Pic of the Day

Razor-billed Auk, Image A

Razor-billed Auk, Image B

       Razor-billed Auk – Les Iles au Perroquets; Mingan Archipelago, Quebec:  These images are just two of the many Razorbills I photographed at Les Iles au Perrosquets on the north shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.  Just before landing, Razorbills, like all alcids, move their legs from a streamline position under their body (Image B), and bring them forward as they prepare to land on the islands cliff face (Image A).  Most of the Razorbills photographs I shot were of birds with legs and feet in a streamline position.  I was fortunate to get a shot just as the Razorbill was beginning its upward swing and bring its legs forward.  Luckily, I snapped this image as the Razorbill moved into an angle that placed a highlight in the eye as well.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 300mm 2.8 VR, 1/2000 sec. @ f7.1, Handheld using custom made gunstock mount

Who's Looking

     Welcome viewers from Morocco!  You have made Morocco the 90^th country from which viewers have logged on to Bobby’s Photo Blog.  I hope you enjoyed the blog and will forward the URL to your friends.  I update the blog often so please come back…..Bobby

Who's Looking

     Viewers from Macau and the Isle of Man have made these two countries the 88^th and 89^th countires (respectively) from which viewers have logged onto Bobby’s Photo Blog.  Welcome to the blog.  I hope you enjoyed the images and if so, please log on often. 

     For all of you who log on, please let your friends know about the blog as well.  Just copy the URL and pass it on.  Thanks for your help in getting the word out about the blog……Bobby

Pic of the Day

   Dragonfly -- Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands; Viera, Florida:  This is another image of the dragonflies shot at the Viera Wetlands.  After doing some research I have come-up with a couple of identifications so far, but  I'm not sure if this is actually a dragonfly or damselfly.  I'll  keep looking for the identity.  If any of you, the visitors to this blog know the speceies please let me know.  Their not as easy as birds to identify!

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/250sec @f11, ISO 200

Pic of the Day

   Dragonfly – Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands; Viera, Florida:  Birds were not the only subject at the Viera Wetlands during my last visit.  Dragonfly swarms seemed to be everywhere.  When I would stop the van, get out and walk to the waters edge dragonflies would rise out of the vegetation in masses of hundreds.  While most would buzz around me a few would alight on the plants giving me the opportunity to shoot.  I did try to shoot dragonflies on the wing, but the results were not pretty at all, maybe next time.

This dragonfly was perched at just the right angle, and, of out-of-focus water and foliage provided the perfect background.  Within forty-five minutes after the sun rose the winds began to blow quite hard causing the foliage to violently sway, thus ending the dragonfly shooting.  However, it was fun while it lasted and there were birds to shoot!

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/640sec. @ f8, ISO 200

Who's Looking

   Welcome viewers from Haiti!  Haiti becomes the 83rd country from which viewers have logged on to Bobby's Photo Blog.  Welcome to the site and please log-on often.  Bobby

Pic of the Day

   Anhinga -- Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands; Viera, Florida:  This Anhinga built its nest atop an old cabbage palm stump that stands in one of the water impoundments.  The three nestlings are just about too big for the nest and their twisting and turning atop the stump reminded me of Medusa.  When the parent birds arrive with food the nestlings raise their heads upward and violently gyrate their entire body as they beg for offerings.  The activity makes the palm stump come alive and look like a head of slithering snakes.  This is of course a perfectly good analogy for Medusa, after all, the Anhinga is also known as the “snake bird.”

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm with 1.4 converter, 1/640 sec. @ f9

Who's Looking

   Honduras becomes the 82^nd country from which viewers have logged onto Bobbys Photo Blog.  Welcome to the site and please visit often.   Bobby

Recently Published Work

   The spring issue of Creation Illustrated is out!  My column, A Lens on Creation covers the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve near Pawhuska, Oklahoma.  If you are interested in subscribing to Creation Illustrated follow this link: http://www.creationillustrated.com

Video of the Day

I have discovered that the videos do not appear on the blog when using an iPad.

  Pileated Woodpecker -- Horsecove; Gurley, Alabama:  This video was taken in 2007, when a Pileated Woodpecker nested in my front yard.  I shot over a hundred hours of video and hundreds of still photos.  I have always been fascinated with woodpeckers, and could not believe my good fortune to have a pileated nest in my front yard (only 250 feet from my front door steps).  To see  a still image of the male with nestlings go to the May 6, 2010 Pic of the Day post (click here: http://bobbyharrison.blogspot.com/2010/05/pic-of-day_06.html.)  The video was taken with a digital  Sony Mini-DVcamcorder.

Video of the Day

   

   Limpkin -- Viera Wetlands; Viera, Florida:  While in Florida this past January I experiment with the Nikon D7000's video capabilities.  It is fabulous.  I did discover that manual focus should be used.  The autofocus motor sounds are very distracting.  To manual focus, a Hoodman loop or similar type loop is essential.  I also shot video at the St. Augustine Alligator farm of the Tri-colored Heron nest seen in the last post.  I used the hoodman cine loop kit and it worked great.   I hope to do, and post more HD video with this fantastic camera!

