JDW Photos and Life

Another great (if I say so myself....) in-flight sequence as one of the pair comes to check on the nest while the other is perched across the river bottom on a distant tree (seen in these photos). Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

A great pass in front of a beautiful tree. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

More shots in the sequence shared yesterday. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

In-flight shots are just fun to take and to study. I've said it before but I love to study feather detail. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

I'm running out of descriptions and adjectives, j ust enjoy as I have even more from that day......  The first photo is proof that despite our attempts to "hide", the eagles knew where we were but "accepted" us. The second photo is another in mid-screech. The third photo has great wing position and detail. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

Yep! More eagle photos! The first is your sad eagle pose though I don't think it was sad - just admiring those killer talons! Please do not use this photo for some stupid political post. The other three photos were taken as one of the eagles flew back to the nest from its distant perch across the valley. The first of those photos is one of my favorites as the bird was calling its mate as it came back to the nest. An eagle screech is such a great sound in the wild. The last photo was taken as the eagle made a survey pass by/over the nest before landing nearby. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

A few more shots from that special day - hopefully, you like bald eagles as there are more! This pair were flying back and forth across the wide river bottom to various trees and then coming back to the nest. The return trip to the nest provided some wonderful in-flight shots. If you zoom in, you can see the bird's n ictitating membrane in the second shot. The third shot gives you a little perspective to the valley we were looking down on with the nest nearly eye-level. You could not design a better photography location! Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

To give you an idea how fantastic our shooting location was, these first two photos were not at full zoom of my lens (300 - 400 mm out of 600 mm)! The third photo is at full zoom. Hopefully, these shots give some perspective on the size of the nest and the complex weave job these birds do with pretty large branches to make such a nest. It takes a sturdy tree to take this weight high in its branches. The first shot is a typical perch outside the nest standing guard. The second shot is heading into the nest with the third shot being in the nest (deep!). Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

I am traveling back to January 2016 again since I have no new/recent photos left to share. I really need to get out for practice if nothing else. For the next several days, I will share photos from the most spectacular bald eagle photography adventure one could ever dream within a short driving distance of College Station. Spencer, my mentor, invited me to go to a location of a bald eagle nest outside Waco. The nest was high in a tree in a river bottom. The river bottom was about 75 - 100 feet below the surrounding bank/land. We had access to land on this high spot "near" the nest (about 75 - 100 yards from us) such that we were almost eye-level with the nest - something virtually impossible in normal situations. We sat in our chairs  close to the edge of the sharp drop-off, nestled behind trees/bush, and dressed in camo with cameras ready as we watched the eagle pair for 5 hours that day. I learned so much about how to take photos from this trip. I am forever in debt to Spen...

Here are a couple of shots of the nest. It's pretty hard to describe the size other than huge and deep. Typically, one of the parents will stick pretty close to the nest or be in it. Occasionally, both adults will be in the nest but not for long. The last shot is one of them impersonating an owl with the look behind my back pose. This ends the photos from that short trip as most everything else provides little detail. If I go back, will be better prepared to sit and watch more patiently. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

I drove over to The Woodlands (just North of Houston) to meet up with friends and photograph a pair of eagles nested near the lake. I had been to that location for the same goal several years ago. It is my understanding that this nest had not been occupied for the past couple of years but this pair came back and made necessary repairs. They have a 3 week old chick in the nest according to the sources. This is a very well photographed and documented pair of eagles with a huge population and easy access to the birds. The challenge with photographing these birds is the patience required to capture something other than just sitting in a tree. A trip involves a lot of nothing happening interspersed with a few seconds of action and hoping you get your camera ready in time. Patience is not my forte. Just as I arrived, one of them flew from the nest to a nearby tree to join its mate for a few minutes. I didn't even have my camera out of the bag. So the first photo is them sitting in the tr...

I read about a large sunspot taking place right now so I set up my camera to take a photo of it yesterday shortly after sunrise and out of clouds. WOW! I'm pretty sure it is the largest sunspot I have photographed. I was also surprised by the number of sunspots right now. Obviously, do not try to see these yourself without the correct protection! This is NASA's photo with labels. I'm pretty happy with my shot! Remember that the sun also rotates and these spots move across the surface. The spots are storms so they will also change size and shape. NASA's size perspective of the large solar storm. We are but a speck of dust in this universe! Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

After photographing the whooping cranes, we went to Galveston to see what else we could find. We stumbled into the largest flock of black skimmers I have ever seen. These are really interesting birds in that their top beak is shorter than their lower beak. Their names comes from their feeding method of flying just above the surface of the water with that long lower beak skimming through the water to catch small surface fish. Their wingspan seems disproportionally large (42 - 50 in.) compared to their body (16 - 20 in.). These birds were not interested in hunting during our visit. The wind was blowing hard and making for a chilly January day. They would all fly up when something startled them (not us) and then circle back to land. They would bunch up tight with all of them facing into the cold wind. Every once-in-a-while, one bird might pick up his head or take a short flight to a better location. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

I have two more photos to share of the whooping cranes that day. In the first shot, you see it was a blustery day with ruffled feathers when not facing the wind. In the second shot, you can see the huge feet of the bird that allow it to navigate the marshes. You can also see some serious talons for hunting and defense. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

In January 2016, a friend and I heard about 3 whooping cranes in west Jefferson County outside Beaumont. These whooping cranes were from the non-migrating flock in Louisiana. They were feasting on rice shoots and anything else they could find. These birds were very close to the road - uncomfortably close was our thought. The rice farmer kept pretty close eyes on cars driving up that road. There were 3 or 4 cars of observers as I remember with one of them the farmer. This is a sad story in that 2 of the 3 were shot a few days later by an idiot claiming he thought they were snow geese. Once identified, he plead guilty and was sentenced to 5 years probation and $12,908.50 restitution to International Crane Foundation who raised the LA flock from eggs to chicks to released adults. Though most birders consider this too light a penalty (including me), at least there was an investigation and legal action taken. There is no way somebody can mistake these huge birds for a goose. These birds are...

On the same January day in 2016 as the cedar waxwings yesterday, our "normal" backyard birds were showing off some of their getting-ready-to-dance feathers. The first photo is obviously a male cardinal looking regal. The second photo is a tufted titmouse with a classic over-the-shoulder pose. I do not know how to tell the difference between the girls and boys for them but they can and that's all that matters! Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/