1/28/14 4 Uncollared Trumpeters in Boxley Mill Pond

Before the collared trumpeters, the migration experiment, there were only uncollared trumpeters at the Boxley Mill pond. After a long respite, 4 have taken up residence in the mill pond. My guess is that they won't be there long, but who really knows. The 2 collared trumpeters remain -- the 2 groups don't appear to be connected.

If you want to see them, I would not wait to visit.

Uncollared Trumpeters Visit Boxley Mill Pond

Touchdown Trumpeter Swan II

I like this one better.

Touchdown Trumpeter Swan 2

Photographing Trumpeter Swans in Boxley Valley, Touchdown Trumpeter Swan

Patterning trumpeter takeoffs and landings on the Boxley Mill Pond is pretty easy. When they are ready to take off they act nervous and don't feed much. You will notice they bob their heads and do a little honking, often pretty faint, but audible. Suddenly the takeoff happens and they skitter across the water and they are off. They will fly around the valley for a few minutes before landing back at the pond. You have time to prepare -- use it.

The great thing in Boxley Valley is that the trumpeters return after takeoff. This morning I shot the takeoff in kind of dim light as the sun was rising. I knew from experience the trumpeters would fly the length of the valley and land back at the mill pond, typically in 5 minutes or so. There are 2 narrow strips where the trumpeters might land. I chose the one that was just lighting up from the sunrise, guessing that they might prefer it to the still dark portion of the pond. It turned out to be the correct choice.

Touchdown Trumpeter Swan, Boxley Mill Pond

A couple of tips. First, observe. Pay attention and think about what you see. Getting the above photo was based first on a way of thinking. Don't necessarily adopt my thinking, adopt my habit of thinking and concentration during a shoot. I want you to find your own patterns, your own approach.

Second tip. These guys are moving fast when then land. When you scope out your anticipated landing spot, do some pre-focusing testing, think about the landscape behind the subject. Choose your angle for the shot to setup the background to complement your composition.  Your composition is both the subject and its context. This photo would be pretty good if it were only the swan. I think it is much better with the brush along the pond illuminated by the sunrise, and added to the composition. This strategy of placing the subject in context could be the difference between a "wall hanger" and just a pretty good photo.

Third tip. I try to shoot these shots at f8 or more to add depth of field, especially when the subject is approaching me as in this photo almost straight on.  It provides a margin of error for good focus. I also pre-focus and let the swan fly into the focus. To get to this aperture, and still have a decent shutter speed I shot this at ISO 2000 and 1/1580th of a second. In reasonably bright light the noise is not too bad.

I hand-held the entire shoot. At this shutter speed hand holding my camera is a non-issue. In many ways, hand-holding the camera allows me to make the quick adjustments needed to get the shot in wildlife photography.

Resting Trumpeters

I have been driving past this shot and many variations for days. The trumpeter swans on the Boxley Mill Pond have been snoozing on the mounds in the pond. Today they were at different heights and I liked the look of it better.  Very bright light now in late morning, tough to protect texture in the highlights. This could be better, especially earlier in the day. 

Resting Trumpeters Boxley Mill Pond

Rainy Day Swans

Not much doin' today so I stopped and shot the swans in the rain.  Difficult to get a decent composition with 2 subjects. I usually get them counterpointing as much as possible to break it up.

Rainy Day Trumpeter Swans Boxley Mill Pond

Don't Forget Our Trumpeter Swans -- A Few Tips and Examples

People forget that we have plenty of other animals to photograph besides the elk herd. High on that list are the trumpeter swans on the Boxley Mill Pond.  They often are pretty close to the road and allow close-ups like these photographers are getting.

I have seen these trumpeters on the road looking for crumbs.  A handful of people are feeding them. This places them in harms way. Please don't feed them. It is unhealthy besides getting them up on the road where they can be run down.

Photographers Photographing Trumpeter Swans

If you hang around the mill pond shooting trumpeters there will be times when you get unexpected shots.  Below is an example of one such shot.  I took it after getting skunked by the elk.  This is more of a landscape trumpeter shot.

A Stretching Trumpeter in Morning Fog

Here's another trumpeter picture, same deal, no elk so I kept grinding.  I consider this a lifetime shot as a wildlife photographer.  This is a trumpeter "bowing up" and threatening a coon that wanted to cross a beaver dam.

Trumpeter Hissing at Coon Approaching Beaver Dam in Mill Pond

Here's are a couple of challenging trumpeter shots.  Taking off and landing.

Trumpter Swans Taking Off

Trumpeter Swans Landing

Tip:  Trumpeters will bob their heads and honk before taking off.  If you see this, hang around. 

Tip #2:  If you see them flying around, nearly always they will land back at the pond.  They will fly the whole length of the valley and you can watch them come back to the pond to land.  Understand this, and you can get the landing shot above. 

These shots are possible year round.  If you see trumpeters flying around, get in your car, get to the pond, and see if you can catch them landing, it is a great shot. 

9/19/13 Roadside Trumpeter Swans at Sunrise

There is always a picture.  This morning the trumpeter swans were on the roadside.  I tried to run them off (slowly) but they were stubborn and just stared at me. 

This a caution as well. Remember that Boxley Valley is full of animals besides the elk.  Drive slowly. 

Trumpeter Swans on Roadside at Sunrise

Trumpeter Swan Fight

Wildlife photography is about moments given.  Once in a while opportunities break your way and Thursday AM was one of them. When I first saw this I thought it was a single swan fighting off an otter attack.  Eventually it became clear it was a swan fight.

Mary Ann Hicks at the Ponca Elk Education Center kicked this photo upstairs to AGFC biologists and they speculate it was a mating related fight. Their thought was the older male was spurned by the female, and he worked pretty hard for a half hour to assert himself.  So far as I could tell, it didn't work out for him.  I have 20 odd pictures of this fight.

The best thing for me as a photographer was to capture a rare event.  Animal photos can get pretty ordinary and work in standard poses. There was nothing standard about this.  It is "up light" and with wings and water blasting all directions, everything was just right.

The only honest view of this though is that I was given this opportunity. Wildlife photo and watching opportunities are the Boxley Valley experience.  

Because of my experience I knew enough to go high ISO to stop the action, I moved off to the side so the sun was not directly into the camera, and I over exposed 1 stop. Not much more to report except this could end up being my best shoot for 2013. None of this is rocket surgery.

Better Lucky than Good Revisited

Occasionally things break my way. Otter have been a problem species for me, not that they are so hard to find, but they are so uncooperative photographically. It is definitely a whack-a-mole sort of proposition. Low water conditions concentrate wildlife and make these pictures easier.

I got a family picture recently. 4 otter fed in a pool in front of me for an hour, then mysteriously lined up in a posed shot, with three little ones and mom (at water level).

These sorts of shoots are what wildlife photographers live for. Too many otter pictures are not in a natural setting. If you have to good fortune to stumble on a group of otter, it is a real treat. Of course, you can depend on lousy light very often so ISO 2000 might be required.

Otter Family, Buffalo National River August 2012

What is the lesson here? Pay attention. I got these guys while seeking elk photos. I would prefer to have everyone believe that I plan all these shoots. The truth is I am very opportunistic and look for the unexpected chance.

Experience has taught me to concentrate. I turn off the radio while shooting and I scan for opportunities. One reason I work alone most of the time is because I need to concentrate. The habit of paying attention (and being determined) has given me pictures I would not expect to get. Like most things, the most important tool you have is your brain -- keep it in gear.

While Waiting for Elk, Wild Turkey Crossed the Buffalo

Perhaps My Best Photo, The Result of Observation and Grinding (and Luck)