BIRDS AS ART BULLETIN #223

February 15, 2007

Visit: www.birdsasart.com

THIRD EVERGLADES IN-THE-FIELD WORKSHOP SCHEDULED BY POPULAR DEMAND!

SAN DIEGO IPT REPORT

LOTS MORE ON BREEZEBROWSER & DOWNLOADER PRO ON MACs

GRANDE TOURS FOR ROOKERY AFTERNOOONS!

LENS PEN COMBO KIT FOLLOW-UP

MILTON HEIBERG EVERGLADES WEEKEND PHOTO WORKSHOP

JIM NEIGER’S FLIGHT SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS

CLEARANCE SALE: DELKIN 1GB FLASH CARDS!

NYC SEMINAR

IPT UPDATES

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.

We gladly accept credit card orders by phone 8am till 9pm Eastern Time (8 am till 3pm Fridays).

You can use the Paypal links on the web site to order anything. Just type in the item(s) and the amount. If using your own Paypal account, please send to either of the e-mail addresses above.

Photographic theme: favorite images from my recent San Diego trip.

Brown Pelican, San Diego, CA

Canon 500mm f/4 L IS with the EOS-1Ds Mark II. ISO 400.

Evaluative Metering + 1 1/3 stops: 1/50 sec. at f/4 in Av Mode.

I would not be confident of making a sharp image at 1/50 sec. without an Image Stabilized lens. Here, I love the pre-dawn soft colors. Note the exposure compensation of + 1/13 stops. When the sun is not out at full strength, the meter is dumb! For lots more on exposure check out both ABP and ABP II.

THIRD EVERGLADES IN-THE-FIELD WORKSHOP ADDED BY POPULAR DEMAND! ( Friday, February 23, 2007)

The Saturday and Sunday Everglades National Park In-The-Field Workshops are both sold out. There were so many folks on the waiting list that I have scheduled a third ITF Workshop for Friday, FEB 23 as follows:

Anhinga Trail In-The-Field Workshop: Friday, February 23, 2007. $275. (Morning and afternoon photo sessions.) $275 per person (Limit 12, openings: 7.) Join me for a rare east coast workshop at Everglades National Park. There will be tons of tame subjects and lots of great in-the-field instruction. We will be meeting in the Anhinga Trail parking lot at 6am sharp rain or shine.

Marbled Godwit, San Diego, CA

Canon 500mm f/4 L IS with 1.4X II TC and the EOS-1Ds Mark II. ISO 160.

Evaluative Metering + 1 stop: 1/200 sec. at f/5.6 in Av Mode.

I used 45 point AFPS here to place the bird well back in the frame.

SAN DIEGO IPT REPORT

Before I arrived in San Diego it had been foggy and rainy for a week and I had received several reports that there were few or no pelicans on the cliffs. Moments after I de-planed the sun came out and, except for one foggy afternoon, it stayed out and the weather was great. And better yet, we had lots of gorgeous California Brown Pelicans in their stunning breeding plumage. I was joined by 11 eager photographers for four days filled with pelicans, Wood and Ring-necked Ducks, Heerman's, Western, and California Gulls, Marbled Godwits, Sanderlings, Spotted Sandpipers, Willets, ground squirrels, spectacular sunrises and sunsets, critiquing, Photoshop, Rubio’s fish tacos, and mahi mahi piccata. In more than 35 years of birding in San Diego I had seen exactly one Black Oystercatcher. This species is common a bit farther to the north all along the Pacific Coast. On our next to last morning the group found not only a Black Oystercatcher but an American Oystercatcher as well. The latter species is exceedingly rare anywhere on the California coast. We got to photograph both species for more than two hours.

IPT veterans on this trip included Paul Morsen, close buddies Jim Crowder and James Kreyger, Brent Thompson, FW Bud Wilson, and Richard Bohnet. The first-timers were Glenn Price, Thomas Merigan, Dave and Barbi Kutliek, and Phillip Berryhill. I venture to say that everyone went home happy and smarter with lots of great images, and as usual, many folks in the group really connected. There is not much new to report in San Diego; the usual great spots were great as expected. While scouting the week before Robert O’Toole had some good luck with Redheads along the eastern shores of Mission Bay but that proved to be pretty much of a fluke. There were hundreds of Lesser Scaups there as well as some Redheads and pintails but most did not respond to either bread or whole corn. There were usually hundreds of Marbled Godwits there at low tide as well as lots of California Gulls of all ages. (I went there on my own a few times after the IPT, sometimes to photograph and sometimes to walk.) To learn where, and when, and how to photograph in and around San Diego, click here: http://www.birdsasart.com/siteguides.htm#SAN%20DIEGO%20SITE%20GUIDE%20NOW%20AVAILABLE

Folks who have already purchased our San Diego Site Guide should note that the Lesser Scaup spot in Coronado is currently fenced off as part of a huge dredging project. Things should be back to normal by next year.

