The land there is raw, desolate, seemingly forbidden.  Mountains, canyons, isolated areas where it is dangerous to go unprepared.  But, having said all of that, it is also awesomely beautiful.  Ann and I made our first trip there in the mid 1980s.  We had already lived in Texas since 1961, but had never ventured there.  We had no idea that such a place existed in the state.  We were struck by the beauty, isolation, and the ever-changing views when driving through the area.

Mt. Casa Grande

It is said that on the busiest day in Big Bend NP, it is still not as busy as the Smoky Mountains NP on their slowest day.  At over 800,000 acres it is one of the largest in the park system.  But it is also one of the least visited.  Definitely one of Texas’ best kept secrets.  On our recent trip, at one point Ann and I encountered four other cars, yes, that’s right four other cars traveling behind each other.  Ann remarked that it was a traffic jam.  Although that is what actually happened, including Ann’s quote, we may have exaggerated.  But you certainly have the feeling sometimes that you are only person there.

The purpose for our trip was to go birding, do bird photography and just enjoy the quite solitude.  We have our favorite places to visit.  The ruins of San Nail’s ranch for one.  There are a few adobe walls still standing and the park service has kept the windmill in good repair.  Otherwise it it pretty well overrun with mesquite, creosote bush, etc.  Some large cottonwood trees make for good birding there.

Red-tailed Hawk

We also like to go to Rio Grande Village RV park on the east side of the park.  It is adjacent to Boquillas Canyon.  There is a delightful nature trail with a boardwalk over a wetlands area.

The “Window” formation, Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park.

A must place to see is the Chisos Mountains Basin, high in the Chisos Mountains.  You must take a spectacular drive up through Green Gulch, over the pass, then drop down into the area that is called the Basin.  There the altitude is at 5,000 feet, surrounded by mountain peaks.  A lodge is located there where you can book rooms for your stay.  From your room you may, repeat may, see deer, bear, mountain lions, and various species of birds.

For our lodging we stayed at the Casitas at Far Flung Outdoor Center.  It is located in Study Butte, outside the western entrance to the park. There you can book rafting or canoe trips through the canyons, Jeep tours, ATV trips, etc.  But to stay there you are not required to participate in any of those activities.  In the past, though, Ann and I have rafted the Rio Grande, and also took a couple of the Jeep tours.

Santa Elena Canyon

The restaurant facilities in Study Butte or Terlingua, are limited but all offer excellent food.  One of our favorites is the La Kiva.  We ate there one evening, feasting on one of the best T-bone steaks I have ever tasted.  Margaritas were only a dollar at the time we ate, which was somewhere between 5 and 7PM.

In my next post I will get back to more bird photos, and birding tales.

On this trip, we hoped to time the bird migration so we might see a few new species.  The winter population hadn’t started to arrive yet, so in one sense the bird numbers were down.  On the other hand with the summer species that were still around and a few migratory ones that were traversing through we saw a total of 59 different birds.  Of those we added three new “lifers”, birds that we had never seen before.  Plus, I got some new photographs of birds that I had photographed on earlier occasions.  The Acorn Woodpecker is a good example of that.

Acorn Woodpecker

My previous images of the Acorn Woodpecker were taken on a trip to Davis Mountains State Park a couple of years ago.  Of those shots, they were nice close-ups but they were taken in a blind, where they were pictured at bird feeders.  I think you will enjoy these two images as they were taken in the wild, up in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park.

Ann and I had driven up into the area that is referred to as the ‘Basin’.  It is a valley type area at an elevation of about 5,000 feet, surrounded by mountain peaks.  We parked in the lot by the lodge, and took a stroll down towards the Window Trail.  The ‘Window’ being a V-shaped formation that looks out over the Chihuahuan Desert.  Anyway, along the way there was a dead tree nearby, and the two woodpeckers were there.  One of them was at the very top, the other down on a lower branch.  I was very much surprised that I was able to get so close.  I was using my Canon EOS 7D, with my 100-400mm lens.

