Laughing gulls everywhere - I am still hearing their laughter in my head. I could swear they were saying “no, no, no…” as I searched for rarer species. While not entirely successful, I had an amazing unique experience American White Ibis are usually very skittish, so it was special to spend nearly 40 minutes with a group of eight. Practicing my army crawl, I slowly approached the congregation. I was able to get within 20 feet of the wedge.
Pinckney Island Nature Wildlife Reserve
Exploring new places today - Pinckney Island Nature Wildlife Reserve, near Hilton Head. Nearly eight miles of hiking, and all the birds were in the first 1/2 mile.
Windy Day at Huguenot Memorial Park
A windy day at Huguenot Memorial Park brought out a different subject to photograph - kite surfers and wind surfers. But the highlight of the day was still the wildlife. Two very patient American Oyster Catchers gave me 20+ minutes on the beach.
Thanks Bellbrook Sugarcreek Parks
So, I found out today I had a photo selected for the cover of the Bellbrook Sugarcreek Park DIstrict’s spring and summer newsletter.
Playing with Dolphins
Sunday, while the sun was out, I headed down to Jekyll Island for a quick visit. Nature highlight of the day was following a Atlantic bottlenose dolphin down the beach as it feed.
Jacksonville - Part II
A second visit to Jacksonville and Huguenot Memorial Park resulted in wonderful results (on a cold winters day.) I left Savannah at 5:00 AM in order to catch the sunrise in Jacksonville.
Jacksonville - Part I
The winter in Savannah has been less fruitful than expected. A warmer winter seems to have limited the migration of northern waterfowl. Because of this less than stellar migration, I decide to explore more of the area. This time heading two hours south to Jacksonville, Florida. The trip include a morning visit to Huguenot Memorial Park, Little Talbot Island, and Big Talbot Island.
Last full moon of the decade
Here’s a stack of five images showing the last full moon of the year/decade - taken with the Nikon D500, Tamron 150-600mm lens (@600mm) with the Tamron 2x tele-converter. The moisture in the atmosphere make the image softer than I like - click on image to enlarge.
Gordo and the Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro
Gordo, named by my daughter Emma because he lives in our Halloween gourds, is a very small tan jumping spider roaming free in our house. And, here are some of my first images using the Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro (https://amzn.to/2ObQHgG - Amazon affiliate link.) First, let’s look at some images shot on the Nikon D750 and utilizing the Laowa Macro Twin Flash KX-800 (no I’m not sponsored bu Laowa, but if they’re interested, drop me a line.)
[ click on the images to enlarge them ]
Here Gordo looks like he is playing peek-a-boo, but it’s actually cleaning itself.
To see the shallow depth of field - check out this video and Shield Bug images.
And here are a few taken on the Nikon D500 - see if you can see a difference. I don’t know if I can? Something about the D750 shot that seem just a hair nicer.
I absolutely love all these images, but the Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro is a difficult lens to shoot. It is fully manual. This means focusing in the dark - fortunately the Macro Twin Flash KX-800 (https://amzn.to/33gCJyi) has a focusing light because you will need it. I’ve been spoiled shooting with the Tamron 90mm which is a fully modern lens with vibration control and f/2.8 focusing.
Lastly, your guess is as good as mine about the metadata. The lens has no electronics, so no data is captured - magnification? f-stop? Who knows, but in the end who cares. The images are extremely sharp, and the three images above are virtually un-cropped. And you’ll want to clean your sensors - unless you’re a fan of spot removal in Lightroom.
Driftwood Beach
A revised edit of my favorite spot on Driftwood Beach (taken in March 2019.)
Jekyll Island Revisited
I was headed out to Butler Island - but when I arrived, I learned that it requires a Land Pass (a $60 purchase from the state of Georgia.) I decided instead to keep heading south and ended up at Jekyll Island.
Speedway Boulevard for the Win!
Following a long week at work, I headed out this afternoon to Savannah NWR. Unfortunately, the birds keep their distance. 3 miles of hiking and a 4 mile drive, and the only good photo op was a friendly set of pied-billed grebe.
But heading back, I decided to check out Speedway Boulevard. And did I luck out. A mixed flock of Great Egret, Snowy Egret, White Ibis, Wood Stock, and my favorite - Roseate Spoonbill.
Bird Hunting Gone Awry
A quick trip to Harris Neck and Jekyll Island to do some bird watching proved more difficult than expected. The storks and ibis were gone - but fortunately I brought my macro gear because the butters were out in full force.
At Jekyll Island, I was able to find a small fix flock of sea birds, but what stood out were the amazing textures and patterns of the beach.
First Blog in a Long Time
I haven’t been posted in quite a while. School at SCAD is back in session, so I’m back in Savannah. Here is a quick trip to Harris Neck National Wildlife Refugee.
Raynox DCR-250 and the Tan Jumping Spider
The Raynox combined with the Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 VC USD continue to be a killer combination. It’s not often I get three portfolio worthy shots in one afternoon. All three shots were taken on the Nikon D500 with the Tamron 90mm and a Venus Twin-Flash (with diffusers.)
Luck be a Lady
Photographed an unexpected visitor on our orchid.
Nesting Wood Stork of Harris Neck
I visited Harris Neck Wildlife Refugee today. The refugee is home to protected nesting grounds of the endangered Wood Stork which have begun spring nesting. Standing between 3-4 ft tall and with a wing-span of up to 6 feet, they make for an impressive sight. I also spotted my first Roseate Spoonbills today. Murphy's Law - my camera battery died as it took off and flew right by me.
While I usually favor a good close-up, my favorite shot of the day - a flock of endangered Wood Stork startled by a military transport helicopter at Harris Neck NWR (outside Savannah).
Here you see the sheer size of the stork when compared to a Spoonbill and a pair of Great Egret.
Following Harris Neck, a quick trip to Savannah NWR unfortunately didn’t offer up much variety but some friendly grackle.
Driftwood Beach
Extending my day trip to Jekyll Island, the sky cleared an I scooped out a location on Driftwood Beach.
Birding on Jekyll Island
Saturday I spent hiking Jekyll Island in the Southern tip of Georgia. The island is a public island, but don’t be surprised by a $6.00 daily parking fee. But, it was six dollars well worth it.
Savannah National Wildlife Refuge
If you visiting the Savannah, a must stop is the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. If it’s just to catch a glimpse at the alligators - thats fine. But, take some time and get out of the car and go for a hike. These converted rice plantation are home to a rich variety of species , many of which are hiding in the reeds.