. No worries… there were curlews and godwitts and sanderlings feeding. Backlit birds are not the best photos but every once in awhile the sun angle actually showed the birds in good form.
We spent the evening with good cheese, bread and salami before heading home the next day. What a wonderful way to close down a visit with friends. Thanks so much dear friends. We await your arrival!
We finished up the images of our latest ballerina shoot (post to come soon) and got our tax info ready for the accountant. To celebrate I headed for Ridgefield and Dianne headed for a run and a massage. It felt a bit off to not have Eric along for the excursion… or Dianne or Carol… or about anyone. I knew that I’d be able to mosey at will and I did just that.
It’s spring at Ridgefield and I saw the first signs of leafing on some of the bushes. The birds are paired up and don’t stray too far from their mates… most of them anyway. The breeding plumage is evident and wonderful to watch. All in all, today was just a great day where I saw many species including Northern harrier, hooded mergansers (all female), golden-crowned sparrow, great blue heron, red-tailed hawk, black-capped chickadee, Northern shoveler, tundra swans and, I believe, an American bittern scurrying into tall grass before I got a good look. These and other species filled my day and my memory card. Here are a few of my favorite images.
I went down to our neighborhood pond this morning to see if the mergansers, hooded or common, were around. I’d had a bit of problems with my camera over the weekend and I wanted to make sure that everything was back to normal. After we get permission to share some of the images of ballerina Nikki, who we photographed last Saturday, I will post info on the camera problems and the resolution of them. Stay tuned.
My test today was simple. Go to the pond, setup and wait to see what birds might offer a chance to have a portrait taken. I’d hoped for mergansers or a bufflehead. They were all there but unapproachable. I settled for a couple of LBB’s (little brown birds) in the willows nearby. These juncos and sparrows are common critters but still offer a significant challenge to photograph. T’was fun to talk to folks walking by and bring home a couple of images that are reasonable representations of these quick little birds.
The original image posted above identified the bird as a Fox sparrow. Between my friend Dennis Davenport and Dianne I believe this is the proper bird identification. If anyone has a different opinion, please let me/us know. Thanks/
Eric texted me last night and suggested another trip to Ridgefield. After a bit I agreed to the trip and gathered the camera gear together. We were both looking forward to some sunshine and maybe a bit of frost. We got both.
We got to Ridgefield about 15 minutes too late to catch the start of the morning colors. It was still a nice way to get into the mode of shooting and remember that we have the whole day ahead of us.
Things seem to be picking up a bit at Ridgefield. Red-winged blackbirds have been few and far between for several months. I’m used to seeing a lot more of them at this time of year. Today, they showed up in larger numbers and posed for us in the first light of day.
We headed around the loop with eyes on the watch for whatever may come. We found a small group of Hooded mergansers (1 male, 4 female). I’m not sure if I’ll ever get a great exposure on the male merganser… it’s a bit of a nightmare and reminds me of a bride in white and a groom in black… all wrapped up on the same bird.
We encountered a lot of people and they entertain us in their own ways. In general, people are respectful and patient. We saw a line up of cars ahead and saw a large bird form in the tree off to our right. Turns out to be another red-tailed hawk who seemed to be questioning the procession of cars and lenses that came by below.
And then there was the American Bittern patrolling the ditch line again. This bird is an amazing critter to watch. Today it stood its ground and let us shoot without any real obstacles or reason to not “nail it”. We both shot some video of the bird. I wanted to catch the neck/chest sway that the bird shows. My friend Jon and I think that this movement is probably to mimic the blowing of the tall grasses the bittern lurks in. If you want to see a short video of this bird please go here:
American Bittern video (filmed on a Nikon D90, 200-400mm @400mm w/ 1/4x)
It was another great day out with a friend. The sun sure helps our attitudes. More to come.
A few days ago I walked around the pond at Commonwealth Park and saw that the Belted Kingfisher is still hanging out there… this time monitoring the ditch on the north side of the pond rather than the pond itself. The only camera I had with me at the time was the iPhone and it was grossly inadequate for the task. I left with a half-hearted promise to go back with better gear and time enough to try to get a decent shot of the bird. Yesterday I went back with the D90 and the Nikon 28-300. Part of my motivation was to get some more experience with the D90 body since it is likely to be the camera that goes to Iceland with us this July. It’s smaller and lighter. Question was, is it able to handle what I expect to see there? I have very limited experience shooting this body since it is usually in Dianne’s hands. I wanted to see how the lens/body combination would work. Well, I never did find the Kingfisher yesterday but I did hang out and shoot some frames of several Yellow-rumped warblers that were skitting around in a pond-side willow.