I took a few shots from farther away at first, just to be safe and have something.  Then progressively I moved a bit closer, then closer still, until I was only about 20 feet away.  One thing in my favor, was the quietness of the area.  There were no other people in sight.  Probably because of the MOUNTAIN LION ALERT signs that were posted nearby.  But it is naturally quiet up there anyway.

Acorn Woodpecker

Acorn Woodpecker

Stay tuned.  In the upcoming few days, I will be posting more photos from our trip.  I hope you will enjoy them.

Vermilion Flycatcher

Vermilion Flycatcher

Vermilion Flycatcher

Vermilion Flycatcher

Vermilion Flycatcher

Click on any image to see an enlargement.

If you interested in previewing or purchasing my book, “Birds, Beasts and Buttes”, click on the link on the right side of this page.  Available in hard cover or soft cover, and now available in e-edition for the iPad.

Wood Ducks

Our latest trip allowed us to see some Least Sandpipers, Spotted Sandpipers, Greater Yellowlegs, and four Wood Ducks.  On that latter one, I got an improved photo over the one I showed in a previous post.  We also saw a Red-bellied Woodpecker, and possibly a second one.  I was unable to get a photo, but the red nape and center white feathers on it’s back were pretty distinctive.

Swainson’s Hawk

We also saw a flyover of about a dozen geese, but I was unable to identify them, as they were moving pretty fast.  I got a pretty good image of a Swainson’s Hawk, and also one of a Belted Kingfisher as he was intent on watching for a meal in the waters below him.

Belted Kingfisher

In the case of the Wood Ducks and the Belted Kingfisher, the birds were quite a distance away and I had to rely on some creative cropping to get these close-up images.  My old friend, the Great Egret, was still hanging around and I have a hard time resisting getting more images of him.

Great Egret

So that’s it for this post.  It is raining this morning, but later, if it clears out, I may make another run to see what is arriving today.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

Since I didn’t know how to whistle along with them, I decided to let them alone and continue downstream.  Or was it upstream.  Anyway, I was watching for the pair of Wood Ducks that I had seen a few days ago.  They were nowhere to be seen.  However, I got another image of a Great Egret to share with you.

Great Egret

More ducks and other water birds are starting to arrive from the north and I saw some Least Sandpipers and also I got this image of a Greater Yellowlegs, (Tringa melanoleuca).

Greater Yellowlegs

  Enjoy the photos and click on any of them to see enlargements.

Wood Ducks – adult, non-breeding

Driving further along the bank of the river, we saw this Great Egret,

Great Egret

then we flushed this Great Blue Heron from a nearby tree.

Great Blue Heron

Ann and I were on our way to the bird blind at San Angelo State Park.  As we turned down the little lane leading to the place, Ann glanced to the right and exclaimed about an indistinctive blob in the fork of a tree.  I stopped the car and we gazed at it wondering what the heck it was.  It was only about 20 feet away.  I put the binoculars on it and lo and behold, I saw a face.  I told Ann, I think that it’s a porcupine.  I had never seen one close up before.

I put my 24-105 lens on the camera and got out of the car to approach it.  The fork of the tree was only about 5-6 feet from the ground.  That put the animal right at eye-level.  I took several shots of it then.  It was asleep or maybe just drowsing.  Anyway, it didn’t move but I felt that it was staring at me.  I put my hand out to “pet” it, then decided that I didn’t really want to disturb it.  An aside note, if you do pet a porcupine, don’t move your hand against the grain.

Here are a couple of images from that encounter.  My only disappointment was that the porcupine was back-lit as you can see, so I had trouble getting detail in the face.

Porcupine in tree

Porcupine Portrait

A year or so later, I came across this porcupine crossing the road.

Porcupine crossing road.

But getting back to our little foray yesterday, on the way out we spotted a very small hawk, about ten inches tall, on some phone wires.  Thinking it may be a young hawk I stopped to get photographs, carefully pulling to the side of the road and turning on my blinkers.  I took the photo with my Canon 7D and 100-400mm lens.  After getting home later and examining the image closer, I believe it to be a Merlin, (Falco columbarius).  Unfortunately, I only have the frontal view for ID purposes.