Ring-necked Duck preening, San Diego, CA

Canon 500mm f/4 L IS with 1.4X II TC and the EOS-1Ds Mark II. ISO 400.

Evaluative Metering +1/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/7.1 in Av Mode.

I was lucky here: it is rare to actually see the “ring” in Ring-necked Duck. Robert O’Toole—always so creative—shared a new technique with the group: to boost warm colors set your color temperature somewhere between 9000 and 10000 K. This image was made at 10000K. When you have assistants that you learn from on a regular basis you are truly blessed.

LOTS MORE ON BREEZEBROWSER & DOWNLOADER PRO ON MACs

#1: A (lightly edited) e-mail from Paul Denman to Chris Breeze

Chris,

You have a great program; I was excited to learn on the BIRDS AS ART website that you might be porting your software to the Mac platform from but then found that because of the ability to run Mac and Windows operating systems on the same platform, you will not porting to the Mac OS. I wish that you would reconsider. Arthur Morris is touting that you can now run the Breeze software using the Boot Camp or the Parallels program with the new Intel Based Macs. This is all true, but why would someone who dished out money for a new Mac want to spend more money for a Windows license and a program to run it on their computer? I would assume you would also lose the integration between your program and other image editing software such as Photoshop. You would have one program on one operating system and another on the other system. To me, your workflow would be a nightmare. I run both the Mac and Windows OS on my Powermac for various reasons but when it comes to editing my images I do not go back and forth and would not recommend that anyone do so. I conduct digital photography workshops on both Windows and Mac and try to keep up with as many programs as I can. When I see a program that is well designed and speeds up the process while maintaining the quality of the images, I am the first to recommend it. In fact I do recommend Breezebrowser for those who are using a Windows platform. It would be nice to have your programs available for the Mac OS, but I can understand that it might be economically feasible to do so. From a workflow standpoint, the solution that was recommended in BIRDS AS ART Bulletin 222 does not make sense to me and may lead some Mac users to believe that this solution is an ideal one.

Paul M. Denman

#2: My (lightly edited) response to Paul:

Hi Paul,

Thanks or sharing your thoughts with us. Neither I nor Robert Amoruso was touting anything. Robert was simply letting folks know about how he is using Breezebrowser on a Mac platform and I feel that he did so objectively. Folks want to run Breezebrowser on Macs because it is far superior to all other editing and browsing programs, many of which cost 4-6 times as much. I will ask Robert to if he has any serious workflow issues. Do know that I much prefer Breezebrowser conversions to ACR conversions.

Best and love, artie

#3: Robert Amoruso’s response to Paul:

Paul,

The point of my article in Artie's newsletter was to make people aware that an option existed to use DL Pro and BB Pro on a Mac. Is the solution elegant? No. Is it the cleanest workflow? No. I don't think that the article made a determination either way and was not a recommendation but a statement of facts. When I travel by air, I use my MacBook laptop because it is small and easy to lug around. When I travel by car I bring my HP 1’. It is big and it is heavy but in a car who cares? When using the Mac, I boot up in Windows, download to an external drive, and edit in BB Pro. I don't do any Photoshop work until I get home. Unlike Artie and some others, I optimize my images only at home on my desktop. So for me, the boot camp or parallels options work well, but may not work well for others. The purpose of the article was to let folks know that options exist for Mac users. It is up to them to evaluate these options and see how they work for them.

Artie and I decided over the course of the last year that we both prefer BB Pro's conversions to ACR conversions so it only makes sense that I would want to continue using Breezebroswer. As I prefer to use BB Pro and DL Pro in the field to download and edit, doing that in windows on the mac works well for me. If I do happen to chose to work on an image in PS in the field, I convert it and save it. I then boot into the MAC and work on it there. I don't run parallels on the MacBook because of its limitations. Parallels is better suited on a MacBook Pro or Mac Pro desktop. Yesterday I also discovered that the Parallels Shared File Folder presents problems for those using the Breeze System Programs. This seems to be a Parallels issue but I do not know all the details as of yet. I hope that this clarifies my situation for you.

