Jose E Hernandez World

Goodbye 2011

2011-12-31T10:32:00.000-05:00

I found myself returning to Argentina and Chile yearly since 2009. These are fabulous countries because their landscapes, wildlife and people. These countries are so close and yet so different except for the language; and all due to the Andes that separate them. In January I returned to coastal Patagonia in Argentina and visited mostly Puerto Deseado, a port with a large fishing fleet. Nearby there are old caves with hand paints; these are not protected but they have been respected. At the nearby national park I found a friendly horned owl in plain daylight and at he Island of the Pajaros, also easily accessible from Puerto Deseado where the Rock Hopper Penguins nest.

Further up the coast, I visited Bustamante, one of my favorite places in the world. The rocky beaches locally called the Roquitas because of the bright color of the rocks. There are great opportunities to capture images of skunks, Choiques as well as an old can inside of an abandoned ship on the shoreline.

From Bustamante, I drove to Comodoro Rivadalia to catch a fly to Punta Arenas in Chile.

Punta Arenas is wonderful city that reminds of a typical small town back in the 1960's in the USA, very colorful with a long history and currently undergoing an urban revival. Every street brings colorful wall murals and graffiti. It is the point of departure for the Fitz Roy Expedition aboard the M/V Forrest that sails along the islands of the straits of Magellan's (http://www.patagoniaphotosafaris.com/index.html). Landing in some of the islands, one has the opportunity to photograph the wildlife, that like in the Galapagos seem to have no fear of man. And plenty of whale tails.

In June flew to Denver and drove up to Mount Evans where I photographed the Bristlecone Pines, among the oldest trees in the world. Then headed west to Camas Refuge in Idaho where I saw yellow-headed cowbirds for the first time; they were abundant but the mosquitoes were even more; they would eat you alive. The marsh wrens were all singing and fighting to establish their nesting territories.

Drove back east towards Yellowstone; some of the roads were still closed due to the heavy winter snowfall. Got there on time to catch the brown and grizzly bears coming out of hibernation, they were all over the place. At the Lamar Valley, there are always opportunities to see wolves, coyotes and badgers. Near the northeast entrance to the Valley, there is Trout Lake where I witnessed the seducing dance of the goldeneyes, perfect timing, saw the whole thing.

From Yellowstone headed south to Jackson Hole took a detour and made my routine drive up Mormon Road, where the most photographed barn in the USA; but I will not bore you with another photo of the barn. Instead, the fields were blooming with yellow flower in which the buffaloes were feasting; what a contrast of the yellow against the brown hide of the buffalo. Can you find the cowbird?

Jackson Hole is a favorite overnight stop and I always, stopping at the Cadillac for a beer and a buffalo burger is a ritual. I was lucky to capture a Western tanager framed by a fence in the outskirts of the town, and not far away, there was a coyote hollering for company.

Then headed West again towards Brigham, which claims to be the Gateway to the Greatest Bird Refuge; the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I was not disappointed at the Bear River, even when the some of the roads were flooded. The American Avocets were pairing and was able to observe their elaborated courting dances; these birds are regal. Then drove east again to Denver for the return flight home

Pantanal in Brazil was the best trip of the year. It was a new place and the variety of new species of fauna seen for the first time was overwhelming. The reason to go what to photograph jaguars; my encounter with them was addressed in previous blogs, so I will kindly refer you to them. But then there were the giant river otters; they live in close families and hunt fish together. One day I was recording their squealing calls with a tape recorder. I rewinded the tape live to listen to the calls backwards at high speed. What a commotion, the otters went wild and surrounded the boat and one of them even jumped in the prowl of the small boat squealing his head out. I stopped the tape recorder and the guide started the outboard before otter jumped off the boat. All I can guess is that perhaps the sound of the recorder may have mimicked the otters stress calls exciting the family; what an experience. Also was lucky to see a small, dark brown colored and very inquisitive crab eating fox, another new species for me.

In October headed for the Old World for a River Cruise up the Rhine; this trip was described in the previous blog. Enough of 2011 and let's see where 2012 takes us. Happy New Year to All!!!

Rhapsody on the Rhine River

2011-12-06T06:45:00.007-05:00

Arrived in Brussels October 17 and was taken by bus to the M/S Rhapsody river cruise boat in the port of Antwerp where I spent 2 days. First thing I saw was Larger Wapper, a famous local water spirit next to the Stone, a medieval castle. Walking further up ran into the Aan Stroom Museum, a large red box set in an open plaza. When in front of City Hall, saw a group of artists dressed in early 20th century outfits; I got the beauty among the group. This is a very historical city as well as an industrial powerhouse full of photo opportunities as one walks down the streets.

I had been to Holland several times with the intention of visiting Kinderdijk; finally got there. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the name means Children's Dike. It has 19 windmills built in the XVI century and were used to pump water out of the polders; most of the windmills I had seen before were used to grind grains. While here, I suffered a hailstorms, rain and sunshine, all within an hour. What an opportunity to get a variety of images of the windmills.

Nijmegen is the oldest city in Holland, an as in most other places visited during this river cruise, the Romans were there. It was bombed by American planes and heavily damaged but today, there are no signs of it. Found store windows full of those wonderful cheeses for which the country is known and other items of clothing. And the City Hall has the typical Dutch architectural style.

Sailing up the river Rhine, arrived in Bonn, the former capital of

Germany

before the fall Soviet Bloc. Most of the government activities were move to Berlin but it still preserves an air of sophistication and is the birthplace of Beethoven and Schumann. The German Army Band was playing next to Bethoven statue and collecting donations of the wounded veterans of the Afghanistan War. Nearby is the Augustusburg Palace, another World Heritage Site, built in the XVIII century. The most interesting part of this Palace is the stairs leading to the second floor which unfortunately are not allowed to be photographed. The gardens date to the XIX century and were in full fall colors at the time of my visit.

Navigating up the Moselle River, the mountains in both shores were covered with grapevines exhibiting their rich autumn colors. The famous Moselle wines originate from the various wineries along the river. Disembarked at Cochem for the daily tour; it is in the left bank of the Moselle, it has a picturesque central area as most other cities visited in this tour. Reichsburg Castle is the major tourist spot dating back to the XI century, it was rebuilt in the Gothic Revival Style by a businessman from Berlin in 1868. Live in a castle was harsh, not the idyllic type that one reads about, with damsels in distress rescued by a knight in shinning armor.

Bernkastel is another city in the winegrowing region of the Moselle River; it is renowned for its gabled timber houses dating back to the XVII century. Riesling is the predominant wine variety grown here with the Bernkasteler Doctor wine being the most famous. The story goes that back in the old days a Bishop got sick and there was no medicine that would cure him. A winemaker came forward and promised that if he drank his wine, he will recover his health and sure enough, the Bishop got well. As a result, the Bishop granted the winemaker the title of "Doctor." Had the opportunity to visit the cave where the wines are aged and tasted them…very nice and "expensive" too. Across the river there is a cliff that shows rock stratification of a peculiar red color.

One of the rewards of travel is the historical perspective gained from the various places visited. And at Trier, the surprise was unexpected; imagine a Roman city north of the Alps. At one time, it was the capital of the Western Roman Empire where Emperor Constantine resided for a few years. I ran into this historical giant first in York, England, next in Rome, later on in Constantinople, and now in here. The most spectacular ruin is the Porta Nigra, the best preserved roman city gate north of the Alps; the black color is due to air pollution. And as in any important Roman city, there are the Baths, the Basilica, the oldest roman bridge north of the Alps still in use, the amphitheater, and the magnificent Cathedral of St. Peter, another World Heritage Site. It was built after the conversion of Constantine to Christianity and is the oldest cathedral in Germany. The most famous relic here is the Holy Tunic that was removed from Jesus by the roman soldiers that crucified him. According to tradition it was obtained by Constantine mother Helena when she traveled to Jerusalem around 328, along with several other relics. It will be exhibited to the public in 2012; your opportunity to see it.

Luxembourg is located in top of cliff next to the Petrusse River with extensive medieval fortifications, but these did not prevent it from being occupied by Germany during World War II. It is considered a tax heaven and has the highest per capital GDP; what a coincidence. It is ruled by a Grand Duke as a constitutional monarch. Nearby is the American Cemetery and Memorial, where most of the American casualties (@ 5,000) of the Battle of the Bulge are buried. General Patton although not a casualty of the battle but of an automobile accident, is buried here at his request since he wanted to be next to his soldiers. Among the many local guides that I met during the voyage, the gentleman guiding during the tour of the cemetery is the most dedicated. It was clear that he was doing this not as a job, but as a voice from the past. As a young child he witnessed Patton's funeral and was proud to show his photographs of the occasion.

Boppard is located in the Rhine River Gorge another UNESCO World Heritage Site. North of this city, the river makes its biggest bend with the surrounding mountains covered with vineyards. In the way to Marksburg Castle, there was a stop at a local brewery where beer, sausages and French fries were served; all was great but the fries, better than those are MacDonald's. While cruising in the river, saw a tank that contrasted with the white truck below; war and peace?

The most peculiar thing about Speyer, is that everything seems to be tied down with a chain or cable; noticethe foot and the chairs in the street café. The dominant point of interest is the cathedral than when finished in1061, it was the largest Christian structure. The city was busting with activity the day I visited.

Finally left Germany and arrived in Strasbourg, France. Other than the language, there was not much change in scenery. This city has changed ownership between Germany and France during past wars, but it appears now secured in French hands. The Marseille, the anthem of the French revolution was composed here, but the most interesting item here is the astronomical clock inside the cathedral. There are canal cruises in the city that are worthwhile taking; it reminds me of Bruges but in a larger scale.

Took a side trip to Riquewihr, a small medieval town whose architectural style has been preserved; almost. The first floor of every building in the main street, are tourist traps selling the routine paraphernalia except for the coconut macaroons; the competition for selling them is furious. Merchants at each stall were given free samples, all excellent, but after eating so many I was full and did not buy any. The locals are dog lovers, never seen so many well behaved ones; I wonder if they eat macaroons too. In the way back stopped at a Center for Reintroduction of White Storks to Alsace. These birds' populations have decreased in recent years; for more information go to: www.cigogne-loutre.com. They also keep nutrias in the park.

Departed France and arrived in Basel, the end of the River Tour. I had been in several river tours but this has been the most perfect of all. The crew was incredibly competent and the Captain was the friendliest, they usually keep an air of aloofness but not this one. There were 3 tour guides and all of them had a sense of humor as you can see from the photo below. And then Susana, always cheerful and reading your body language as to when to bring the next libation. Tot ziens, Auf wiedershen, and Aur revoir.

After the river cruise I extended in Lucerne; I was there in 1993 and other than the Chapel Bridge, had no recollection of anything about the city. I wonder why travel if I cannot remember where I had been. The city has more banks than tourist places. Took a train ride to Engelberg one day and from there rode the Titlis Rotair to the Titlis Glacier Station where I visited the glacier cave. The next day flew home out of Zurich.

The Birds of the Pantanal

2011-11-19T22:20:00.001-05:00

So many photos, so little time to blog. From my recent blogs, you can see that the trip to Pantanal in

Brazil

, has been one of the most productive this year. Birds have been my favorite animals and as a result, I came back with thousands of bird images so here are a few ones. The Black-fronted nun bird above is a new species for me, as most others in this blog except for the Ringed Kingfisher. This bird looks mostly black but if hit by the light at a certain angle it appears blue.

I have seen many herons but the Capped Heron above, is the most beautiful of them all. When I first saw it, I had to do a double take; is this bird for real? I did not see more than 3 of them and they were always alone; most others hang around together and nest in colonies. Those long feathers in the head are really attractive.

The Rufescent Tiger Heron had a peculiar behavior. It is holding a catfish with a little stick and walking away from sight. A "bird using a tool." It shows that we humans are not the only ones. The type of catfish the bird is carrying has very sharp fin spines. While the fish is alive, the fins are erected and it is impossible for the bird to swallow it, so the bird waits until it dies and the spines are relaxed parallel to the body. I saw a Ring Kingfisher with the same species of catbird; it was holding it by the tail hit and slamming it against a branch until dead, and only then proceeded to swallow it whole.

There are 5 species of kingfishers in the Pantanal, I photographed all of them but for brevity, I only loaded in order of appearance the Amazon Kingfisher, the Green Kingfisher and the Ringed Kingfisher which is the largest and most abundant. Most kingfishers are shy and difficult to approach, but here, you could even grab them from the branches, they appear to be obliviuos to humans. Imagine, being ignored by a bird, the ultimate insult.

There are many species of flying predators in the Pantanal but the Great Black Hawk and the Savannah Hawk were the most abundant. They mostly feed in smaller birds but sometimes they also go after fish.

Birds come in a variety of colors but the Jacama and the Vermillion Flycatcher are really flying jewels. When I first saw the Jacama, I though it was another species of kingfisher because it looks similar and nest in holes in the banks of the river. But after observing it for a while, I noticed that it seats in a tree branch, and then fly-off capture insects and returns to the same perch. The Vermillion Flycatcher, as the name implies, is right truly intense red; what a difference in body shape, and coloration between these two birds. Also consider that both feed in insects that the catch while flying; why the difference in beak length?

Two birds that owe their names to their bill peculiarities are the Smooth-billed Ani and the Yellow-billed gulls. The Ani needs such a heavy bill to be able to cracks seeds and I assume that the gull's yellow bill has something to do with breeding. In the bottom image above you can see an immature gull asking for food.

And finally, we get to the Sun Grebe, another unusually colored bird that I have never seen bird. This bird feeding behavior is unusual for a grebe, instead of diving in the pursuit of fish, it swam along the shore line picking up insects from the vegetation. I am sure that the sun grebe also dives for fish but I did not witness it.