Merlin

Continuing on our way, we arrived at the park.  I set up my tripod and the 7D with my 500mm lens.  I was hoping for another shot at the Ruby-throated but it was nowhere to be seen.  However, a female Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri), made an appearance, allowing me to make several images.

Black-chinned Hummingbird – female

So, with the weather changing very soon, and with the beginning of the fall migration, things may be looking up for the near future.  I can’t wait to see what might happen to “fall” in.

Now to get to this post.  I can’t believe my luck.  Anxious to get out of the house finally, I decided to just go sit in the blind at San Angelo State Park.  That was yesterday, and maybe I was feeling just a tad weak, so I opted to just use my Canon 100-400mm lens on my Canon 7D.  I left my big 500mm lens at home.

While we sat there, our patience was rewarded.  I heard a distinctive hum of a hummingbird.  Thinking that is was just another Black-chinned, the predominant hummer of this area, I almost ignored it until I saw it land on a twig in a tree.  Much to my surprise, it was a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, (Archilochus colubris).   It was the first one that I had seen this year.

The light was terrible, as you can see.  This was about 8:30AM, and the bright sun was from the left.  With the help of Photoshop I was able to salvage these two images, even though they are a bit noisy.  On a side note, I read somewhere that hummingbirds spend about 80% of their time perched.  I didn’t know that.  Enjoy the images, and click on either one to see an enlargement.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird in bad light.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird in bad light.

Now that I am able to get back in the saddle, so to speak, I hope to get back out in another day or two, and get some more images.  It’s great to be alive.

I will include a couple Great Blue Heron photos here that we spotted in Middle Concho Park.

Great Blue Heron in tree.

Great Blue Heron wading

Farther on we did come across a bunch of Least Sandpipers.  I am not great at IDing sandpiper type birds, but I believe I am right on this one.

Least Sandpiper

Click on any image to see an enlargement.

The morning was much cooler and I guess that made the difference as we saw a total of 29 species.  I even got a few more images to share.

juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron

We first saw the juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron across the river.  I maneuvered my Ford Edge close to the water so I could rest my big 500mm lens on my Noodle for the shot.

Next, down the little road a bit, I spotted the bright red Vermilion Flycatcher in a tree.  I started to move in with my car to a more comfortable position, but the bird moved.  So began a merry chase for about 15 minutes before I was successful in getting the shot.  I must mention that I didn’t actually “chase”, as in hassling the bird.  I guess “follow” is a better word for it.

Vermilion Flycatcher

After seeing what we could in that park, we decided to try Spring Creek Park while we were in the area.  We saw a two or three Yellow Warblers, but had no opportunity to get a photo.  Coming upon a shoal that was uncovered by the lowering water level, we saw a Spotted Sandpiper and a Green Heron.  Both gave me good photo opportunities, although they were pretty far from the bank.

I got my tripod out and set it up closer to the bank.  It was a shady area and I was confident that I wouldn’t disturb the birds as we were somewhat hidden in the low light the trees provided.  These photos are indeed a credit to my state of the art equipment.  Well, maybe I helped a little, too.  But I am proud of the images that I got after doing some tight cropping.

Spotted Sandpiper

Green Heron

Well, I hope you enjoyed these images as much as I enjoy getting them for you.  It appears that things are looking up a bit, and maybe we will get a few more migrant birds arriving in the near future.

On one of our latest outing we saw only 17 different species, but luckily I managed to get a couple of pictures.  This Bewick’s Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) was in a tree outside of the bird blind.  I took the picture from the window at a distance of only about ten feet.

Bewick’s Wren

Later on, down the little lane that leads to the blind, we spotted this Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus), in a tree along the path.  The light wasn’t too great, early morning sun filtering through the branches.

Great Roadrunner on tree limb.

Enjoy the photos and click on either one to see and enlargement.

