Santa Clara Ranch owner, Dr. Alberto “Beto” Gutierrez, called me at lunch yesterday to see if I was interested in heading out to the ranch for an afternoon of photography.  At the time, I was comfortably engrossed in a good book and didn’t want to leave the air conditioning.   Besides, the outside temperature was already hovering at 100 degrees.

Of course, I threw the book aside, jumped into my field clothes and headed for Beto’s place.  We arrived at the ranch around 3:00 PM and crawled into the blind to enjoy the 103 degree afternoon.  Birds were everywhere and everybody needed water.  In five minutes, we were “blazing” away at various birds, rabbits, ground squirrels and other critters.  The photography just got better as the day rocked along and things peaked about 6:45 PM when a young bobcat came in for a drink.    By that time, we’d already photographed deer, rabbits, and over a dozen species of birds.

Here are some of the images we captured on that toasty Texas afternoon:  click on the photos to make them larger and sharper.

These are the best yellow-billed cuckoo shots I’ve made.  These were done with the Canon 7D Mk II, 70-200 mm lens and 1.4X teleconverter, hand held.

Once we photographed the cuckoo and this scissor-tailed flycatcher, we knew for sure it would be a hot afternoon.

Although this roadrunner drank often, it chose a dust bath instead of the wet type.

Eight anis were among the last birds to arrive at the pond on this afternoon.  The group of young and molting adults were more fun to watch than to photograph.

These cautious white-tailed deer were all ears as we clicked away while they drank.

This young cat almost walked into the blind after drinking from the nearby pond.  We were so excited by this cat that we pretty much forgot about photographing birds for the last half hour of the day.

As we left the ranch at sunset, the resident pair of Harris’s hawks showed up at the ranch house raptor blind, assuming Beto would leave a beef kinney supper on their favorite perch.   He did.

Larry

In April, I guided a group of photographers on a three day instructional photo tour into southeast Arizona.  I’d always heard about how great the birding and bird diversity are in that place, but seeing is believing.

With the heavy rains throughout last summer, autumn and winter, the vegetation was lush and the birds were scattered.  Water was abundant so the bird concentrations were not as good as usual.

The weather was great.  Our cabins were at about 5,000 feet so the temperatures were really nice.  If I’d known how hot it was going to get in south Texas this year, I might have stayed on in Arizona.

The group did a lot of photography at my high-speed flash setup for hummingbirds.  Because the birds were scattered, we only got three species of hummers…blue-throated, broad-billed and black-chinned.  Everybody got tons of good images at the setup, however.

Click on an image to enlarge and sharpen it.  Click on the right edge of each photo to bring up the next image.

This male black-chinned hummingbird was photographed with natural light at 1/400 second, f4 @ ISO 640 with the new Canon 7D II.

My first hepatic tanager (above) was shy but posed for a few images.

These painted redstart photos were my first, too.  This hyper little bird was feeding young, but allowed our entire group to stand on the walking trail and photograph.  Talking about a difficult exposure…a black and white bird with a red breast.

I left that magnificent hummingbird dream photo out in Arizona, but just seeing it was a big reward for the effort.

Larry

I just wanted to post a few images I got last week on a resaca (oxbow) near Brownsville.  It seems there is always something good to photograph, even in the hottest part of the summer.  I was surprised that none of these birds showed serious signs of molting.

Remember, you can click on an image to enlarge and sharpen it.  Clicking on the right edge of a photo will show you how to advance to the next image.

Ducks like to perch and remain motionless for long periods but photographer patience will pay off.  The ducks have to stretch or fly every little while.

I waited two hours for a green kingfisher to fly on to this perch.  The nice head tilt came while she was looking upward for avian predators.

Grebes have to stretch, shake off excess water, and move around.  They don’t seem to have the patience for sitting and resting.  That great background color is sunset light bouncing off the resaca.

Stay cool,

Larry

My annual Instructional Photo Tour to the Big Bend National Park during late March and early April this year was the best ever.  Because of exceptional rainfall winter rains, the park was abloom and flush with color.  Many who have visited or worked in the park agree that this spring bloom was a once-in-10-years event.

Take a look at the photos which follow and note the color explosion which we haven’t seen in past trips.   Don’t forget to click on the right edge of a photograph to increase the size and sharpness for better viewing.

