Here are some of my favorite shots from the recent Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge Instructional Photo Tour. Actually, it may take three or four newsletters to share these since I had a LOT of favorites.
The refuge is known for its thousands of snow geese, but this year the birds were hard to access because of the absence corn crops near the auto tour drive. So, you won’t see many geese in this batch but their absence is compensated by a plethora of sandhill crane images.
Click on the image to increase its size and sharpness. Advance by clicking on the right side of an image.
Pair of sandhill cranes leaving the roost at eye-level with the photographers.Sandhill crane leaves the roost pond with a running start in shallow water.Adult and young sandhill cranes in flightCranes coming to roost after sunset with Chupadera Wilderness in the background.
In early October, Nick Benavides invited me over to his Los Lazos Ranch near Laredo to photograph some of the big bucks he was seeing. With only two afternoons and a morning to spare for the trip, I was happy to see the big guys were ready to come in close for each photo session.
Two weeks later, four photographers traveled with me over to Cotulla, Texas where I conducted a three day Instructional Photo Tour the Santa Margarita Ranch (www.santamargaritaranch.com) . One of the great things about these south Texas ranches is the tremendous wildlife diversity. So, when we were ready to take a break from big deer, there were birds, reptiles and other critters to photograph at the photo blinds and along the ranch roads. The hospitality, food and accommodations were exceptional and the ranch managers were always available to insure that we had a quality visit.
Here are some of the images from these ranches. Just click on a photo to make it larger and sharper for good viewing.
White-tailed Deer feeding near Cowpen Daisies.
The big bucks at Los Lazos Ranch didn’t have swollen necks in early October, but their antlers were impressive.
White-tailed Deer in early south Texas autumn with flowers abloom.Lark Sparrow perched near photo blind at sunrise.
Lark sparrows and a variety of other birds perched near the deer blind as I waited for the big bucks to appear at Los Lazos Ranch.
Big buck checking the breeze for scent of a doe at Santa Margarita Ranch.White-tailed deer, buck at sunrise
This Santa Margarita Ranch monster was carrying so much headgear that he had to hold his head back to maintain a balance.
Black-buck in south Texas brush
This mature black-buck antelope showed up at the photo blind on several occasions.
At a second photo blind we were greeted by many scaled quail and other critters like the colorful crayfish.
Scaled Quail, maleDefensive crayfish (crawdad)
A huge whitetail buck gave me this parting shot as he crossed a fallen fence at sundown.
White-tailed Deer jumping fence
Don’t forget to check out all the south Texas Photo Ranches for a great time and some fantastic photography.
This newsletter will be short since it contains only a few bird photos from among the many that accumulated in my files since last winter. I just dumped 21,000 files from the recycle bin, so now you know there can’t be many keepers left to pick from. Nevertheless, these were a joy to capture.
Click on a photo to enlarge and sharpen it for better viewing.
Black-bellied Whistling Duck resting on stump
These two (above and below) were captured within a few minutes of each other as Steve Sinclair and I attempted to get photos of a rare northern jacana at Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco, Texas.
Northern Jacana juvenile flushing from marsh, s. TexasPied-billed Grebe eating dragonflySora feeding in Estero Llano Grande marsh.Ruby-throated hummingbird resting during spring migration at South Padre Island
The Convention Center and World Birding Center at South Padre Island always offer a wide array of bird photography opportunities.
Roseate Spoonbills at South Padre Island
I really liked the “v” formation of these spoonbills in early morning light.
Later this week, we’ll take a look at photos from my recent south Texas ranch visits.
Let me put you onto a good used camera and lens deal. If you need any Canon equipment at a bargain price, a photographer in Corpus Christi has several camera bodies, a 600 mm lens and a 100-400 mm lens for sale. Just let me (lditto@larryditto.com) know you are interested and I’ll forward your contact information to him.
Here are some “odds and ends” photos from this past summer and fall which haven’t appeared in newsletters:
Just click on a photo to enlarge and sharpen it for viewing. Advance arrows are available when you click on the right margin of an image.
Beach Morning Glory on South Padre Island at sunrise
The photo above was done with a 24-105 mm lens and Canon 5D full sensor camera, hand held.
Great Southern White butterfly in the Wichita Falls, Texas Nature Center.
Both of these butterfly shots were done with the Canon ESO 1D Mark IV and a 300mm f4 Canon lens with Feisol tripod and ball head.
Julia Heliconian on lantana.Least Tern with fishLeast Tern aerobatics
Coming at me upside down!!!
Yellow-crowned Night-heron perched
This night heron was photographed from beside a county road west of Edinburg. Summer and fall rains created excellent ephemeral habitats for spoonbills, ducks, herons, wood storks, etc..
Green Kingfisher in vinesGreen Kingfisher in a dive
This green kingfisher was feeding at a resaca (oxbow) in the Sabal Palm Sanctuary east of Brownsville.