I am going to do some blatant advertising again, and direct you to the links on the right of this page, to preview and/or purchase a book or calendar.  I might add that my book is also available as an e-book for your iPad.  (at at cheaper price, too)  For signed autographed copies, contact me direct at:  bobzeller1@aol.com.

Swainson’s Hawk – immature

A few feet away on the same wire, was a Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos).  As we watched, the mockingbird decided he didn’t like the presence of the hawk.  It would take off, fly a bit and and harass the hawk.  Repeatedly, it would fly at the hawk, actually coming in contact with it.  It was trying to knock the hawk off of the wire, or at least get it to fly away.  The hawk would have none of it, and it just stood or sat it’s ground and continued to take the beating.

Swainson’s Hawk and Northern Mockingbird

Swainson’s Hawk and Northern Mockingbird

Swainson’s Hawk under attack by a Northern Mockingbird

As you can see, the Northern Mockingbird wasn’t messing around.  He meant business, but the hawk ignored him as if he was just a pesky mosquito.  He eventually gave it up and said adios to the hawk.

Click on any photo to see an enlargement.

Now here is that bird again, you know, the one with the funny sounding name.  I caught this image of the Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus) a few mornings ago at San Angelo State Park.

Female Pyrrhuloxia in early morning light.

While there we also saw this Curve-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre), doing what it does best; thrashing.  Thrashing the sand and grass looking for insects, etc.

A thrashing Curve-billed Thrasher.

I hope you enjoy these pictures, and you can click on either one to see a very nice enlargement of each.

The bartender said, “What it this, a joke?”

Okay, so I have a hard time getting started on writing these posts.  I admit it.  But the above mentioned birds are the ones that Ann and I saw Friday morning on a drive around Middle Concho and Spring Creek Parks.  The water is still low there, down about 24 inches.  However there is hope that it will rise a bit soon, as water may flow again from Twin Buttes Reservoir.  Behind that dam, water is being pumped from the south pool, which is higher, to the lower south pool.  The south pool is where the gates are that release water downstream to Lake Nasworthy and these parks.

First up, we spotted a Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle torquatus) on a wire over the river, but before I could get set up for a shot, it flew to the other bank and perched in a tree. With the help of my Noodle on the window sill, I was able to train my Canon EOS 7D and 500mm lens with a 1.4 tele-converter on it.  As the bird was quite tiny anyway, from that distance, and I couldn’t crop it as tight as I would have liked..  This image is the result.

Belted Kingfisher in tree

Driving further on, we came upon a small inlet that was nearly dry, but there was a Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) grazing in it.

Solitary Sandpiper

Sandpipers are one of my least favorite shorebirds to try and identify.  When we first spotted it, my first immediate thought was Greater Yellowlegs.  But then after getting several images, and consulting my Stokes Guide to birds of North America, I felt comfortable IDing it as the Solitary Sandpiper.

In the same area were a couple of Killdeers (Charadrius vociferus).  One was an adult, the other a juvenile.  The adult was nearer the open water.

Killdeer – juvenile

Killdeer – adult

Just before we decided to call it a day, we glanced toward a grassy picnic area, and there was a hawk in the shadows, walking in the grass.  He was about seventy-five feet away.  I got the camera and 500mm lens up on the Noodle and window sill again and snapped a few images before it flew off.  As I mentioned, the bird was in the shadows, but there was a bright background making exposure difficult.  I really wasn’t able to get a true identification as a Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) until I got it in the computer and was able to brighten the exposure.

Cooper’s Hawk

Click on any image to enjoy enlargements.

As we drove up, at first we saw nothing but swallows, red-winged black birds and a bunch of doves.  Thinking that there was nothing else, I drove on by, turned around and came back from the other direction.  As we glanced over the pond we spotted two juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons perched in the trees.  The light was pretty uneven, but I managed to get several images.  I used my Canon EOS 7d and 500mm lens with a 1.4 tele-converter attached.  I shot the photos from the window of my car.  These are a couple of the better ones.

Black-crowned Night Heron – juvenile

juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron trying out it’s wings.

