Sunday afternoon I headed to South Padre Island for a few hours of photography. The high in McAllen, Texas today (Tuesday) was 36 degrees with overcast skies, so I’m feeling pretty good about that decision.
Here are three shots from the outing:
Click on a photo to get a sharper, clearer view.
Reddish Egret chasing American Coot
The coot got hammered but escaped with all his feathers in tact.
Royal Tern with a mullet
This mullet wasn’t so lucky; a royal tern speared him through the head.
Northern Pintail pair resting in coastal salt marsh, s. Texas
This was the last shot of the day. A pair of pintails basking in the last rays of afternoon light.
Is was a fun afternoon and, I made it to the house in time for that incredible Viking comeback win over the Saints.
In the following shots, it’s pretty hard to see any fog, but there was enough to severely reduce the amount of light available for photography. These were made late last week toward the end of the rut with a Canon 5D Mark IV and Canon 100-400 mm IS lens (second generation) and all are hand-held. At ISO 1000, I was able to work through the morning at shutter speeds from 1/250 to 1/1000 second.
I am losing a lot of images when the image stabilizer is in the “on” position because my photos are usually made quickly or hurriedly and I forget to partially depress the shutter for a split second before making the image. Hence, the stabilizer and shutter are working at the same time…causing blurring of the first image in each burst. Unfortunately, the best shot is often the first one, so from here on in, I am shooting the old fashioned way and using a tripod when possible. Mostly, I’ll try to compensate for vibration with higher shutter speeds.
These images were posted on Facebook a day or two ago, so if we are Facebook friends, you may already have seen them.
When you click on a photo, it should expand and sharpen for better viewing. Click at the right side of any shot to advance.
White-tailed Deer, buck bedded in tall grass and weeds.White-tailed Deer, buck whirling to runWhite-tailed Deer, buck runningWhite-tailed Deer, buck polishing antlers.White-tailed Deer, buck scenting doe in estrus. Most of us call this a “lip curl” because the behavior (flehmen) in too hard to remember, pronounce or explain.White-tailed Deer, buck alert and ready to run. Yes, this is a native Texas buck and a free ranging deer that grew those antlers without aid of protein feeding (as far as I know).Eager buck in rut and timid doe.
I’m sorry it’s been so long since the last newsletter, but maybe I can get back on track.