Robert J. Amoruso

#4: More from Paul:

To all concerned,

I will agree that the Breeze Program conversions are better than those from ACR and would buy it in a heartbeat if it were available for the Mac platform. I would also agree that running Virtual PC, Parallels, or Boot Camp is a solution for running the Breeze programs on a Mac and have no problem with anyone doing so. My point is that this solution may not lend itself to an efficient workflow. I run a dual platform on my older Power Mac using Windows XP for my GPS program and to have Windows available when someone calls with a PC problem. Although it is way-cool to be able to run both platforms I do not do this when I am working with images. Until I know when and if the peripheral issues will be resolved and how the color management issues will be handled, it is not something that I would recommend to the average user who wants to optimize their images. I am, however, ready to be educated about the issue from those who are using these programs together with the newer Macs and are having success. This will not be the first time I have changed my views about computer software. I presently do my image management and optimization with Photoshop CS2 and Bridge using E. J. Peiker's profiles for my EOS 1Ds MKII. I also have tested Photo Mechanic, Phase One, and various other image editing software programs just to keep up with what people might show up with when I do a workshop. I also have a love-hate relationship with Adobe Lightroom and will try to see if I can incorporate it into my workflow. One can not stay static when learning this stuff and I find myself frequently behind the curve.

As a former educator of 31 years who has in-serviced teachers on the use of their Mac and PC computers, I try to keep things as simple and efficient as possible. In working with photographers I try to stress efficiency in the field and quality at the desktop. In fact for those who want to learn his stuff quickly, the first thing I will tell them is to go home, download Arthur's Digital Basics File, and sit down at the computer and work up 25 images following the workflow as outlined in the document. For most it is a matter of repeating the process enough times to become familiar with their software and ask questions beyond that of basic usage. As far as I know Arthur Morris is the only one that has condensed the optimization process into an easy to read and understand process and is willing to share it with everyone for a reasonable price. Where were you Artie in the Photoshop 4.0 days? Before Mr. Amoruso's letter, my main concern was that the suggestion to run a dual platform in order to run the Breeze programs on a Mac had not been tested by those who are concerned about workflow efficiency and image quality. I know that Mr. Morris has many good friends/photographers that are Mac users and if it works for them who am I to argue? The best solution for Mac users of course, would be to run the Breeze programs natively in the Mac OS while taking advantage or the speed and power of the new CS3 running on the newer Intel-based Macs. Consider my ranting as a plea to have the Breeze software ported to the Mac OS so that all photographers could enjoy the use of this outstanding software.

Best wishes to all, Paul Denman

#5, from Chris:

Paul,

I'm sorry we have no plans for Mac versions of BreezeBrowser Pro or Downloader Pro at the moment. Several of the key libraries used by BBPro and DLPro, including some of Canon's raw conversion libraries, are only available on Windows.

Regards, Chris Breeze

Brown Pelican conducting orchestra in early morning light, San Diego, CA

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS with 1.4X II TC (handheld at 130mm) and the EOS-1Ds Mark II. ISO 400.

Evaluative Metering + 2 1/3 stops off the light sky set manually: 1/3200 sec. at f/4.

The 70-200 is deadly with the pelicans as they are often landing point blank. Again, note the way that I determined the exposure as described in Exposure Simplified in ABP II: http://www.birdsasart.com/ABPII.htm

GRANDE TOURS FOR ROOKERY AFTERNOOONS!

If you are visiting SW Florida and are spending a morning or two at the Venice Rookery, there is no better way to spend your afternoon than on Captain Marian Schneider's big pontoon boat, Recovery Room. On most afternoons you will get to see and photograph Osprey and several hundred White Pelicans. Near sunset, Marian can usually put you in position to photograph hundreds even thousands of wading birds returning to a mangrove roost island. You will often be treated to a smashing sunset. You can charter the boat for yourself or get a small group together to share expenses. Give Marian a call at 941-697-8825 or visit the web site at: http://www.grandetours.com/. Be sure to click on the photography page. And be sure to tell Marian that I sent you.

Heerman’s Gull, winter plumage adult, San Diego, CA

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS (handheld at 120mm) with the EOS-1Ds Mark II. ISO 400.

Evaluative Metering +1 1/3 stop set manually: 1/800 sec. at f/4.

Robert O’Toole prefers the lighter 70-200 non-IS f/4 lens for its small (read: tiny!) size and its light weight. I prefer the 70-200 f/2.8 IS version especially for making images like this in the low light of pre-dawn. The best news is that Canon now offers an IS version of the still- tiny 70-200 f.4 lens. I need to get my hands on one of those little beauties ASAP.