Hope you enjoyed the photos.  Click on either one to see an enlargement.

It seems that this eccentric guy liked to collect thrones.  Yes, that is right, you read it correct.  Thrones – like the ones that kings sit on to twiddle away the day.  He would travel all over the world to collect thrones from palaces and castles where the current kings, and queens, decided to re-decorate and get new furniture or thrones.

On top of all of that, he lived in a glass house.  (do you see where this is going?)  He stored all these thrones in that glass house.  After a time the weight of all the thrones, gradually was too much, and the glass house collapsed from all the weight.

Soooooo, a person that lives in a glass house should never stow thrones.

Okay, now that I have your attention, my subject today is the Northern Cardinal, (Cardinalis cardinalis).  I have found that if going out day after day in this heat doesn’t produce the right results, a.e. finding birds to photograph, you must go for the sure thing.  The bird blind.  There is always some kind of activity there.

San Angelo State Park has a nice little blind, with comfy seats, and  big windows with a view of feeders and a little pond.  I would much rather drive around in my air-conditioned car, over the hills and through the woods, in search of my photographs.  But the blind is my go-to place when the pickin’s  are lean and I need quick images or just want to pad my birding list.

Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal – female

Actually, the Northern Cardinal is one of my favorite birds.  Always vibrantly red (the male), and fun to watch.  It’s like they have a personality all of their own.  Here in west Texas they sometimes are referred to as simply the Redbirds.  So this is where I ended up going a few days ago.  I hope you enjoy the images.  Click on either one to see an image.

By the way, my book is going great, and I now have my 2013 Bird Calendars.  To preview both the calendar and the book, click on the links on the right side of this.

What brought this on, is that my friend Ross McSwain, author of several books about the history of west Texas, made a remark to me that rather surprised.  I have know Ross for forty something years, and after reviewing my book for me, he said “Bob, I have known you for years, played golf with you, listened to you on the saxophone, but I never knew you to be a photographer”.

It made me think about what little my friends actually knew about me.  To set the record straight, although I opted to take a course through the New York Institute of Photography, I had no intentions of pursuing a profession by the use of a camera.  I just wanted to be good at it.  So my photographic work came in streaks.  Mainly when we vacationing, when I wanted pictures of places we visited.

So when we came to San Angelo in 1961, I was with the US Air Force.  My main focus at the time, was my musical career.  Ever since leaving high school that had been my main thing in life.  I rarely had a weekend off from playing the sax.  I was in demand and could name my own price.  But then, at a dance at the Cactus Hotel Ballroom in June of 1962 my life changed.

After coming back from intermission, where I had a cigarette (my final one as it turned out), I sat down to play the next set.  Halfway through the first song, my left lung collapsed.   I said to myself  “Oh s**t!, not again!”  I knew immediately what had happened, having had it happen to my right lung in October of the previous year.  I went into denial, and decided to try to complete the set.  I got through three more songs, then I decided to let them cart me off to the emergency room at the air base.  You can see more details about the cause in my Marfan Syndrome Page

In the years following that, I still played in several bands off and on, but was always careful and watchful of my health.  Because of my problems, after spending the summer of 1962 at the Wilford Hall hospital at Lackland AFB in Texas, the government decided to let me go, and I was awarded my 2nd honorable discharge that following September.  (I was on my second tour of duty.)

My intended Air Force career was no more, so I had to adjust and find civilian work.  I tried several things, selling encyclopedias, selling Watkins products, working in a service station.  In 1964 I finally got a job as head bookkeeper for the Lake View School District here in San Angelo.  My Air Force job had been in accounting so the fit was perfect.  But since I wasn’t CPA, the pay wasn’t very good so after a few years I moved on.

In 1968, Ann, who had been working for the local Coca-cola Bottling Company, was transferred to the Las Cruces, New Mexico plant.  I decided to try a new career, selling cars.  Now here is where the fun starts.

At that time I was a terrible introvert.  I was afraid to talk to people.  Not a good asset, if you want to sell cars.  I was working for some very nice people that owned the dealership.  Needless to say, I fell on my face when trying to sell, so they asked me if I wanted work in the bookkeeping department.  I moved to the office and did very well there.

