Annual Florida Birding Adventure

After completing my photographic coverage of a fantastic 3-day corporate event in Sarasota, I scheduled a few days off to visit some of my favorite avian hot spots!

Each spring, I plan an expedition through Florida to cover the incredible mating and breeding cycle of life. There are secret areas that are literally flooded with activity this time of year…making for exciting photographic oportunities!

Unfortunately, I had to be back in Charleston for another photo shoot after only a few days. I usually take a week to seek out and shoot this avian activity. But I still got a few keepers in spite of the shortened expedition. Here are some of my favorites! šŸ™‚

Oh Canada!

My personal work always takes a back seat to our client’s work.

This is indeed the way it should be, since we truly have the best clients in the world! Our clients love our fast and efficient deliver of their images. And we wouldn’t have it any other way!

In between assignments, when I have an afternoon off here and there, I work on my travel, nature, wildlife, and fine-art images that are sitting in the archive, waiting for me to bring them to life. Last weekend, Cami and I visited family out of town. During quiet moments in between long walks, late night card games, and delicious meals, I wrapped up editing on the thousands of images I photographed last summer in Canada.

I had traveled to Montreal, on assignment for the incredible folks at the US Grains Council. We absolutely love working for this incredible organization, and encourage you to support them any way you can!

It had been over 25 years since I’d visited Montreal in college. I also had a brief visit there for a TASOK reunion about 15 years ago. But this would be the first time there since the photography world had gone digital. So I decided to spend a few extra days looking for an adventure!

Montreal itself is an incredible city. It’s probably one of my favorites in North America. Like Charleston, the old historic downtown area is quite walk-able. I spent many hours wandering the streets, enjoying the tasty French-Canadian cuisine, and marveling at the incredible architecture…particularly of those ornate cathedrals!

Leaving Montreal, I traveled west in search of wildlife near the Papineau-Labelle Wildlife Reserve. I was not disappointed! Next, I headed north towards Parc National du Mont-Tremblent. The town itself is a quaint little tourist stop. But the majestic scenery of the park was surreal. My infra-red camera was perfect for those vistas!

Finally, it was back to Montreal for lunch with my old friend and classmate, Abbas Fazal, then a couple final hours exploring on my way to the airport. Since I hadn’t turned in my rental car yet, I hit up some of the cathedrals along the city outskirts that I couldn’t previously reach on foot…one of which is the oldest in town, built entirely out of wood!

I hope you enjoy these images from my Canadian adventure as much as I enjoyed making them. I hope the wait was worth it!

Foggy Boneyard Beach

Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve & Wildlife Management Area is a state preserve I love visiting periodically on Edisto Island. It was formed in the 1930s from the merger of the Colonial-era Sea Cloud Plantation and Bleak Hall Plantation. Then in 1977, it was given to the state as a wildlife preserve. It’s only been open to the public since 2008, but it’s already extremely popular among photographers, hunters, beachcombers, & bird watchers.

Last week I had an interior/architectural shoot on Edisto Island that ended in the late afternoon. As I left the assignment, I noticed this amazing fog that had swept in off the ocean. So instead of heading home, I made an immediate detour to Bottany Bay to photograph the boneyard beach in the quiet fog and fading light.

Costa Rica Adventure

While the country has only about 0.1% of the world’s landmass, Costa Rica contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity. Around 25% of the country’s land area is in protected national parks and protected areas, the largest percentage of protected areas in the world (most of the developed world averages only 8%). Deforestation in this small, peaceful country has successfully been reduced to almost zero.
Over 840 species of birds have been identified in Costa Rica. Some of the country’s most notable avian species include the resplendent quetzal, scarlet macaw, and keel-billed toucan. Not to mention the most colorful frogs, the fastest lizard, and some of the most venomous vipers in the world! It’s no question that Costa Rica is one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet!
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting and photographing in this beautiful country 3 times. Last month was by far my most fulfilling! Teaming up with my good friend, and amazing photographer, Bill Nixon, we found and photographed some of my favorite wildlife images ever! Bill and his family live in Costa Rica, which made all the difference. His knowledge and connections helped us seek out and capture the most unbelievable images, and have the wildest experiences I could imagine!!!
We were so incredibly successful, that we decided we HAD to share these amazing locations with other photographers. These aren’t the usual “tourist traps”. We’re talking about places at the ends of long, bumpy dirt roads…where REAL adventures happen! These are places where locals will share with us some of the most amazing discoveries! We will be co-leading workshops to Costa Rica. And we invite anyone who is looking for an insane adventure, looking to fill their bucket list to the brim, and looking to photograph prize-winning images of some of the most rare and beautiful species on earth, to join us. Visit www.CRPhotoTour.com and sign up for more information…

Serengeti

I’ve finally found a couple hours to edit some more of our Tanzania Adventure photos. By our second day on safari, our excellent guide, Leonard, had led us to all of the “Big Five”. These images are from our first day in the Serengeti. We were UNBELIEVABLY lucky with our lion encounters. These big cats aren’t anything like the tame, placid animals you see in the zoo. THESE have vibrant mains, sinewy muscles, and a fire in their eyes that sends a shiver down your spine when they look directly at you. It was SO COOL to see how God and nature intended these great beasts to live!

The Ngorongoro Crater

After we left Arusha, we headed strait into the Ngorongoro Crater. It’s not actually a crater left behind by some ancient meteor as some scientists originally believed. It’s actually the world’s largest unbroken, unflooded volcanic caldera…formed when a giant volcano exploded and collapsed on itself some two to three million years ago.

Based on fossil evidence found at the nearby Olduvai Gorge, we known that various hominid species have occupied the area for 3 million years. Aside from herds of zebra, gazelle, and wildebeest, the crater is home to the “Big Five” (rhinoceros, lion, leopard, elephant, and buffalo), which we saw within our first two days! An estimated 25,000 animals live within the crater, almost every known species of East African Wildlife. Notably absent are giraffes, impala, and crocodiles. But it does boast the densest known population of lions, thought we actually saw more later in the Serengeti…which I’ll share when I get to them. šŸ™‚

The Ngorongoro Crater is often called the Eighth Wonder of the World!