LENS PEN COMBO KIT FOLLOW-UP

In “The Dirt on Lens Pens” (http://www.birdsasart.com/bn221.htm), Elinor Osborne asked for additional help in getting here sensor perfectly clean with the small Lens Pen. I suggested that she move the blower closer to the sensor. I was pleased to receive this e-mail from her:

Artie, Thanks so much for your message. It's going way beyond the call of duty to answer all these emails. It's much appreciated. Getting the blower closer to the sensor did the trick!

Thanks again, Elinor

From Stéphane Massie, of Quebec, Canada, who will be attending the NYC Seminar this August, via e-mail:

Hello Arthur,

I purchased a Len Pens Combo kit from BAA; what can I say more than the attached before and after pictures can say for me? A big thank you, I guess!

Stéphane Massie

Here are the two (un-retouched) images that Stéphane sent:

Not sure how Stéphane created the “before” image above but he followed our detailed free instructions—sent by e-mail—when making the “after” image seen below.

To learn more about the Lens Pen Combo Kit, click here: http://www.birdsasart.com/lenspens.htm

MILTON HEIBERG EVERGLADES WEEKEND PHOTO WORKSHOP

My one and only photography teacher, Milton Heiberg, now of Orlando, Florida, is conducting a weekend photographic workshop in Everglades National Park March 2-4, 2007. You will find the details here: http://www.miltonheiberg.com/Upcoming_Everglades.htm.

California Ground Squirrel, San Diego, CA

Canon 500mm f/4 L IS with 1.4X II TC and the EOS-1Ds Mark II. ISO 400.

Evaluative Metering at zero: 1/250 sec. at f/5.6 in Av Mode.

We were packing up to leave when I noticed this guy peering curiously from atop a bush. An ugly out-of-focus dead flower was removed from just below the squirrel’s chin using the careful cloning and patch tool techniques described in Digital Basics: http://www.birdsasart.com/digitalbasics.htm. If anyone out there knows the correct species name for the ground squirrel that is common in and around San Diego, I would appreciate hearing from you by e-mail. Thanks!

JIM NEIGER’S FLIGHT SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS

Jim Neiger is a good friend, a skilled photographer, and a solid instructor. He knows Central Florida’s birds and photographic locations better than anyone. For the past year or more, Jim has been teaching anyone who will listen how to hand-hold a 500mm lens for both birds in flight and for static subjects. A while back, Jim purchased a great new pontoon boat. The boat is large, roomy, and stable. He has scheduled a series of spring workshops and is offering individual and small group days and custom-designed trips as well. The workshops will be held in some of the most beautiful, wild, and unspoiled wilderness areas of central Florida.

Each workshop will include five morning and four afternoon photography sessions of three to four hours in duration. Five of the nine sessions will (weather permitting) be conducted on beautiful Lake Blue Cypress and/or Lake Kissimmee on Jim’s 2007 pontoon boat which has been customized for photography. The four land-based sessions will be held in various remote areas of southern Osceola County. The workshops are limited to five participants so that everyone may photograph in comfort and receive personalized instruction.

FSPW Dates:

Workshop 2007-FS1: April 22, 2007 thru April 27, 2007 $1299/Limit 5: 4 openings

Workshop 2007-FS2: April 29, 2007 thru May 4, 2007 $1299/Limit 5: 4 openings

Workshop 2007-FS3: May 6, 2007 thru May 11, 2007 $1299/Limit 5: 1 opening

Workshop 2007-FS4: May 13, 2007 thru May 18, 2007 $1299/Limit 5: wide open

Workshop 2007-FS5: May 20, 2007 thru May 25, 2007 $1299/Limit 5: 2 openings

FSPW Information:

Workshops include three formal classroom instruction sessions, five photography sessions via boat (weather permitting), and four photography sessions in the field. Drinks and snacks will be provided during each of the photography sessions. The workshop also includes a welcome dinner on the first evening and a farewell lunch on the last day. A $199 non-refundable deposit is required for all workshops. The remaining $1100 is due 45 days before the date of the workshop. Credit cards are not accepted.

Private Individual or Group Workshops:

FSPW also offers private and small group workshops which include personalized in-the-field instruction and are tailored to the goals of the participants. Private workshops are a great way to extend your workshop experience or get personalized instruction and guide services. These workshops may be conducted on land or by boat and may occur in any of a number of locations in the central Florida area. Folks interested in photographing Snail Kite can plan a trip to West Lake Toho.