The Jaguars of Pantanal II

2011-09-30T23:45:00.000-04:00

One morning I ran into a collared jaguar panting with saliva dripping from the mouth. It appeared stressed by the tracking collar. These collars carry telemetry devices to track the animal movements; some are able to monitor physiological and environmental parameters too. While watching the jaguar, the guide told me that 3 collared jaguars were recently found dead. The rumor was that the lost of these endangered cats was caused for having the collars to tight.

There appears to be various groups involved in collaring jaguars in the Pantanal; but it was not clear if the responsible culprits were private individuals, environmental private groups or government agencies. A wildlife management friend confirmed that it is critical how these collars are fitted to the animals, if too tight, they may cause problems. And these are not just limited to physiological burdens but may also induce behavioral changes.

The use of tracking collars has become widespread since the early 1990's to study animal migration patterns, territorial boundaries, etc. As the collars became more sophisticated, they are capable of recording physiological as well as environmental parameters. The information is collected in the collar or transmitted by radio signals to cell phones or via satellites. Originally the tracking devices were equipped only with a VHF beacon and the trackers have to follow the collared subjects in the field with an antenna to determine their whereabouts. Older models also used to collect the information in the collar itself and to retrieve the data, the animal has to be recaptured again. Newer collars can be programmed to drop-off from the animal and the data analyzed. But the trend is towards collars that transmit the data and that can be reprogrammed by telemetry.

Does the fitting of tracking collars have an impact in the involuntary user? There was a study conducted of Florida panthers in the Everglades between 1978-79; of the 65 deaths recorded, 41 were radio collared. Of the collared panthers that died, it was determined that 33% died in fights with other panthers (is the collared jaguar impaired by the collar during the fight?). Another factor affecting the mortality of animals is during their capture to be fitted with collars, usually with tranquilizing dart guns. If the anesthetic dose is not properly calculated, it may result in the animal death. Also the handling of the anesthetized animal while being collared, measured, weighted, and biological sampled, may result in additional injuries.

Does the practice of using collars for wildlife management worth the loss of animals? Are those involved in these practices professionally trained to safely conduct such endeavors? Are the wildlife populations benefiting from this practice? What is the data used for? Are there funds available to improve of the species habitat based in the data obtained if analyzed? I have not formed an opinion as to benefits of this practice. But is surely annoys me when I encounter collared animals in the wild. Will there be any wilderness left?

The Jaguars of Pantanal, Brazil

2011-09-03T23:11:00.001-04:00

Just returned from one of my "one in a lifetime" adventures; I was dreaming at least to photograph just one jaguar. It was surpassed, in 8 days sighted 23 of these cats. My first encounter was with a jaguar resting on bluff next to the Cuiaba River hidden by the underbrush (above).

The next day, I saw a jaguar shaking a small tree and could not figure why? Then, I realized that it was knocking young flightless birds from their nests. These were baby limpkins, and as they dropped from the tree, fell into the water and were able to swim ashore. The leopard walked down to the river's edge, picked one chick, eat it and so on.

After feasting the jaguar walked up the bluff and along the shore to a sandy beach to get a drink, it paused, looked around and continued drinking. Then went to take a siesta.

On another occasion, I witnessed a fight between two males; they appeared to be siblings just playing. But the next day in the same area, there were 4 males and one female. It became clear to me that the fight that I saw the previous day was not a game; they were fighting for the privilege to visit with the girl. By this time, the scores were settled and prevailing male was mating with the "she jaguar".

One day I followed a jaguar along the shores of the river from a boat while he hunted for capybaras. These giant rodents are very alert and can swim and dive swiftly. He saw a family of capybaras with a young one. As he paused, somehow the male capybara became aware of his presence, gave a sharp call to which the mom and baby responded by jumping from about 20 feet in height into the river. The male followed soon after.

Yellowstone Park continued...

2011-08-07T23:43:00.000-04:00

Spring time brings courtships and new life to Yellowstone. I had the opportunity to observe a pair of Barrow's goldeneyes going through their romance. They got so close to me that in my opinion, they were obsessed with their love making that they did not see me. Part of the ritual was for the male to take short runs and then approach the gal, accompanied by lots of head movements.

After mating, the female climbed into a log and preened herself insuring that all feathers were in place and flew to a large pine tree where it appears that a nest was being built.

A mama badger was busy feeding her family of 3 young ones. I spent time with the family until finally; I was able to capture the Mom bringing a Uinta ground squirrel to the den. Prey was not easy to catch because the mother will be gone at times for 3-4 hours before returning, and some times with no prey. This was my first time ever seen badgers in the field.

Brown bears are easily seen in the Park but at times 1 or 2 days go by without seen one. But other days many are sighted at close range. On one day I saw 12 brown bears. Grizzly bears are also seen but I was not able to get a good image of one. In the spring time is common baby bears. Whenever bears are seen, lots of people arrive along with the park rangers; these are preventing the tourists for getting close to the bears and to get the traffic moving.

Elks and buffaloes are very common as well as pronghorn antelopes. Most the mothers are feeding the young ones. These, like young children are running around, jumping and tasting the grasses, the joy of new life.

Late one evening I ran into a female moose with cute yellow calf. She was looking for a safe place for the calf to bed for the night. She was at the edge of the forest looking along the tall grass, when she found the right spot, the calf when down. I am told that the calf will not leave the spot until sunrise.

Wyoming's Serengeti

2011-07-30T22:28:00.002-04:00

Yellowstone has many similarities to the Serengeti/Masai Mara ecosystems due to the large concentration of ungulates and their migrations patterns. Although the number of migrants in Yellowstone is smaller, it is still a sight to enjoy. The rainy and dry seasons, drive the migrations in East Africa; while in Yellowstone, the temperature changes between winter and summer are the forces that cause the migrations. Above we have some buffaloes jumping a tributary of the Yellowstone River; you will see wildebeests jumping the Mara River in Kenya but in larger numbers.

Due to the large numbers of visitors in both Yellowstone and East Africa, ways of controlling their impact in the ecosystems are very similar. In Yellowstone, vehicular traffic is limited to the roads; this is a practice adopted in the recent past in the Seregenti, and to a more limited extends in the Masai Mara. Off the road driving is not longer the rule in Africa. Another phenomenon is the concentration of people/vehicles where an unusual animal sight is found or where a kill have occurred.

The lions of Yellowstone are the wolves and their cousins the coyotes. There are also bears as well as smaller ones as the badgers. The wolves were recently reintroduced in the park and their presence has attracted a loyal group of trackers that spent endless hours recording their behavior.

I had visited this park in all seasons except for the winter; I do not handle cold temperatures well. Spring is probably the most exciting because of all the new life as well as the flowers abundantly present. Of course, fall is also colorful because of the changes in foliage and the elks rutting season. Summer…it is for the tourists. Yellowstone is the Premier Park in the USA; there are animals, unusual landscapes to include geysers and waterfalls. A place of wonders.

Camas National Wildlife Refuge

2011-07-17T11:38:00.000-04:00

Driving north in Idaho I-15 towards the refuge, I saw this large six-pack that I could not pass. Unfortunately they were silos camouflaged as beer cans; a refreshing sight after driving for hours. This area of Idaho is mostly agricultural and yes, they do grow potatoes there.

Arriving late in the afternoon at the Refuge, it did not look too impressive, and as much of the West bodies of water this spring it was flooded. It was established in 1937 as a breeding ground for waterfowl and as a resting stop for migrating birds. My first sighting was the yellow-headed blackbirds, a new species for me. They were all over the cat tail reeds displaying and raising a cacophony of sounds. It was the breeding season and the males were trying to impress the girls and defending their territories. In their behavior, they are very similar to their cousins the red-winged blackbirds.

The waterfowl were courting and some were already building their nests. Others such as the coots had already hatched their chicks and were actively feeding them. The cinnamon teals above, were also a new species for me, the males color could have not been better described; just the same color as the condiment. The females, more practical, had a plumage that help them to blend with the reeds where them nest.

Another surprise for me were the male ruddy ducks, I had never seen them before in their breeding colors with those strong red feathers and the fabulous blue bills. They are really funny to watch they pump their heads up and down when attracting the females. Another peculiarity is that they make the water bubble in front of their chests by making a very low frequency sound (I assume since I could not hear any noise). I have seen the similar bubbling of water done by alligators. These small ducks are very aggressive and will not permit another male of any species to even look at their partner. Jealous birds they are, wonder why? The females are just plain Jane's, but then, I have no ruddy duck eyes.

The long billed wren was also very active settling territorial disputes and chanting to the world "do not trespass. This bird I photographed earlier in the year in the east coast while involved in the same behavior. It a fetish little bird.

Harriers were also very active flying over the marshes looking for prey. These were already nesting among the reeds. One evening, a male have caught a rodent (above) and flew towards its nest; on approach the female flew up from the nest and let go of the furry creature that was promptly captured in mid-air by the female.

Visiting Camas was very rewarding; at one time it was a farming area. Some of the ruins of the original settlers are still visible, against the chocolate flood waters and the blue skies make a good departure image.

Above Clouds in Mount Evans

2011-07-03T22:05:00.003-04:00

Mount Evans in Colorado, is the highest mountain in the USA whose peak that can be reached by road. Early in June, I drove up several times to the top at 14,150 feet to photograph the mountain goats and the Bighorn Sheep. The first morning I suffered a slight case of altitude sickness but later on there were no further symptoms. The weather was variable with complete cloud cover at times, strong winds and freezing point temperatures at the top.

The goats are easily approached or rather; they approach you at the Great House, the ruins at the peak. It was a resort built in the 1930's that was destroyed in 1979; some said by fire, others by an explosion of a propane tank while it was refilled.

The goats were seen the first day at sunset and the next morning at sunrise, the sheep were never seen. These are wild animals that are hunted during the fall, yet for some reason, they know that a certain times of the year humans are safe.

They come to the Great House to lick the salt applied to the sidewalks to melt the ice/snow, to prevent the two-legged animals from slipping and falling. While licking the salt, the goats are totally oblivious of people and they will come within arm reach.

The mountain goats travel in families and my goal was to photograph newly born ones. But they were not brought to the Great House while I was there. Perhaps they were not born yet since this year had very long winter. I found a similar situation with other species where new born were rarely seen during my 4,000 miles trip throughout the West that followed.

There are a few other animals to be seen just as the marmot above and an occasional raven at this time of the year. At the lower attitudes mule deer and various smaller birds were seen, and at the entry to the park, hummingbirds were visiting the feeders.

The road to the top was spectacular but not as dangerous as those I have driven in Central and South America. Two scenic stops come to mind, Echo Lake where several snow boarders were practicing their skills and the interpretative center near the Sequoia trees forest. Some of the trees nearby are more than 2000 years old and they showed it. The harsh weather sculptured the trees into very twisted and scared shapes. These are a delight to photograph as the sun illuminates them at sunrise or sunset.

15th Annual Mattaponi Pow Wow

2011-06-04T09:56:00.005-04:00

During the Memorial Weekend, I went to the Mattaponi Indian Pow Wow in King William County, Virginia. The tribe was one of the six under Chief Powhatan, father of the famous Pocahontas, who married one of the Captain John Smith's officers. The latter founded Jamestown, the first English colony near present Williamsburg.

The event started with a parade followed by a speech by the Chief, drumming, dances and exhibits regarding the Mattaponi culture. This is the first Native American celebration that I have attended. Their friendship and well as their food was outstanding. I had the best "corn on the cob" ever!!!

I found photographing the event challenging. There was a circle within which all the events took place, providing a difficult background. Nevertheless, the images of the dancers and their attires were captured with beautiful vivid colors.

The Mattaponi have a long history of struggle in preserving their culture and lands from the English colonials as well as the Americans after the War of Independence. During their various treaties, they were attacked during the Bacon Rebellion and the Iroquois wars.

Their official recognition as a tribe as well as ownership of their lands has been challenged since the arrival of the British but they were able to preserve them. Thomas Jefferson defended their lands from encroachment while he was governor of Virginia. The tribe has been recognized by the government of Virginia and has their own government.

The name of the tribe comes from the Mattaponi River, whose name was derived from the confluence of the Ma, Ta, Po and Ni rivers. It flows into the York River. For a more regarding the Pow Wows, go to: http://virginiaindians.pwnet.org/today/pow_wows.php

Punta Arenas, Chile

2011-05-27T09:46:00.000-04:00

I have visited many cities but this one has a particular appeal. It brings memories of the cities where I grew up back in the mid 50's. Since my first visit in 2004, the sleepy town with a faded golden age, is flourishing again, yet preserving its XIX and early XX century's charms. It has the distinction to be the largest city affected by the "ozone hole" allowing ultraviolet light to pass thru the atmosphere causing high incidence of skin cancers and cataracts.

Punta Arenas as her sister Ushuaia, in Argentina have a similar origin as penal colonies back in the early 1800's. Both cities outgrew that origin and became outpost for immigrants for the development of Patagonia.

Fabulous fortunes emerged and among the most prominent, are those of the Braun and the Menendez families, whose holdings extended both through Argentina and Chile. The source of the wealth created were wool, minerals and lumber. Images of the Menendez/Braun Chateau are above showing the luxuries available to the lucky residents.

The City served as the point of departures of various explorers of Patagonia such as Lady Florence Dixie, whose diary (book Across Patagonia, 1880) described the old ways and visit to the Needles of Cleopatra. She was probably the first European who described this geological formation presently known as the Horns of the Devil in Torres del Paine National Park.

