Welcome to June everybody! We are almost halfway through ’24 and assuredly you are thinking ONLY 43 days to the first ultra race of the year and ONLY 120 days before this year’s annual Haunted Trail Event. The horror, the horror (link here). Linda apparently heard my Marlon Brando impersonating as she just walked by and stated “No dork, that’s just you!”. Harsh, but she is probably right, however, looking back, you are likely wondering where the year has went. While in the grind, I could always look back at the two quarterly performance reviews and see the accomplishments, not so easy these days as most of my haunt projects are in a constant state of construction up until days before the event and training is a perpetual endeavor. What I can look back on are the various birding trips throughout the year and the resulting tins. Today we are going to travel back to Texas and bring you a subject from one of my favorite photography settings.
Hit the jump to read more about this “woodwren instrument”.
Of the many places we have had the pleasure of birding over the years, there are several I look forward to that are more about the “setting” than a particular bird. I’ve previously covered the log at the Birding Center on South Padre Island (link here). I would sit there on their boardwalk just waiting for any wildlife to take the opportunity for a rest. Being a few feet above the water you could get nice reflections off the water and opportunities to add in the background of reeds or crop them out for an intimate feel – just a wonderful spot. I was saddened this last April to discover that log has since fallen back into the water.
Another of my favorite “wood” related shooting spots is at the Guadalupe River State Park. This park sits near San Antonio, TX in a small town named Spring Branch (link here). Guadalupe River is often considered to one of the most beautiful rivers in Texas and I wholeheartedly agree! Someday I am hoping we can kayak those crystal clear waters as it winds its way between the steep ledges and tall Cypress. Oh, did I mention the wildlife loves this place just as much as I do!
I have yet to have a bad birding experience at this State Park. Black-Crested Titmice, Brewick’s Wrens, Flycatchers, Kingfishers, Lesser Goldfinches, Ravens, Kingbirds, Flycatchers and, as you can already tell, Carolina Wrens can easily be checked along with a multitude of other feathered gems depending on the season.
I highly recommend you take some of the trails, especially the ones that follow along the river and definitely the River Overlook Trail located behind the discovery area that takes you up on the ledges giving you a breathtaking view of the geography of the park and ample opportunity to watch the Ravens as they soar over (link here).
Once you have taken that all in, you have to make a stop at the bird blind located near the back end of the parking lot on the end of the main road that takes you to the river (near the Swallow Cliff callout on the map in the link above). Complete with several feeders and a rock fountain this areas should be full of resident birds and those just looking for a bite to eat before passing on. This is also where another of my favorite photographic settings sits.
There is an old stump that sits just off to the left of the rock fountain. I love that log with its gnarly contours and rich coloring. To be honest, a majority of my time is spent with The Beast pointed directly at that spot, patiently waiting for something to land. It also happens to be one of the few times I’ll crop more for the scene than the subject bird. You might have noticed the bird sits back more than usual in the shots at the beginning of this series as I wanted the focus to be more on the wood and simply use the Wren as an accent. I also really liked how the light wood palette colors of the bird contrasts with the deeper/blacker coloring of the old stump.
Let’s compare that with the more traditional shots we tend to feature here at Intrigued.
Still a rather nice shot of a Carolina that shows more of the specific bird features, the identifying white eyebrow, the fine white “ticking” on the crosshatched wings and tail, the gently curved bill and those very noticeable long spindle legs. It just doesn’t have the same feel as the stump themed images – admittedly, I generally prefer an all natural setting sans human contraptions.
“Hey you, yes you with the bazooka pointed at my ass, you be happy with whatever shot I give you!!”
Did I mention some of the birds at Guadalupe have an attitude!
“Hey, you want ‘tude, well kiss my ass”.
Clearly we are at the end ha! Hope you enjoyed reading about one of my favorite photography backdrops. Take care everyone, while I continue to stress about the countdowns.
Life Intrigued 