Additional note:

   This is a HD file (1280x720) but it looks no better on the web (blogspot) than the large or medium resolutions that I previously posted.  I have left the large resolution posted below so that you can see for yourself.  However, the HD file on the computer looks great when played on the computer through i-movie and on a wide screen TV.

Additional note 5:52pm CDT: 

     I talked with my mac people today and they are suggesting that I post the videos on You Tube.  You Ttube can carry the large files without the compression that is applied by blogspot. I will soon post the HD copy to You Tube and then post the link on the blog.  Look for the link either later tonight or tomarrow.     Bobby

Video of the Day

   

  Limpkin -- Viera Wetlands; Viera, Florida:  While in Florida this past January I experiment with the Nikon D7000's video capabilities.  It is fabulous.  I did discover that manual focus should be used.  The autofocus motor sounds are very distracting.  To manual focus, a Hoodman loop or similar type loop is essential.  I also shot video at the St. Augustine Alligator farm of the Tri-colored Heron nest seen in the last post.  I used the hoodman cine loop kit and it worked great.   I hope to do, and post more HD video with this fantastic camera!

   This is a large resolution video (960x540) from a HD file.  I am still trying to load HD video for the web but am having problems.  I am sure the problem is with me, or perhaps it just takes a looooong time to load HD video.

Pic of the Day

   Tri-colored Heron -- Alligator Farm:  Saint Augustine, Florida:  This is a female tri-colored heron from the St. Augustine Alligator Farm.  This female was photographed in between nest building activity.  The male would bring a branch to add to the nest about every 4 to 5 minutes.  She would take almost as long placing the stick by pushing, tugging and pulling to get it in just the right place.   Usually, before she was finished the male would bring another branch and she would go through the same routine again.  The process was fascinating to watch and all the activity took place about 15 feet in front of me.

The name, Tri-colored Heron is just one of many names this bird has been called over the years.  Other names from the past include, Audubon's Heron and Louisiana Heron.  I actually prefer Audubon's Heron.

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 300mm EDVR 2.8,  1/100 sec. @ f5

Pic of the Day

   Roseate Spoonbill – Alligator Farm; Saint Augustine, Florida:  As the day wanes at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm the birds in the rookery begin their evening duties before settling-in for the night.  As the sun dropped closer to the horizon this Roseate Spoonbill flew to a nearby tree and began preening.  During the course of preening, rival spoonbills landed nearby.  As they landed the roseate lifted its head and pointed skyward, letting the others know that he was king of the roost.  
   The spoonbill was perched around twenty-five feet up the tree.  I used a 500mm lens to shoot the image from a distance.  Keeping my distance and using the long lens decreased the angle of view between the camera and bird.  This techinque gives the illusion that the spoonbill was closer to ground level.               
Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/1.600sec. @ f10

Pic of the Day

   Scrub Jay – Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge:  After my first morning of shooting the bird rookery at the Saint Augustine Alligator Farm I went south to Merritt Island.  I enjoyed shooting the Scrub Jays a month earlier and thought I would try them again.  I arrived at the Scrub Jay Ridge Trail about three o’clock in the afternoon.  I first headed south but found no jays, then north, but still no luck.  However, I did find lots of mosquitoes, and I have the bits to prove it!  After striking out I returned to my van to down load images from the memory cards of the mornings shoot.   After down loading the images I made another run along the Ridge Trail.  No sooner had I left the van I saw three Scrub Jays in the exact location I had photographed jays back in March. 

  As I walked down the trail I spotted this bird perched atop an old snag.  The jay was on a perch without distracting branches in the foreground or background.   I shot a dozen frames when then the bird jumped into flight.  I continued to shoot.  I could not believe my good fortune,  I had captured the jay with wings spread, and a catch light in the eye.  I just love it when everythngs comes together.  I can’t wait until the next opportunity to photograph Scrub Jays.

Both Photos:  Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, Digital Capture ISO 200, 1/5,000 sec. @ f7.1

Pic of the Day

   Roseate Spoonbill – Estero Lagoon; Fort Myers Beach, Florida:  As the feeding frenzy at Estero Lagoon began to wane the spoonbills gathered along the shore of the lagoon to preen.  This adult, sporting fresh breeding plumage, took a few steps from the group and began sifting a feather or two through its bill.  Stepping away from the group a few fee  this spoonbill provided an opportunity for me to shoot a series of images of the bird by itself.  The image was captured as the spoonbill paused for a few seconds and looked into the camera, providing me with a classic spoonbill portrait.