The opening of the Canal of Panama was a blow to the economy of Punta Arena since prior to the canal, all shipping lanes between the eastern and western ports of the USA had to navigate to the Straits of Mallegans. The city was strategically located and served as source to resupply and repair the ships navigating these treacherous waters, the biggest Chilean shipyard still survives here.

The Magellan's Straits has the notoriety of having one of the largest numbers of shipwrecks among the oceanic routes. As a consequence, a major ship building and repair industry emerged here that is still vibrant today.

Walking along the streets, one encounters colorful houses, graffiti, gardens, monuments and murals in such abundance and exotic colors, that I venture to say, are not found anywhere else. You be the judge.

No matter where you go, you are been watched by curious eyes out of windows or self-made peep holes in doors. Dogs are numerous transients that along with pedestrians seem to share the streets as well as local transport. I was amazed to be in a local bus and see one board it without objections by the driver or the requirement of a fare.

The island of Magdalena is easily accessible via daily tours available at various tourist offices. It is the home of one of the largest Magellan penguins in South America. It is also the home of one of the many abandoned lighthouses along the Patagonian coast.

Patagonia is finally being discovered by global tourism with the resulting commercial development resulting in spoiling those natural attractions that brings the people in the first place. No better example that what is happening in Calafate and Perito Moreno in Argentina. So far, Punta Arenas and Torres del Paine in Chile, has escaped that massive development but is coming. Another book of interest describing the area around Ushuaia is that of E. Lucas Bridges, The Uttermost Part of the Earth.

The Fitzroy Expedition along the Magellan Straits.

2011-04-18T13:31:00.000-04:00

This 8-days seagoing expedition, along the islands of the straits of Magellans, rates among my 3 top adventures of my last 20 years. It reminded me of my sailing passage of the Galapagos Islands. They shared navigation among the islands, the tameness of exotic animals found there; but this adventure provided the thrill (or illusion) of being in places never seen by humans before.

Once out of the Straits of Magellans proper, we never saw another boat of signs of human activity. Imagine walking around nameless glaciers and navigating along uncharted narrow channels not knowing if they let to an outlet or a dead end.

Every couple of days or so, the vessel will approach a stream coming off the mountains to refill its bilges with the pristine water running from the melting glaciers. The crew will land with a water pump connected by a hose to the ship bilgesmto replenish the water supply, so clean that not additional treatment was necessary. During some of these occasions, we went ashore and walked through enchanted forests that had not known the sound of a chopping ax.

The landings provided outstanding photo opportunities of glaciers, geological formations and marine animals that came ashore to rest. On one occasion, after landing, safety gear and photo equipment were laid on the beach at what appeared a safe distance from the waves. A small tsunami arrived causing despair among the photographers who rushed to rescue their gear.

I had the opportunity to photograph King Penguins and Elephant Seals for the first time. The King penguins just ignored us and in occasions, they were the ones approaching us. I also got shots of Rock Hopper Penguins and of the elusive Giant Kingfisher.

I was amazed at the huge size of the elephant seals and their disdain for the close proximity of humans; they just followed our movements and snorted at us when approached to close.

Most of the participants of this expedition were photographers, among them, some of the top wildlife professionals from Argentina and Chile; I was the only outlier there. There were also a naturalist guide, a filming team from Chile, as well as the vessels' crew.

During navigation time, the photographers shared their images and gave informal lessons on basic photo equipment, and Photoshop CS5 techniques. As for the first image above, where else have you seen a professional photographer providing photo tips to an attentive audience aboard an inflatable boat in frigid waters? Or what about such an awkward position to take a photo; only possible in the southern hemisphere where everything is upside down.

Often while navigating among the channels we ran into whales, orcas, dolphins and sea lions offering great photo opportunities. In particular, the breaching of aquatic mammals was a challenging activity to capture. It appeared that I was always in the wrong side of the ship; when a whale breached, all I could catch was the huge splash of water created as they hit the water, but as consolation I got a few images.

The M/V Forrest was a cargo ship recently converted to an adventure vessel capable of carrying about 20 travelers in comfort. The relaxed environment of the voyage was the results of a highly trained crew whose first duty was safety followed by friendliness, impeccable service.

What about the food? Well, I have been in luxurious ocean going cruises and honestly, the freshness and gourmet quality offered here, exceeded all others. Three full courses were served daily, with the option of ordering items other that the regular offerings. All was included in the price of the cruise. I was not even charged for the pound /day I gained during the cruise

We were all the best friends of the galley's Master; who could resist such an incentive? If interested in getting more information regarding this extraordinary ocean going safari go to http://www.patagoniaphotosafaris.com/mn-forrest-en.html

Bustamante one year later.

2011-03-25T21:11:00.000-04:00

After almost exactly a year, I returned to Bustamante. I found last year that this location is a staggering point for shore birds starting in their migration to the northen hemisphere. Sure enough, sandpipers and others were congregated in great numbers feeding and resting waiting for the night to fly out.

Bustamante remains a quiet place, ideal for doing nothing. It used to be a busy hacienda back in the XX century when kelp was gathered from the bay and processed to obtain algin, a product used in the cosmetic and food industry. This suddenly ceased in the early 1980's due to an oil spill in the bay. When I returned this year, the kelp has recovered and the operations resumed in a small scale with workers returning to the previous empty apartments.

Although this may be my wrong perception, the fauna seems to be more acclimatized to humans and not as weary as they used to be. For the first time I was able to approach the martinetas without them running away; not only that but they appeared to be more numerous.

The wildlife photo opportunities this year were limited this year due to the high winds; as high as 120 Km/hr for a couple of days. I spent most of the time in the cabin but one day I ventured out. I went to the "Playa de las Roquitas" (little rocks) and did some HDR photography; I just kept myself low among the rocks avoid the wind gusts.

One day while waiting in the cabin for better weather, I heard a noise coming from a nearby trash can and went to investigate. The noise maker was a young skunk that could not climb out of the metal can and was trapped inside. I decided to be his freedom fighter and tipped the can over to allow for his escape. The skunk walked out and to show his gratitude, turned his rear towards me and raised the tail to spray me aromatic perfumes...I ran in time. No good deed goes unpunished!

One day I went to the "Isleta de los Pinguinos" to visit the nesting colony,it was as I saw it last year. I stayed a short time and mostly observed their behavior; how many pictures of a penguin can one have? But there was a family of caracaras with young ones learning to fly that offered me a great opportunity for doing fly photography

Matias, one of the owners of the estancia, is not only interested in the local wildlife but has intimidate knowledge of their activities. He directed me to a peregrine falcons nesting area in the walls of a canyon. I went and proceed to walk in the ridge of canyon looking at the opposite wall for the raptors. I was in the wrong ridge, as I paused and glanced down, and there it was, so close that I my lens could not focus on it. An opportunity of a lifetime just flew way. Instead I got a consolation image, that of a fabulous sunset like no other.

In the way back to civilization, my photo mentor, Mariano, took me to one of his secret places. A canyon with sandy and gypsum walls where the barranqueros or burrowing parrots nest. They are very leery of people since they are captured for the illegal animal trade that is adversely affecting their populations; you can read more about this at http://www.orn.mpg.de/masello/PAGES/home-englsih2.html. Wish I could have spend more time with them.

Puerto Deseado

2011-03-14T11:21:00.000-04:00

Named because of the beauty around it, and the fisheries wealth arriving at the Port via the Deseado River estuary; it is the second largest fishing port in Argentina. The town itself looks as it has seen better times in the past as reflected by the now abandoned Railroad Station. Wool exports from the various haciendas in Patagonia were the major source of jobs back in the early XX century.

The area has a long history of visits by explorers and english pirates. Chrales Darwin arrived in December 23, 1833 and navigated up the river where he set up camp. He described the topography, geology, flora and fauna; in particular. He extensively elaborated about the behavior of the guanaco which was very abundant in those days. About 20 miles up the river, there is a promontory known as "Miradores de Darwin" that offers stunning views as seen above. Neaby by there are caves with ancient indian paintings of hands all over the walls.

The island of the Pinguinos, currently a protected national park with an abandoned lighthouse, is the home of Magellan penguins (above), rockhopper penguins, skuas, cormorants, sea lions, and elephant seals and many more.

The island is home to the only colony of rockhopper penguins in coastal Patagonia. They are smaller than the other species of penguins I have seen. The adults have yellow feathers resembly eyebrows that make them very attractive.

When I visited in early February, most of the chicks were fully grown and showing almost full adult plumage. They were still been fed by the adults and are not afraid of humans and easily approached.

For the first time I had a close encounter with skuas. They are very aggresive and will dive bomb those approaching their nest of chicks. I was subjected to their repeated attacks and my hat what hit on occasions. Nevertheless, I managed to get a photo of one of the chicks; imagine such a bellicose attitute to keep me away from such an ugly thing.

In the way back to Puerto Deseado, I was rewarded by a visit from a family of dolphins that for some unknown reason, are attracted to boats and performs aerobatict shows...and it is free!!!

I also visited the national park that follows the Deseado River upstream. Soon after driving into the park late in the afternoon, I encountered a small farm house selling "range eggs." Following the road to the right I ended in a canyon; it is very narrow with high rocky walls full of small cavities and caves. It was obvious that this formation was under water eons ago. I soon was rewarded by an owl family who granted me the opportunity to observe their hunting behavior.

Farther up the park, there is a gray cormorants colony nesting in the cliffs that offered me an opportunity to photograph their nesting behavior under challenging photo conditions due to their flying speed and poor lighting. They are the most beautiful cormorants I have seen so far.

After spending a 3 afternoons in the park, it was time to depart in my way north to Bustamante, an unknown paradise that I found the previous year.

Goodbye 2010

2011-01-01T14:15:00.000-05:00

While looking back at my images for 2010, I found difficult to define the year; so many places, so many experiences. I will start with my forgotten trip to Maine in August; it was not a destination but a disruption of of a trip to Canada by sickness and a broken vehicle. But at least I got a shot of the Bass Harbor lighthouse, one of the most photographed in New England.

The most challenging trip was to an Eskimo village in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska. We contracted with an Eskimo guide to take us to photograph polar bears by boat. He took us to a sand spit where we landed to photograph some adult bears that were sleeping. As we approached them, one woke up, started to sniff the air and started to walk towards us. When I looked to the Eskimo, I noticed that he was drinking coffee but could not see the rifle that he was to carry for our protection. I asked him where the rifle is and he very coolly responded: in the boat. I glanced towards the boat and I saw that it was about 150 feet away...I knew I could not outrun the bear. Decided that if he charged, I will stand my ground and photograph him as it ran for his meal. The bear may have decided that I was not too appetizing, turned around and went to sleep. A while later, we ran into a mother bear with two cubs, they approached us while in the safety of the boat. I got my images; one of the cubs was playing with a bird feather is above.

I am not a city person but travel requires their visits as ports of entry and departure for more pleasant destinations. From the mundane signs in New York City, to the gory colors of a bench in Berlin, the camera could not resist them, what am I to do, it runs my life. So I obeyed and recorded the sights. But there is also beauty, as the sunset image of a building in Santa Fe three weeks confirms. Imagine, a year ago!

Familiarly creates contempt which causes me to ignore the area where I live. The last couple of weeks brought historical high snowfalls to the region, so I was suffering from cabin fever. Looking through the backyard windows, saw the cold and shivering birds, so got the camera out despite the low light, got rewarded by a female cardinal, my best bird photo for 2010.

As I search for this year's destinations, don't know where I will find myself next month. So distant, not much time, let you know when I get back. Best to all in 2011.

Bosque del Apache...Again!!!

2010-12-20T00:14:00.001-05:00

I returned to Bosque more as a social than a photographic destination because a few of my photographic traveling friends decided to meet there this year. Bosque is a challenging place to photograph mostly due to the lighting conditions. Most rewarding photo ops are early at dawn or sunset when the lighting levels are low and the reds overwhelm the rest of the color spectrum. Another issue, is that the prime locations for shooting mostly face the east in the morning and the west at the end of the day, so one finds himself shooting against the sun. The Sandhill Cranes that winters is what makes Bosque famous; you can visit last year's blog by going to the older posts at the end of the page.

There is something primordial about this bird that attracts me, it has remained unchanged for millions of years and its peculiar calls is reminiscent of other similar species. I have seen several species of cranes

around the world but my favorite is the black crowned crane in East Africa.

I appears that the interest in cranes is worldwide, just as in Bosque, there is another in Spain (DESDE MI CHAJURDO: "Festival de las grullas" ) that I found out from Anastacio's Fernandez blog. I happened to be in the festival in Bosque last year by cheer coincidence, there may have been at least a million dollars of long lenses lined along the marshes paralleling Route 1.

There are other migrating birds in Bosque, with the snow geese being to be most numerous. What great spectacles of nature is seeing at these
birds in unison noisely exploding into the air early in the morning to fly to feeding areas near the park. It is quick and if one is not ready, the action will be missed.

Bosque offers a refuge from hunting, but I could hear the shotgun of hunters firing at the birds from areas surrounding the park. Ironically some of the areas were hunting was taken place, are owned by the Federal of State government but were opened to hunting. At least a larger buffer area should be provided "free of hunting" to allow the birds to gain altitude and spread throughout the countryside.

There also bald eagles, harriers, smaller falcons, grebes, herons, cormorants, quails, songs birds; more than 371 species of birds have been recorded in Bosque. I was able to photograph perching on a tree above; a first one for me.

Mule deer was easily seen, although shy, they would expose themselves if you took the time. I saw a young deer next to a ditch at the end of a day, I suspected that he wanted to drink, I waited, and was rewarded. But all that flies in Bosque does not have feathers as confirmed below.

