Today was a little bit slow. There were more signs of the imminent spring ready to burst forth. Lots of Red-winged Blackbirds were setting up territories. We have a large number of wintering blackbirds here, but only the resident ones will set up territories and display. They were choosing some of the ugliest perches around, so it’ll have to be another day for those photographs. At the end of the day, I stumbled across a roosting flyway. Many of the wading species will roost communally in small area. During the day they all disperse to feed, but right before night they fly back to the roosting area. If you can find the flyways that they take, just sit and watch for a while and hundreds of birds will fly past. Down here it was a mix of egrets, herons, and ibises. This Little Blue Heron was one of the birds that flew both close and low.
Little Blue Heron
The signs of spring are just around the corner here. The American Coots are in their full breeding splendor. For them, it’s not much of a change. They gain sharper, crisper feathers and they develop a red patch where their bills meet their foreheads. The pair I photographed seemed to think they were cows and got out of the water to munch on some grass beside me.
American Coot
Often when I’m looking for photos, I get this sinking feeling that the day is already over. It’s a sinking feeling because there may be great light out there at the end of the day and I’m rushing to find something to use the light on. But the harder I look, the more fruitful the search feels. Sometimes I don’t find anything, but quite often just when I have made my mind up that I won’t find anything, one last subject comes up in those last few minutes. Today was one of those days, when I found this Killdeer just standing around in the wind. The Killdeer are starting to group up and that usually means that nesting is just around the corner. They are one of the first to nest in the springtime across much of the country. So if you can’t find a Groundhog, use a Killdeer to tell if spring is coming soon!
Killdeer
Today I headed back to what is becoming a new favorite spot, Bear Island WMA and Donnelley WMA which are right next to each other. It was a cold start to the day… frigid cold. That’s why this Tricolored Heron isn’t doing much besides huddling for warmth.
Tricolored Heron
I spent most of the morning with the birds on the water. I’m still not sure who was colder, me or them. Finally some sun broke through and the light got harsh. I ran into a shuffling Nine-banded Armadillo that I was able to get some photos of in the shade.
Nine-banded Armadillo
I am always amazed at how oblivious these animals are. The armadillo walked to within maybe 4 or 5 feet of me before it seemed to realize that I was there. It didn’t know what to make of me and went about searching for grubs and other food in the leaf litter. Eventually it decided it should check me out again and looked up one more time before resuming eating.
Nine-banded Armadillo
After a little while the armadillo left under a fence for more food. I continued on and walked a few trails that had been closed during the duck hunting season. There were a few ducks in some of the water, but the landscapes were what attracted me. A beautiful end to an exciting day.
Freshwater Marsh
For a while now I’ve been talking to people about one of my favorite places to photograph in the Lowcountry, Fish Haul Creek, and have been saddened by their reaction. Many people hear that it is great for bird photography, but when they’ve gone they’ve had terrible luck with it. The first couple of times I went, I had some difficulties too, but it is a fantastic place for photography. It has some difficulties though, and you have to understand its timing, species, and topography to have the best chances of success. So I decided to write an eBook to convey what I’ve learned and help others have some great experiences photographing here. Today I set out to take some photos that I needed of the various locations within the Fish Haul Creek area. I got a bit caught up at the sunset and started doing a little bit of landscape photography. In particular I tried for a type of photograph around sunset with a dimly lit foreground. It requires an HDR (high dynamic range) technique. Now I don’t want an HDR photo that looks artificial. There’s nothing wrong with these shots, but they are not what I want to convey about the world. Instead I’m trying for an HDR shot that doesn’t really look like an HDR photo. I’m not there yet, but with each attempt I’m getting closer.
Sunset on the Oysters