Hot Enough for Lizards

Desert Spiny Lizard

While we watch TV reports of snow in the midwest we also are watching our own thermometers push towards 90 degrees here in Phoenix. We’ve already had a couple days this month in the mid 80’s, and there’s a chance we’ll break 90 tomorrow on March 1. And once that happens the weather reporters will focus on the next milestone of triple digits.

As a person whose roots are in northwestern Pennsylvania, with equal time on the mid Atlantic coast of New Jersey, my 15 years here in Phoenix still haven’t acclimated me to these absurd temperatures, and certainly not this early in the year. It will mean my time out looking at and photographing the birds that are my main subject material will diminish greatly, along with bird activity. And even early in the morning I’ll be about as likely to find lizards as I will birds when I do head out to shoot. We’ve already seen a couple in our yard, so the season of the lizards is starting.

This Desert Spiny Lizard was photographed along the trails at the Desert Botanical Gardens on July 2, 2006, with the D200, 300/2.8 and TC20E 2x converter, at ISO 200, 1/60th at f/5.6, with fill flash to soften the desert light. It was early enough that the lizard was more interested in catching the heat of the morning sun than of hiding from me as I fumbled with the tripod and attaching the flash.

If this was a bird photo I’d likely be criticized for not leaving enough room on the bottom left for the unseen portion of the lizard’s body, but I feel this is a better balanced composition with the lizard’s head near the “power point” at the top left. Keeping the lens wide open at f/5.6 has helped blur the details in the background to simplify the composition while still retaining the natural desert colors.

Investing time for variety

Sora on the hunt

I’ve written here before about striving for variety in your portfolio, and spending time for more payoff and unexpected sightings. Well, here it is again, with more results of the cooperative Sora that I’ve already discussed here.

This bird was such a treat to work with, after many years of frustration with the species, that a return visit made a lot of sense. And more time meant different light on the second visit, and more opportunities for capturing different poses, habitat, and behavior.

The top image is my favorite of what I’ve processed so far, and was taken on 2/17/09 (the second day of shooting) with only the 300mm lens, ISO 320, 1/200th second at f/9. I love the intense look and direct eye contact here. I also love the grasses that show the bird in habitat. Plus, the pose seems very active, with the rail actually about to do something.

Sora wing stretch

This wing stretch was caught on my first day with the Sora, 2/15/09. The light wasn’t as good so I was working at ISO 400 and had the 1.4x on the 300mm lens as well. Exposure was 1/160th at f/8, so the shutter speed wasn’t fast enough to freeze the motion of the head as the Sora plunged it forward. But I really like the upraised wings – something I haven’t seen this species do before.

Of the two shots I like the top image best, but I’m glad to have both in my portfolio instead of just the rail in a clean view on the mudflat.

Collateral Damage

Mallard portrait

The Mallard is such a widespread common bird that experienced birders pay them little attention, and that’s certainly the way I feel about them for the most part. For photography I consider them as “subjects of last resort,” even lower on my list than big slow herons and egrets. They can be found at almost any local park in the U.S., especially if there’s a chance of a handout from some visiting mother with young kids.

This bird was unavoidable at the Gilbert Water Ranch on one of the visits I made to photograph the cooperative Sora rail. It kept getting in the way of my shots of the Sora, and I deleted many otherwise good images where an out of focus green lump intruded into the frame. I eventually gave in to the inevitable and took a few shots of this duck.

This head shot is not my typical style or composition, but even with the converter off my 300mm lens the Mallard was just too close for a full body image showing habitat. I added some fill flash to keep the iridescent green from going black as often happens with the direction of light, and to bring out more texture in the chestnut feathers. Nikon D200, 300/2.8 AF-S lens, SB-800 flash, 1/160th at f/11 at ISO 320.

Mallard with reflection

I also took some full body shots, but given the lack of habitat I went for a more abstract/graphic composition using the reflection on the unattractive water (reflection of overcast sky). Without fill flash the head picks up some of the cold blue light from the sky. Of the two I prefer the head shot. Nikon D200, 300/2.8 with TC14E (1.4x converter), ISO 400, 1/25oth at f/10.

Birds in Habitat

Cactus Wren at nest

As I’ve been writing here, and elsewhere for a long time, I really like to see my subjects in appropriate habitat. To me it makes the birds a lot more interesting to see where and how they live their lives than to just look at how pretty their feathers and colors are.

What more appropriate setting for a Cactus Wren than a cactus? The image above shows the Arizona state bird in a cactus at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior, AZ. It has just left the nest. This image shows why the bird has the name it does. It also gives the viewer a better appreciation of how skilled it must be to negotiate the cactus spines on every visit, and how effective this nesting location must be to protect it from potential nest predators.

Cactus Wren on cactus

This second image also shows a Cactus Wren on a cactus: this time a rare “crested” Saguaro at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, AZ. In this image I’ve shown the wren as a much smaller part of the composition than in the first image because I am as interested in showing the shape, colors, and texture of the cactus as I am of the bird. I enjoy the way the colors of the wren are a close match to those of the cactus.

Also note that in both images the wren is visible and not hidden by a mess of twigs or lost in the composition. Never confuse or excuse clutter with habitat.

A Walk in the Park

Boyce Thompson Arboretum Trail View

As I wrote in a previous post I’m not well equipped for scenic shots when I’m out with my bird photography gear, but on this recent hike at Boyce Thompson Arboretum I at least had brought along the modest 18-70 “kit” lens to give me more options than the 300 with 1.4x and 2x converters allows.

I’ve always enjoyed this spot on he main trail: after a gradual climb beyond Ayer’s Lake the trail passes through a saddle and begins a steep decent via switchbacks. At this point there’s a wonderful view of the canyon ahead as the switchbacks lead down to Queen Creek at the base of Picket Post Mountain in the background. The cottonwood trees along the creek catch the light and provide an interesting color counterpoint to the rugged brown rocks.

This view deserves more time and care than I gave it here. I could probably find a better time of day to get more even tone in the sky (I’ve tried blocking out the bright sun with the shoulder of the large rock on the left edge of the frame). And I could do a better job of leveling the camera and keeping the pagoda on the right side level. But I like the depth of this image that comes from the wide angle lens, the strong directional light, the receding size of the boulders, and the invitation of the trail to keep walking into the scene.