I recently had the opportunity to photograph migrating birds along the Mexico – Texas border. It was a total luxury to be able to shake the covid quarantine blues and get out in nature again which I missed dearly.
Male Painted Bunting Calling for Mate
It seems fitting to post this on Memorial Day not only because the white color of the perch and the red and blue on the Painted Bunting remind me of the Stars and Stripes but because of my profound thankfulness of not only the men and women of the armed forces but the men and women of the medical community whose heroic efforts in fighting and controling covid 19 made this trip possible.
Male Painted Bunting Gaze
Sitting quiet in a blind for 4 hours where the temperature was over 100 degrees made consistent focusing a challenge! But with these birds as your reward it was totally worth it.
Male Painted Bunting Bath
One of the most interesting behaviors to watch was the Painted Buntings bathing ritual. They would come into the pond and bathe twice before leaving with their mate.
My photography mentor, Moose Peterson, constantly reminds us that sharing our images and vision, being a visual story teller is a gift we shouldn’t keep to ourselves. Now that I am once again out shooting often it seemed like the right time to start blogging again and sharing my work.
Sunrise with Deer in Custer State Park
There is something about sunrises and sunsets that always put a smile on peoples faces. I’m in the middle of working on something special that I will share at a later date that’s caused me to review all my digital files. That in and of itself has and continues to be a great learning experience for me.
Something however has pulled at my heart as I reviewed sunrises and sunsets. So I thought I would share this with you all.
Time…….the word has so many different meanings and uses. The one commonality we all share is that we never have enough.
A lot of people have asked why I stopped blogging so suddenly. The short answer is I ran out of Time. For the last few years I have been dealing with a personal tragedy and I realized I needed Time to heal. In typical Vinnie fashion I took 100% of the excess energy and Time I had after being daddy and a great Sheppard of my investors money and put it toward finding myself. As the healing process moved forward I realized a part of me suffered and that part was my love of photography. I missed it and I needed it. I use photography to exercise the right side of my brain. I also love the serenity of being in remote locations at sunrise or sunset, a place usually devoid of others at that time. Sunrise to me is as if God is renewing everyone’s spirit and soul, at least that’s how I feel after each and everyone. It’s a symphony of life that knows no boundaries or limitations.
While I wasn’t sure if this day would ever come….blogging again or even updating My Website….I realized I missed getting behind the camera and sharing visual stories. There is something special about an image. Its a slice in time, something specific to think or meditate about. In part the Time required to capture that story was also Time I needed to find myself. One helped the other. Like so many things in life the two had a symbiotic relationship. So I dusted off my bucket list and with the excitement and apprehension of a child headed for the first day of kindergarten I took my camera out and made many clicks. The place I chose to start my new journey? Magee Marsh in Ohio. I couldn’t think of a better subject, “migration” given my personal situation was a migration of sorts.
So now I’m bringing my camera with me everywhere again. I just returned from Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks which I will share with you all soon. And I have a trip to Yellowstone planned for January (I never had the fortune to visit Yellowstone and now I’ll be there twice in six months)!
In order for anything to grow and flourish it needs Time. Your family, job, relationships, photography…..all need Time. Make sure you are devoting all the Time you can to the things you love. My hope is the investment of Time to something I love so much will help guide me through my own personal migration.
I took this image of the then Freedom Tower crane right when they started construction. It has become a constant reminder for me of the friends I lost and the families that were touched on September 11. Its a shinning beacon that reflects all those souls that lost their lives that day.
World Trade Center Crane (previously freedom tower)
Every time I speak to a Vet they remind me of one very important lesson that cannot be said enough, Freedom is not free.
Image captured with Nikon D2x on Lexar Digital film.
In all the craziness of the holiday season I was only able to photograph in Manhattan one evening. What I was trying to portray were some images of icons that were taken from a different vantage point.
Empire State Building w/Christmas Colors
Unfortunately I don’t think my attempts were that good. But thats one of the reasons we keep trying ad coming back for more. I’m never happy with what images I make, I always want to do better. Its a character flaw! Its easy to say I will just “visit here again” but what you see now might be different on many levels when you return, even to the exact same spot. I was not well prepared on this evening for making great images and it shows. I have to do better next time.
Empire State Building at Christmas with FlagsChristmas Lights Rockefeller Center
The holidays wouldn’t be the same without the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
Images captured with Nikon D4s and 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 on Lexar digital film.
I have been thinking about updating my blog and website for some time. The main reason was to take advantage of newer technologies that the old blog and website could not utilize. For example I wanted to be able to post larger images which the old blog could not handle. I also wanted to update the look and feel for the website as well, officially separating my blog from my image galleries. I am very happy with the outcome and I thank Jack Brauer for his help and guidance with getting this project completed.
I thought for my first post I would start with a trip I took this past summer to the Turks & Caicos Islands. It was not a birding trip but needless to say my camera gear made its way down via my briefcase.
Gray Kingbird on Fence
Never before this trip had I observed a Gray Kingbird. As a member of the flycatcher family, this bird is an astute hunter of insects although I was not fast enough to catch him with one in his beak. He also is very fast and really didn’t like me setting up near him.
Gray Kingbird Pose
Images captured with Nikon D4s, 80-400 VR2 on Lexar digital film.
The Northern Cardinals in this area have been in great form this season. The males have been very dark in color and in relatively good shape (no beak chips) :-).
Northern Cardinal Male on Perch
Interestingly I did some research on why the Cardinals at my feeders might be in better shape this year and found an interesting piece of research from the Oxford Journal of Behavioral Ecology that might be interesting to some of you. In essence their research shows that the redder the male Cardinal the more fertile he is and most likely better nourished and surprisingly happier with his mate (they refer to this as mate quality, you just can’t make this stuff up).
Northern Cardinal Male Hiding in Spruce Tree
Regardless of the reasons, the Northern Cardinal is a beautiful bird always welcome in my backyard.
Images captured with Nikon D4s, 600mm f/4 on Lexar digital film.
This weekend was CT Trail Days. Since the weather was spectacular I thought I would visit a local nature center to celebrate :-).
Eastern Cottontail
I have to admit that I do not particularly like any of these images, it was just nice to get out, hike for a few hours and make some images. The location I visited was the New Canaan Nature Center.
Chipping Sparrow
Away from the Red Bellied Woodpecker, the other backgrounds are too busy for my liking….and style. I like natural settings, I just like cleaner backgrounds.
Red Bellied Woodpecker Peek-A-BooRed Bellied Woodpecker
Ideally I think this location wood be best photographed with a tripod while sitting in one spot. I think my movement had the effect of scurrying the wildlife. That is a little odd for a public location, you would think the wildlife was more acclimated to people. However, that won’t stop me from returning.
Images captured with Nikon D4s and 80-400 VR III on Lexar digital film.