Usually the tradition at Bosque is to wake up early at dawn and run to refuge to get a choice photographing spot. After the birds depart the refuge, one cruises the park roads for a while and then go to San Antonio or Socorro for breakfast. Afterwards to the hotel to edit the images or catch some sleep. In the afternoon one returns to Bosque to photograph the birds landing at the swamps to spend the night. This year, I skipped the siestas and roamed the roads in the vicinity photographing other items of interest.

A detour around Southern Coastal States

2010-11-30T20:24:00.000-05:00

In October, I took a drive across of the states of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. I headed south from Virginia in I-95 and close to Florence, North Carolina, got off the interstate and drove around the country roads. Abandoned farms with collapsing barns and rusting farming equipment were numerous and presented excellent photo opportunities and causing. I only wished that those broken down buildings with saddleback roofs could talk.

The towns are not in better shape, the only areas of activity are the crossroad roads at the center of town with sleepy traffic light (even them were slow in changing colors), with a couple of gas stations with signs advertising gasoline for exactly the same price; where is the competitive spirit?

Other businesses such as drugstores and barber shops were boarded up and for sale. Old tobacco warehouses are closed and crumbling down and usually one grocery store is open. One does not see much traffic or people walking in the streets. Where have all the people and industries gone? Not even Golden Arches!!!

Returning back to I-95 from the country roads, I continued on my way south towards Savannah, Georgia, where I first stopped at Fort Pulaski, in Tybee Island. It was completely built of bricks and offered no protection from the Army of Northern Aggression Parrot rifled cannons during the Civil War.

The Union forces took over the fort in April of 1862 in less than 7 hours
but Savannah remained in rebel hands until the end of the war. After visiting the fort , I headed to the city for the night.

I was in Savannah for the first time 30 years ago. The city lost its old run down looks and is now bursting with activity. The historical center of town had been gentrified with old houses restored to their former glories. One major difference in the architecture of Savannah when compared to that of Charleston, is that the original core of the former is dominated by row houses with no spaces in between, while detached
home separated by walls and gardens are predominant in the later.

Close to Savannah is Wormsloe Estate, famous for its Live Oak Avenue of more than 400 trees planted in the early 1890's. These avenues of oaks with the ubiquitous Spanish mosses are common throughout the south antebellum plantations, but this is the longest I have seen. The rest of this site is mostly ruins, the oldest one, the Tabby Ruins, dating back to the 1740's. What I found interesting was the walls left is that they were made of oyster shells mixed with lime, sand and water. The oyster shells came from the oysters eaten by the Indians, who threw them into piles called middens. This type of construction I have not seen in Virginia where wood was mostly used by the settlers in Jamestown.

While cruising around the city, I saw a sight familiar to astronauts in space, but in this case I did not need to get in a Soyuz rocket. I saw this huge compressed gas cylinder painted as the earth; continued to drive up the road but that image stayed with me...I have to return and photograph it. The steel planet was in the a yard of an abandoned house surrounded by a
brick wall. I peeked thru the rough iron gate and saw numerous feral cats all over the yard. Much to my surprise, the earth was not along, its faithful companion, the moon, was there too assuming the duty of a mail box. I was told that the tanks was built to store propane gas but the city in its wisdom prohibited its intended use due to safety concerns. Wonder who was the dreamer who created a planetary system out of an abandoned gas tank!

Stay tuned, I will follow with another blog going up the coast to Charleston,

South Carolina

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

2010-11-11T10:59:00.000-05:00

After several days of roaming across the Atlantic Coast southern states, I ended my travels in Chincoteague, Virginia in early November. Now I find myself with thousands of images and wonder: Do I like to travel or photography better? I still have 63 gigabytes of Alaska images that I have not even look at. Maybe photography is the instigator to travel.
I used to visit Chincoteague in the early 1970’s when I started photographing birds but it has changed somehow for the worst and slightly for the better. In the old days one was not limited inside the park to specific roads as today but the roads were not all asphalted and one was not allowed to get off the vehicles. The town outside the park was just limited to the area around the bridge leading to the mainland and consisted of two main streets and one place to stay. Today all roads are asphalted with multitude of hotels and businesses catering to the tourists.

In the summer the beach is crowded with bathers but at this time of the year, the beaches are only visited by the migrating shore birds and a few fishermen. I noticed that the wildlife is easier to approach as they seem habituated to the presence of humans without been shot at. So despite the economic development, I would say that the wildlife has not been adversely affected yet.

I was rewarded during this visit with two new species of mammals that I have never seen before; the river otter above and the grey squirrel below. There were a couple of otters and these worked the shores of the ditches on both sides of the road leading to Maddox Boulevard. One of the otters captured an eel and ate it in plain view.

I ran into a gray fox squirrel while walking in the Woodland Trail, I was surprised as to their larger size and grey color. I saw wooden boxes in the trees along the trail and though that they were there for wood ducks nests, later on I found out they were for the squirrels. I also learned that they are about 300 squirrels in the island and it is a threatened species better known as the DELMARVA fox squirrels.

Lots of migrant snow geese and other species spend the winter here; in the day I was there I saw an estimated 1200 geese in the ponds. What is unreal is that could approach these birds within 30 feet even though they are hunted as soon as they leave the boundaries of the park; is like if they know the difference between a shotgun and my telephoto lens. It is magnificent to listen to their calls while landing.

I ended the day with a White-tailed deer running across the Snow Goose Pool and started my 3 hours drive home.

Denali, Day and Night

2010-10-09T23:41:00.000-04:00

Both of the images are High Dynamic Range (HDR) that represents most of the visible world, therefore some what you see may be bit unnatural. I did the HDR using Photomatix 3 Pro. Then I opened them in Photoshop CS5, cropped them, applied curves to correct colors and finally sharpening. The above image was taken at Wonder Lake, near Mile 85 of the Denali Park Road. While I was there taking the images, another photographer stopped to tell how lucky I was; he has been coming here for the last 27 years and never seen Mount McKinley so clear, not a cloud in the sky. Maybe I was lucky twice; I also won the Denali Lotto which permits winners to drive their own vehicles for a day inside the park beyond Milepost 15. This is allowed once a year at the end of the season for about 4 days. Other than on this occasion, one has to ride a bus past the gate at Milepost 15 at the Savage River Bridge. Due to the restrictions of the blog, I was unable to properly size the images but if you click on them, a larger image may be available depending in your settings.

What you see above are the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis taken near Denali. This image is also HDR but with a different twist. When using HDR, one changes the exposures to obtain more detail of the dark and light areas of an image. In this case, I did not change the exposures but I rather used time intervals to capture the changes in the lights, as they expanded and contracted across the sky. This technique may be called stacking by some. Since I could not cover the lights across the sky using a 16-35 mm lens set a 16 mm, I used another secret trick of mine (well not secret any more after you read this). I just set the camera in the tripod with the lower left corner and the upper right corners of the viewing frame aligned with the horizon. So I am really splitting the frame with an imaginative diagonal line and aligning that line with the horizon, then I crop a bit the ends to make image rectangular. The University of Alaska has a website that predicts the probability of seen the northern lights (http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/auroraforecast/) and I relied on it to wake up in the middle of the night and search for them. It worked for the night when this image was taken. While at ANWAR, where the photos of the bears of the previous blog were taken, this site showed very poor probabilities of seen them so to bed I went. When I woke up the next morning, the first thing the guide tells me is about the extraordinary northen lights seen that night. These were in the form of waving colorful curtains that cover most of the sky. So when I asked him why he did not wake me up, he responded : "You told me that you came to see Polar bears."

Polar Bears

2010-10-04T14:52:00.001-04:00

After traveling more than 10,000 miles by land, air and sea, I am back in Virginia after meeting with Polar Bears in the Alaska National Wildlife Arctic Refuge (ANWAR). They are the ultimate predators and being close to them with not protection, other than a guide with a weapon was unnerving. Although I have been in the proximity of lions, elephants, rhinos and leopards in Africa, there I was sheltered by a vehicle that could speed away from danger. In ANWAR, I was on foot on land with no chance to outrun the bears, they can do 30 miles per hour; more than than the 5 that I can achieve over a short distance. The outcome is obvious.

I saw about twenty bears, with several females having 2 cubs each, do not know is that is the usual number. On one occasion, one family approached in an inquisitive manner since I am still here; if the mom who have wanted to provide the cubs with a dinner, I would not be here writing this blog.

One of the cubs was extremely curious and came within 20 feet and performed by standing in its feet and moving the arms as umpire signaling in a football game. Another found a white feather, which it examined closer and then started playing with it.

While searching of the bears in a small boat, ran into two bears swimming and was able to photograph them. They showed not interest and continue on their way. These animals are large and can swim hundreds of miles, one raised its body about 3 feet above the water to look around. I am quite sure that if they wanted, they could have come aboard the boat or turned it over and get meals inside. I had been many places with wild animals, but no where with the level or risk or excitement that I had here.

Winter in the Southwest

2010-09-12T23:21:00.001-04:00

I was in the Arizona and Nevada early in the year. I decided to blog now with these images because it will be a while before I have another chance. Monument Valley is one of the most photogenic sites in the USA. It is vast and interesting because of the topography and driving with snow is tricky, although it looks as there is not much of it.

The predominant red color of the Southwest is challenging to manage, it is either over or under saturated. The desert is mostly deprived of vegetation and other than short grasses, one may encounter a lonely dead tree. You wonder where all the water has gone considering that the mesas were created by water erosion.

While driving from Monument Valley to Page, I passed this windmill and continued but had a change of heart and returned. I had to capture the painting on then tank of a typical western scene, it just fitted perfectly in the landscape. The itinerant artist who created the scene left no marks as to whom he was, might was well, in the desert nothing last long.

I was at the Antelope Slots two years earlier in late summer. I just wanted to see how different the lighting was in the winter; quite honestly, there was not much of a change in brightness or coloration inside the slots

but there was nobody else there to disturb the sand creating a dusty air. Below is and image of the surface above the slots, I guess not many has seen it in photos since most of the photogenic interest is underground.

Next is an image which is most familiar, since hundreds of photographers come to the Slots yearly to capture the “Award Winning” photograph. Mostly what you see printed, is not what they really look like because of the difficult lighting conditions and the artistic freedom provided by Photoshop. Most of us processing images have a different recollection of what the “true” colors were. What the eyes see and the mind remembers is not what the camera records. Regardless, the hues and the textures captured are pleasant.

The southwest had a record snow fall that caused great damage and blocked major highways for days when I was there. Fortunately, I was able to enter the Grand Canyon from the northeast. Walking to the edge of the canyon with 24 inches of snow was tedious; the tripod became the third leg that allowed me to reach the edge. But there was nothing to fear, I ran into two park rangers on skies patrolling the rim ready for the rescue. Was the walk worth it? You decide. the result is below.

Troheim, Norway

2010-08-20T21:47:00.000-04:00

Trondheim was the first capital of Norway with gothic cathedral. What is it doing here? I associated this type of construction mostly with the territories that were once the part of the Roman Empire; but the Romans never conquered the Nordic countries. The Nidaros Cathedral construction started back in 1070 and in the Middle Ages, was the northen most center of pilgrimage, rated in importance as equal to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Being near a Cathedral on a Saturday, is hard to miss a traditional wedding parties. Here we have a young couple set against the wall being shot by a squad, luckily by using cameras.

And what is a city without a Coat of Arms? Just a manhole without a cover, waiting for people to stumble into it. It dates back to the 13th century and included the two most important characters of the time, the Bishop and the King. The Bishop at the cathedral looking towards the King at the right in his castle, holding the scales of justice. They seem to be standing over the bridge beneath which there are 3 heads floating in the water awaiting for the dictates of the potentates above.

Just across from the front of the cathedral, there is a park with some interesting scultures that are a challenge to interpret. The first one looks as a Maya sculpture with two seating man at the base topped by a golden mask. Something that I would expect to find in Chapultepec Park in Mexico City.

The other, that of a man with what look like cacao pods growing out of the body. The larger one ends in a basket with a head within. Those long cold and dark winters provide the Nordic artists with plenty of hallucinations to create strange works of arts.

Trondheim is a seaport where the Nidelva River drains into the ocean. Its banks are covered with rows old storage warehouses resembling those in Amsterdam, with the difference that here they are wooden and built on stilts.

Another similarity with the Dutch city is the abundance of bicycles (I found one with the color stripes of a bumble bee) and tulips. Tronheim was a welcome surprise and pleasant city to visit.

Hellesylt to Geirangerfjord, Norway

2010-08-02T00:05:00.000-04:00

Hellesylt, Norway, a very small town that is overwhelmed by the size of the waterfall that feeds into the Sunnylvsfjord. It was the departure point for a drive to Geirangerfjord.

First stop down the road was an old stone bridge built in the late 1700’s by the King to expedite the mail deliveries, it is not used for road traffic currently. There were other similar bridges from the same era but smaller along this road that follows the shores of Lake Hornisdal that at 514 meters is considered the deepest in Europe.

There nice landscapes along this road with farming communities and at Grodas, I found a Best Western Hotel. This one was different since it has an attractive architecture not typical for this type of accommodations.

Down the road, I arrived at the village of Stryn, with a bridge across the river where the shore covered with very colorful houses are located as seen below.

Stryn is definitely a tourist town, most other villages shops were closed on Sunday, but not here. Everything was available such sheep skins, smoked salmon and a variety of honeys. And the parking lots were full of buses, as the one pictured below, I find buses in Europe most fascinating due to their decorations.

We had a stop at the Jostedalsbreen Nasjonalparksenter; let me count: two words and 32 letters. It was by the side of the lake with a stream to the side. The main building has displays of the local fauna, flora and geological formations. It has a well kept garden with trees and shrubs in full bloom when I was there in June. An enjoyable place with no “entrance fees.”