You’re probably still wondering about my photography.  Well, I was still taking photographs on weekends.  The Organ Mountains and White Sands National Monument were near, and it wasn’t a long drive to get to other great sites in the Gila National Forest.  But, photography was still just a passing hobby.

I was asked to join a local chapter of the Optimist Club.  At first, my greatest fear was that they were going to ask me to give the blessings before breakfast.  I kept avoiding that as shy as I was.  But, believe it or not, after several months of hanging with those guys, I lost my shyness, and really started to open up.  My wife said that nobody could shut me up after that.

Meanwhile, back at the Chevrolet Dealership.  I started to get excited about wanting to sell cars.  But based on my previous “sales record”, they didn’t want to take a chance.  So, I decided to bid them farewell.

The next day I went to work at the Ford Dealership.  Within the first hour there I sold my very first car.  A 1972 Maverick to a soldier from White Sands Missle Range.

In June of that year Ann was transferred back to San Angelo.  I got into car sales immediately, and stayed doing that for another six years.  After cars got so high priced, it made me uncomfortable, so I went to work selling tires.  Montgomery Wards until they closed, then Goodyear.  I could sell tires to an Eskimo for his sled.

In 1982 I got tired of working for other people, so I went into business for myself.  I started Bob’s Mow’n'Trim Lawn and Landscape Service.  It was very, very successful, but it was a strain on my health, so on the doctor’s recommendation I sold the business in about 1987.  I took a few months off, then decided to work as a contractor delivering newspapers.  I was the best in town for twelve years, and when I retired in 1999, they gave me a nice brief case.

So then, I finally had the time to do serious photography.  A fellow artist, a scuptor, suggested I take my work to art shows.  It was a rough start, as I didn’t have much inventory, but after selling a few prints, I really got excited.  I bought a little trailer, backdrops, and display materials.  During the week I would be out in the field taking photographs, then traveling on weekends to shows around west Texas.  We would do about two shows per month.

So even though it took me a few years, the work I did learning the craft of photography finally paid off.  We retired from doing shows about four years ago.  I now sell my work, word of mouth, on-line, and contacts with various magazines, etc.  But we had great memories.  So now you know a little more about me.

Ya wanna buy a car??  I’ll tell ya what I’m gonna do…………….

Check out my book by clicking on the links on the right side of this page.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron with crawfish claw.

We watched him a bit more, then continued our drive.  Again, not much was stirring until I rounded a little bend and saw a flash of red in front of me.  Into a  bush it flew.  I grabbed the binoculars and realized that it was a Vermilion Flycatcher.  It flitted among the branches and finally I was able to get my viewfinder on it and snap this picture.  Not one to write home about, or frame for the art gallery, but acceptable.

Vermilion Flycatcher

So ends another day in the field.  I hope you enjoyed the results.  Click on either image to see an enlargement.

Behind the parking lot a little creek meanders along, a branch of the Red Arroyo system.  We always monitor the birds and such that frequent the place.  The other morning we spotted this juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron, (Nyctanassa violacea), along the bank.  You can see that it’s yellow crown hasn’t matured much yet.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

I photographed the bird from the car, using my Canon EOS 7D with a 100-400mm lens attached.  It is amazing how successful you can be if you use your car as a blind.  If I would have got out, I am sure I would have spooked him, and he would have flew off.  When I absolutely have no choice, and have to get out to get a shot, I try to keep the car between me and the bird, maybe shoot over the roof, or lean over the hood, etc.  For these shots, I was only about about 40 feet away.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

The less stress you put on your birds, the better and more natural image you can obtain.  Click on either image to see an enlargement.  Happy Shooting!!

But that is not what this post is about.   In trying to find a nice subject to write about I decided to show you my best of the best favorite photos of the Great Egret, (Ardea alba).  These images have been taken in and around San Angelo in recent years, during wetter and better times.

