Monthly Archives: January 2012

Bobby Lynx makes the scene

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Nature photography is one of those things where you have to keep your eyes open because something unexpected can happen. You also have to learn to take what you are given and make the best of it.

We had planned to spend a day at Pea Island NWR only to arrive there and find no water in the main pond. That’s kind of a big deal when your target is waterfowl. Evidently, hurricane Irene knocked out the dike on the back side of the North Pond last year. Bummer! So, what’s Plan-B? Go to Alligator River NWR of course.

We made the relatively short drive inland over to ARNWR and saw some hawks but, nothing close enough to photograph. The most interesting one was an American Kestrel. It would hover in the air for several moments and then dive down into a field. The behavior reminded me of a Belted Kingfisher. It did this several times but, never got very close to us. I’m still waiting for my first opportunity to photograph a Kestrel. We also saw some Snow Geese, Northern Pintails and Black Ducks. Unfortunately, all were pretty far away.

While driving around we met a couple of other photographers who told us they often see Black Bears there. Over the years, I have spoken with numerous people who say they ALWAYS see bears at Alligator River. Me? I’ve never seen any bears there. ARNWR is also famous for having the world’s only wild population of Red Wolves. It’s estimated that there are 100-120 living there but, they are rarely seen.

Now, we’re bummed about Pea Island and none of the birds at Alligator River want to cooperate. It’s getting late in the day and we’re losing light. Maybe we can find a bear or wolf? …who knows. We prowl the gravel roads of ARNWR with new goals and a renewed determination.

By Jove it’s a Bobcat!

Suddenly, something darts across the road way out in front of us. Frank, who’s driving, sees it first. What’s that? Maybe a Red Wolf? I grab my binoculars and my camera. By Jove it’s a Bobcat! Way cool!

Bobcats are a member of the Lynx family. They are relatively common but, rarely seen because they hunt mostly at night. It crossed the road and was using a fallen tree to make a dry trek over the wide ditch. It paused halfway up the tree for a few fleeting seconds and gave us a look. None of us had ever seen a Bobcat in the wild much less photographed one. I didn’t have nearly enough glass to make a good image but, I snapped off a few quick shots handheld with my D700 / 300 f/2.8. Then like a ghost, it was gone. Wow! Things like this are what keep you coming back for more.

During the same week we decided to check out Mackay Island NWR. It’s an 8,200 acre refuge in northeast North Carolina on Currituck Sound. There’s very limited access during the winter months because the refuge is technically “closed”. We decided to check out the few areas that were still open.

 

Fortunately, we found a large drainage ditch along the access road teaming with Great Egrets, White Ibis and a lone Tricolored Heron. The White Ibis were mostly all immature ones as you can see from the the dark wings and head. None of these birds seemed to care about us so we kept shooting as they ate and hung around.

 

This same week we took a jaunt over to Back Bay NWR near Virginia Beach, VA. Shortly after I began walking down one of the trails I met some folks walking out. They mentioned seeing an American Bittern in the reeds just before the bridge. Sure enough, when I reached that point I saw the bird sitting there motionless saying “I’m invisible…you can’t see me!” These birds are notoriously difficult to photograph because they are well camouflaged and generally stay in the reeds where you can’t get a clean shot. But, they don’t easily stress and move slowly and methodically while prowling for food. If you’re patient you might be rewarded.

I was able to capture a few close-up portraits and then moved to a walkway on the opposite side of the pond. We waited there for awhile until the Bittern slowly made his way out into an area where I could get a clear shot.

All in all it was a great week even though things turned out a lot differently than we had expected.

Until next time… don’t let the cat get your tongue!

The Painted Ducks of Barnegat

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As a former duck hunter, I have always had an attraction to beautiful ducks. Some are so touched with patterns and colors that they don’t look real. A prime example is the Harlequin Duck. The first time I saw one of these little sea ducks was at Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park in Scotland Neck, NC. From that moment I wanted to make their picture in the wild.

Harlequin Ducks live in the very northern regions of North America. They range from Alaska down to the northern-most states in the western U.S. and from Greenland to the northern-most states in the eastern U.S. The vast majority of these ducks live on the Pacific Coast while the eastern population is declining and considered endangered. More than half of this eastern population winter in coastal Maine mostly around Penobscot and Jericho bays. New Jersey is pretty much as far south as they go.

This month we hit the road to track down a raft of Harlequins. Luckily, the nearest location was only a 14.5 hour drive away in the Garden State. One of the barrier islands along the New Jersey coast is the home to Barnegat Island Lighthouse and lots of interesting waterfowl. We arrived on a Sunday afternoon and were blessed with good light but, high winds, heavy surf and temperatures in the 20’s(F).

Anyone planning a bird-watching or photo expedition to Barnegat must first be aware of the  conditions they will face. The lighthouse park has a beautiful parking lot but, the gates close at 4:30pm so you have to park outside this area or risk getting locked in. There are 2 sets of nice restrooms but, they are only open on the weekends during the winter. It’s approximately a 500 yard walk from your car out to the beach and onto the start of the jetty.

Many of the small details look like an oil painting

The jetty is about 0.7 miles long and is constructed of huge boulders with relatively flat top surfaces. The Harlequin Ducks are usually found near the final 200-400 yards at the eastern end of the jetty. BE CAREFUL! Walking on the jetty can be hazardous to your health! Huge gaps, uneven surfaces, water, ice, moss, algae and bird poop are all waiting to make you slip, fall and hurt yourself.

Even after watching the Harlequins for a couple of days I am still in awe of their beauty. Many of the small details look like an oil painting. You can actually see what appears to be brush strokes in some areas. When looking at still images, it’s hard to imagine that these are living creatures.

 

 

Obviously, the main reason we went to Barnegat was to see the Harlequin Ducks but wait, there’s more…

Monday we spent all day on the jetty. In spite of the fact that temperatures were in the low teens with brisk winds AND there were duck hunters shooting from their boat-blind only a few hundred yards from the jetty, we still saw several different kinds of ducks.

Way out in the middle of the channel were some Long-tailed Ducks or “Oldsquaw” as they were formerly known. These graceful medium-sized ducks breed in the Arctic and also don’t come any further south than NJ. They were WAY out of range of my 500mm lens even with the 2x teleconverter but, I snapped a few images anyway. Maybe next trip we can get a bit closer.

We had a fantastic visit to Barnegat, NJ and feel quite fortunate that we were able to see the Harlequin Ducks. Wildlife and nature in general don’t care that you drove nearly 30 hours round-trip to see them. It’s not uncommon to come up empty on a trip like this but, not this time!

…that’s all for now.