Some 2016 Favorites

When your time comes to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home. –Tecumseh

Another great year in the field has come and gone. We visited a number of new places and saw many new species of plants and animals. Our big trips this year were to Dauphin Island, Alabama during spring migration, the Oregon coast in summer, the Coastal Bend at Thanksgiving, and West Texas (Franklin Mountains) and New Mexico (Sandia Crest, Bosque del Apache; San Bernardo NWR) at Christmas. We took one short trip to the Hill Country for wildflowers during spring break, also.

Sandhill Crane in Flight, San Bernardo National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico.
Sandhill Crane in Flight, San Bernardo National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. Overall, Bosque del Apache is a better, more diverse birding locale than San Bernardo. But for Sandhill Cranes, San Bernardo excels. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Merganser, Bosque del Apache NWR, New Mexico
A Female Common Merganser Ploughs Through a Wave, Bosque del Apache NWR, New Mexico. During winter, Bosque is a wonderland of different habits from agricultural fields to lakes, thickets, and woods. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Sunning Harbor Seals. southwest Oregon Coast
The Busy Life of a Seal: Sunning Harbor Seals, southwest Oregon coast. Marine mammals and pelagic birds are two great reasons to visit the Pacific Northwest. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.

Of course, throughout the year we visited our local hot spots as often as possible. Brazos Bend State Park remains in recovery mode from the floods, but we stopped  by from time to time to witness the healing process. We also spent as much time as we could tolerate in the summer heat at East Beach, Galveston chasing around shorebirds and others, especially Least Terns and Snowy Plovers.

Scratching Northern Shoveler, "freshwater channel," Hans and Pat Suter Wildlife REfuge City Park, Corpus Christi, Texas
Scratching Northern Shoveler Drake, “freshwater channel,” Hans and Pat Suter Wildlife Refuge City Park, Corpus Christi, Texas. The freshwater channel is a fun and colorful Coastal Bend spot to photograph ducks. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.

Forever seeking new adventures, we tried some new techniques this year, including ground pod photography and reversed-lens macrophotography. We hope to get back into these methods in the new year, and we even have a few new tricks up our sleeves—like the portable macro bug studio we built but still haven’t used!

Additionally, this year we found a few new local places that were worthy of repeated vists, like Buffalo Run, Fiorenza, and Surfside Jetty Parks. As always, Chris tried to capture birds doing things, especially grappling with prey! Elisa continued to show an enthusiastic fascination with all things new.

Spotted Sandpiper with Isopod, Surfside Jetty Park, Texas
Spotted Sandpiper with Isopod, Surfside Jetty Park, Texas. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Double-crested Cormorant, Pilant lake, Brazos Bend State Park.
Double-crested Cormorant, Pilant lake, Brazos Bend State Park. Chris chased this bird around several times before it let him get close enough for a shot. This was the first Double-crested Cormorant we’ve seen at BBSP. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC).
Neotropic Cormorant with Armored Catfish, Fiorenza Park, Houston, Texas
Neotropic Cormorant with Armored Catfish, Fiorenza Park, Houston, Texas. Fiorenza is a great spot for birds in flight, especially nesting cormorants that can frequently be seen bringing food back to young in nests on the islands in the northern lake. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC).

Finally, the weather in recent years has been nothing short of abominable. But by late fall, the El Niño pattern started to break up, giving at least the hope of some nicer weather in the coming year . . . and we’re now looking forward to spring migration 2017! Lafitte’s Cove, East Beach, and Frenchtown Road here we come!

©2016 Christopher R. Cunningham and Elisa D. Lewis. All rights reserved. No text or images may be duplicated or distributed without permission.