photoartflightMute Swans in Wildflowers
Posted on September 13, 2014
We found these Mute Swans swimming and feeding among the wildflowers. I liked the large white birds interacting with each other and the pop of color from the wildflowers.
Egret Bookends
Posted on September 11, 2014
We came upon these 2 Egrets along the Wildlife Drive. Each one was looking the opposite way and each was standing on one leg, the opposite leg. I thought it looked interesting and a little amusing. The left was a Snowy Egret, the right Great Egret. Throughout the time we were there, we saw large numbers of all types of Egrets giving us a large amount of photo opportunities.
More Black Skimmers From Brigantine
Posted on September 8, 2014
I got a chance to go over more files from our last visit to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Brigantine Division, in Oceanville, NJ. On our last visit we had the opportunity to photograph lots of Black Skimmers, fairly close by.
Female Red-winged Blackbird
Posted on September 6, 2014
On our trip to the Brigantine Division of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, we saw large flocks of Female Red-winged Blackbirds in the plants along the Wildlife Drive. They are usually always here, but hard to photograph because as soon as you slow down they fly off. This trip I actually got quite a few shots of them, more than any other trip through the refuge.
Snowy Egrets
Posted on September 2, 2014
There were large amounts of Egrets at Edwin B. Forsythe NWR, Brigantine Division, in Oceanville, NJ. Almost everywhere we went we saw large amounts of birds, but being white, the different Egrets really stood out and were easy to spot. I saw this group of three Snowy Egrets fly in and started interacting with each other and liked the green grasses and blue water behind them with the white Snowy Egrets standing out.
Black Skimmers at Brigantine
Posted on August 31, 2014
I was photographing Little Egrets along the drive when 2 Black Skimmers came down the channel. They kept working the area going back and worth and then there were 4 working the area.The 4 kept working the same area for a while and then on the next pass there were 7. They stayed for about 15 minutes giving me a large window of time to photograph Skimmers fishing and close low fly-bys. It was the best chance I have had to photograph Black Skimmers fishing and close fly-bys.
Black Skimmer Fly By, Pulling Up in a Turn. Canon EOS1 MkIV, Canon 400mm f/4 DO lens, Canon Series III 1.4X Teleconverter, f/6.3, 1/320 sec, +0.33 exposure compensation, ISO 400
Black Skimmer Fly By. Canon EOS1 MkIV, Canon 400mm f/4 DO lens, Canon Series III 1.4X Teleconverter, f/6.3, 1/500 sec, +0.33 exposure compensation, ISO 400
Black Skimmer Flying By, Turning, Cutting the Water with Tip of Beak. Canon EOS1 MkIV, Canon 400mm f/4 DO lens, Canon Series III 1.4X Teleconverter, f/6.3, 1/500 sec, +0.33 exposure compensation, ISO 400
Black Skimmers Coming In. Canon EOS1 MkIV, Canon 400mm f/4 DO lens, Canon Series III 1.4X Teleconverter, f/6.3, 1/400 sec, +0.33 exposure compensation, ISO 400
Brigantine NWR Panorama Telephoto Sunrise
Posted on August 30, 2014
We took Friday off and went to the Edwin B. Forsythe NWR, Brigantine Division in Oceanville, NJ. We arrived before sunrise to be ready to photograph. I wanted to capture the pre-sunrise or Dawn along with the Sunrise, hopefully with birds flying through it. Sometimes Dawn is more interesting than the actual Sunrise. I was trying for a multi-shot vertical panorama Sunrise with a long lens to capture mainly the sky without too much foreground. The feature image is a 5 shot vertical panorama shot with a 400mm lens. I waited for the sun to be behind the clouds because I was using a Canon 400mm DO Lens (Diffractive Optics) which will flare when pointed at the sun. Then I concentrated on single shot images with the 400mm and adding in some with 17mm through 105 using multiple lenses.These will be posted later. Warning! Do not look directly into the sun, especially with a telephoto lens. You can and will damage your eyes! I used live view or focused off to the side then estimated where I should aim the camera. On the panorama, I just shot to one side and moved to the other side, not looking through the viewfinder.
