Heading Back to Tanzania

March 11, 2022

I’m preparing for my upcoming workshop in Tanzania that I will do with co-leader Paul Mckenzie. Paul is already there scouting out a hide location for some of our upcoming Kenya trips. So far he hit the jackpot and will be sharing his images (on my blog) in a few weeks after we get back from Tanzania.

We will be taking 9 clients in 3 vehicles so that everyone has their own row with an open top for maximum viewing. On my last visit to Tanzania we had the pleasure of photographing some very large lions with huge dark manes. I hope to see them again. The shot below is not artistic, it does not depict a glorious scene with epic light, there is no action captured, but the lion’s stare engaged me as did his enormous mane!

I’m also hoping to get more shots of lions in trees or on rocks. We never see this in the Mara, so it is exciting to me to capture them up a tree. In addition to those type of shots I hope that we get some more bird images from Ngorongoro Crater.

Paul sent me great news from Kenya today- PCR testing for fully vaccinated travelers has been discontinued for travel into Kenya.

If you haven’t seen the Fox 11, LA story about Sally Foster, an 84 year old photographer that is exactly like the Energizer Bunny! (btw, the safari photo is from one of our tours together) check it out here.

Stick Marsh

March 9, 2022

I’ve received a lot of emails asking about Stick Marsh conditions after my recent Florida Trip Report post.

I went to Fellsmere (aka the Stick Marsh) on my first day in Florida. I was anxious to get back there because I had heard that there was a lot of construction and I wasn’t sure how it would affect the birds and my workshops.

I arrived in the early morning before dawn and it was as if a bomb had gone off and a new world awoke. There was a noisy water pump that made an annoyingly consistent sound and some kind of machinery that kept beeping plus someone’s car alarm was going off. There were signs all over warning people not to enter the construction site-which was just about everywhere. Take into consideration the hundreds of boats launching, including fan boats. I have no idea how every single bird had not left by now. It was as far from a peaceful nature experience as you could get so I left. Vowing not to return until they were finished with all of their construction stuff.

Last year when I was there, the photography was fantastic; only a handful of photographers, lots of birds and some really great photo opportunities. Because of that memory and plus I had a group coming in, I decided to go back and try again. The same loud annoying sounds, and not too many birds around…ugh.

I decided to tough it out so I started humming a few songs to pass the time and then I began to sing this one song quietly to myself. It was a Carly Simon song called “Coming Around Again”. I have absolutely no idea why I kept singing it or even how I knew as many words as I did but it soothed me. Patience and persistence paid off as before I knew it a couple of Roseate Spoonbills started to fly around. Yippee! Nothing like last year, but at least there were spoonbills flying. Slim pickings actually.. but a few birds are better than none!

Florida Workshops for 2023 Announced!

March 7, 2022

After a very successful double Florida workshop this last week, co-leader Donna Bourdon is ready to go back! We have had so much interest in Florida workshops for birds that we put together a triple header for 2023 that can be done individually or combined in any way. Just click on each workshop name that is underlined for more details. I have a feeling these will go quickly. No spots have been reserved for anyone at this point, as we have had too many emails.

Florida East Coast Workshop - March 4-9th, 2023

Join Donna Bourdon for five days of bird photography on the Florida East Coast. There are tons of great birding spots in Florida and we will hit quite a few of them, Exact locations will of course be determined by the birds—after all they are in charge! Daily schedule will be an early morning shoot followed by a break with image review/Photoshop as time permits, then head back out for a late afternoon shoot. A detailed file will be sent with hotel, gear and clothing recommendations. Our base will be Vero Beach Florida. Informal image review and post processing sessions.

*This trip can easily be combined with the St. Augustine Florida trip- March 12-17th. We also have a 2-day add on for Osprey (Limit 5) on a boat to Blue Cypress available March 10-11th.

Price: $1899.00

Dates: March 4-9th, 2023

Limit 8

This workshop will be led by Donna Bourdon

Blue Cypress Lake, Florida - March 10 and 11th, 2023

Blue Cypress Lake is a lake in Indian River County of the Treasure Coast in Florida. It is teaming with nesting Osprey. We will photograph the nests and the Osprey flying to and from the nests from a boat. We will be careful not to get too close as we do not want to disturb their behavior. However, we will be close enough for great images.

Price: $599.00pp

Dates: March 10-11th

Limit 5

Included: Two hour photo sessions daily from the boat each morning followed by a short break, image review/Photoshop session as time permits and an afternoon shoot for more Florida birds from one of our many East Coast locations. each morning, then we will have a short break and an image review daily (as time permits).

This workshop will be led by Donna Bourdon.

St. Augustine's Alligator Farm, Florida- March 12-17th

Join Donna Bourdon for five days of bird photography at St. Augustine’s Alligator Farm, the Alligator Farm is home to a wide range of nesting birds at close range. Daily schedule will be an early morning shoot followed by a break then head back out for a late afternoon shoot. A detailed file will be sent with hotel, gear and clothing recommendations. Our base will be St. Augustine Florida. Informal image review and post processing will be as time permits. A detailed file will be sent with hotel, gear and clothing recommendations.

