Monthly Archives: February 2015

Recent Photos from south Texas

I’ve been photographing around the Starr and Hidalgo County area of south Texas this past week or so.  Cloudy weather dominated most of the winter so it felt good to feel some rays.

I can put you onto some lightly used  photo equipment at really good prices.  Yours truly has a Canon IS 100-400 mm, slide focus lens that is in great shape and very sharp.   Make me an offer.   A Colorado friend, Joe Zinn, has a Canon 1DX camera with low frame count and an excellent 600 mm lens (not the new model) for $6,000.  These will be sold together.  If you are interested, let me know and I’ll discuss these with you and/or put you in touch with Joe.

Here are some recent photos.  Click on an image to see a larger and sharper version.  Click on the right edge of a photo to advance.

Burrowing owl ready to begin a night of hunting.
Burrowing owl ready to begin a night of hunting.

I put my favorite photo first.  It took two hours of patient waiting for this light and pose.

Barely able to keep his eyes open.
Barely able to keep his eyes open.

This is a second burrowing owl sleeping on a rocky slope.  I photographed him for almost two hours while lying on my side with the camera  and 500 mm lens on a bean bag.

Green Jay landing
Green Jay landing

I used a Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200 lens and 1.4 x teleconverter to get this photo at 1/3200 second, f4.

Northern Mockingbird with anaqua fruit.
Northern Mockingbird with anaqua fruit.

By placing native fruit  or bird seed near a perch, you can capture very natural looking images.  Also, note the clean backgrounds form most of the shots in this newsletter…they are no accident.

Audubon's Oriole on perch.
Audubon’s Oriole on perch.
Black-crested Titmouse perched in blooming huisachillo bush.
Black-crested Titmouse perched in blooming huisachillo bush.

Some native brush is starting to bloom, so I took advantage by using cuttings for bird perches.

Male Northern Cardinal perched in a thorny huisachillo.
Male Northern Cardinal perched in a thorny huisachillo.
Northern Cardinal male landing on a soft perch.
Northern Cardinal male landing on a soft perch.

Anticipation and pre-focus!  I captured some of these images at Laguna Seca Photo Ranch north of Edinburg. (www.lagunasecaranch.com)

Pair of Northern Bobwhites sharing a perch.
Pair of Northern Bobwhites sharing a perch.

At sunset three days ago, this little nine-banded armadillo came walking boldly to the photo blind water hole at Santa Clara Photo Ranch northwest of McAllen.  (www.santaclararanch.com)

Nine-banded Armadillo drinking.
Nine-banded Armadillo drinking.

Soon, you will see more photos from this area.

Larry

Oklahoma in November

Oklahoma in November is normally an incredible place for wildlife and landscapes.  Anticipating that, I put together a little photo tour this past autumn and four of us headed for the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge at Lawton.  We were shocked on the morning of the first day when we awoke to high wind and plunging temperatures.  In spite of the unusual weather, we tried to anticipate what the animals would be doing.  It turns out they did just what we wanted to do…find a place behind the hills and in the canyons to soak up some sunshine and keep out of the wind.

So we dressed for the cold and headed for the hills.  The group got some amazing shots and I can only imagine how well they would have done without the wind and cold.  Here are a few of my images to show you what is possible in southern Oklahoma in November.

You can click on an image to increase its size and sharpness.  By clicking on the right edge of a photo, you can advance through the slide show.  Enjoy.

The remains of a stone house in the Wichta Mountains of Oklahoma.
The remains of a stone house in the Wichta Mountains of Oklahoma.
Some of the Texas longhorn cattle that roam the refuge grasslands and hills.
Some of the Texas longhorn cattle that roam the refuge grasslands and hills.
Wide, gracefully curved horns make these cattle a photogenic icon of the western U.S.
Wide, gracefully curved horns make these cattle a photogenic icon of the western U.S.
Big whitetail bucks were in the peak of rut when we arrived in Oklahoma.
Big whitetail bucks were in the peak of rut when we arrived in Oklahoma.
Lots of wild turkey were within photo range as they searched the oak thickets and grasslands for acorns, seeds and insects.
Lots of wild turkey were within photo range as they searched the oak thickets and grasslands for acorns, seeds and insects.

This wild turkey gobbler was part of a flock we photographed from the car.  I highly recommend a high quality bean bag for a Wichitas trip.

 

Photographing a black-tailed prairie dog as it "barks" is a challenge and one of my favorite things to do at the Wichitas.
Photographing a black-tailed prairie dog as it “barks” is a challenge and one of my favorite things to do at the Wichitas.

After an hour of patient sitting in a low spot near this burrow, I was rewarded with several interesting photos of these prairie dogs.   This shot was done with the Canon 7D, 500 mm lens, 1.4X teleconverter, and Gitzo tripod with Wimberley head.  I was wearing camouflage to help me blend into the landscape.

Ancient bull American bison feeding on the south side of a hill just after sunrise.
Ancient bull American bison feeding on the south side of a hill just after sunrise.

A new 70-200 mm lens was mighty handy for big game photography on this trip.

A view from Mt. Scott westward across the granite Wichita Mountains.
A view from Mt. Scott westward across the granite Wichita Mountains.
Sunlight on the Wichita Mountains on a stormy autumn morning.
Sunlight on the Wichita Mountains on a stormy autumn morning.

Elk are plentiful at the refuge, but always hard to photograph from a car.  In fact, the refuge flourishes with wildlife including many great bird species and landscape opportunities.  Its oak covered hills and extensive grasslands can hold a photographer’s interest for many days both in autumn and spring.

I hope you can join me next year.

Larry