Golden-fronted Woodpecker bringing food to young in the nest at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.
I’m waiting for fall colors. With McAllen temperatures hovering around 85 degrees, it’s hard to guess when north Texas will begin to look like autumn. Are you seeing color in the woods yet?
On Thursday and Saturday this past week, I guided nature photography groups on tours to South Padre Island and to the National Butterfly Center at Mission. The photographers were attending the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival in Harlingen with several hundred birders from around the U.S. Since photographers need to get much closer to their subjects than birders and they need to spend more time with a subject than birders, it helps to have the groups separated.
Here are some of the images I captured while coaching the other photographers. Enjoy!
Click on the right edge of photos to enlarge and sharpen them for better viewing.
Shots from the RGV Birding Festival Photo Trip to South Padre Island:
Tricolored Heron stands aside while birders look for less conspicuous subjects at South Padre Island.
Belted Kingfisher flying across the South Padre Island Birding Center marsh.Brown Pelicans on the wingBrown Pelicans fishing
I was lucky enough to capture these brown pelicans as they hit the Laguna Madre.
Great Blue Heron in threat posture
The following shots are from our RGV Birding Festival trip to the National Butterfly Center:
Altamira Oriole on hackberry limbDragonfly at National Butterfly Center
Golden-fronted Woodpecker on hackberry tree.Green Jay perchedScreech Owl that can READ!
More photos from this summer and fall, coming soon.
*** For anyone looking to get a bargain on some photography equipment, here are several items recently offered for sale by a Corpus Christi photographer. If you are interested, let me know and I’ll give you his email address.
Canon 600 mm f4 IS lens with lens coat neopreme cover; Canon 100-400 mm f5.6 lens; EOS 1D Mark III, EOS 7D, and EOS 50D cameras. The original boxes, straps, etc. come with these.
So, you haven’t photographed the whooping cranes yet? Make this the winter you let go and join me aboard Kevin Sim’s boat at Fulton/Rockport, Texas. We will work our way around the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge shoreline and, with any luck, you will have several opportunities to photograph a variety of birds and other wildlife. Common sightings include the endangered whooping crane, osprey, roseate spoonbill, American oystercatcher, brown and white pelican, ducks and more.
See my web site: www.larryditto.com and click on Photo Tours to sign up. Or, just send me and email or phone call. Contact information is on the web site.
Check out these pics from past trips. Click on a photo to make it enlarge and sharpen for better viewing.
Whooping Crane pair wading in salt marshAdult and young (rusty head) whooping cranes with a blue crab.Whooping Crane pair with twins, Aransas NWR, Texas.Roseate spoonbills taking off, Aransas NWR.Coyote photographed in salt marsh at Aransas NWR from Kevin’s boat.Moonrise over Fulton Harbor with oyster boats and worker unloading oysters..Strumming his guitar, this fisherman was relaxing at the end of the day as other fishing boats were still unloading oysters, Fulton Harbor, Fulton, Texas.White-pelican in flight.Northern Pintails flushing on Aransas Bay.Whooping crane in flight shortly after sunrise.Whooping crane in flight.Whooping crane displaying to rival male.Whooping Crane feeding on blue crab.Whooping Cranes flying from salt marsh on Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.Whooping Crane napping at mid-morning.
Three openings left for the February Instructional Photo Tour. Sign up while you can.
About the 1st of September each year, a field near my house ripens with grain or other seed producing crops. The various dove species in south Texas know when the field is ready and they begin flying in just after daylight each morning. I try to sneak into the field before the birds arrive and get situated for some fast and furious flight photography.
Most of you know how much I love to photograph birds on the wing, and doves are among the most challenging subjects. So, I get about two hours of great action before the light gets too white and I have a blast doing it. It takes about 500 captures to get about 25 “keeper” shots. My favorite pose is a dove coming at me and setting its wings to land. For some reason this year, they would land only “with the wind” so I got a lot of tail shots.
Molting mourning dove at top speed.White-winged dove in flight
This white-winged dove flew by so close that I had to blend two images to make one.
Beautiful adult white-winged dove.
I always like to get a few shots that show the primary markings of the species.
Photo taken with dove behind an out-of-focus plant, but the lens held focus. The plant gives the photo a pinkish cast.
White-winged Dove wondering what just popped up among the crop plants.Typical landing shot.Perched white-wing just after sunrise.
I know most of you are wondering why I didn’t move around to get the sun and wind in my favor. I did…morning sun to my back and southeast wind to my back. These birds altered the normal procedure and landed “with the wind” most of the time.
All these photos were made with the Canon 7D Mark II and 500 mm lens (the old, heavy one) hand held while I was sitting on a camp stool in the crops. The average shutter speed was 1/4000 second to insure the action was frozen. Of course, I was extra careful not to damage any plants.
