Immature Red Shouldered Hawk And The Art Of The Draw

Immature Red Shouldered Hawk
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On a bright winters day I took a long trek to the local wildlife park.  Ok, it was a zoo.  But until I make it on safari I will have to work my skills on captive animals.  Besides, the animals there are very pretty as well.  Anyway, I was at the wildlife park and had already been to the far east and photographed a giant panda.   I started walking down a hill towards the big cats while lugging my tripod with my long lens on it.  This setup weighs a ton so my first instinct is to simply pack the camera and lens back into my pack.  I decided to just carry it this trip.

This would turn out to be very very fortunate.  I was passing a frog pond (with no frogs, at least on the surface, perhaps they were down below buried in the mud) when a form caught my eye in the tree.  I swung around and saw a bird in the tree, a big bird.  First I thought it was a plastic joke, but not taking any chances I threw open my tripod and took aim.  After a frame or two I realized I was dealing with a live bird.  

Here I was in a downtown urban area and I find myself 12 feet from a wild unbanded hawk.  This is the closest I have been to a hawk breaking the record of about 20 feet at Conowingo, Maryland.  Turns out this is an Immature Red Shouldered Hawk, a species I have never seen in person.  Now I was so close that if I zoomed in to 500mm I got the view you see above, half a hawk (not that I was complaining, it was a great portrait opportunity!).  I kept shooting and recomposing for about 25 frames.  Then the hawk decided not only were there no frogs or koi in this pond, but that I was quite an annoying person (see the glare he gave me below...).  The whole encounter lasted maybe a minute.  Had I not had my camera at the ready I would have gotten nothing but a very disappointing story.

The moral of the tale?  Always carry a camera and know how to use it.  And set it for action before you head out.  If my camera were in my pack, or set up for taking portraits of my dog the night before I would have gotten nothing.  If I didn't know ever nook and cranny of both my lens and my camera I might have fumbled the shot and gotten nothing.  Learn your equipment and keep your head on a swivel and you never know what you may catch!

Immature Red Shouldered Hawk
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To see more of Benjamin's work visit http://www.dajdesignsphotography.com/

Bald Eagles and The Nest Building Time Of Year

Bald Eagles Share The Work
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So its that time of year again.  Time for the bald eagles to separate themselves and return to their annual nesting sites.  Then comes time to fix up any damage the summer and fall storms have done.  Its also the time of the year for trekking to the Conowingo area on the Susquehanna River to watch the eagles.

So up I headed to Conowingo and set myself up at one of the easiest nests to photograph.  I spent many hours standing on the ground looking up into the nest last year.  This was my first trip up this year and I was greeted by two old friends who were busy sprucing up the nest.

It was great fun watching them, they would fuss around the nest rearranging sticks for reasons completely lost on the rest of us.  Then one or both eagles would fly off in random directions and land in nearby trees and start trying to break off branches.  It is actually quite funny watching a creature with no hands, only a beak trying to break branches.  It looks like they are going to fall out of the tree canopy.  I am still working on why they feel the need for fresh sticks as opposed to the myriad of branches that are down everywhere from the ice storm.  Best I can figure is the sticks on the ground stand a chance of being soaked thus bringing the possibility of mold and mildew into the nest.  The only flaw in that thinking is the nest is out in the open and gets rained on.

Returning to the nest with a prize!

This year I decided to audition a video camera for the job of sidekick to my photo camera.  Here is a clip of the eagles working on the nest.  At the end of the video they are looking up watching a vulture fly uncomfortably close to the nest.  A little closer (or if it was an eagle) the female would have taken flight and shown the offending party off.

Elakala Falls

Elakala Falls
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Deep in the heart of Blackwater Falls State Park outside of Davis West Virginia there is a small stream named Shay's Run.  Shay's Run has not one but four waterfalls within the span of about 100 yards or so.  This is waterfall number one.  Each sequential falls gets harder and harder to get to.  I would say this area is off the beaten path, but in truth there is a beaten path that leads by it.  Two things keep me from saying this...

1. It is overshadowed by Blackwater Falls State Park's main waterfall: Blackwater Falls.  Unless you do your research on the internet first I doubt you will find any signs or notices of the series of falls.  There is a small sign at the trail head, but that is along the brush line behind the lodge.
2. As you travel down the beaten path, you have to then basically jump down a big hill to get down to a good shot of the falls.  For some reason unknown to me this trail that someone took the time to gravel parts of and build a wooden bridge over Shay's Run did not bother to guide the trail down the slope for a good view of the falls.

