Captures of Winter

After experiencing mostly mild winters for the past two decades, this winter has seen sustained cold and snow.  I captured the photos posted here before a brief warming spell melted much of the snow pack a week ago.  Now with snow and 0 deg. temps in the forecast for tomorrow there is no doubt that we must wait a while yet until winter loosens its grasp.


Canon EOS 6D, EF 24-105mm f/4L USM @28mm    f/5.6,1/800/ISO-160




Canon EOS 6D, EF 600mm f/4 IS USM   F/5.6, 1/100 ISO-320



Canon EOS 6D, EF 600mm f/4 IS USM   F/5.6, 1/400 ISO-800



Canon EOS 6D, EF 600mm f/4 IS USM   F/5.6, 1/2500 ISO-320



Canon EOS 6D, EF 600mm f/4 IS USM   F/5.6, 1/125 ISO-320



Canon EOS 6D, EF 600mm f/4 IS USM   F/5.6, 1/160 ISO-320

Wildlife Activity Increases as November Begins

With a good portion of the leaves now down and a chilly nip in the air, wildlife activity is picking up here in South Central Pennsylvania.  Bucks are beginning to become more active as the rut nears.  This young buck paused momentarily from sparring with a round hay bale when I clicked this shot. 

 

Although nearly half the size of their mothers, fawns continue to nurse.  Nursing sessions now last only a few seconds.  If a fawn begins to nurse you had better shoot fast if you wish to capture a phtograph for it will be over in 10-15 seconds.

 

The does will soon wean the fawns.  While nursing at the beginning of November is common I have never observed fawns nursing from Thanksgiving week on.

 

Squirrels are very active now feeding and hoarding nuts for winter.

 

We have two varieties of squirrel living in my home area, the fox squirrel pictured here and the gray squirrel pictured below.  In years past it was not uncommon to spot the occasional red squirrel however for whatever reason the red squirrels have disappeared from the area. 

Gray squirrels are our most common squirrel and account for probably 75% of my squirrel sightings.

 

While not as noisy now as during the nesting season, the red-bellied woodpeckers are easily spotted as visibility improves in the woodland with the summer's leaves drifting to the ground.  Year-around residents, the red-bellied woodpeckers can be counted on to provide a bright spot of color in the outdoors no matter the season. 

Limpy in the Evening



During my recent trip to the Pennsylvania elk range a good number of bulls were frequenting the Winslow Hill area with an old bull, known in the Pa. elk photographic community as "Limpy", carrying the most impressive rack.  The following shots were taken during the course of one evening when he was pursuing a very trusting collared cow.

 

 

It has been quite a privilege to have photographed this impressive trusting animal for the last five years.  Hopefully he will be around for a few more seasons.

Elk in the Fog

 

Thick fog enveloped Winslow Hill every morning of my recent trip.  The elk here are quite tolerant on humans so getting close enough to photograph them was not a problem even with the limited visibility.

A common mistake when photographing in fog is to under-expose the image.  The camera's meter cannot accurately set the exposure automatically in fog.  To correct the exposure it is necessary to compensate anywhere from +.5 to  +1.5 stops.

 

When properly exposed, fog shots can be some of the most memorable images from an outing to Pennsylvania's elk range.

As Summer Slides By........

 

 

A flock of Canada Geese swim in a farm pond while an Immature Bald Eagle watches from the bank. 

 

When I noticed this scene as my wife and I drove down a dirt back-country road, the geese were what caught my attention.  I paused to observe them noting that the young of the year are fully feathered and nearly as large as their parents; but the surprise of the moment was when I realized that the bird on the land was not just another goose but an eagle instead!  Was it watching the geese hoping for a meal of fatted goose? 



Common Wood Nymph

 

While taking one of my frequent evening walks a butterfly fluttered in the roadside bushes and chose a landing site that was open and well lit.  My constant companion on these walks, a camera with the 100-400mm lens attached proved adequate to make a good hand-held shot of these normally reclusive butterflies.

 

 

While spending an evening in a local wetland I was startled by the nearby splashing sound of a doe and her twins crossing the shallow water.  Unable to photograph them in the water because of screening branches I had to wait until they passed into an opening.  The clicking of the shutter drew the mother's attention for a moment before she moved on.

 

But a biting fly caused the one fawn to flick its tail and bite at it's hip.  While it appears that the fawn was looking directly at me it was the biting insect that had its undivided attention. 

 

Wildlife in the Garden

Bull Elk, Elk County Pa
September 2012

 When wildlife is mentioned oft times our thoughts picture one of the glamorous species of wild
 creatures




Bumblebee on an annual Zinnia

 

 However we are surrounded by untamed creatures, many of which make areas that we consider home their home as well.