Soon after, the road started climbing up the mountains covered with snow. This is a serious road, with 180 degrees turns and at times, the road is surfaced with gravel with snow banks to the side serving as protective barriers (illusion) to prevent vehicles from falling into the valley below. The thrill was when a bus was coming in the opposite direction leaving hardly any space to pass, having to squeeze over the snow banks hoping that they would hold.

This road climbs 5,000 feet to the top of Mount Dalsnibba, offering spectacular views of Geirangerfjord. It seems to be a very popular location and several families were having picnics; of course you must be Norwegian, it was extremely cold and windy to lid a fire, cold smoked salmon with hot chocolate will do.

Looking down, the winding and twisting road that brought me here, is waiting for the return trip. A worthwhile drive but not for the faint at heart.

The North Cape, Norway

2010-07-11T11:23:00.001-04:00

The North Cape claims to be the northernmost point of land in Europe. But is it? Like most other records, it is claimed by others and in this case, Knivskjellodden and Cape Nordkinn. In reality, the North Cape and Knivskjellodden are in the island of Mageroya, while the later, in the European Continental landmass proper. You decide.

To get there, I landed at Honningsvag that claims to be the northern most city in Europe. Then I headed north to the North Cape and made a stop at an indigenous people trading post, the Lapponian Camp, where there was a “Teepee.”

It happens that the Sami, the indigenous people of the Nordic countries, use this type of shelter called a Lavvu. What jumped to my mind was the similarity of the Lavvu to the Teepee of the North American Plain Indians. I propose that design similarities were the result of both cultures being nomadic, in need of portable shelters that could be easily set-up, dismantled and transported. They depended in migratory animals for their survival; the reindeer being to the Sami what the buffalo was to the Plain Indians.

Once at the North Cape, the landscape was barren with steep cliffs down to the rocky shore. One could be at any other place in the world at similar latitudes and could not notice any thing naturally peculiar about this place. Points of interest here were recently created by man for the benefit of tourists, who bring income to the area in excess of the traditional fishing industry. As one arrives, the large North Cape Center building with shopping stores, restaurant and museum is the dominant structure. There is a Thai Room in memory of King Chulalongkorn who visited in 1907; I least I have something in common with royalty, the curiosity to travel.

There are seven round monuments that look to me as giant old greek coins. They are called the “Children of the World Monument” and each of was designed by a child from a different country who visited there as guests of the Norwegian government in 1988. They are to promote peace, happiness, friendship, etc.

There is also a statue of a woman with a boy pointing south (according to my bearings) and she may be saying “Go South Young Man.” where is sunny and warm.

While walking by the cliffs I noticed a carving on a rock that looked to me as an insect. It was just there, no marker or fence to protect it; I am sure that I am not the only one that has seen it. I just photographed it and did not think about until I got home. I was intrigued by this lithograph and emailed the image to the North Cape Center. Surprisingly, Khristian, the service manager at the Center, was kind enough to respond and said that it was called a “rune.” Runes are a type of writing derived from ancient italic alphabets. It is tough that it was introduced by returning Germanic mercenary soldiers that served in the Roman Imperial Army. So what I tough was a representation of an insect is a group of rune letters. Would like to know what it says, anyone out there can translate it for me?

It is time to depart for new latitudes and after a last photo of the Cape, I return to Honningsvag, where at the port, I ran into a group extreme explorers fitted in space suits to conquer the “Finis Terrae.”

Lofoten Islands, Norway.

2010-07-02T13:50:00.000-04:00

After a while, new places do not look so different from others in the world. The Lofoten Islands reminded me of Iceland, Alaska, and southern Argentina as well as Chile. It is all location and in this case being close to the Artic or Antarctic Circle. It seems that the weather dictates the landscape as well as the building construction. Most buildings are painted red or other vivid colors; and these are mostly built of corrugated metal sheets or wood. And of course, the major historical source of wealth is the fisheries. In the case of these islands as in Iceland, cod fish.

The islands are one of those places that as Patagonia, Torres de Paine, and East Africa, I would like to return time and time again. These islands are scarcely populated with beautiful land and seascapes, picturesque fishing villages and old churches, small farms and not environmentally spoiled. And the weather is perfect; it changes every fifteen minutes—imagine the photo opportunities. I was here in mid-June and it was cold!!!

I had lunch one day at the Maren Anna Restaurant in the fishing village of Sorvagen and was named after a fishing boat that moored at its pier. It has a prominent sign stating that it was close but it was not, I assume that it has recently opened for the tourist season starting in June. It also has rooms for rent. It has a buffet line and I explored the local delicacies, one in particular was intriguing, cod tongues. I rather say that I preferred the wonderful smoked salmon also available as well as reindeer stew and potatoes, I wonder what people ate before the Spaniards brought the potato from Peru to the old world?

Below the bridge over the small creek that provides access to the restaurant, I saw this old rusted cast iron turbine, so down I went to take a closer look, I found that it was used to generate electricity and was first put in use in 1916 to generate electricity for the fishing processing operations in Sorvangen. If you take a closer look, there is a metal plate in the turbine with the following information: Model #177, VAPLANS MEK, Verkstads A.B., 19-NALDEN-09.

Next to the restaurant there is a pier still along with storage buildings in use today for fisheries operations and as nesting for black footed kittiwakes. These birds are quite oblivious to the presence of humans and quite noisy. According to the locals the restaurant was originally a cod liver oil factory and then a cannery

Driving down the chain of islands that have been recently connected by a series of bridges and tunnels, I passed a larger fishing village, Reine. It is located in a cove with a wonderful range of mountains as a background; one of those photogenic places in the world that everyone passing by has photographed. Don’t believe me? Just google Reine and see how many similar images as the one above you will find.

There are lots of fishing villages as you meander along the narrow roads, some are abandoned and others are still in use. And then there is A, a preserved fishing village which is now the Cod Museum in Sorvagen. It is a wonderful place and cod is still processed and hung in racks for drying. For more information go to: http://www.datadesign.ws/nfmuseum/museet.htm

And there is nesting colony of black-footed kittiwakes in the steep rock cliff right next to the piers. Since I was there in June, the birds were just fighting for nesting space.

The Lofoten Islands have a long history of human habitation who earned a living out of the cod fisheries and up to this day, is the major exported of dried codfish to Europe and
Africa. So far, the cod population is not threatened with decline as in New England and the Maritime provinces of Canada and not the subject to cod wars as those that has regularly taken place between Iceland and Britain. The Lofoten fishermen has diversified and developed extensive salmon farms, just as it has been done off the coast of Chile and Scotland. But fishing today is not the major income of these islands. Tourists like me, are their major catch, generating more income than the traditional fishing industry.

Chile: Torres del Paine II

2010-06-01T10:12:00.000-04:00

While driving in Torres del Paine Park one late morning, I observed a guanaca and her young standing next to a fence and decided to stop to photograph them. I suspected they were about to jump the fence. I thought that they would move back and to run to get speed before jumping. Much to my surprise the adult one just squatted a bit, sprinted into the air and over the fence she went. Then she started calling her young who was hesitant but eventually cleared the fence too. Once reunited with the mother, it was rewarded with a snack. I have seen Thompson’s gazelles springing into the air but I could have never imagined a bigger and heavier guanaco doing the same.

Most of my adventures are in search of new bird photo opportunities. While in Torres del Paine I added a new bird to my image collection, the buff-necked ibis, known in Spanish as the bandurria baya or scientifically as Theristicus caudatus. This bird appears larger than the ibises commonly seen in the United States and move in flocks of 5-6 birds in the fields looking for insects. They have a peculiar call and are not easily approachable.

There were some Southern Lapwings (called teros in Spanish or by their scientific name of Vanellus chilensis) in the same pasture as the ibises mentioned above; but these are very noisy and aggressive towards each others. They look for food in horses’ droppings by breaking the piles searching for insects. When one takes possession of a pile of manure, it becomes very aggressive and chases away others at times resulting at times in fights as seen below.

After leaving the park I stopped at Puerto Natale for fueling at a gas station across from the bay. What did I see swimming nearby? One of the birds I had been chasing for a long time, the black necked swans. These I had seen in a previous trip but was not able to photograph. This time I got the opportunity but weather conditions were not the best. These birds seem to be at home in fresh as well as salt water.

And yes, there are gauchos in Chile too.

Chile: Torres del Paine

2010-05-18T22:33:00.000-04:00

This park is to Chile what Yellowstone is to the United States. Both are unique and quite different, yet superb in landscapes and wildlife. No comparison as possible so each must be visited. I was at this park the first time back in 2003 and took me until 2010 to return. I traveled from Calafate, Argentina to Puerto Natale in Chile, where I rented a 4-wheeled truck to go to the park. It is mostly known by its huge granite pillars from which takes the name, and also Los Cuernos (the Horns). These are primary the reason why landscape photographers and tourists to go there.

The weather here is like in Iceland; it changes every 15 minutes, so warm as well as foul weather clothing are a must. The roads within the park are not well marked and rough requiring stressful driving. Recently the access roads to the park have been paved but those inside the park are still narrow gravel roads. Talking to one of the locals, I found out that there is some controversy going on between the purists and the realists. The purists want the roads left as they are to “protect” the environment while the others want them asphalted. There is heavy traffic with large tours buses that I wonder how they manage to get through those roads. They should be upgraded to slow down erosion in the shores next to the lakes as well as to keep the dust down, but mostly for safety reasons. The photo below speaks for itself.

I stayed at the same hosterias as in my previous visit; but there numerous new ones are now available but they do not offer such great views of the park. My favorite ones are: (a) the one in Lake Pehoe that is located in a small island that provides an outstanding view of the Torres particular in the afternoon and (b) the one in Lago Gray where the glacier is visible and located inside a wooded area full of wonderful creatures. I spent the first night at the hosteria in the island from where the landscape photos in this blog were taken.

Next I stayed at Hosteria Lago Azul where there is a family foxes that live on the grounds of the complex and are accustomed to humans. One early morning I was out taking photos and ran into a large fox that was growling at me about 10 feet away, my first though is that it was rabid, so I took photos and moved on (no, I was not afraid of getting rabies since I was bitten by a raccoon a couple of months earlier and freshly vaccinated). Later on in the morning, I told one of the staff in the Hosteria about my encounter. He laughed and proceeded to take me an area where the fox’s liar was. And there the whole family was lying around, including the one that harassed me at sunrise. Most amazingly, it appears that since now I was properly introduced, I received no more signs of hostilities. I just sat on the ground ignored by the vixens that played chasing each other and jumping on the parents. According to the staff member, families of foxes has been there for years and the present male, took over when he pushed his parents away 3 years ago. It is obvious why these foxes are here…they get fed and/or raid the trash containers. But they have not learned to beg from tips when photographed.

The Patagonian parrots were nesting in the nearby old trees and their cacophony was the first thing to be heard in the mornings. They were hard to photograph due to the harsh early morning red light and constant activity. I had seen then in my previous trip but did not have the opportunity to get close. They feed on the leaves and fruits of favorite trees, I noticed this one morning so the next one I arrived at the location earlier and waited, within minutes they were there within 10-15 feed and totally ignored me.

That morning I saw a small beautiful owl seating on a branch where it stayed for hours. I decided that I was going to catch him at the time when he would fly away; as always the owl took off so fast that I missed the shot.

Another common bird is the Cincloides patagonicus. This small bird spent the time wading around the shore of Lago Gray feeding. He is constantly jumping around and turning around stones looking for insect larvae.

After a few days in the shores of Lago Gray, it was time to move to the northern part of the park which I will discuss in a future blog. Boat tours to the glacier originate from the vicinity of this Hosteria. I did not go since I have taken the tour during the previous visit. One of the amenities of this trip is that the crew offers you cocktails with glacier ice fished from the lake, while the tourists partake, the blue iceman watches begging for some too.

Calafate and Perito Moreno

2010-05-02T12:07:00.000-04:00

Calafate is the gateway to the Perito Moreno Glacier in the providence of Santa Cruz, Argentina. This glacier unlike most other glaciers on earth is growing and is to Argentina what the Masai Mara is to Kenya as a tourist attraction. Most visitors will stay in Calafate and visit the glacier for the day. As a result, the tourist accommodations are booming at an incredible pace. I was there the first time in May 2009; and returned in February 2010, I was amazed as to the number of new hotels and lodges rising along the shoreline of the lake on the road to the glacier. The old sleeping town is gone. Still much of the old charm is still left as illustrated above.

I have previously visited glaciers in Iceland and Alaska but none compares in majesty and awe to Perito Moreno. The iceflow covers approximately 100 square miles and has and average height of 200 feet where it flows into Lago Argentino. One of the major attractions for this glacier, is the fracture. This occurs when the ice flow creates an ice dam splitting the lake in two. When the dam is eventually broken it causes a spectacular water rush. This event is not easily predictable and not an annual event. Just watching and listening to iceflow moving is most interesting. One hears like rifle shots as the ice flows and chunks of ice break and fall into the lake. This process of large pieces of ice separating from the glacier is called calving; these calves then float about the lake pushed by the winds and water current until eventually melting away.

As tourism increases in Perito Moreno, the government activities to accommodate the influx of people is impacting this natural wonder. An extensive elevated metal trail and stairs ways is being completed. No doubt this will expedite the movement of visitors but at a cost of impacting the beauty of the area. They have constructed several “orange colored” rest stops along the trail that ruins the view. Could have they done this in a more subdue way? Is there a need for these structures in the first place?

The hand of bureaucracy using the excuse of “safety” has struck again in Perito Moreno. When I was there in 2009, I was able to access the shoreline in the area where the ice dam is formed (see image below). Now the old elevated trail that provided access to the shoreline has been closed.