Price: $1899.00

Dates: March 12-17th, 2023

Limit 8

This workshop will be led by Donna Bourdon

*This trip can easily be combined with the Florida East Coast Workshop - March 4-9th. We also have a 2-day add on for Osprey (Limit 5) on a boat to Blue Cypress available for March 10-11th.

*A detailed file will be sent with hotel and gear recommendations along with lots of other details regarding the trip.

*All images in this post copyright Donna Bourdon with the exception of one (scenic) copyright Denise Ippolito.

Great Egret Display

March 6, 2022

During the breeding season, adult Great egrets have extra-long plumes, called aigrettes. They use these long plumes for courtship displays. The males perform most of these displays, including sky pointing (where they stretch their necks out and point their heads to the sky). In addition to the gorgeous, long plumes that they grow early in the breeding season, the Great egret's lore’s (the skin near the eye and base of the bill) change color from yellow to a vibrant lime green. When I see a Great egret with juiced up lore’s and a veil of long plumes, I go crazy. Until last week, I have been unsuccessful in capturing this beautiful display without a boat load of nest sticks covering the bird’s display.

At Wakodahatchee last week, when Donna and I brought our groups, I saw several Great egret nests and plenty of courtship displays. However, it was the very first shot that I took as soon as I entered the boardwalk area that caught my eye. It was just as the sun was rising and the nest was fairly dark. I kept the nest a bit on the dark side in post to help the bird pop a bit. Full disclosure I did clone that token “Murphy’s Law” twig that covered a small part of the bird. Still, I’m tickled pink to have this image.

Florida Workshops - Trip Report

March 3, 2022

I just finished up with my “Florida East Coast Bird Photography” workshops that Donna Bourdon and I did together-what fun! We both had wonderful groups and sometimes our groups photographed together when the location allowed. I was glad because Donna had some of my favorite workshop clients in her group. Once again Donna’s group gave her rave reviews for her abilities to lead the group. My group was a mix of old and new friends —some of which I have known and loved for years. Such an excellent group of people! We did an image review session where everyone shared some of their favorites, I was impressed by the talent in the room.

Here are some of my favorite images from the trip, though I have many, many, more to share. All were captured with my Sony A1 camera (that camera continues to impress me) with my Sony 200-600mm lens-did I mention how much I love that lens. All handheld, natural light, and manual mode.

The birds in Florida are so tame. I was able to get pretty darn close to many of them. We had really nice weather and only fought the sun on a few outings. Our trip to Viera Wetlands yielded a Great Blue heron nest with two chicks, it was pretty close to the pathway. We arrived just before sunrise and there was light fog. I created a few foggy nest images that I may share at a later date- just too many images to process. Some of my clients stayed on the nest and were rewarded as the chicks woke up to feed on an eel. I opted to walk around with the group to look for cranes. I found a very nice backlit Green heron instead. On the day before the group arrived, I went to Viera to see what was around and check out the conditions. It was in the middle of the day, and it was sunny and hot. As I walked around the loop, I encountered a Bobcat crossing the pathway in front of me. And no, I didn’t have my camera…ugh.

At Stick Marsh I captured a Roseate Spoonbill in flight with its legs crossed. I called it “Gotta Go.” The morning we went it was overcast and windy. We didn’t have a lot of light for flight and the spoonbills roost too far away to shoot unless they fly by, but every now and then one would get close enough to capture.

Merritt Island was almost a bust, but for the lone young Roseate Spoonbill that graced our morning shoot. That said, I loved that bird! It was so adorable and very accepting of us until a gator scared it off. The spotlight effect on its back (top image) is all natural, the sun peeked through the clouds in just the right place.

Sebastian Inlet had a Reddish Egret that danced for us. At Sebastian we photographed just about everything. My favorite photos from the inlet were the close-up of the juvenile Brown pelican and the Reddish Egret. But many of the group killed it on pelicans flying just above the surf.

Wakodahatchee Wetlands was a nesting paradise for Wood storks. There were also quite a few Great egrets displaying and I managed to get a shot, I’ll share my image soon. I also captured some good pictures of Anhinga and Wood storks but haven’t processed any yet.

In Lakeland, we photographed American white pelicans in gorgeous soft light. We also shot a nesting pair of GBH and that was loads of fun. After all was said and done the workshop was a great success. I think everyone had fun, learned some new techniques, met new friends, and captured loads of images to go home with.

A big shout out to Scott Young and his wife Pat-sorry I missed seeing you in Florida. Also another big shout out to Michael Zajac and Beverly Still for their assistance on this workshop, thank you.

Plans are underway to add a 2023 Florida East Coast Bird Photography Workshop (5-days) followed by an optional (2-day )add-on to Blue Cypress Lake, for nesting, flying, feeding Osprey, followed by a second (5-day) workshop to St. Augustine. Those interested can shoot me an email. Dates are in March of 2023. Exact dates TBA soon.