Skippers on a Zinnia

To invite appealing wildlife species to our yards and gardens plant some flowers.  Not only will the flowers brighten the landscape but they will provide food and cover to a multitude of wild creatures.

 



Immature Ruby-throated Hummingbird on a Canna Lily

 

Hummingbirds as well as butterflies and bees will be attracted to the sweet nectar.

Midsummer Whitetails

With the oats ripening in the fields the whitetails are taking advantage of the bounty of the season.

 

Until harvest and for a short time afterwards fields containing oats are among the best places to find bachelor groups of bucks this time of year.

A fawn test the air as it steps from the woodlands into a field of ripening oats.

 

While we are at the midpoint of the summer already some spots of color can be found.  Spots of foliage color such as this reminds one that autumn is just around the corner.

 

Wild Faces

Wild faces come in many shapes and sizes.  Some we recognize as cute and cuddly while others may be seen as being more ominous. 

 

Here is a small collection of Wild Faces I have met recently. 

 

Cottontail:  Met while taking an evening walk.

Gray Squirrel:  Caught while raiding a naturalized bird feeder

Beaver:  The beaver swam close to my hide while I watched a wetland for ducklings

Snapping Turtle:  Spotted while watching for ducks. 

Double Takes

I recently read an article about photo composition.  The gist of the article was that whenever possible a photo should contain an odd number of subjects.  However when photographing a pair of fawns cavorting about, reacting to each other and their environment, its time to break the rule photographic rule of odds.

Red-shouldered Hawk After Dinner

Red-shouldered Hawk

While most wildlife photo opportunities must be worked for, the opportunity to photograph this Red-shouldered hawk came call.  As my wife and I were washing the dinner dishes I noticed the hawk perched along our east property line.  (You can see where my attention was; obviously not on the dishes !)  While the distance was too far (130 yards)for high-definition portrait work I hoped that something good could come from taking a few shots.

 

Retrieving the camera, the 600mm lens and the tripod I set it all up and opened the patio door hoping not scare the bird.  Looking through the viewfinder I could see the mirage created by the escaping heat hitting the cold outside air, a sure recipe for blurred shots.  Moving onto the deck I was met with more challenges as the wind was blowing briskly shaking not only the hawk and its perch but vibrating the deck as well.  The only way to freeze the hawk was with a high shutter speed however considering the cropping necessary to make a nice composition with a decent size subject I decided to keep the ISO at 200.  Selecting a comprise between ISO, f-stop and shutter I shot 64 images before the hawk departed for a new observation post.  Of the images shot only a few remained after deleting the blurred shots making the final selection of the best overall image a fairly easy matter.

 

Keep in mind while photographing in the coming weeks that mirage is very prevalent on sunny days throughout late winter and early spring.  With a cold earth and warm sunshine, shimmering heat waves will occur blurring many shots where the focus is correct, the subject still, and the camera/lens suitably supported.  The longer the lens the more problem it creates and the greater the distance between the front lens element and the subject the more heat waves can be present.  The only cure is to get as close as possible. 

 

Also keep in mind when shooting out of a car window in cold weather that the escaping heat from inside the car will create mirage as well.  While it is more comfortable to keep the auto warm, if you will be shooting out the window, for sharp images, turn off the heat.

 

 

Four Weeks to Go

Darn! am I ever tired of this winter!

 

With Spring still four weeks there is plenty of activity in the wildlife world to interest a wildlife photographer.

 

Snow Geese in flight, Middle Creek WMA

 

Snow Geese numbers are building at Middle Creek WMA with Tuesday's report showing an estimated 40,000 along with 3,000 Tundra Swans.  While in past years the number of snow's peaked around 100,000 somewhere around the first week of March,; 40,000 is plenty of birds to break the winter photography blahs. 

Wild Turkey Strutting

 

And while the peak strutting season is still a few weeks away the first stirrings of the wild turkey mating season can occasionally be seen on warmer days.

Head Shots

Blue Jay

 

A head shot captured the blue jay's intense stare,

Female Red-bellied Woodpecker

 

And the inquisitive stare of the female Red-belly.

Male Red-bellied Woodpecker

 

While only a close-up shot could show the extended tongue of the male Red-belly.

 

 

Wild Turkey Gobbler

 

Only a head shot would do justice to the bright red of the backlight illuminating a gobblers dewlap.

 

 

Sometimes when shooting with prime glass the subject becomes closer than you had anticipated.  With no zoom capability the only options are either don't shoot or go for a head shot.