Nikon D7000, Nikkor 300mm 2.8VR, Digital Capture ISO 200, 1/2,000 sec. @ f4.5

Pic of the Day

   Roseate Spoonbill – Estero Lagoon; Fort Myers Beach, Florida:  Among the half dozen Roseate Spoonbills feeding in Estero Lagoon, only one was an adult in breeding plumage.  The adult became my target for most of my roseate photos during the shoot.  At one point during the feeding frenzy it caught a fish and walked right up to me.  The spoonbill came so close I could not take a full frame photo of the bird,  I had to settle for a headshot.  Fortunately the spoonbill manipulated the fish in its bill as I shot, thus giving me the opportunity to shoot this detailed view of the prey and the spoonbills head. Shooting was hectic with so much activity going on around me.  So many birds feeding drew my attention from one activity to another without pause.  I did not realize that I had captured the sequence until I reviewed the image-files after downloading.  I love surprises like this.

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 300mm 2.8VR, Digital Capture, 1/1,250 sec. @ f4.5 

Pic of the Day

  Tri-colored Heron – Estero Lagoon; Fort Myers Beach, Florida:  While shooting the feeding frenzy at Estero Lagoon this Tri-colored Heron caught a sheepshead and walked straight toward me.  The heron stopped less than 10 feet from me and began to  manipulated the fish in many position before sending it down its gullet.  This is just one of many shots I took.  I shot six frames, which took about a second, then the event was over.  So, there was no time to switch cameras to get a full frame shot.   With that said I must confess that I do like the close-up image,  as it shows much more detail in the prey, and centers on the action itself.  I will eventually post more images of this sequence.

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 300mm 2.8VR, Digital Capture, 1/1,250 sec. @ f4.5

Pic of the Day

  Snowy Egret – Estero Lagoon; Fort Myers Beach, Florida:  After spending a week driving from Fort Desoto in Saint Petersburg south to Sanibel Island, east to Anhinga Trail in the Everglades then North (with stops along the way) to Merritt Island National Refuge, I finally had a couple of mornings of good shooting at Estero Lagoon on by second drive around the state.
   Estero Lagoon begins, or ends, depending on your perspective at the Holiday Inn in Fort Myers Beach.  I arrived at the lagoon just as the sun was rising and was excited to see about fifty or more waders feeding in the shallow waters of the lagoon.

   The morning was perfect.  The sea breeze was cool, and the birds were bathed with the warmth of sunrise light.  More than a dozen species of birds filled the lagoon and each searching and catching food from the shallows.  Spoonbills waded back and forth along the stretch of water in front of my camera while egrets, herons, ibises and shorebirds stalked the waters.  Herons, egrets and spoonbills were catching Sheepshead, each about four to six inches in length.  Ibis were busy gleaning blue crab and least sandpipers were pulling marine worms from the mud. 

  Great opportunities were present at Estero Lagoon and I took advantage of as many as possible.  While I took many shots that I am very pleased with, so many good shots got away.  I was shooting three cameras during the feeding frenzy.  I used a Nikon D300 with a 500mm f4 lens mounted on a tripod.  I also used a Nikon D7000 with a 300mm f2.8 VR lens hand held.  Many of the close up shots were taken with this particular set-up.  I also used a Nikon D3 with a Nikkor 80-200mm f2.8 for shots of birds when the came too close for the other lenses.  And, the birds did come close.  I sometimes moved out of their way instead of them moving out of mine.  The birds seemed to pay me no attention.  I am not surprised since Fort Myers Beach is a popular tourist destination and is heavily used.

   I photographed this Snowy Egret using the D7000 camera and 300mm lens set-up.  I saw the snowy catch the fish and then start flying.  Using a fast shutter speed and panning with the bird I was able to get a focusing senor on the eye which allowed for a tack sharp image.  I shot two frames of the bird as it flew by.  This one was sharp, the first image was slightly out of focus.  The VR (vibration reduction) feature , fast shutter speed, and ability to hand hold the lens made this image possible.

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 300mm f2.8, Digital Capture ISO 200,   1/800 sec. @ f8

Pic of the Day

  Green-backed Heron – Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands; Viera, Florida:  As I drove along the west side of a water impoundment at the Ritch Grissom wetlands in Viera, Florida I notice a photographer busy taking photos.  As I drove past I could see that she was taking photos of a Green-backed Heron.   The setting was very nice, but not wanting to disturb the photographer I drove on past about 300 feet and parked.  My plan was to back-up to the site when the photographer had finished and shoot the heron my self.  It was not long until I saw the photographer pack-up, get in her vehicle and leave.  But before I could get back to the spot, another photographer pulled-up and began to shoot.  Still I waited.  After five or ten minutes the second photographer left and I was able to back-up to the spot where the heron stood.  Much to my pleasant surprise the green-backed was still there, patiently waiting for a fish to swim by.

In slow motion I pulled all my gear together and slid down the road bank to the waters level and began to shoot.  The heron was motionless at it perched atop lily pads that were in various stages of flowering.  I shot a few photos as the bird lay in wait.  Like lighting it suddenly lunged forward and came up with a minnow.  Then it arose from its fishing spot, walked a few feet left, then right, and back left before settling in to a slightly different spot.  I photographed the heron from about fifteen minutes as it moved across the lily pads.  The heron was most patient with me, and my wait for the opportunity was well worth the time it took.  

Nikon D7000, Nikor 500mm f4, Digital Capture ISO 200, 1/1000 secon @ f 9