Wildlife Photography_ From Snapshots to Great Shots - Laurie Excell [53]
• Sunglasses, hat, sunscreen, and bug spray are on the list in Chapter 9, but I want to place special emphasis on these items. You will definitely need them.
• Snakebite kit. You think I’m kidding (Figure 10.3)? Seriously, while on the lookout for snakes to avoid getting bitten, we also watch out for them as additional photo opportunities.
Figure 10.3 They grow things big in Texas, and snakes are no exception. This guy was at least six feet long.
When
There are birds in South Texas all year round; but for the best bird photography, prime time is spring through early summer. It’s nesting season, it’s migration time (midway through the season), it’s hot, and the birds flock to the rare and essential water sources (where the blinds are strategically placed) to drink and bathe (Figure 10.4). The last week in May is my preferred time to be there, but I’m told it’s even “hotter” (the photography and the temps) in June. I’ve been meaning to give it a go some year. Spring also brings with it mating and nesting behavior among the birds. So you always need to be on constant watch for a bird carrying nesting material or exhibiting mating behavior for interesting photographs (Figure 10.5).
Figure 10.4 When it’s hot out, place yourself at a water source; the birds will come.
Figure 10.5 Northern Mockingbird calling to its mate.
How
Two planes from Portland, Oregon, to McAllen, Texas, covering over 2,100 miles and 8-½ hours of travel time, put me in South Texas. An hour’s drive gets me to the lodge, where I’ll make my base for the next week. The itinerary consists of two shoots daily, beginning with a quick continental breakfast before heading out to the blinds, setting up, and being in place before sunrise. Once situated in the blinds, I won’t leave for several hours, so it’s important to pace myself on my fluid intake. If I leave the blind, I flush the birds. It’s as plain and simple as that. So, upon my arrival, I quietly wait for them to resume their activity that I interrupted. And resume it does, as one species of bird (Figure 10.6) after another comes to the water, allowing me to train my lens on them long enough for a few photographs before the next subject (Figure 10.7) takes its place.
Figure 10.6 A Great Kiskadee perches before going to the water. The key to great shots is the strategic placement of and types of perches.
Figure 10.7 A Golden-fronted Woodpecker calls to its mate in a nearby tree.
When the sun gets high in the sky throwing hard shadows against the bright dirt and the temperature starts its upward climb, I too climb out of the blind and head back to the air-conditioned lodge. I’ll upload the morning’s images, have lunch, and take a break during the hottest hours before heading back to a different blind that is situated for afternoon light for another 3-to-4-hour session of bird photography (Figure 10.8).
Figure 10.8 A Green Jay is one of my target birds when photographing in South Texas. It is not common in many other locations.
Blinds are placed for either morning or evening light. I enjoy several afternoons at the raptor blinds photographing the Harris Hawk (Figure 10.9) and the rare Cara Cara (Figure 10.10) vying for position to get the prize of a meal of raw meat.
Figure 10.9 A Harris Hawk perches in the crook of a tree checking the area for danger before going to the bait.
Figure 10.10 A Cara Cara flies low over the fields of yellow flowers that spring rains have nourished.
Photographing the birds of South Texas is just like shooting fish in a barrel. You simply go to the water source on a hot spring or summer day and tuck yourself into a blind for a few hours of enjoyable wild-bird photography.
Chapter Assignments
Bird photography can be fun and rewarding. Unlike a lot of wildlife photography, you don’t even need to travel far to find birds to photograph. Complete the following assignments and you can begin making great shots of birds right in your own backyard.
Backyard Birds: If You Build It
Set up a bird feeder or two, or