I tend to be a person who works on impulse.  I would rather fly by the seat of my pants then sit down and plan out a trip.  This does not always serve well, with this being a great example.  And apparently I am not in the minority, in all the times I have been there I have never seen anyone simply looking at the falls.  Everyone on that trail is either loaded down with photographic equipment or following someone who is.  So remember, if you want to see all there is to see in a park you are visiting, do your homework first.  Don't count on signs, especially if you want a different point of view.

Urban Wildlife and the Immature Green Heron

Immature Green Heron

It is simply amazing where wildlife can thrive even as humans take their natural territory.  In the past year I've spent a lot of time at National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks.  I have developed an affinity for the Green Heron.  It is a wading bird that will stand still on a reed or edge of a marsh for hours.  We are talking perfectly still, no movement for hours.  Then suddenly when it sees a fish swim by just a bit too close it strikes out like lightning and grabs a meal.

At Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge I have even abandoned my car and gone slopping into the muddy marshes in search of this bird.  In fact, I've lost more than one pair of shoes and socks to the mud of Bombay Hook.  It is always a nervous moment when you sink above your knees while carrying an expensive camera and lens.  First you think about the camera gear, then you realize you might have even bigger problems!

I think in 34 trips to Bombay Hook and a trip to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge I have had  total of four Green Heron sitings.  So what is the closest I have ever gotten to one?

I had gone to Brookside Gardens in Silver Spring, Maryland to shoot the butterfly conservatory (if you have never been there and enjoy butterflies you simply must go!).  While leaving the garden I walked by a drainage pond and stopped to photograph some moss on a rotting stump.  I was alerted to the sound of wings and spun around.  What did I see in this drainage ditch in the suburbs of Washington DC?  Nothing other than an Immature Green Heron!  

Immature Green Heron in a drainage pond

This bird has probably never known any life besides an urban one.  It has learned to hide in drains and fish from man-made ponds (hide your koi...).  This was a fat, well fed bird so it was obviously thriving, not just surviving.  And the fact it was a juvenile leads me to believe there is a breeding population in the DC suburbs.  

White tail deer, raccoons, and red foxes are other success stories of adaptation.  They are annoyances to us humans as the deer run in front of our cars and the raccoons topple our trash cans.  Truth is we invaded their space and they adapted to survive.  It simply amazes me sometimes.  So next time you are walking by a pond or drainage ditch keep an eye open and you might just see an unusual bird making a living.

Beckleysville Road Bridge

Beckleysville Road Bridge at Dusk #1

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I've found myself spending a lot of time up in the Prettyboy Reservoir area lately.  This trip was at least the 6th in the last two weeks.  The day before this I went up hoping for the clouds to clear up for a good sunset but it never cleared.  For this shoot I went up while again it was still cloudy, this time however everything cleared up at pretty much the right point.  I kept shooting the evolving sunset thinking at any moment it was going to cloud back over.  This might have been one of the most documented sunsets from start to finish of all time.  This was actually one of the last shots taken after the sun had set below the cloud bank and the light quickly disappeared.

After parking in the slush I slogged through to the trail that led down the hill.  Luckily I found a cement run off path that was rather broken up and provided relatively good traction as I went down the ~30ft hill to the water.  I then crossed under the bridge and walked along the very edge of the reservoir, over what I was hoping was the rocky shore, on a sheet of snow covered ice.  I would take a few solid steps and then all the sudden it would collapse and break through.  I kept going till I found a good angle that had a) no tree branches in the way and b) a solid ice sheet so I didn't fall through while standing with the camera.  With the exception of the occasional passing car, everything was silent save the occasional passing flock of geese.

I like this particular shot because of the solid permanent feeling the bridge gives off contrasting with the movement in the clouds.  I especially love how the eye (at least my eye) is immediately drawn to the bridge then all the sudden sees the clouds and its like a whole new piece of canvas is suddenly there where before was nothing.  I also like how the motion of the clouds radiates away from the center point of the canvas pulling the eye away from where it wants to naturally rest (again, at least my eye).  I wish there was a bit more of the pink / red color on the large cloud but it was not to be.  It wasn't 2 minutes later that there was no color in the sky at all.  Thats what makes photography different from most other arts, you have to make the best of what you are given.  Hopefully that is what I've done here.

Specs: Nikon D90, Nikkor 18-105mm lens working at 30mm, f/16, ISO 200, 30 second exposure.  Unknown number of stop reduction from neutral density filter(s).  Tripod and cable release were also used.   