When we first approached the bald eagle my game plan was to get some shots on the card as quickly as I could. That meant stopping the car before the tree and accepting that we’d be shooting at the shaded side of the bird. Anyone who has photographed birds knows that time wasted easily translates into watching a bird fly away. We stopped.
The photo is not the quality of the ones that came after we moved the car to see the sunny side of the bird but I thought it was a bit humorous to see the bird with its tail feathers propped up by the branch. Maybe that is another characteristic of perching material that they look for as they land. I know I would.
This is not a great picture but it was nice to actually get some images of hooded mergansers on my hard disk the other day. I shot this in bright near-noon sun at Ridgefield NWR. The birds were moving fast and the opening in which they were located was pretty small. I jumped to the other side of the car and shot as they traveled across the opening. When I loaded the files into LR3 (my normal practice) I was disappointed to find that the white breast on the male was blown out and that it could not be recovered with the recovery slider. Bye bye whites! Drat.
I have downloaded the beta version of LR4 and am running it on a laptop with Windows 7. In order to upgrade to LR4 once it is available I’m going to have to look at replacing the operating system on my PC – move from XP to Win7 – or move to another machine totally. Time for a 27″ iMac? Hmmmm.
Anyway, I brought one image into LR4 to see how it did with the whites. I’ve heard great things about the LR4 beta and it represents a total redo of the RAW conversion we know now in LR3 or ACR. With a small decrease in exposure and a small tweak of the Highlights slider, the blownout whites disappeared from the histogram. Now, the breast of the bird still looks absolutely blown out to me but the histogram says that the whites are now less than 255. Frankly, I was amazed at how little adjustment it took to recover the bright part of the histogram and look forward to experimenting more with LR4. I won’t do too much in the beta except play around but it sure looks like a promising upgrade so far.
Today I took my friend Carol and her Mom out to Ridgefield. It was Mom’s first time to the place and I always enjoy introducing a person to the variety and wonders of the refuge. We saw that the sky was clearing and felt fortunate – it’s been awhile since I’ve seen sun at Ridgefield. My spirits picked up almost immediately.
We headed around our first loop and I was surprised when we saw some hooded mergansers in the slough just before the remote “comfort station”. They were being elusive and I hoped that other cars in the area would spook them into reversing their path and coming back into a clearing where we were set up. It worked. A female came by first and it was the first time I’ve ever been able to photograph a hooded merganser. Bingo. Then the male and another female swam past. I’ve looked at the images and will find a couple to post in another blog entry but they need some work. The white breast of the male is blown out and probably will not be recoverable… did I say it was sunny? Anyway, those will come (probably) soon.
We went almost an entire loop before we saw a heron. Mom sure enjoyed seeing the bigger birds. A red tail hawk, a harrier, a couple of buffle heads, lots of geese, swans, a distant kestrel and a few red-winged blackbirds entertained us as we drove slowly around and enjoyed the day.
As we approached the blind/bathroom area on our second lap I saw what I thought was another hawk in the trees on the right side of the road. It was low in the tree and I was trying to figure out if it was worth trying to get positioned to get a shot. I knew it would be against a blue sky or maybe against some light clouds to the north. There were a few cars behind us to think about as well. Then I saw that it wasn’t a hawk at all. It was a mature Bald Eagle. Holy cow… great light on a mature bald eagle. I couldn’t get into position quickly enough. After I few (dozen) shots I moved the car to allow others to pass. One old couple kind of gave us a glare… so sorry Chap. I re-positioned the car and we set about taking more photos. One more move to allow another car by and then a third session with the eagle. What a magnificent bird. I’ve always wanted a shot of an eagle that was (a) sharp and (b) exposed properly so the white feathers in the neck and cap were detailed. I now have about 50 of those files and I’m thrilled. Here are three of my favorites.
The last time I went to Ridgefield with Carol we got to see a mature Bald Eagle take a duck home for dinner. Today I get to see and photograph this majestic bird like never before. I have to think that Carol is a good luck charm for eagles. Whatever or who ever is behind this, thanks. T’was another great trip to Ridgefield.
