Pic of The Day

    Those of you who follow the blog know that I have been traveling and shooting over the spring and summer. My journey has taken me from Alabama, north to Michigan, as far west as Idaho, then south to Patagonia, Arizona and finally home.  I have decided to post images in the order of location as we traveled.  Thus, the first images I post are from Michigan,  The state in which I did my undergraduate work, and cut my teeth in photography.  Michigan is one of my favorite states; its landscape is most condusive for bird and nature photography.
       We have spent 42 days on the road and I have lots of images to post.  I will try to post every couple of days, so please check the blog often…….but, "the best laid plans of mice and men”…….  Bobby

     Zebra Butterfly, Heliconius charitonius – Sarett Nature Center; Benton Harbor, Michigan:  The Zebra is a common butterfly throughout many of the Gulf States.  I encounter my first Zebra on Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park back in 1978 on the first trip my wife and I took together in the glades. 

     The Zebra is very common in the Everglades and was designated the Florida state butterfly in 1996.  It is commonly found in hammocks and thickets.  The zebra I saw back in “78” was a striking butterfly with its yellow stripes on black wings.  There must have been hundreds flying about and I did get the opportunity to shoot images back then.  Every time I head to the glades in spring I am on the constant lookout for this fluttering beauty.

     For this image I did not have to go to the glades.  On my way northward in early June I made a stop at Sarett Nature Center in Benton Harbor, Michigan.  For its second year, Sarett has established a butterfly house.  The butterflies are those found in the southern states.  The butterfly house provided me with great opportunities to photograph these flighty creatures just as soon as they emerged from their cocoons. 

     After shooing for more than an hour I found these “love birds,” or should I say, “love butterflies,” hanging in perfect symmetrical balance against a non-obtrusive background.  I used a tripod and the depth-of-field preview button to check sharpness from the front to back of the butterflies.  Keeping the butterflies in focus while maintaining an out of focus background was essential to the visual success of the image.

Of all the images shot at the butterfly house, this was my favorite.  My trip had just begun, and was off to a great start!

See other butterflies from this trip posted on the blog by selecting these links: http://bobbyharrison.blogspot.com/search?q=Julia and http://bobbyharrison.blogspot.com/search?q=Julia


Nikon D7000, Nikkor 300mm 2.8, 1/320sec. @ f5.6, on tripod

Pic of the Day

     Chestnut-sided Warbler – Magee Marsh, Ohio:  The second weekend in May is typically a great time to catch warblers and other passerines passing through Magee Marsh on their northward migration.  This chestnut-sided warbler was on its way north when it stopped at the marsh to refuel before flying over Lake Erie.  Warblers at Magee Marsh are usually seen low in the branches and easy to watch and photography.  However, that is not the norm, warblers are most often high in the tree tops and seen from underneath (as seen in this photo), forcing the birder to lean the head back as he or she strains to look upward.  This strain cause great discomfort on the neck after a morning of warbler watching, and is know as “warbler neck.”  If you’re a birder, you know exactly what I’m talking about! 

Now that the fall migrants have passed through, I can hardly wait for spring!


Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/80 second @ f7.1

Pic of the Day

    Least Tern – Biloxi, Mississippi:  This tern was photographed at a colony located south of Highway US90 between Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi.  The colony is one of, if not the largest least tern colony in the world.  Getting close to the terns is easy as they nest right up to the sidewalk used by beach goers to access the waterfront. 

      While I was walking along the edge of the colony looking for a nest I could photograph from the sidewalk one morning, this fellow flew in to drive me away.  The bird used numerous tactics in which the most invasive were swooping upon me and pecking my head, to hovering over me and defecating.  I prefer the head pecking above the latter.  I have learned from experience that a hat is an essential piece of gear, and just plain ole common sense tells me to keep my mouth shut. 

       I used a 300mm lens attached to a gunstock mount to take the image. The Gunstock is my favorite method for shooting birds in flight as it allows for maneuverability, a quick aim and a steady shot.  That maneuvrability thing is important when terns start defecating.  
     The tern spent only a few minutes in its attacks before flying back to the depression in the sand that we call a nest, but as I continued my search other terns took its place.  Eventually I found the right nest in the right place to photograph, absent of the head pecking and, well, the other.


Nikon F5, Nikkor 300mm 2.8, Fuji Provia 100

Pic of the Day

    Tri-colored Heron – Saint Augustine, Florida:  The Saint Augustine alligator farm is far from the Florida wilds, but it is a great place to photograph wild birds.  Each spring a variety of egrets and herons descend upon the popular tourist attraction to build nest and raise young on natural ponds at the farms periphery.   

     This Tri-colored Heron was photographed nesting only a few feet from the boardwalk that winds through the rookery.  As I walked along the board walk on an early April morning I found these two heron perched atop a freshly built nest.  The two birds seem especially attentive to one another as I watched,  then female stood over the nest, and with out warning an egg popped from the female and plopped into the nest.  The male bird seemed almost prideful as he looked at, and slightly moved the egg around with his bill.  I had never witnessed a bird laying an egg before and was quite surprised to see that the heron stood over the nest letting the egg fall about ten inches instead of setting in the nest to lay the egg.  Nature continues to amaze me, and the boardwalk that traverses the rookery at the Saint Augustine Alligator Farm provides a close-up intimate view of nature at its best.  

     The prime time to visit the rookery is early spring, usually between April 1 and May 31.  For more information on the Alligator Farm, the bird rookery and updates visit: http://www.alligatorfarm.com

Nikon F4, Nikkor 300mm 2.8, Kodachrome 64