Long Shadow Of Winter

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Me and my mother / photography partner (she puts the DAJ in DAJ Designs Photography) went for a drive in the late afternoon.  I took us up to Prettyboy Reservoir where I have been spending a lot of time recently.  Neither of us were feeling particularly inspired as we drove along.  We stopped here and there to take a few shots but nothing seemed to be clicking.  This was the day after Baltimore's latest snowfall on January 11th.  It was extremely cold and very windy.  Having driven every road around the reservoir that I am aware of we headed back to this known spot to catch the sunset.

I had been at this same place a few nights earlier shooting star trails.  When I walked down the path to the boat launch the first thing I noticed was this canoe sitting half buried in snow.  I had not seen in during my night shoot.  Immediately the creative juices started stirring and I carefully planned my steps so that I didn't put any footsteps in my shot.  Luckily, for once Sparky was not with me and off the leash or he surely would have put tracks all through my planned shot.  I loved the way the scene looked so I set up my tripod and started setting the camera up.  I snapped a few shots but nothing was coming out right.  So I had to reach into my bag of tools and pulled out a filter I very rarely use.  I used what is called a Graduated Neutral Density Filter in order to get the brighter sky to balance out with the darker ground.  It is basically a 4"x4" plate that starts tinted on one end and gradually goes to perfectly clear on the other end.  Even this was not enough as I needed to take several shots to ensure I had a good exposure for both the sky and land separately.  I also tried to time it so that I captured one of the many snownados swirling around on the snow covered ice.  I think that it really helps drive home how cold, windy, and desolate this place was.

This spot is quite busy during the spring and summer.  It is a boat launch used by many fishermen.  I am not sure who left this canoe or why but it really illustrates how the seasons affect us all.  A recreational item that at one time carried happy people out onto the water now sits alone half buried in snow next to solid ice.  This one spot goes from popular to deserted and from pleasant to barren over the course of a year.  Strange thing about me is I don't really get cold.  I was standing out in what was likely a wind chill in the single digits and the only thing cold was my nose.  There is something very centering about standing basically alone in a frozen reservoir with the wind howling and snow blowing.  I am not sure how most people feel, but for me, at that moment there was no where I would have rather been.

Spook Hill Road Bridge #1

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I woke up today expecting to take a morning trek up into Northern Baltimore County in the snow for some nice "snow on trees" types of shots.  But when I got up instead of the 1-2" we should have had at that point we had about 1/4".  I looked at the weather, realized they changed the forecast taking away most of our snow so I went back to bed.

After I had been up for a while I noticed the sun was breaking through the clouds and there was actually some blue skies mixed in among the clouds.  Quickly I shifted gears realizing the potential for a good sunset.  I have no idea why but I immediately thought of this bridge.  I didn't even know what way it faced, I had photographed it during the daytime the previous winter with a flock of Canadian Geese in front of it but thats about it.  Weird thing is I even figured I would be heading back into the cove behind the bridge.  I guess I was taking mental notes that day last winter when I had shot the bridge during the day.  I got a later start than I had wanted so I ended up watching the infancy of the sunset while still in route.  I got a little impatient and got going a little fast on the road that surrounds Prettyboy Reservoir.  Despite the slightly slippery roads I arrived at the bridge in one piece.

I decided I needed to be at a low angle in order to get a good angle to get the bridge and sky in the same frame.  This meant climbing down a snow covered hill about 25 feet to the waters edge.  I let Sparky off his leash and sent him down the hill first.  He has four paw drive, he always makes it everywhere safely.  I have two feet and I didn't make it down without incident.  I made it about 15 feet down when I slipped down about another 10 feet on my butt.  If it wasn't cold before, it sure was cold now!  No time to worry about that now, light was approaching peak!  I set up  my camera on the tripod (made of metal and also very cold by this point) and set up with the appropriate lens.  After getting a few run of the mill shots (Spook Hill Road Bridge #2, #2 actually came first but was edited second...) I began to play.

For this shot I wanted as long of an exposure as possible because I saw the clouds were moving across the sky at a pretty good clip.  I closed my aperture down to f/22 and lowered my ISO to Nikon's fake 100 (Lo1.0) and put on two neutral density filters and a circular polarizer.  I was able to take my shutter speed from 1/4 second on Spook Hill #2 down to 6 seconds on this image.  This allowed me to keep the shutter open for long enough to have the clouds "paint" themselves across the frame while not allowing anything to blow out and turn white.  After some careful post processing I brought the foreground levels back up so you could see the bridge and ice covered reservoir.

Now in the twilight I put all my gear away, turned around and realized just to my left was a much easier way to get up to the road that didn't involve a 75 degree hill.  When I see a photo opportunity I get so focused I often miss the obvious.  That can be a real hindrance to not only taking the easy way to a location but to getting the shot to begin with.  If you lock yourself into one image you often miss the obvious image which is even stronger.