No longer will visitors be able to experience to be close to the iceflow from land, see the deep blue/cyan colors created by the light filtered through the cracks in the clear ice from ground level, or touch the milky blue waters. Yes, there are boat tours that take you close to the iceflow or trekking on the glacier, but another experience to enjoy the glacier has been lost. Where else in the world could one experienced standing near the base of such a massive wall of ice?

I found that renting a car to visit the glacier for the day is more cost effective plus gives you the flexibility of staying at the glacier longer and stopping along the road to take landscape photos. One thing about Argentina that is more extreme than in other countries that I have traveled, is their gouging of tourists. You will pay ten times more for entering the national parks than a local citizen; but their practice of charging higher airfares to foreigners I have never experienced before. And is you are a US citizen and fly into the country, you will pay $130 fee, the good news, once you pay it, the passport is stamped and good for multiple entrances until the passport expires. In fairness this practice is not limited to Argentina, the same applies in Chile , but if you cross the border by land this fee is not charged, so walk or drive, don’t fly.

Peninsula de Valdez

2010-04-11T23:47:00.000-04:00

My main motivation to go to Argentina early this year was to visit the Peninsula de Valdez in the province of Chubut. The best way to get there is to fly to Trelew and then drive to the park. There is a fancy gate and building at the entrance to the park, and once you go thru the registration and fee processing, the next stop is Puerto Piramides; the only place where limited accommodations and food are available. This is a center for whale watching tours and summer resort for the locals. There is a nice beach and great shore scenery for sunset photos.

The peninsula is a desolate steppe with gravel roads that lead to Punta Norte by a main central road or the coastal route plus secondary ones connecting these through the length of the peninsula. From a photographic destination, it was not what I expected. The marine fauna, such as the sea lions and other shore animals, were not accessible since the park prohibits access to the beaches that are not easily reachable. For this purpose, there are other places down the coast that are more photography friendly.

One event that occurs in March is the arrival of the orcas and their peculiar behavior of swimming into the beaches trying to capture sea lions. This event is strictly regulated for photographers wishing to record the event. It is extremely bureaucratic and costly to foreigners boarding into extortion. Not only are daily fees of $300 (US dollars) per photographer but additional fees for the accompanying game warden and one must turn over all the images to the park; they will claim 50 % of the royalties that the earned from the images. In top of that, one must provided a detailed narrative of the photographing operations. Peninsula de Valdez is one of those places that is nice to visit once.

One day while at the Parador Elvira, I went down to the walkway paralleling the beach and I saw what looked as a dark storm fast approaching from the south with strong winds. I took a few photos and proceeded to run towards the restaurant. While going up the hill, I got caught by the storm and could hardly breathe. It was a dust storm. It reminded me of the sand storm that I experienced in Mongolia in 2008. While inside the restaurant, the dust came thru the small openings in the doors and windows and visibility was reduced to no more than 50 feet.

If given a choice, I rather be in a dust storm. Sand storms are more aggressive due to the grains hitting the skin and eyes and making breathing impossible unless there is some protection. When I encountered the sand storm in Mongolia, I happened to be inside in an SUV, we had to stop because there wass basically “zero” visibility. When the storm was over, parts of the vehicle’s paint and windows appeared to be as they were sandblasted.

While in Punta Norte I had my first encounter with a Pichi, a small armadillo not shy and easily approachable or…rather it approaches you. It really looks like a giant cucaracha and spends the time digging for grubs and other edibles.

There were also other birds new to me as the Yal negro below, also scientifically known as Phrygilus fruticeti according to the Profe, a wildlife expert from the Comodoro Rivadalia University.

Near the Isla de los Pajaros, is the Museo Fuerte San Jose; all that is left there is a reconstructed church that was originally constructed by the first Spaniards that arrived there in the early 1500. The church is small and of a peculiar configuration but attractive. The other structure of interest is the lighthouse at Punta Delgada but at the time I was there, the road was closed and I was not able to photograph it.

Penguin Colony in Punta Tombo, Argentina

2010-03-20T10:25:00.000-04:00

It is claimed that this is the biggest pinguinera (penguin colony) in the world with estimates as high as 500,000 Magellanic Penguins. It is located south of Puerto Madryn and easily accessible from Trelew via Route 3. There is a new asphalted road but still does not go all the way to the pinguinera.
As one walks into the rookery, the landscape looks like a battlefield full of artillery impact holes from WW I. These are penguins nests made in the brownish soil. The extent of the rookery is immense and penguins are everywhere. These birds walk long distances from the beach to get to their nests. They start arriving in September and leave by late March after the young have grown.

This a national park and it is very well organized with game wardens every where keeping and eye in the visitors. There is a restaurant by the entrance to the park. All is requested is to stay inside the roped trails and to “look but don’t touch”. These trails transect the rookery and when walking, penguins will cross the trail oblivious to the observers.

At times, a penguin will walk and stop in from of you to take a close view of the intruder, there is no fear, and then it will walk away. You can closely watch these cute birds, they can really get in your face is you seat on the trail.

The young penguin above is molting and the adult plumage is beginning to grow, at the end of the process it will look like the adult below. You may be able to discern the end of the bill that ends in sharp beak while the lower mandible ends flat creating a very efficient tool for feeding.

Adults feed the begging chicks by regurgitating the sumptuous meals of squids and fish. Some times there are spills but these do not go to waste, there are always skuas and gulls near by to pick the morsels.

The nests are everywhere and some are empty and others with young penguins or sleeping adults. These nests are shared with other animals, one that is common but I was not able to get a good image is the cuis, a small rodent, need to go back. There are also hairy armadillos, guanacos as well as gulls, hawks, skuas and a variety of smaller birds.

There is a continuous cacophony of noise, particularly among the chicks begging for food or adults quarreling. When calling, they stand erect with the bill pointing towards the sky while flipping their wings. These are territorial birds and fights are resolved by who can call the loudest but at times, short chases take place.

Lots of the chicks were molting and loosing their birthday suits, kind of a brownish color down. The young are also very promiscuous and seem to associate with other young ones for adventures and explorations. These are left alone while the parents are out fishing.

There is a beach that is the major access to the colony to the sea and the shoreline is full of thousands of penguins. Some arriving from their fishing trips, upon hitting the shore, they hurried up the hill searching for their dear ones. In the way to their nests they are accosted by chicks looking for a meal; no luck, these birds go straight to their siblings. It is entertaining to see the young penguins learning to swim under the close eye of a parent, once in the water they are dive and swim just as Esther Williams in a white& black bathing suit. Punta Tombo is one of those places where nature and human are peacefully getting along.

Trelew, Argentina

2010-03-14T10:54:00.000-04:00

Trelew is a city of about 100,000 and I visited there because its airport that gives access to the Peninsula de Valdez, Punta Tombo (the largest pinguinera in the world) and other coastal areas in Patagonia. It started as a railroad town and was colonized by Welsh immigrants in the middle of the XIX century. I stayed day there in wait for a departure flight the next day. There is a university and next to it the Paleontologico Edigio Feruglio (MEF). The latter is quite a surprise and its collections of fossil dinosaurs and their displays among the best I have seen. There is a research room with a glass wall where you can see paleontologists cleaning and restoring their latest findings.

I was there in the middle of February and the first night at about 7 PM, I was walking around the lake next to the bus station. It is man-made and surrounded by a broad walkway and appears to receive water drainage from the city streets.

It was obvious that it was heavy polluted with a peculiar green color and a noxious odor. Nevertheless, it was a bird’s paradise. There were ducks, geese, the ever present gulls, stilts and flamingoes.

All of the sudden I saw a flock of little birds dropping in from the sky, settling on the water and starting to swim around in circles. This was on of those spectacles of nature that are overwhelming to witness. It appears this group of birds was just a scout group for a huge flight of migrating birds. Within minutes another flock started to drop from the sky followed subsequent waves, and suddenly, the whole surface of the lake was covered with these birds. They were Wilson’s Phalaropes…and I had not camera with me.

I had seen a similar occurrence in Texas more than forty years ago, where I visited to wait for the arrival of spring the migration of warblers who crossed the Gulf of Mexico. I was in a coastal area overgrown with bushes and small trees. Suddenly, small birds started to drop from the sky exhausted and perching in whatever branch had space for one more. There were several species of warblers and as in Trelew, arrived in consecutive waves. After a short rest period, they started to look for food. These birds were tired and did not mind the proximity of the bird watchers. Although the phalaropes in Trelew did not look exhausted, they were very busy feeding and ignored my presence.

I returned early the next morning and they were still there feeding in their funny way. They swim around in circles and this action seems to create vortexes in the water that disturb the bottom causing particles of food and small bugs to surface are rapidly picked by their slender beaks. The whole flock performs this behavior in unison and the feeding frenzy was continuous. These birds were in their winter plumage. By mid-morning they started to depart and by the time they arrive in North America they will sporting their breeding plumage.

Bustamante, Argentina

2010-03-07T12:04:00.001-05:00

Lorenzo Soriano (1901-1987) arrived in Bahia Bustamante in 1953 after searching all over the Patagonian coastline to start a seaweed farm. It grew into several buildings including a school, a bodega and a church as well as accommodations for the workers. The seaweed harvesting operations ceased back in the 1990s but one of his sons converted the place into an ecological hacienda in 2004. Some of these facilities were upgraded and converted into cottages for the tourists.
Arrived in the evening at the administration building where a lady greeted us and started running looking for Sol? What did she mean? I turned out that Sol was not the Sun, but the young lady that seems to be everywhere and doing everything. She runs the place along with Nicolas. Sol takes care of housekeeping and the restaurant while Nicolas entertains the guests with nature tours, horse back riding as well as the boats excursion.

We settled (I went in this adventure with two photographer friends, at least they think they are) in one of the cottages that included a kitchen, dinning area, rooms with 3 beds and a bathroom. It was clean and neat and the only limitation it that electricity ran from 8-12 PM. This was not much of a hindrance since I have time to recharge the camera batteries, left early in the morning, and did not return to it until sunset. In the morning we were welcomed by a gorgeous sunrise.

There are roads in Bustamante but they are not marked so other than the directions provided by Nicolas we were on our own. The first morning we ended up at Penguin’s island. It is separated by a tidal basin from the mainland but luck had it that the tide was receding, so I waited for about ½ hour and walked to the island. It is low lying covered by shrubbery where the penguins have their underground nests.

We continued to explore the various trails the rest of the day. Late the first evening we ran into a fox family with 4 young ones. They have discovered what was I told a hairy armadillo but they did not seem to know what to do with it. These were very curious and allowed me to get some great images.

The last full morning we drove up to the Bahia del Medio, which turned out to be the best place for photographing. Most other places in the morning in Bustamante one finds himself facing east in the morning and shooting against the sun. In this location one can have the sun in the back having the sun falling directly into the wildlife. Here we found 3 dead pilot whales as well as a large kill of langostinos that covered the entire shore like a red carpet.

There were numerous shore birds such as American, Blackish and Magellanic oystercatchers; the later was a new species for me. Numerous flocks of plovers and sandpipers busily feeding for their upcoming migration north; these were not concerned with my presence. I wonder if I will see some of these waders in the shores of Virginia in the spring. The one below is a mystery; is it a Baird’s or a White Rumped Sandpiper?

One afternoon Nicolas took us in a boat to the bird and sea lions island. Amazingly when we approached the later, they stampeded towards the shore to welcome the visitors creating a dust cloud in their hurry. One came close to the boat for a closer look.

While visiting the sea lions, there were steamer ducks battling each other. Quiet a vicious fight, they grab each other by the bills and don’t let, quiet a battle until a referee appears and breaks the fight.

Although I had been many places, Bustamante is really a diamond for those interested in nature and photography in a pristine location. I visited other areas in Argentina last year and in this trip, so far this is my favorite place and in my opinion, more rewarding than the Peninsula de Valdez further up the coast.

Passage to Argentina and Chile

2010-03-02T16:50:00.001-05:00

After almost a month of roaming the two largest Spanish speaking countries in South America,
I find myself recovering at home. Fortunately, I departed Santiago, Chile just the Thursday night before the earthquake. Some of those buildings I photographed in the city and now damaged as I had seen in the news. Wondered what happened to those fellow travelers who were headed for Easter Islands the next morning.

I started the trip by flying into Buenos Aires where I spent a few days and was amazed as to the construction activity going on compared to what I saw there year before in May. From there I flew to Trelew in the province of Chubut for my major destination at the Peninsula de Valdez, site of one of the largest national parks in Argentina. It was a desolate area mostly like a steppe of low rolling hills covered by low brushes and short grasses as seen above with steep cliffs making the beaches difficult to access. Most of the coastal area of this province has the same topography. My major purpose to go Valdez was to photograph orcas attacking sea lions on the beaches. Unfortunately I arrived a few weeks ahead of time and to access the areas where these activities take place, a permit must be obtained; an excuse to return next year.

From Valdez I drove down the coast to Bustamante, an isolated hacienda that back in the XX century started as a center of aquaculture where algae was collected and processed for food and pharmaceutical uses. Now it is a developing ecotourism center and the old housing for the workers has been fitted as cottages for tourists. It is a vast pristine area not yet widely known but I am sure it will become a center for nature lovers.

From Bustamante I roamed up the coast back to Trelew and visited the port of Camarones where I had the best seafood meal of the whole trip in an old gas station transformed into a restaurant by a couple of young entrepreneurs. Farther up the coast I ended up a Punta Tombo, the largest pinguinera in Argentina and perhaps the world. What an experience seen about 250 hundred thousands of Magellan penguins nesting over the hills along a small bay. No need to see another penguin for the rest of my life,a false statement, they are so cute and friendly.

