BOSQUE BETTER THAN EVER!

NOT TOO LATE FOR BOSQUE #

THANKSGIVING LUNCH AT BOSQUE 

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Contact us by phone at 863-692-0906 (Eastern Time Zone) or by e-mail at birdsasart@att.net or birdsasart@verizon.net.  The att e-mail address is best from overseas.

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Snow Geese Sunrise Blast-off, Bosque Del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM

Image copyright 2008:  Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Canon 28-300mm IS L zoom lens handheld at 105mm with the EOS-1D Mark III.  ISO 1250.  Evaluative Metering + 11/3 stops: 1/60 sec. at f/5.6 in Av Mode.   

I knew that the birds were gonna go straight north so I hopped in my car to make a short move.  Just as I put the key in the ignition they blasted off so I grabbed the 28-300 and jumped out of the car just in time to make a single image....

Above is the optimized image.  Below is a JPEG representation of the converted RAW file.  I use both Quick Mask

BOSQUE BETTER THAN EVER!

I need to be brief here as I need to pick up Chris Dodds in less than an hour.  Bosque is as good as it has been in more than a decade.   Just yesterday morning the geese began flying into the main pond, and are using it extensively during the day.  Biologist John Vradenberg was good to his word and all of the ditches have been cleared of vegetation as needed.   Thousands of geese were in the corn field yesterday morning and line of sight was clean and green, as are the Cranepools.  See the images for proof!

Sandhill Crane foraging, early morning light, Bosque Del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM

Image copyright 2008:  Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-1D MIII.  ISO 400.  Evaluative Metering + 1 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/5.6 in Av Mode.   

Conditions at the cranepools are excellent.  I am absolutely loving the 800/5.6 that I borrowed from Canon and will need to get one for myself ASAP.  I used the the Patch Tool and Divide and Conquer as described in Digital Basics to remove one large distracting stem from the image.  Can you find the spot where I did the work?  You can learn about Digital Basics here:  http://www.birdsasart.com/digitalbasics.htm

Sandhill Cranes in grasses, early morning light, Bosque Del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM

Image copyright 2008:  Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-1D MIII.  ISO 640.  Evaluative Metering + 1 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/5.6 in Av Mode.   

In a situation like this, it is necessary to focus manual or else the lens will focus on the grasses rather than on the bird.  I used a Quick Mask to eliminate an ugly leaf from the image.  You can learn about Quick Masks in Robert O'Toole's amazing APTATS CD:  http://www.birdsasart.com/aptats.htm

NOT TOO LATE FOR BOSQUE #2

It is not too late to register for Bosque #2.  And we have doubled the Late Registration Discount.  Call Jim or Jen at the office (863-692-0906) and be sure to leave a message so that they can get back to you on Monday morning.  It is amazing how quickly (after only 14 straight years here in November and December) I can pick up the pulse of the birds and recognize their movement, feeding, resting, and behavioral patterns and have the group in perfect position 95% of the time.... 

Bosque IPT #2:  NOV 29-DEC 2, 2008.  Slide program on the evening of NOV 28. 4-DAY:  $1799  Limit: 10/Openings: 2.  Co-leaders: Robert O’Toole and Scott Bourne.  Call for late registration discount X2! 

Snow Goose on road, Bosque Del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM

Image copyright 2008:  Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the 1.4X IIC TC and the EOS-1D MIII.  ISO 400.  Evaluative Metering + 2/3 stop: 1/1600 sec. at f/8 set manually.  

You are limited to the central sensor when you use a 1.4X teleconverter with the 800 f/5.6 L IS lens but AF is fast and deadly accurate.  

On Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 27, 2008, I will once again be hosting a lunch for visiting photographers and birders.  We can accommodate as many as 25 folks but right now we have only 15 attending.  For the fourth consecutive year, the lunch will be held at the Luna Mansion, an historic building in Las Lunas, New Mexico that is about an hour up the pike from Socorro on I-25.  And oh, the food is superb.  You can learn more about Luna Mansion here:  http://thelunamansion.com/.  The cost of the complete lunch will be $35, the same as last year. This will include several courses including your main course, a dessert, a non-alcoholic beverage, and the tip.  If you have wine or a cocktail with your meal you will need to pick up the tab for that.  All reservations must be paid for in advance by PayPal or by credit card or by cash on the spot if you run into me at Bosque.  Please make your reservations ASAP.  

If you will be joining us, please plan on being at the Luna Mansion no later than 11am sharp. I do hope that you can join us.