Barking up the Right Tree

Tree Bark

Temperatures in central AZ have now reached the point where I seldom go out to shoot: it was 108 degrees today in Phoenix, with an overnight “low” of 87 degrees, so even if I’m out at dawn it is already getting uncomfortable. So, I’ll probably be making fewer posts here, and when I do they will more often be non birds or other images from my unprocessed archives that I’ve ignored until times such as this.

Here’s an example of the sort of subject that’s always interested me, but that I don’t shoot as often any more as I concentrate on birds. This is the Bark of a Palm Tree that I’ve walked past at least 100 times as I look for birds at Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior, AZ. The tree sits back a bit from the man path, and it is always shaded and easy to overlook in the gloomy light.

I finally stopped for a closer look, drawn in by the pattern of the “sine waves” that intersect. I paused long enough to take a couple frames with the mounted bird rig – my multi-purpose 300/2.8 and 2x converter with Nikon D200 body. If I’d been carrying my 105/2.8 macro lens on this walkabout I likely would have used it, getting a lot closer to the tree and enjoying the brighter viewfinder image of the f/2.8 aperture and the higher resolution of that lens.

But the 300 and 2x delivered for me here, and the long focal length allowed me to work from farther away and at a less steep angle. The low light forced me to ISO 400. 1/40th second, and f/7.1 for the matrix metered exposure. I could have used more depth-of-field to deal with the curvature of the trunk, but didn’t want to risk a longer shutter speed or higher ISO. I cropped off the left edge here where the image was beginning to sharpness from the shallow DOF.

The composition here is simple, based primarily on the pattern of the curved lines. Like all pattern shots I think it is stronger because there are enough small variations to add interest that invites the viewer to linger and explore more of the image. I also like the simple brown tones in the image.

I think this would make a nice image in a series of similar shots – say dried mud that has cracked, or the trunk of an elephant. Unfortunately,  I have neither of those images in my files.

Backyard Quail

Gambel's Quail female with chick

First, my apologies for the image quality here. The shot was taken through the window glass, dirty at that, in dim light.

One of the compensations for putting up with the heat of Phoenix is the abundance of Gambel’s Quail that frequent the packed subdivisions. Unlike the mostly secretive Northern Bobwhite that we were lucky to have in our rural yard in New Jersey, the Gambel’s Quail can be seen out running around in yards and crossing the streets in front of houses. That doesn’t make them all that easy to photograph, though, as they will cackle and run for cover if you try to get near.

Our backyard is used by a few pairs of quail throughout the year, and we look forward to any family groups. The babies are precocious – able to run and feed as soon as they leave the egg. They first show up about the size of golf balls in a tight pack near the adult female, usually accompanied by the male who stands guard.

Feeding is a lot of fun to watch. The adults take the chicks around to various bushes to show them what to eat. They also scratch up whatever seed they can find on the ground (among the gravel in most AZ yards like ours). As the adult kicks with vigor the chicks get right down in the action, often ejected by the rapidly moving feet of the adult.

In this photo the female is sheltering eight chicks under her wings and tail before they started to feed in the morning, and one chick can be seen if you look closely at the gap between wing and body. Luckily the camera was already set up on the tripod, but even so I only got off a couple of frames before they dispersed.

Gila in the morning

Gila Woodpecker on Saguaro

I’ll be the first to admit I have a lot of photos of Gila Woodpeckers on Saguaro Cacti from the Gilbert Water Ranch, but I’m not about to stop taking more photos of them there. These woodpeckers use the Saguaro as a place to nest, by creating cavities in the sides of the cactus that are used by a variety of birds, and as a favorite food source when the fruit at the top ripens.

There’s a nice stand of these Saguaros just off the main parking lot so I always get a chance to observe the activity here before I begin my 2-3 hour walkabout on the trails around the ponds. When the light is right it is hard to resist some shots.

There are a few challenges to deal with:

• the early morning light is soft and warm, but there’s not a lot of it for active subjects, and it doesn’t last for long in AZ
• most of the Saguaros are rather tall, and the fruit is on top, so the activity mostly occurs at a steep viewing angle
• it can be difficult to find a composition that works well, balancing the woodpecker and the wide top of the cactus

I’ve stayed back to reduce the upward tilt required. This also allows me to include most of the crown of the cactus. Another benefit of staying back and keeping the woodpecker smaller in the frame is my depth-of-field needs aren’t as demanding so I can trade off stoping down for a better shutter speed.

Nikon D200, 300/2.8 plus TC20E (2x), ISO 200, 1/350th second at f/5.6, matrix metered, 91% of full frame, natural early morning light with no fill flash, 6/18/09.

Back to the Owls

Great Horned Owl

I previously wrote about the family of Great Horned Owls that I visited on the edge of the Phoenix metro area and how nice it was to spend some time around these birds.

I returned to see and photograph them again two days later, arriving a bit earlier since I didn’t have to waste a lot of time searching for them. On this second visit one of the young birds was more active, apparently at the stage of development where it was enjoying the new found skill of flying, and it would take short flights between the two large trees the family group was using.

This is my favorite image from the second visit. What makes the image for me is the the way the light emphasizes the owl against the attractive blue sky. I also like the wisps of cloud that break up the sky, keeping it from being a solid posterboard color.

Please note: I will not give specific directions to this location. As I replied privately to those who asked in comments before:

Owls are just too vulnerable to stupid behavior and the only way to ensure that word doesn’t spread beyond careful photographers is to not disseminate it to anyone.

Nikon D200, 300/2.8 plus TC20E (2x), ISO 320, 1/320th at f/10, spot metered, 6/13/09, 71% of full frame.

Verdin and Fairy Duster

Verdin

I was able to spend a couple hours Thursday just after dawn at the Gilbert Water Ranch. We’ve had some welcome “cool” temperatures this month (in Phoenix that means just under 100 degrees), and often with some light overcast skies to go with it.

I didn’t have any subjects in mind (other than a check on the juvenile Green Herons), and didn’t really expect much more than a pleasant walk and some needed exercise.

I checked out a small bush not far from the parking lot that my friend Brendon has found productive, and it was quite active with a few Verdins and a Lucy’s Warbler. I took a number of shots here and figured I’d end up deleting them: these tiny birds are very active; there wasn’t a lot of light; clear views were hard to find.

So, I was delighted to find this image in the series. It shows a juvenile Verdin momentarily motionless on a tiny mesquite branch tangled up with a Fairy Duster. All this against the side of the restrooms still in shadow for the very nice slate gray background.

Nikon D200, 300/2.8 plus TC20E (2x), ISO 400, 1/80th second at f/5.6. Natural light only (worth the risk as flash would likely ruin the directional natural light that gives the image depth). About 70% of full frame