Category: eagles

(In and) Out of Africa

Kenya, to be specific. It was a truly unforgettable experience in many ways, not the least of which was the sprawling Maasai Mara and the incredible diversity of the wildlife it sustains. I left the Olympus cameras at home. We really wouldn’t be doing much walking, so lightweight gear was not a consideration. Instead, I used the full-frame Nikon d850 and the Nikkor 200-500 … Read More (In and) Out of Africa

Wild Wings Day 3: The Star

We went out twice on Day 3, once in the morning and once in the evening during the golden hours of sunrise and sunset. The choice of Star of the Day was actually quite difficult, as several lovely and not-so-lovely candidates had to be considered. The first candidate would have to be the purple gallinule. The morning light glistened off its iridescent feathers — … Read More Wild Wings Day 3: The Star

Sony a7ii

I really love my Olympus gear, but I can’t ignore the full-frame fuss any longer.   So, I took the plunge and bought a (used) Sony — not the latest model and certainly not the most expensive — but one that Digital Camera World recommended as a very capable and affordable full-frame, as long as you don’t do video (https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/buying-guides/best-full-frame-mirrorless-camera). Although still a relative newbie … Read More Sony a7ii

Spring, Montezuma Style

Winter is slowly losing its grip on western New York. Eaglets are hatching, osprey and herons are nesting, and ducks, geese, and swans have found their mates. Although spring arrived meterologically on March 21, it wasn’t really spring for us nature photofolks until April 1st, when the gate to Wildlife Drive swung open. Today was sunny (and warm!), so I packed a lunch and … Read More Spring, Montezuma Style

Montezuma Waterfowl Refuge?

  Unfortunately, current practices would indicate that this is an appropriate name change for the (former?) Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge.  For the past three years each of its marsh pools have been sequentially groomed to promote a plant-based ecosystem to encourage the waterfowl population — ducks, geese, and swans, but primarily ducks.  This strategy, however, has decimated the fish habitat upon which water waders … Read More Montezuma Waterfowl Refuge?

Do the Dew

  Which means you will have to get up early, before dawn even! Because you can’t do the dew if the sun dries it up before you get there. But it’s worth the extra effort of getting up and out of the house.  The dew lets you see things you might have overlooked in the middle of the day. . . . . .or … Read More Do the Dew

A Not-So-Quiet Day at the Marsh

I thought it was going to be one of those quiet summer days with wildlife languishing in the sun, too hot to forage or preen, thus limiting my photo ops to flowers and sparkly water. But it was not meant to be, not if the blackbirds had anything to say. Turns out they had a lot to say, and do! Today there were a … Read More A Not-So-Quiet Day at the Marsh

Just Too Hot

Summer is like that.  Sometimes it’s just too hot and too dry. . .even for an eagle! The water levels are still very low at the National Wildlife Refuge, but it’s breezy and cool out in the marsh, much more so than on the hot and dusty Wildlife Drive that encircles it.     So, it was no surprise to find an eagle resting … Read More Just Too Hot

Bye-bye Mom!

“I’m a big boy now!”  says Son #1.   Meanwhile, back at the nest, Son #2 gets some wise advice from Mom.  He will likely join his brother in the brand-new world of fledglings in a few days or maybe a week or two. Eagles take about 10-12 weeks to grow from nestling to fledgling, but it will take a lot longer (5 years!) … Read More Bye-bye Mom!

Friends in High Places

Garth Brooks has friends in low places, but he has reason to prefer his low-placed pals — singing about them has pulled in a ton of money!  But he is really missing out.  I have soooo many friends in high places! Most numerous of these are probably the osprey.  Last year I counted 19 osprey nests on and around the stretch of Rt. 89 … Read More Friends in High Places

West Shore Trail

West Shore Trail is in the northern part of the Montezuma Wetland Complex.  It’s rather isolated; nobody seems to go there much except me.  That’s too bad because now that the simulated drought is over, the water levels at West Shore have risen even higher than those at the main pool in Seneca Falls, and the resident wildlife is even more varied here than … Read More West Shore Trail

Political Photography

This is something I hate to do, but hard times come with hard choices  😦 New York City has a big problem.  And the residents of the small Wayne County town of Butler want it to stay in New York City.  They want no part of it, And why would they?  Raise your hand if you don’t mind having 10 tractor-trailers, each bearing 30 … Read More Political Photography