Digging in the archive

 

Ok, I'm having the blues. No new snow today but a uniform gray sky didn't boost my creativity either. I haven't touched the camera for almost a week now. Instead I'm digging in my archive for pictures that were made in great light and where the sun played at least a role.

I came across this image of a Snowy Egret. It was made in 2010 at my very first visit at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Southern California. The egret enjoyed the last light beams, just minutes before the sun dived into the Pacific Ocean. I think it is important to look back sometimes and analyze why some images worked out great while others didn't work at all. I do not delete all misses. They help me quite often later to remember how a particular shooting situation was approached and maybe prevent me from making the same mistakes again. Having a few better ones in reserve isn't so bad either, especially if you can use them after a week with no shooting at all... :-) Have a great weekend!

Nature clicks #107 - Caspian Tern

I'm already in the next city on this week's business trip but still like to show you another image from my short visit to the Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve two days ago. This Caspian Tern flew over my head a couple times and I'm very glad I can share this photo with you. I had a nice conversation with a local photographer and he helped me with identification of the birds and I learned a lot about their behavior. It is always nice when wildlife photographers share their knowledge about the local species with someone who is relatively new to the area. Terns are not always easy to identify and they may have a different look during the winter.

Nature clicks #106 - Foster's Tern

Nikon D300s, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM

I flew to Los Angeles today because business requires my presence here tomorrow. The long daylight gave me the chance to visit the Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve for a couple hours this evening. I have written several times before here in my blog how much I like these wetlands at the Pacific coast just south of Long Beach, California. At this time of the year we can't find by far as many birds here as during the winter. However, this is a place where always something is going on.

The light is just great for bird photography here in the evening and today I was able to make finally a picture of a Foster's Tern in flight that I really like. I have tried this many times before but never got the result I envisioned. These birds are very fast moving while hovering over the water and hunting for fish. The difficult part is not so much to get a sharp shot. The hard part is to get a catch light just right on the eye of the tern, so that it is clearly visible and doesn't just blend into the black cap of the bird. The Foster's Terns have nests nearby but the location does not allow a clear view into them. The adults look different than during the winter, when they miss the black cap but have a black eye patch and a dark bill instead. The Foster's Tern wasn't the only tern I saw today, but this is something for another "Nature clicks" post...