Last week, I hit the Santa Clara Photo Ranch twice and came away with a few pleasing images. This time of year, the birds are pretty “ratty”, but there was a lot of action with deer, rabbits and birds around the water holes. White-winged doves swarmed to the ponds every afternoon and my seeing them by the hundreds was pretty special.
Click on any of these photos and they will enlarge and sharpen for better viewing.
Cottontail Rabbit in the shade.Groove-billed Anis drinking.White-winged Doves staging at the pond before coming to drink.White-winged Doves are jumpy when drinking 15′ from the photo blind and cameras are clicking.
I’m really enjoying the 70-200 mm lens for groups of birds and mammals at the photo blind waterhole. It insures that I have plenty of shutter speed, sharpness and wide angle for flapping wings during the last hour of daylight.
White-winged Dove flying in for a drink.
Canon 7D Mark II, 70-200 mm lens hand held, 1/4000 sec. @ f5.6, ISO 640, hand held.
Ground Squirrel slipping out of the shadows to grab a drink.Thirsty greater roadrunner.Nervous white-winged doves gathering for their last drink of the day.
It’s been fun shooting at the ranch ponds but I’m sure glad fall is around the corner. My rattling around in the cooler for a cold drink always disturbs the wildlife.
For the last three years, my wife and I have gone to the Davis Mountains of west Texas for a week-long summer retreat. While the temperatures hovered close to 100-degrees in south Texas, the mountain air was refreshingly cool throughout the July trip. Of course, I had my camera gear along and used it every day to capture hummingbirds, foxes, mountains scenes and wildlife.
Here are several images I hope you will enjoy. Don’t forget to click on an image to make it enlarge and sharpen for better viewing.
Aoudad Sheep, ewe on hillside near Fort Davis, Texas
While eating breakfast one morning and watching for wildlife on the hills out the back window, I spotted a herd of approximately 13 aoudad sheep ewes and lambs grazing on the mountainside.
Aoudad Sheep grazing near several sotol plants.
By adding a 1.4 X tele-extender behind my 500 mm IS lens, the magnification was improved significantly for the sheep photos.
Black-chinned Hummingbird, male feeding at salvia flowers, Davis Mountains, TexasBlack-chinned Hummingbird male with purple gorget.
Although there were only about 8 hummingbirds around the house, most were males and I had a lot of fun working them at the multi-flash setup. All the birds were black-chinned hummingbirds.
Black-chinned Hummingbird male in flight.Full moon and agave
Century plants (agaves) were in full bloom at mid-July.
Agaves in bloom, Davis Mountains, Tx.
Just after sunrise, I captured this scene with clouds and century plants (agaves) along the roadside near McDonald Observatory.
Davis Mountains and agave in bloom, Texas, July
I used HDR toning while processing the photo above.
Scott’s Oriole, male in agave flowers, Davis Mountains, Texas
This Scott’s Oriole fed among the agave blooms for several days at our residence near Fort Davis.
Scott’s Oriole, male on agave bloom.
Alerted by this bird’s distinctive call (the windows were always open so we could enjoy the cool breeze), I simply sneaked out of the house and photographed him from under the edge of the porch roof.
Gray Fox strolling across the hillside behind the house where we stayed.
A long-time resident pair of gray foxes came by the house each afternoon at sunset, looking for a handout (usually weenies).
Gray Fox, Davis Mountains
The 70-200 Canon lens with 1.4 tele-extender on the Canon 1D Mark IV body, hand held.
Gray Fox in grassland, Davis Mts, TexasGray Fox appears from behind the sideoats grama, Davis Mountains, Texas.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the chance to do this again next year.
I spent a couple of mornings in April photographing Altamira orioles at the nest. As you may know, this species constructs an incredible hanging nest which sometimes reaches 2′ in length. Coupled with the birds’ incredible gold and black colors and melodious song, they are a joy to watch, hear or photograph.
The following photos were made with the tripod standing on the ground and/or the back of a pickup. As usual, my equipment included a Wimberley tripod head, Canon 7D Mark II camera and 500 mm IS lens. I mostly tried to capture behavior and flight shots… fun but not easy.
Just click on a photo and it will enlarge and sharpen for viewing. Click on the right border of a photo to advance to the next image.
Altamira Oriole leaving nest, s. Texas; tepeguaje tree.
Altamira Oriole singing from the nest entrance.Altamira Oriole adult in flight, s. Texas
Altamira Oriole leaving nest.
Altamira Oriole adult in flight, s. Texas
It was almost impossible to anticipate the birds’ flight path as they returned to the nest with invertebrates for the young. Hence, I got no flight shots of birds carrying colorful caterpillars and bugs, but I hope to get ‘er done next spring.