The scene above greeted us as we prepared to cross the Pecos River at the upper end of Amistad Reservoir.  After stopping at the overlook for a leg stretch, I spotted red cactus blooms along the cliff below.  One hour later, after thoroughly photographing the landscape, we were back in the car and headed west.

I decided to add a touch of “canvas” to the background on this image.  The Photoshop filters offer some exciting options to get the most from a print.  This image was a little north of Castolon Store in Big Bend Natl. Park.

I think I was sitting in some dead dog cactus while shooting this photo at nearly ground level.  Sometimes I get caught up in the moment and forget to inspect the ground closely before getting in close to the subject.

It’s a 5 mile round trip from the highway to Dog Canyon in the northern part of the park.  The photography group loved the hike, the wildflowers and the cliffs.

The Chisos Basin “window” is always our first planned photo stop in the park.  When clouds are present, the window is always exceptional during sunset.

Bluebonnets added a lot of nice color this view of ruins near Cottonwood Campground looking north to the Chisos Mountains.

One of my favorite views of the Rio Grande as it turns toward the Boquillas rim at sunset.

We just had to stop for one (or was it 50) more wildflower photo  before exiting the park after 4 fantastic days.  The sun was just coming up as we unlimbered the tripods near Panther Junction and the Chisos Mountains.

Larry

Finally, I got time to sit down and look through this season’s images from the Block Creek Natural Area during late April.  They had a lot of rain this year, so the timing of bird nesting and things like that were a little off.  Nevertheless, we had a great week with two groups of photographers, back to back.  I’ve got a bunch of images to show you a sample of what the group got, so let’s get to it.

Don’t forget, clicking on an image will give you the enlarged and sharpened view.

The first things I noticed when I arrived the day before our photographers was that the barn had been painted and the entrance road had a new surface.  The big oaks in the back yard provided the perfect frame for the barn.

Larry and Sharron Jay had lots of fresh flowers in the greenhouse and throughout the grounds.

The Last Chance Forever folks brought a variety of owls and hawks to the Block Creek Natural Area to educate our photographers and to use as subjects for a morning photography session.

I was experimenting with the HDR Toning component of Photoshop and discovered that it can help make some photos much more fun to see than when they are processed “normally”.  The rooster below was one of the most colorful birds I’d ever seen so I couldn’t help but boost the colors into another level.

This woodpecker was hanging upside down while working on this dead oak branch.  I thought the shot would make more sense if rotated to a vertical pose.

Almost everyone in our group got shots of this beautiful male eastern bluebird.

So, we saw a lot and photographed most of it.  I did leave out some historic buildings we worked with just down the highway from Block Creek NA.  The area has a lot to offer outdoor photographers.

Larry

A few months back, some of you may recall that I was chattering more than usual about the photography opportunities at Transition Ranch near Uvalde, Texas.  During the dry spring of 2014, I helped the owners select photo blind locations and I showed them where to find golden-cheeked warblers and black-capped vireos.  After a few days at the ranch, I was really excited about the possibilities.  Then, when April arrived this year, the ranch was drenched with record amounts of rainfall.

Here are a few of the images I captured at Transition Ranch while guiding two groups of photographers at mid-month.   For best viewing, click on an image to enlarge and sharpen it.  Click on the right center of each image to advance through the images.

House Finches were abundant in spite of heavy rains.

Frequent rains through the winter and spring made it impossible to complete photo blinds for golden-cheeked warblers and black-capped vireos.  Although shy, they should come to water in this dry country during a normal spring and summer.

With abundant moisture, came abundant wildflowers and blooming prickly pear cactus.

Some of our photographers got excellent photos of painted buntings and Montezuma quail.  I can’t wait for next year…may it be just a little drier.

*** I’ve got a Canon 7D camera with battery grip and a 100-400 mm Canon IS lens (not the new model) for sale.  Both are in great shape.  If you are interested, let me know and/or make me an offer.  I’ve still got the boxes, papers, straps, etc. for them.

Larry

I photographed this feeding American Oystercatcher and landing willet last winter in the Laguna Madre shortly after sunrise.  Of course,  water dripping from the bill or having the wings spread is really cool, but it’s the reflection that makes the image.

Click on the image to enlarge and sharpen for viewing.

Canon 7D camera and 500 mm IS lens, ISO 400, 1/1600 second @ f 4  from the World Birding Center board walk on South Padre Island.