From Trelew I flew to Calafate, where again I had visited in May of the previous year. In such a short time it has lost is quaint ways and is overcrowded with sprawling new real estate developments and hotels. Progress has paved the road to Perito Moreno glacier. After a couple of days here I departed for Chile.

I arrived in Puerto Natale which I visited in the last decade and rented a vehicle to go to Torres del Paine, probably my most favorite site in the world due to its massive granite towers, ice flows and glacial lakes.

I returned with 330 GBs of data or more specific about 24,000 images. Why so many? I took a lot of multiple photos for HDR images all over as well as wildlife. The trip went well when it came to transportation and accommodations but suffered photo equipment as well as some photographer’s failure. During my previous long trip to Africa last summer I ran out of storage space for the images but this time, one camera died and suffered from faulty exposure as well as the traditional autofocus problems. More to come from this wonderful trip.

Gilbert’s Riparian Preserve and Water Ranch.

2010-01-29T20:02:00.000-05:00

When traveling to Arizona I landed in Phoenix, Arizona hoping to photograph the bird after which the city is named. This mythological bird is consumed by fire and rises anew to start life again. Not to be found here. Instead I found the Gilbert’s Riparian Preserve and Water Ranch where waste water is renewed for habitat use. Gilbert is a suburb of Phoenix. This bird whose seems to be on fire, it is not a Phoenix but a male Anna's hummingbird.

This park is about 110 acres and consists of ponds that are fed by the city’s sewage effluent. The effluent is filtered into underground aquifers and then pumped into the ponds. No wonder I noticed a peculiar odor when I first walked into the area. Still a great feast of water reuse. Local birders claim more than 200 species of birds so they do not seem to mind the aroma and this Curved Billed Trasher concurs.

I was familiar with the riparian word when used in its legal use as “riparian rights.” In this form it means that if one has property bordering water bodies, you as the owner have certain legal property rights of the land for a distance into the water. It is usually the land between the low and mean high tide. The water is the ponds is clear as you can see the feet of this Coot who is standing on a submerged rock. Notice that there is no web between the toes but each one looks like an oar blade.

When it comes to Gilbert’s Riparian Preserve, the word usage is in the form of riparian habitat, and it refers to the flora and fauna activities going on in the shores of a stream or lake. What is interesting to this site and others in the Southwest that I have visited, is that most of the bodies of water are “man-made.” It appears that when the birds flew south during their migrations, saw these bodies of water and decided to stay as did the Pintail above.

My elaboration in the previous paragraph leads to rewards to bird photographers. Most of the species that I closely photographed here are also common in the East Coast. But in the East these birds are not friendly and impossible to get close to photograph. How close I was to this ring necked duck? Very close, so close that at times the camera cannot focus in the birds. I have never seen a ring around the neck of this duck but there is a ring indeed around the end of the bill.

I did travel around the state and at Lake Powell, had the opportunity to capture the image of my favorite North American wader, the Wood Duck above. After 30 years of photography I finally got my first great photos of this bird in New Mexico last fall (images in one of my previous blogs).

The Digital Decade

2010-01-01T00:53:00.000-05:00

As the first decade of the XXI Century ends it is time to reflect what it brought to my photography world. The most obvious is the rise of digital photography earlier in the decade; it is the most radical advance in the history of capturing images. This technical advance allowed for almost anyone to become and instant photographer. Being at the right place, at the right time can make anyone take a professional photograph. It has made me a worst photographer, now I indiscriminately shoot anything without paying close attention to composition, exposures or subject matters. I have Photoshop to crop, correct exposures and enhance the images when I get home...this was not that easy or cheap in the age of film. And what happened to all my film slides of the previous century? Earlier in the decade I used to scan a lot of them but soon I stopped. Now they just seat in boxes fading away but provide me an excuse to revisit old place to get digital images.

Birds is what brought me into photography originally and has taken me to various corners of the world. Travel expanded my horizons into other types of photography such as landscapes, buildings and people. No doubt birds are still my main focus as shown above photo of a cusinga in Costa Rica.

This image of a bald eagle was taken in Homer, Alaska in 2008. There was a wonderful lady there that used to feed the eagles in the winter and photographers from all over the world, congregated there in the winter to capture images of the wonderful birds. I was privileged to meet this lady, who allowed me into her private world by assisting her in the defrosting and cutting of the fish to feed the eagles. I had bought some booths that protected the feet to -32 F temperatures; they did not work for me. So to the local sports supply store I went and bought some knee high booths with 1 inch thick inner liners. These were supposed to protect my feet to -78 F temperatures...but I still had cold feet.

Birds are the most challenging to photograph, particularly white ones. The snowy egret was photographed in Huntington State Park in South Carolina. This is a not widely known place in the bird's lovers world. I had visited here since the early 70's and at that time the park was not well developed or often visited but wildlife seems more numerous and easily approachable now.

The quetzal above is a bird that I first started chasing in 1975 in Central America, and finally got

the opportunity one day in Costa Rica in 2007 to be see one morning. Unfortunately it was a foggy morning but the joy of seen 8 quetzals on a single tree was elating.

The Civil War is still going on the the Southern States and living in Virginia, photographing these events has become a late habit. The participants are really re-living those times and their clothes, weapons and camps are close reproductions of those of the past war. Even in their language they sound archaic. The expense of their outfits I am sure triple or quadruple the value of my photographic equipment.

During the last decade I visited more countries than my previous 3 decades of travel. Of these countries, Mongolia remains the most vivid in my mind. I had never been so cold and hungry in any of my previous travels, nor in such and adverse environment as it was in the Gobi desert. Even in Africa, all the amenities of life are available while camping in the bush. Here, electricity was randomly available, drinking water scarce and food was spartan. But it was worth it, the Mongolian people are the most hospitable and friendly as well as colorfully dressed. I never had interest in horses previous to my encounter with the Mongolian horses in the Gobi. On a freezing morning I was photographing a camel caravan with the sun behind my back. For whatever reason I turned back, and a stallion with his harem was coming down one of the sand dunes. A sight of a lifetime, not planned, I was there at the right place at the right time and happened to find myself with images and memories to cherish in the XXI century.

Russia was a new country to me the last decade. What a fabulous place with such a tumultuous history. My perception of history has changed several times as I visited countries such as Egypt, Italy, China Mexico and Peru due to their ancient civilizations. Imperial Russia was something unexpected, its wealth are so powerfully expressed in its churches and palaces; this is not matched by those in the empires western Europe. Previous to visiting here, I thought that Paris was the first City in the World, now I have conflict as to if it really Saint Petersburg, even thought I was assaulted and robbed there.

The highlands of Guatemala is one of those places in the world that are unique for me. The descendants of the Mayas that live there are very creative and have a way with colors in their clothing, potteries and jewelry. And this is enhanced by the mountains and forest in the area. And there is Lake Atitlan, there is no place in the world with such richness of contrasts among the clothing worn by the of the Indians living in the various villages around the Lake. You can tell where they are from by their outfits, unfortunately this habit is disappearing although still mostly preserved by the women, most men dress now Western style. I first visited Lake Atitlan in 1975 when it was still a very isolated area, not tourist hotels, no waterfront street full of restaurants and no water pollution. I was lucky to see then the Atitlan Grebe, now considered extinct as well as my first fresh water crabs; how did they get there?

Sarajevo was another of those shocking experiences of my photographic encounters of the last decade. Here for the first time I had seen a modern city destroyed by a recent civil war. Beautiful abandoned buildings just full of cannon and bullet holes, the scars of tribal wars. Some places seem to be cursed by history, the First World War started when the Archduke Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated here. The spot where this happened is now a mandatory tourist spot with the proper museum nearby to remind us of the curses that the political struggles impose in their societies.

As the second decade of the XXI rises who knows what fish we will catch but as they say, the early bird catch the early worm, so I will be hitting the road again looking for whatever subject happens to catch my eye. As more photo equipment comes into the market, I will be debating

what to get and what to get rid off. One thing for sure, the more lasting value in the photo equipment are in the lenses, the camera bodies and computer hardware/software follows Moore's Law and becomes obsolete in 18 months. But it seems that for digital camera bodies, the obsoleteness is being compresses to about 12 months.

So come and visit sometimes and see what images are coming around the corner this second decade. Will enjoy hearing from you, so comments are welcomed. Happy new Decade!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-24T23:00:00.000-05:00

Gran Via Lights, Madrid, Spain. 2009.

Las Ramblas Lights, Barcelona, Spain. 2009.

At a Secret Pond continued...

2009-12-24T21:52:00.000-05:00

As mentioned in the previous blog, there are other birds at this location but no doubt, the Wood Duck is the most colorful. But the others that have their own charm and were also close-shots first for me as the American Widgeon above. This duck is widespread in the USA and one of its identifying marks is the emerald green eye mask and the light brown forehead.

Another first time close shots I got are those of the Hooded Merganser. This duck is usually common in the winter time and is also seen in the marsh areas in the Tidewater Area of Virginia where I live but not easily to approach. This is really another unique bird with a white crest that he can raise and lower when threatened or during courtship.

The Hooded Merganser dives and swims underwater looking for fish. At times after returning to the surface wobbles its head up and down, this behavior that I had never seen before the visit to the Secret Pond.

A surprising find at the pond, was a Black Crowned Night Heron, it is a fairly common. It patiently waits for small fishes swimming nearby and seldom misses the prey. These herons are more active at nighttime as the name implies, but this one may have been suffering from insomnia.

The ring-billed duck was another addition to my collection of close-up photograph of waders. I was fortunate to get images of both the sexes and I let you guess who is who.
This duck nest in the boreal areas and in winters in the south mostly in fresh bodies of water. Notice the difference in color of the eyes between the male and the female below

One duck that does not get much attention due to its abundance is the Mallard duck. But the male has wonderful iridescent green and blue feathers under the right lighting conditions.

The female mallard is not as colorful. In New Mexico, where these photographs were taken, there is also a subspecies of the mallard ducks (diazi) called Mexican ducks that are very similar. The female has a less contrasting plumage and a greener bill. This is definitely not Mexican as defined by the orange-yellow bill.

At a Secret Pond

2009-12-19T09:24:00.000-05:00

There is a pond in New Mexico easily accessible and open to the public where common ducks lives year round and wild waterfowl visit in winter. I was sworn to secrecy by Virginia’s “non-plus-ultra” wildlife photographer, who took me there, not to reveal its location. The beauty of this place is that many species of ducks that I have chased for years, finally were accessible photograph. The Wood Duck was one of those ever eluding dreams but no longer.

As in most bird species, the males are usually the most colorful, this is to attract females. In turn these are dull in color due to their camouflage to blend with the surrounding when nesting and to protect the young. But in their own right, they are beautiful too as seen above.

We spent basically a whole day at the pond due the unusual photo opportunities
and to take advantages of light changes as the day advanced. Another advantage of spending time there was that various species of birds arrived and departed throughout the day, giving an opportunity to get different ones photographed.

One of the challenges of photographing any subject with white color is blowing away the highlights. And in the case of bird with white feathers or other parts, getting the right exposures becomes difficult, so exposing for the white areas may result in an overall darker picture.

There is a need to underexpose to get the highlights right. But digital cameras this is no longer an issue if one keeps and eye in the histogram by keeping the right end of the curve inside the chart. In the photo of the female Wood Duck, even though I reduced the exposure, the white around the does not show much detail in the image above. But additional exposure reduction would have resulted in the rest of the image looking a bit darker…all is a compromise.

Wood ducks are perhaps the most colorful ducks in North America and due to their lifestyles and habitat hard to photograph. They were there of their own desire and not captives, and enjoying the pond disregarding the presence of humans.

I am limiting this blog just to the Wood ducks but in upcoming ones, I will address other exotic waterfowl which I never had the opportunity to approach so close at this no so secret place.

Bosque del Apache II

2009-12-13T11:02:00.000-05:00

Although Bosque is better known for the large winter migrant concentrations of Sand Hill Cranes and Snow Geese, there are other winged creatures that are considered locals, but not less spectacular. This White-Crowned Sparrow was photographed on the grounds of the Refuge Headquarters. Its range is widespread and also seen back East. It is one of those beautiful little birds that receive little attention due their abundance

The second day that I was there, I happened to go to one of the observation decks with my camera. All of a sudden a Ring-necked Pheasant flew from left to right and I was lucky to be at the right place, at the right time, with the right light conditions and with the camera settings correct for capturing the image below.

My first encounter with Gambel’s Quails. These are very shy and not easy to photograph but at Bosque’s Headquarters, there is a cactus garden where these birds are easily seen with a bit of patience. The seem to follow trails and where there is a clearing, they can be photographed. Above is a male, which as in most occasions among birds, are better dressed than the females.

The female Gambel’s Quail is less colorful but also wears a tuft of feathers on the head. These
birds are abundant in the Southwest in desert and canyon areas.

One day we found a long-eared owl perched on a tree next to the road. This owl appeared to have no fear of humans and could be easily approached. First saw the owl one early morning and when I returned in mid-afternoon, it was still perched in the same location. I am sure this was the most photographed bird in the park that day.

The Canyon Towhee was also a new bird for me. It is kind of a non-descript bird or rather not exotic. But as all towhees makes a living searching for food in the underbrush.

This image of a warbler perched on a dried up thistle seems ideal for use as a Christmas
postcard. I do not know its name, so please me know if you know what it is.

During the winter months, the abundance of wildlife at the park attracts digital hunters by the hundreds. They can be seen all over the refuge with their big telephotos but it appears
that the birds s are not concerned with these optical hunters. I was surfing the web earlier and there are hundreds of posting by photographers from all over the world who visited in November.

