Wildlife Photography across the Water: California Travelogue-Day 1

Monday 25 April 2011

California Travelogue-Day 1

We left Raleigh is very grey overcast and misty conditions and landed in San Francisco in the same horrible conditions, The flights were how shall we say-interesting, I hate flying at the best of times and the short flights always seems worse than the longer ones, Its just matter of switching your brain off and knowing that in the next few hours you will be where you want to be, I love to travel and to shooting new and different countries and shoot new and exciting species and that to me is worth the drama of flying,
We drove straight to the hotel and dropped the luggage off and went straight out and to the lake for the Eared Grebes, it took some time but we found one in a large group of coots, The light was dreadful and although i took a few images of the grebe i binned them all although some coot images came out very well-so at least i know that the grebe and a prime target is there.
Sunday and its an early start, We went straight to the lake, Again the weather was not up to much and after watching the Grebe for an hour we left, It was still in the same area and i watched and made mental notes of its behavior and movements, I have a week to get some shots so not to perturbed that i didnt get good images straight away, I popped down to my usual place in the bay area and shot some waders of which there are thousands and some of the Avocet and Stilts that are there, I used the D7000 and can say that for birds in flight it works very well, About 11am we head south and down to Monterey Bay, About 1hr20 minutes drive, Straight away and i am shooting Western Grebe-a fantastic looking bird and they came so close that i ended up with head shots-amazing, I carried on checking areas i have shot before and watch White Pelican, Godwits and more Eared Grebe, This looks like its going to be a great trip, The weather improves and we watch some big rafts of Sea Otters and head down to Monterey for lunch, There are some Loons or Northern Divers in the bay as well as more grebe, I drive down the coast endin in Carmel, On the way i shoot lots of Gulls in flight and some Ground Squirrel, This time of year the beaches are covered in flowers and its a stunning place to be, Some areas glow in pink and millions of flowers clover large areas, Here i shoot grackles and have shot Squirrels in the past, Its going to be a busy week but when all the conditions come together you have to make the most of it especially when you are away from home
Day one over and its back to the hotel at 10pm-time for a beer or 3 and download the images and get the blog done-feeew i am knackered but feeling good-roll on tomorrow

Dave

2 comments:

Birth Of a Manta Ray26 April 2011 at 05:34
Hello,

Really, these birds are so cute and pretty. We are honored by your comment and glad you liked the photos. Thank you for commenting on your experiences here.
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Pat Ulrich27 April 2011 at 23:13
Wonderful shot of the avocet landing, I really like the high-key exposure!
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Bio's

David Courtenay, a self taught wildlife and nature photographer, has been capturing images for over 30 years. He has had a passion for wildlife since early childhood and remembers being glued to the television whenever Survival, Wildlife on One and other natural history documentaries were shown. In the 2006 he swapped his established career for the life of a wildlife photographer, such a move demands a measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

David has travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as spending more than 7 months in India working with local guides and trackers in search of Bengal Tiger, Asian One horned Rhino and Asian Elephant. He has also photographed Wildlife in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Africa, Canada and America. Working closely with Conservation companies he tries to raise funds to help Wildlife that has been put on the endangered list by poaching and habitation loss

Martin Dyer has had a passion for avian wildlife since childhood, particularly raptors. Photography was also another keen interest and it was with the specific availability and control of the whole process that digital offers that Martin was then able to combine the two in 2003. Based in the UK, Martin is a regular visitor to Scotland, specifically the Isle of Mull to watch the Eagles resident there. Other trips to Europe and around the UK are usually part of Martin’s agenda in a typical year.

However, as a firm believer on making the most of the local patch, Martin has spent a lot of time and hard work creating a wildlife garden which is reaping the rewards with many new species and varieties of wildlife. A keen member of a number of wildlife photographic groups, Martin is keen to expand his portfolio into other areas of wildlife, and has already established a wide portfolio of images of fungi.