The Second Wave

North Coyote Buttes, Arizona.

Spring is coming!

…And I can feel it in my sinuses. Wahoo! It’ll only be a few more weeks until everything starts getting green again. I can’t wait!

As you may know, I’m still working away at processing images from last fall/winter. This is one from late October in the Wichita Mountains NWR, Oklahoma. I fired away at this guy when he looked up at me, because he was looking down at the grass he was eating about 95% of the time. I was lucky to capture this flock of birds behind him.

Ring-billed Gull #2, Humber Bay Park, Toronto, Ontario

The second of the series…

Ring-billed Gull #1, Humber Bay Park, Toronto, Ontario

Hey,

Here is a photograph of a Ring-billed Gull. I know it’s not the most beautiful or rare bird, in fact, you may know that they’re quite common. Anyhow, I feel like I have two shots worthy of sharing. Matthew, Greg, and I were hanging around Humber Bay Park East trying to get some flight shots of a Wigeon and a Bufflehead. While we were there I shot a few flight shots of the many Ring-billed Gulls that were flying all over the place. Now that I’m looking at them on the computer, I kind of like ’em!

Bryce Canyon Sunset

Hey everybody,

Here’s yet another shot from my travels during this fall/winter. I had intended to get to Kodachrome Basin for this sunset, but I was running late. I decided I’d try my luck at Bryce Canyon, knowing that it was much better for sunrise shooting. I think I made out well for the relatively clear conditions. I really love the post-sunset “glow” that is always present in the Southwestern desert. I miss it!

Hoar frosted forest, Davis, West Virginia

I’m feeling a bit unsure about this one, and I’d like to hear any of your comments or critiques that you may have. I feel like I won’t get much help from critique forums on this one, since the thumbnail isn’t very flashy looking… If you click the link you can view it really large.

Pine Siskin #2

I’m not talking about Pine Siskins pooping……

I know, it’s not funny.

Pine Siskin #1

A month and a half ago, Chris Kayler and I spent a morning photographing Pine Siskins at the Bull Run Mountain Conservancy over in Haymarket, Virginia. There were at least fifty of them there, and it was an awesome sight to see. I can’t imagine what it looked like at busier feeders, as some local spots were reporting as many as three hundred! Anyway, Chris brought this sweet perch home from his trip to New Hampshire. We set it up next to the feeders and waited patiently.

Pair of Harlequin Ducks, Barnegat Light, NJ

Hey everyone,

I’m taking a quick break from processing shots I took on my long trip to show you some birds I photographed this winter. Here’s a shot from early February of male and female Harlequin Ducks. They’re definitely one of the more interesting waterfowl I’ve seen! In this shot I liked the way the two of ’em were sitting next to each other. I stopped down to f/13 to get them both in focus.

Barnegat Light is a great place to photograph them, along with Red-breasted Mergansers, Long-tailed Ducks, Brant, and some Scoters or a Common Eider if you’re lucky.

Toroweap at Sunset, Grand Canyon National Park

Hey everybody, here’s a sunset shot from the Toroweap (Tuweep, Toroweep, ETC.) section of Grand Canyon National Park. Getting to this location involves driving 61 miles each way down a remote, unpaved, and sometimes really rough road. The view makes the long drive out TOTALLY worth it. I have not yet been to any other North Rim overlooks, but I have to say that this is the most fantastic one I’ve seen. The sheer cliff drops 3000′ straight to the Colorado River and it’s just incredible. It took me two overnight visits before I had the right conditions, and it was well worth it!

Paria Badlands after Sunset

This image was taken about twenty minutes after the previous one. I really liked the strong shapes and color in these badlands. I’ve never seen purples like this anywhere else.

Paria Badlands at sunset

This is an image from November, in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument of Utah. I’ve had a hell of a time processing this, and have to admit I still don’t feel great about it. You may recognize that I posted it a few months ago in this post. I think this version is quite a bit stronger, but I’m still uncertain in general.

Finally…. A new post!

Sorry for the lack of update! I’ve been ridiculously busy lately, and haven’t had much time for processing images, posting on this blog, or interacting with the outside world in general. I bet if you searched my blog for “sorry for the recent lack of updates” or something like that, you’d find a dozen hits. Maybe I should stop saying that.

Here’s yet another South Texas bird. This time, a male Golden-fronted Woodpecker. These birds are all over the place down there, and are very easy to photograph. I really like the “over-the-shoulder” look on this bird.

Crested Caracara, McAllen, Texas

……Must…..process…….images………

This was one of many Crested Caracara from the Rio Grande Valley, or RGV. No wonder this place is a birding and bird photography hotspot.

Sunset over the Plott Balsams, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina

…and the processing continues! Here’s a shot I made during late October in North Carolina. I shot the sunset somewhere else, and it was pretty uneventful. I was driving back to my campsite when I realized there were some clouds blowing in, and that there was still a good bit of color in the sky. I set up my gear and this 60-second exposure was one of a dozen I pulled off before the light was too low.

American Bison

Check this guy out! He certainly wasn’t shy when I found him in Oklahoma’s Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge! If I were better with creative words, I’d come up with a funny caption for this one. Any ideas?

It’s snowing outside!

Well,

It’s supposed to snow 5-8 inches here tonight. I’m not sure how true that forecast is, but I’m excited to get out in the snow anyway. I don’t have a whole lot of interesting things to talk about this time. Just slaving away at the computer screen, processing photos. I love it! Due to accidentally getting some toothpaste in my eye, I’m taking a break to write this entry!

Here’s a shot from Arches NP back in December. I posted it on here before, but here is the properly processed version.