August 30

  Found myself this week pretty much bogged down replacing the HVAC interior unit and repairing and replacing the soaked floor at my rental home. At least the girls who rent are happy 92 deg. todays high and sticky. I also spent every evening this week in meetings of different sorts, making this evening the first time I was able to get out and shoot. 

   I had all intensions of shooting at the beach but that was short lived when everywhere I checked the crowds were insane, needless to say no birds in sight. As I continued south I found the same soooo Pea Island became my refuge so to speak. Other than 6 or 7 tourist I had the place to myself but the birds were far and few. I set my tripod up in front of one of the benches and spent some quality time with the great outdoors. I was able to snap off a couple of shots of a Great White Egret walking bye. 

   A storm front was moving in as sunset was nearing. The outer edge of the front just did cover the sun producing a wonderful golden hue. I decided to drive south to check out the South Pond, about half way down a little cove nears the road I saw some ducks and other small shore birds in the grasses. Not much fun or room shooting on the side shoulder while a steady stream of new visitors fly bye. Sometimes we have to just take what we can get. 

   All in all I enjoyed this evening.

   

Friends in Town

     Scott Hobbs and his family came to (LCF) Liberty Christian Fellowship to help lead worship during this weeks Youth Camp. Scott is the son of our senior pastor John Hobbs here at LCF. It's always good to see Scott and to set in on a few worship songs with him. 

August 21

    Shilo Schulte 

    NC State University 

    USGS Dept. of Biology

    This photo of an American Oyster Catcher shows the NC green band #71 taken on Monday 18th of August. The oyster catcher is being monitored by USGS at NC State and has been reported for verification. I took this photo at the south end of Oregon Inlet near the rock jetty. This bird was with another AOC that had no tag.

    Photo is for viewing only on this site. 

    Permission must be obtain before any other use.

    

August 20

    Ok I'm now a blogger. I plan on using this page for a variety of information on a variety of subjects, so as the days go bye the info will change, and I'm sure the layout will change as I get used to all the options I'm given. Personally I never thought I would spend this much time on a computer. Now that our TV died on us I guess this is a good substitution until the Flat Screen arrives and I'm back on the couch being entertained. 

    Meantime today's photo time produced these shots of White Ibis. Through out the years I've shot many bird photos. I have to say that birds in flight have to be my favorites, either freezing the wings so the bird looks motionless against the background or leaving a little blur in the wings to create a sense of flight. This along with natural light playing on water has always been a combination I keep looking for. 

    I've come to appreciate all forms of photography no matter if its artful, photojournalism, wildlife, recording for history, etc.,etc., or just personal enjoyment there is a place for it all. It is in itself a timeless tool for the young and old alike.

August 18

     Leaving Pea Island Sunday evening I saw a flock of Avocets around 25 fly into the south pond to far off the north ponds observation deck for any detail so I took a landscape shot of them and proceeded home with all intensions of a morning hunt and shoot.

     I spent many years as an avid bow hunter stalking game on the ground learning how to get close enough for even a knife throw. I actually have harvested more game from the ground than sitting 25 to 30 foot in a tree stand. Now with my new weapon of choice I love the art of hunting and getting as close to my subjects as I can, of course this comes with many and I mean many failed attempts. With all that said 4:30 am comes quickly.

     Monday morning I awoke without an alarm clock and gathered up my gear jumped into my 4x4 and headed south to the first 7/11 Kitty Hawk for you got it Coffee. Someday I need to conduct a personal test to see if I could actually do without it, SOMEDAY! Arrived at Pea Island in the dark and to my shock another 4x4 had beat me. This began to bum me out a little due to scaring off the birds (Avocets in particular) before I even had a chance, but all turned out well they were on the beach. So with camera and tripod my quest was on. I stayed on the grass at the bulkhead making my way to the first observation deck were less than 12 hours I had left the last site of my objective. Payday the avocets are in the south pond. I was able to set up and watch as a large flock bunched tightly moved like a school of bait fish zigzagging towards me from about 100 yards out splitting in two at about 60 yards one stopped but the other group was approaching. As they neared I was taking test shots for distance getting so excited each 5 yards closer to bulls eye. Well you guessed it another photographer clanging in (to my surprise a friendly face) that's just the way it goes in public areas.

     Not all was lost for what we were about to see only comes around once. The friendly face was Jared Lloyd a local wildlife photographer and writer, I had met him here a few weeks ago.

We had shot many frames as the morning progressed and we were going to leave and search out for Oyster catchers when we decided to give the Skimmers some more time, the light was working in their direction. All morning the skimmers were flocked up in groups of 30 or better, staying down grooming among the black neck stilts, willets and gulls. Jared laying prostrate using the bulkhead to steady his nikon and I on my tripod a few yards away shooting and talking when as if a gun fired the skimmers went into frantic mode, squawking flying in low circles. I began shooting the flying birds and Jared yelled Jay look on the water. Trying to see what he had already captured in a blink of an eye it was over. A large black backed gull saw an easy meal and chomped down on one of the immature skimmers snapping its neck to its death.

Now trying to focus on the gull with the skimmer in its mouth the stilts and willets began to attack him with such intensity that he flew off leaving his kill in the calm water. Truly a sight worth the time spent.

     I'm posting a couple of pics one showing the birds flying and in the right lower corner the kill was in progress, the other is the black neck stilt making his feelings on the matter known.

Please check out Jared's site to see a great shot angle of the actual bite.

      www.jaredlloydphoto.com last shot under his bird category