And finally as another day closes, there is a wonderful sunset with the Magdalena Mountains as a background. This final image is an HDR composite using 5 images.

Bosque del Apache

2009-12-01T22:33:00.000-05:00

This refuge along the Rio Grande is the home of thousands of Sandhill cranes and snow geese migrate here during the winter in New Mexico. During peak season it has been estimated that more than 100,000 cranes, ducks and geese winter at Bosque. It is easily reached by flying to Albuquerque and driving south to San Antonio for about 50 minutes, a one traffic light sleepy town. There are two major eateries in town, the Owl and Buckhorn, tried both famous for their Chili Burgers and Fries and the later was featured in Food Network early in the year. Socorro is the bigger town about 8 miles of San Antonio where some of the Festival’s events take place. The image below does not have the best colors but that is due to the early morning light.

The refuge is a man-made complex of wetlands and farm fields where corn is raised to attract the birds. The Bosque del Apache is kind of a misnomer since there are not forests (Bosque means forest in Spanish) and no Apache Indians to be seen. It borders the Rio Grande that farther south becomes the boundary between the USA and Mexico that empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Aldo Leopold who is considered the father of wildlife management, started his career here back in the early 1910’s.

By coincidence, I arrived there Monday the week of the 22nd when the annual “Friends of Bosque de Apache” festival was taking place and departed on a Thursday just as huge flocks of of bird watchers and photographer were arriving. The event included sales of art by the local artists, tours of the refuge as well as bird seminars conducted at the Refuge Headquarter.

In the way back to Albuquerque later in the week, I stopped back at the refuge for the sunset incoming flights of geese and cranes into the water impoundments just south of the Refuge Headquarters in Highway 1. Parking was hard to find as well as a choice location to photograph in the shoreline. There were more long telephotos at this location that there were at the recent Olympic Games in China. Unfortunately the incoming flights were not as heavy as I saw early in the week.

Among the birds there the Sandhill cranes were the largest birds while the Snow geese probably the most numerous. There were several species of ducks and birds but these were not easily photographed.

The cranes were the most interesting since they seem to be in pairs with some siblings trailing alone. It was funny early in the morning since it appears that the cranes legs got frozen into the pond’s surface ice and while trying to brake the ice, they loose their equilibrium and after breaking loose, they appeared to skate on the ice and slipped all over. Some will stump the ice with the legs to break the ice to move on while others waited later into day for the ice to melt. When taking off, one could see like a ring of ice in the legs (see image below), they would beat the wings and run to get air speed and would slip, slow down and try again.

Why are they called Sandhill cranes? I research this but could not find an explanation as well as why the young ones are called colts. Fortunately one of the blog visitors provided insight into the name; it is due to the sandhills in the Platter River, I was further educated and told that the proper name is Greater Sandhill cranes or scientifically Grus canadensis. Paired cranes engage in synchronized conversation and it is said that the female calls twice for each one call of the male…how do they know this since both sexes look the same? I found out that there are 6 subspecies of which 3 are not migratory and found in Mississippi, Florida and Cuba. Below is an image at the end of the day and these group just landed to spend the night. I was told that the reason why they sleep in the impoundments is for protection against predators. While in Bosque, I witnessed coyotes trying to capture cranes while these were feeding in the cornfields with no sucess.

HDR Images from South West Virginia.

2009-11-12T21:44:00.001-05:00

High Dynamic Range (HDR) is a fairly new method of photographing a subject various times using different exposures and then overlaying/merging them into a single digital image. HDR application results in images that cover most of the light dynamic range visible to the human eye. Basically a static subject is selected and photographed with a camera in a tripod to avoid any shake of the camera will result in blurry images. Once the subject is framed and the lens manually focused, several exposures are made by using the same f stop but changing the shutter speed. The number of exposures varies and depends on the photographer’s preference and the dynamic range of the subject. I usually take 5 images for example at 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60 and 1/30 but may select from 3 to 5 of those to compress into the final image. It is possible to create a HDR image from just one photograph by changing the exposure of the images by +/- one f stop from the original. Then these images are compressed digitally into one and further manipulated in Photoshop or other image software. I use a full frame sensor camera for HDR.

The Appalachian Mountains in southwestern Virginia offer unlimited photographic opportunities particularly in the autumn when the tree leaves change colors. I was probably 10 days late for the colorful show; it is still a great time to go. I drove around the back roads and stopped whenever I saw some scenery appropriate for HDR. I first stopped in Narrows a small town in Rt. 61 close to border with West Virginia. It has a small park where Wolf Creek is impounded creating a small lake across which there was the red barn above. I was attracted to it by its red color and the reflections in the water.

About 1000 feet downstream, the spillover for the dike that forms the lake is located.
I decided to see what results the moving water would create in the HDR image so I tried
with the results were more pleasant than expected.

That afternoon I drove to Mabry Mill in the Blue Ridge Parkway but the lighting was not
right so decided to return the next morning. I was greatly rewarded with ideal lighting conditions as seen below.

The mill goes back to the early 1900’s, started as a blacksmith shop, then a sawmill, and finally as a grist mill by 1914. This mill according to the information is the most photographed item in the Blue Ridge Parkway. Notice the difference in color between this image and the previous one; lighting conditions were the same but the images had different dynamic ranges and were processed differently. Could I repeat the process? No.

In the way back home down Rt. 8, I passed by several covered bridges near the village of Stuart and photographed 3 of them. I found Bobwhite Bridge the most attractive; it is an 80-foot truss construction bridge over the Smith River built in 1921.

Other African Mammals.

2009-11-12T13:30:00.000-05:00

The Vervet monkey is a very common and found widespread in Kenya and Tanzania. These monkeys have developed the habit to flock to tourists asking for or stealing food. In the process they have become at times aggressive and known to entering vehicles in search of food or other items of interest. Despite of their size, they are very powerful and can inflict terrible bites. A human without weapons is really no match for these cute creatures.

The baboons have developed same patterns of behavior as the Vervet monkeys and due to their larger size, more dangerous. They tend to move in troops along the fields looking for seeds and insects. Despite of their size they are very fast and will take on hyenas and leopards as a group. There was a famous leopard named Half-Tail that I met back in the early 1990’s in Leopard Gorge in Kenya who lost her tail to a baboon bite. This one could be a dentist’s dream—so many teeth, so little time to drill!!!

The Rhinoceros along with his other two cousins, the elephants and the hippopotamus, are the largest mammals in Africa. The one above was photographed in the Mara. Back in late 1990’s while I was in the Mara, the last naturally occurring Rhino was poached and the location where it was killed named Rhino Hill. Curiously, about 20 years later none of my guides knew as to where this hill was or knew about that event. Now there are 12 Rhinos brought from South Africa that seem to be thriving and having babies. There are white and black rhinos and their names have nothing to do with their color. The major difference is that the black rhino has a pointed upper lip that allows them to grab and browse on twigs and leaves of trees while the white one has a square mouth and grazes. Can you tell if the one above is a black or white Rhino?

The Dik-Dik is among the smallest of the antelopes at about 14 inches in height and weighting around 10 pounds. Very elusive, fast and difficult to photograph. The have huge eyes and very tiny horns and are usually found in pairs. Although not obvious, they can extend the nose as a small proboscis to assist in grabbing leave or twigs; kind of a mini-elephant trunk.

They stand in their hind legs to reach higher branches. This behavior reminded me of those of goats and gerenuks that exhibit the same behavior.

The gerenuks are my favorite gazelles due to their long necks and limbs and color pattern. The name gerenuk means giraffe-necked; those long necks and legs allow them to browse in tall brushes when standing in their hind legs. They use their front legs to pull branches down for easier grazing. Their horns are ringed and uniquely curved but are lacking in the females.

These giraffe-gazelles as they are also known. live singly or in small families. The male had a harem of two which were very inquisitive and nervous while I was photographing them. It said that like the Dik-Diks, they do not require to drink water.

The Waterbuck is a large antelope with white circular ring round the rump; this marking is unique to this animal. It is among the most common antelope living in herds. As their name implies, like to go in the water and feed in the aquatic vegetation. Above we have a female with a young one that came to the waterhole to wade and drink.

Elephants

2009-10-31T11:27:00.001-04:00

Elephants are pachyderms that also include the rhinoceros and hippopotamus; the word pachyderm means “thick skinned”. There are arguments as to who are the closes relatives of the elephants and among them the manatees and the hyraxes are listed. Who are really these animals that have amazed, entertained and decimated because of their ivory. By the way, the word elephant is derived from the Greek word for ivory.

Are they really thick skinned? It does not appear so since they tend to cover the skin with dirt or mud for protection from insects and the heat of the sun. And this leads me to ask what the color of an elephant is? It is easy; it is mainly that of the soil that they are in. As you can see from the various images in this blog, they are gray which I think is their prime color and the yellows, blacks or reds are just those of the soil that they use as make-up.

These animals are the most interesting I have encountered and their interrelationships are governed by a matriarchal society fully focused in the raising and protection of the young. What wonderful childhood it would be if I would have been raised by elephants…constant attention, no day care centers, not having to go to kindergarten, and free to wonder around.

The proboscis is the definite anatomical structure of the elephant. No other animal has such a wonderful tool that works as a nose, hand, snorkel, signaling flag, weapon, water hose, hugging and hand shaking device. It will take too long for me to elaborate in the various tasks that the proboscis is used for I must mention to what I refer by signaling flag.

The elephants can communicate their state of mind by the position of their proboscis; if you get to close they will raise and lower it giving you a warning to keep your distance, at times they want to get close, the proboscis relaxed and dragging the ground, or they just stand there watching you with the proboscis resting in one of their tusk, which reminds me or Rodin’s statue of the Thinker.

Since I mentioned “Thinker”, this implies intelligence as expresses by their care of the young, defense of the herd, social stratification, inter/intra species communication, grief when faced with death, playing, recognition and greeting of siblings, etc. Are they intelligent? I say they are…and probably due to their proboscis as ours are due to our hands.

The Color of Zebras

2009-10-16T20:33:00.000-04:00

I never get tired of photographing zebras because of the stripped effect in the single animal or the patterns created when in groups. No two zebras are alike, when one look at a group of adult female impalas, they have the same color pattern and telling one from the other is almost impossible.

Why are they stripped? The story is that it camouflage that make them hard to be seen by predators in the tall grasslands. Lions are color blind so the pattern that they will see may blend with such background. I am sure that to other zebras, the stripes are just like the bar codes, to identify who they are.

Zebras are always nervous and react to the smallest movement or noise and in unison run away. If they were humans, all would be in Valium or other type of tranquilizer, the stress of being prey must be immense.

The story goes that zebras and wildebeests (also know as Gnus) migrate together for protection. Allegedly, the former have very keen eyesight and the later excellent hearing, so if one fails to see the predator, the other can hear them. Others stipulate that one has better noses than the other to pick the predators scents. I do not think these stories are fact. Regardless, they both end up as meals for lions, leopards, hyenas and crocodiles. These animals are too big for cheetahs although they can easily take down young ones.

Observing zebra groups is very interesting and it does not take long to realize that there is a leader. He is always looking after the group and moving around making sure that they stay together. The leader have 2 or 3 assistants to keep his harem together and these can be seen in the middle or trailing at the end making sure that none stays behind. When group members stray, the leader starts barking and if not obeyed, he chases the offender back into the group. But when there is a predator a chase, his bravado stops and he runs for his “wild ass.”

Young males spend lots of time measuring each other strengths by having chases and battles where they bite and kick each other. These practices will serve them well when
fighting for dominance over a harem. The kicks are very powerful and are a main defense against predators; if a lion gets kicked in the face and the jaw is broken, his hunting days are over.

Photo Safari: What worked?

2009-10-06T23:52:00.000-04:00

African safaris are the most trying environments for photographic equipment. Being in a safari vehicle is rough for the equipment and photographer due to road conditions. Whenever the vehicle is moving, I put my gear on a bean bag on the floor to stabilize it in place, put a plastic bag over the hood to keep dust off the front lens, and then a cloth over to give some protection from the sun and road dust. I carried two camera bodies with two mounted lenses and never change them to avoid dust inside the camera body or lens. No a problem for me opening the card slot in the camera since I used 16 and 32 GB cards which give me a whole day of shooting.

Where I went wrong this year? First, I did not bring enough digital storage for downloading the cards. I download nightly so I can have clean formatted cards for the next day. I carried two 120 GB and one 160 GB digital storage units, the type where one insert the card directly into the unit and the files are transferred automatically. I did run out of storage space 5 days before the safari was over. Fortunately, I had a 500 GB Passport portable hard drive available but no computer. Thanks to the kindness of one of my photo pals, who allowed me to use his notebook, I was able to download my storage units into the 500 GB hard drive. I do not carry a computer to minimize equipment weight and airport inspections. Next time I will take bigger capacity image storage units and maybe a mini computer. I arrived home with 246 GBs of images or 10,734 images; 60-70 % were lost mostly to out focus problems…a Canon tradition.

My second error was not bringing a 500 mm lens. I have carried one in the past but decided to just carry a 100-400 mm IS and 300 mm f2.8 IS with a 1.4X extender to minimize weight. I estimated that a 300 mm with the 1.4X will give me enough reach when used with a full size sensor Canon 5D MKII; this would allow for me to crop without much image quality loss--WRONG. I also used this combination with a 1.6X sensor Canon 50D camera that gave the reach, but the quality of the images I found not to my liking; the colors were harsh and images noisy. The 100-400 mm IS lens is the best compromise since it is easy to handhold and the push-pull zoom is faster than a ring driven zoom. I did also carry a 70-200 f 2.8 which never used and a 24-105 IS used just for a few landscape images.

Oh, and remember to choose your companions carefully.