Great Egret in reeds.

Great Egret “Night Flight”

Great Egret browsing in the reeds.

Great Egret “Liftoff”

Great Egret

Great Egret

Enjoy, and click on any image to see an enlargement.

I haven’t posted anything in several days.  It was simply because I have been busy, getting my book published, (more on that later), looking for photo ops, getting a little nap time in, etc.  Ann suggested this morning that it was time that I wrote something.  So I got off of Facebook, put my crossword puzzle aside, and started trying to decide what to write about.    I settled on throwing virtual darts at my files.  Aha!!  A hit, right on the Yellow-billed Cuckoo file.

This bird has a yellow bill, (duhhh), a distinctive white breast, and has an upright posture when perching on a branch.  It spends the summer in mostly eastern and central United states.  Would you believe it is a close relative of the Great Roadrunner.  Now there is one crazy bird.  This first picture was taken way back in June of 2007.  It was the first YBC I had ever seen.  I was using a Canon EOS 20D then with a 100-400mm lens.  Exposure 1/2500 sec. @ f5.6, ISO 200.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

The following two images were taken in May of 2010.  I used my Canon EOS 7D and Canon 500mm f4 lens with a 1.4 tele-converter attached.  Exposure 1/800 sec. @ f5.6, ISO 500 for both photos.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

I hope you enjoyed the photos.  Click on either of them to see some great enlargements.  You can see more of my collection by clicking the Flickr Logo on the right side of this page.

Also check out my recently published book, “BIRDS, BEASTS, AND BUTTES”  You can preview the first 15 pages at http://www.blurb.com/books/3402703 or by clicking on the link on the right side of this page.  Hint:  You can also buy it there if you like.

For autographed copies contact me direct at e-mail: bobzeller1@aol.com.

Cattle Egret in Ocotillo

These photos were taken several years ago, on one of our many journeys to that beautiful area of the United States.  As you can see, they look glorious against the backdrop of a clear blue, desert sky.

As we were approaching the western entrance to Big Bend NP, we noticed as we pulled up to the kiosk to pay our entry fee, that there were two of these Cattle Egrets sitting on the roof.  Of course, our car disturbed them, and they flew only a distance of about 30 yards away.  I was able to easily photograph them from the car with my Canon EOS 7D and 100-400mm lens.

Cattle Egret in Ocotillo

Cattle Egret in Ocotillo

Cattle Egret really in the Ocotillo

This next final photo was shot, I believe, at even an earlier date.  I know that I was using my old EOS 40D at that time.  I like this photo with a backdrop of the mountains of the Big Bend.

Cattle Egret in Ocotillo with Chisos Mountains in background.

I hope you enjoyed these photos.  Click on any of them to see an enlargement.

For preview or to buy copies of my book, click the link on the right side of this page.  For autographed copies contact me at bobzeller1@aol.com.

Happy Birding!!

Upon arriving, they erect mist nets; very fine nets that are strung across poles in areas where birds are know to fly.  The birds fly into the nets, are then captured by hand and taken to the area where the banding is actually done.  The birds are unharmed, but some do enjoy scolding the banders as they go about their business.  It might be added that the mist nets are nearly invisible.  The material is so fine that I have walked right into a net before I realized it; like walking into a spider web.

Bander Charles Floyd running the nets.

White-eyed Vireo in mist net.

The banders record the date of capture, sex, age, species, health condition, and any other pertinent data.  They then attach a very tiny, light, metallic band with a number corresponding to such report, around the leg, then released.  Before such release,they usually hold the birds in their fingers for a minute or two, to give an opportunity for any photographers to get close-ups.

Painted Bunting

Indigo Bunting

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Wilson’s Warbler

Needless to say, it is a very educational experience.  An addendum:  I do not, for my personal albums or other professional use, ever photograph birds that are captured, set up, in zoos, or baited.  These photos were taken strictly for an article about this banding group.  This banding was done at the Hummer House Nature Retreat, in Christoval, Texas, on April 23, 2011.  Click on any of the images to see enlargements.

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