Tag: Nature Photography

Bald Eagles Along the Skagit River

The Skagit Valley, particularly the Skagit River, is known at this time of the year to be a haven for Bald Eagles.  It’s located in the northwestern part of Washington State. About half of the time on our recent trip was spent on the Skagit River photographing eagles, and the other half on land photographing swans, snow geese, and a bit of landscape. Although the weather was cold and rainy, the experience yielded some exciting photos making the colds, both my wife and I now endure, worth it. Below are some photographs.

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Pelicans at Sanibel’s J.N. “Ding” Darling NWR

Earlier this week my wife and I took a short trip to the Naples area  of Southwest Florida. Included was a short day trip to the Ding Darling WLR on Sanibel Island where we were greeted by a small pod of Pelicans. Here are a few of my photographs.

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Visions of the Palouse

The Palouse, about 70 miles south of Spokane, Washington is a majestic region especially during the harvest season. Sometimes called the Tuscany of America, there are patterns, designs and strong lines creating a visual palette of colors. Below are a few of the photos I have processed so far. All are available for purchase by clicking here.

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Sunrise in the Palouse-CW-

Abandoned Barn in the Palouse-CW-1028

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The Puffins of Eastern Egg Rock Island

A recent trip to Boothbay Harbor in Maine provided my wife and me with the opportunity for a boat trip to Eastern Egg Rock Island, an Audubon Society run sanctuary for Atlantic Puffins. The day was beautiful, a little cool out in the ocean, but more important was the number of Puffins that made themselves available to us to photograph.  They are uniquely colorful looking creatures, only about ten inches in length.

No one is allowed to land on the island, except for Audubon employees and volunteers, so we had to shoot from the boat. Subsequently, the distance and the rocking of the boat made photographing a bit challenging at times. Still, with a little bit of luck and assistance from the Puffins, we got the shots.

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Feeding the Kids

I had to crop these photos quite a bit because this family of Anhingas were well back from our path and the trees and brush did not give me a clear shot. I used a 300mm lens but I really needed more like a 500mm or 600mm. Photographed at the Sawgrass Lake Park in St. Petersburg.

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Gator – Head Shot

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This up close and personal shot of a Florida alligator was taken during a recent overnight trip to Sarasota. Used my 18-300mm lens (focal length was 210, shutter 1/320 and lens opening at f/13) during a boat ride at Myakka State Park. This dude came close enough  to our boat to  capture this image.

You can order this print by clicking here.

Sandhill Cranes Up Close

Living in Florida I see Sandhill Cranes just about every day; many times in my backyard. On trips to one of my favorite places, Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico, there can be thousands of them, if your are there at the right time, in the Fall as they head South from Western Northern States for the winter. However, this friendly fellow was photographed Vancouver, British Columbia back in 2015. They are big birds with wings spans of approximately 5 feet (females) to well over 6 feet (males). sandhill-crane-upclose-cw-final2-1-of-1

 

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