Canon 7D camera and 500 mm IS Canon lens, Feisol cf tripod with Wimberly Head, ISO 400, 1/4000 second @ f 5.6

I am working my way through thousands of images collected through the winter and spring.  Keep watching for fresh newsletters with photos from Big Bend National Park, Block Creek Ranch, Transition Ranch and more.

Larry

I hope most of you take the Texas travel and outdoor magazines, “Texas Highways” and “Texas Parks & Wildlife”.  If so, you may have seen several of my photos in May and June.  It’s always a big thrill to be published, especially in magazines that do such outstanding work.  Look for the cover on the June issue of …Highways and several inside shots as well (the May issue has several, too).  The May issue of Parks & Wildlife included several bird photos for a story on the “The 12 Most Beautiful Birds in Texas”.

The following images come from some photography outings I led this past April in the Rockport and Galveston area for FeatherFest.com.  Many birders and photographers gather in Galveston each spring for the festival and what better place than Galveston to do it?

If you click on the photos, they will enlarge and sharpen for your viewing.  Advance through the slide show by clicking on the right edge of any image.

This was a rainy day shot, so I was most happy to have a new Canon 7D Mark II in hand.  I had to crank it up to ISO 1600 for this capture at 1/2000 sec @ f4 from a tripod.

The pelican shots were made from a boat.  I was leading a group of 5 happy photographers who went home with thousands of nice shots of one of Texas’ most interesting birds.

This photo and the following bird photos were shot from a boat as we spent two days on the water with Captain Kevin Sims in a Pre-FeatherFest photo shoot.

Most of the colonial nesters need structure (brush, sunflowers, etc.) to support their above-ground nests.

One afternoon following our boat trip, we found an old Rockport cemetery full of fancy  spring wildflowers.

The flower shot was done with a Canon 5D Mark II and 24-105 mm lens from ground level, hand held, 1/30 second @ f16, ISO 400.  By getting on the ground for this shot, I was able to get below a strong wind and capture a perspective most photographers pass by.

Larry

A few days ago, I spent a Saturday afternoon at the Santa Clara Photography Ranch with owner, Dr. Alberto Gutierrez, and friends Randall Ennis and Terry Guthrie.  Photography was a little slow that afternoon, so I came back for a couple of hours on Monday morning.  Each trip yielded some keeper images; I’m sharing 4 of them with you in this newsletter.  Later that week, I guided photographer Gary Kramer on the Ramirez Ranch at Roma, Texas where we wanted to get plain chachalacas and other birds.

I’m still trying to catch up with editing several thousand photos from Galveston Feather Fest, Block Creek Natural Area, Transition Photography Ranch, South Padre Island, Rockport spring nesting birds, an Arizona bird photography workshop and shots from the Laguna Seca Photography Ranch.  I’ll be posting images from those shoots in coming editions of this newsletter.

Please send along your comments and ideas if you wish.  If you will click on the image, it will enlarge and sharpen.  Advance through the slide show by clicking on the right edge of each image.

These green jays were captured on a stormy morning at the Roel Ramirez Ranch near Roma, Texas with the Canon 7d Mark II and 500 mm IS lens at ISO 800, 1/200 second @ f4 in aperture priority.  Within minutes of this capture, my shutter speed declined to 1/15 second as a rapidly approaching thunderstorm forced  us to abandon the ranch for photo blind.

This painted bunting was taken with the Canon 7D Mark II camera and 500 mm IS lens from the car window just after sunrise.  ISO 800, 1/2000 second @ f 5.

I got this shot by anticipating the flight path of the flycatcher and pre-focusing to get the bird just as it flew from its perch to the water.  Quick reflexes and the ability to read the bird’s body language helped me get this photo with the Canon 7d Mark II and Canon 70-200 mm lens with 1.4X teleconverter at ISO 400, 1/3200 second @ f 5 (hand held).  I try to keep a camera and zoom lens handy in case something large or very close appears that precludes using the 500 mm lens.

As the sun was setting, I captured this image with the Canon 7D Mark II and 500 mm lens from a Wimberley head and Feisol tripod at ground level at ISO 500, 1/1000 second @ f5.

I’m always looking for behavior and/or action to make the image more interesting.  Warm evening or morning light helps a bunch, too.

Keep watching for more Spring images soon.

Larry

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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)

Soon, you will see more photos from this area.

Larry