Pic of the Day

Reddish Egret, Egretta rufecens; Bolivar Flats, Bolivar Peninsula, Texas

Another of the many shots I took of a Reddish Egret while shooting on the Bolivar Peninsula in October.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f4; 1/1600 second @ f8

Pic of the Day

Reddish Egret, Egretta rufescens; Bolivar Flats near Galveston, Texas

                                    Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/1600 sec. @ f8

Pic of the Day

Greater Yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca; Bolivar Peninsula, Texas

     The Yellowlegs has long been one of my favorite shorebirds.  I first photographed one in Homer, Alaska more than three decades ago.  I found a pair of Lesser Yellowlegs at the head of Beluga Lake that were very cooperative and allowed me to take frame-filling shots.  It was exciting photographing the Lesser Yellowlegs on its breeding ground.  They are so wary during migration here in Alabama, that it is almost impossible to get good photographs. 

     There are two species of yellowlegs, Lesser and Greater.  In the 30 years since I photographed the Lesser Yellowlegs in Alaska, I have not had an opportunity to photograph another until I found these Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs on the Bolivar Peninsula.  

     The Greater Yellowlegs is the,……greater, of the two yellowlegs.  The Greater Yellowlegs (above) measures around 14 inches long, while the Lesser Yellowlegs (below) measures 10 ½ inches.  When the two are flocked together their apparent size is obvious, but when seen individually they can be a bit hard to differentiate.  Vocalization is the best way to tell the difference between the two species.  The National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America describes the call of the Greater Yellowlegs as a loud, slightly descending series of three or more tew notes; while the Lesser Yellowlegs is a higher, shorter note. 

Check out this link to see the Lesser Yellowlegs shot in Alaska: http://www.bobbyharrison.blogspot.com/search/label/Lesser%20Yellowlegs from my March 25, 2010 post.

Lesser Yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes; Bolivar Peninsula, Texas

Top photo:  Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/1000 second @ f5.6

Bottom Photo:  Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/400 second @ f8

Pic of the Day

Clapper Rail, Rallus longirostris; Bolivar Peninsula, Texas

     Earlier this week I made a trip to the Bolivar Peninsula in Texas, to photograph shorebirds.  Houston Audubon has a shorebird sanctuary on the flats that host thousands of shorebirds.  In 2006, I spoke at the Houston Audubon’s, Galveston chapter.  While there, local birders took me birding on the flats.  I was astonished at the number of American Avocets feeding in the Gulf waters along the peninsula.  I decided then, that I would return in the near future and photograph the shorebirds.

     After 7 years, I finally made it back to the Bolivar peninsula.  Though I arrived at the same time of year, the thousands and thousands of Avocets I had looked forward to photographing were not there.  There were however, plenty of other birds to photograph.  I had a great time and got a lot of images that I will be posting over the next week or so.

     My “Lifer” for the trip, was a Clapper Rail that I found at the edge of a salt marsh. When I stopped to photograph the rail, it disappeared into the reeds; but after a few minutes of waiting, it walked back onto the open shoreline for this portrait.

     Other than Sora rails, I have seen very few rails.  Rails are not rare, but they are very secretive and shy, preferring to be heard and not seen.  I was just lucky to have seen this particular bird.  I was in the right place at the right time, but that is usually how it is with bird photography.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/1250 second @ f 5.6, ISO 400