Grasses lit by Sunrise 400mm, handheld, f/7.1, 1/640 sec, -0.33 exposure comp, ISO 800
High Flight of Egrets in Sunrise
Dawn, pre-sunrise, skyscape
Flight of Egrets at Dawn
Common Yellowthroat Singing in the Early Morning
Posted on July 2, 2014
While driving through the Wildlife Drive at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Brigantine Division in Oceanville NJ, we came across this Common Yellowthroat singing in the early morning. It was fun to watch & listen to singing even though it was far away. There were many Common Yellowthroats around the brush by the first Overlook Tower along the Drive. They stayed in the shadows, bouncing around from branch to branch.
Common Yellowthroat in the shadows. There were many early in the morning along the drive. Canon EOS 1D MkIV, 400mm f/4 DO IS, Canon Series III 1.4X Teleconverter, f/5.6, 1/500 sec, ISO 400.
Common Tern Hovering Before Dive
Posted on July 1, 2014
This Common Tern was working this area for food in front of us. It turned head on to us and was flapping away before diving into the water to catch a fish. I liked the angle because it was head on to us instead of the usual side view. It still worked the area for a while, diving and hovering. Then moved down the waterway away from us.
Common Tern After Dive with Fish, Still Showing Splash from Dive and Flying Out of the Water. I tried to get as much of the water ripple while still showing the Tern. Canon 1D MkIV, Canon 400mm f/4 DO IS, Canon Series III 1.4X Teleconverter, f/8, 1/2000 sec, ISO 400
Ospreys at Edwin B. Forsythe NWR, Brigantine Div.
Posted on June 9, 2014
A little while ago we traveled to the Edwin B. Forsythe NWR, Brigantine Division in Oceanville NJ. There was a lot of activity along the Wildlife Drive. There are many Osprey platforms along the Drive, a few additional had been added over the last few years. This is the first time I saw all of them being used with Ospreys nesting on them. Along with the nests in the refuge not on the platforms. Because of this, the Ospreys were seen throughout the refuge with many flying quite close and overhead giving many good photo opportunities. Soon, if not now, their eggs will be hatching giving even more photo opportunities. They will be flying to and from the nests, bringing food for the young birds. Here is an adult male on the ground after catching a fish, taking off to bring the fish to the platform to eat.
Osprey with Catch, Bringing to Osprey Platform, Canon 1DMkIV, 400mm f/4 DO IS, Canon 1.4X Series III Teleconverter, f/8, 1/500 sec, +0.33 exposure compensation, ISO 400
Osprey with Catch, Bringing to Osprey Platform, Canon 1DMkIV, 400mm f/4 DO IS, Canon 1.4X Series III Teleconverter, f/8, 1/500 sec, +0.33 exposure compensation, ISO 400
Osprey with nesting material, Bringing to Nest on Osprey Platform. Canon 1DMkIV, 400mm f/4 DO IS, Canon 1.4X Series III Teleconverter, 640
Osprey with Catch on Osprey Platform Post. Canon 1DMkIV, 400mm f/4 DO IS, Canon 1.4X Series III Teleconverter, f/5.6, 1/4000 sec, +0.67 exposure compensation, ISO 640
Osprey on Nest Canon 1DMkIV, 400mm f/4 DO IS, Canon 1.4X Series III Teleconverter, f/11, 1/500 sec, +0.67 exposure compensation, ISO 640
Another Osprey Platform w/ nest. Canon 1DMkIV, 400mm f/4 DO IS, Canon 1.4X Series III Teleconverter, f/11, 1/640 sec, +0.33 exposure compensation, ISO 640
Osprey on ground near Osprey Platform. Canon 1DMkIV, 400mm f/4 DO IS, Canon 1.4X Series III Teleconverter, f11, 1/500 sec, +0.33 exposure compensation, ISO 640
Osprey Flying Overhead backlite with sun on wings Canon 1DMkIV, 400mm f/4 DO IS, Canon 2 Series II Teleconverter, f/10, 1/640 sec, +1 exposure compensation, ISO 640
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