Private workshops for 1-5 participants.

1 person: $400 per day - $250 for half a day

2 people: $350 per person per day - $200 per person for half a day

3 people: $300 per person per day - $175 per person for half a day

4 or 5 people: $250 per person per day - $150 per person for a half day

Additional charge for boat use:

$150 per day - $100 per half day (participants pay equal shares of this charge)

Examples:

1 participant for 1 day using the boat all day= $550

4 participants for 1 day using the boat = $1150 ($287.50 per person)

3 participants for 2 days using boat 1 day = $1950 ($650 per person)

Contact Info: If you have any questions, please contact Jim Neiger via email at jimn@cfl.rr.com or via cell phone at 1-407-247-5200. For additional details including itineraries and cancellation policies visit the Flight School website at www.flightschoolphotography.com.

Please make deposit checks out to “Jim Neiger” and mail them to:

Jim Neiger

550 Basin Drive

Kissimmee, FL 34744

Brown Pelicans in fog, San Diego, CA

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS with 1.4X II TC (handheld at 130mm) with the EOS-1Ds Mark II. ISO 250.

Evaluative Metering +3 stops off white sky: 1/1250 sec. at f/5 set manually.

When these birds flew over and I pushed the shutter button, I envisioned the image below…

When working in foggy conditions with digital it is imperative that you be aware of the potential of seemingly bland images with virtually no contrast. You can learn to make the most out of your foggy images in our Digital in Digital Basics File: http://www.birdsasart.com/digitalbasics.htm

CLEARANCE SALE: DELKIN 1GB FLASH CARDS!

As we are currently over-stocked on Delkin 1gb e-Film Pro Cards, we are offering them now for the lowest anywhere price of $24.98. Please add $7.00 per order shipping and handling. Florida residents please add 7% sales tax to the cost of the cards only.

Click here to learn about other great Delkin products including 2gb, 4gb and 8gb e-Film Pro Cards, BP-511 and NPE-3 Canon replacement batteries, Archival Gold CDs, and Bus Card 32 and the new Express Card Adapters (for faster download speeds): http://www.birdsasart.com/delkin.htm

Wood Duck drake, San Diego, CA

Canon 500mm f/4 L IS with 2X II TC and the EOS-1Ds Mark II. ISO 400.

Evaluative Metering +1/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/10 in Av Mode.

To create this image I lay flat on the ground on a boat ramp. Using the Ground Pod (http://www.birdsasart.com/accs.html#The%20Walt%20Anderson%20Panning%20Ground%20Pod) alone was impossible as my rig would have pointed down much too much… I grabbed my BLUBB (http://www.birdsasart.com/blubb.htm) from the trunk, placed the Ground Pod atop the big beanbag, and voila: success! I was easily able to follow the swimming ducks (even with the 2X in place).

NYC SEMINAR

Amazingly, we have already registered 53 folks for this event. There is a great possibility that this seminar will sell out well in advance. We can comfortably entertain and educate 125 folks…

The Art of Nature Photography; It Ain’t Just Birds!

Weekend How-To Seminar

Queens, New York (near JFK Airport)

August 18-19, 2007

The cost of the weekend seminar will be $169. The cost of either single day will be $99. Members of qualifying camera clubs are invited to apply a $10 discount. (If you are a member of a camera club or other photography organization please e-mail for details.) Register with a friend or spouse and take $10 off each registration. Register in groups of four or more and take $20 off of each registration. Get a group of ten photographers together and apply a $30 discount to each registration. (Please e-mail for group registration details.) It is highly recommend that folks purchase the buffet luncheon option ($15/day includes tip and tax) as there are no fast food restaurants nearby. Those purchasing the lunch option will receive their lunch coupon when they check in each morning.) The cost of the weekend seminar plus the two lunches is $199.

To register, send a check for the full amount made out to "Arthur Morris" to PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855, call with a credit card: 863-692-0906, or send a Paypal (using either any link on our site or your Paypal account) to us at birdsasart@att.net In all cases, we will need your e-mail address, your mailing address, and your daytime and evening phone numbers. Here is our Cancellation Policy: If for any reason you need to withdraw, please notify us ASAP. Once we receive your e-mail, phone call, or written notice of your cancellation the following fees apply: cancel before May 17, 2007 and your fee will be refunded less a $20.00 cancellation fee; cancel by July 17, 2007 and your fee will be refunded less a $50.00 cancellation fee; cancel after July 17, 2007 and there will be no refund.

The doors will open on both days at 8 am and the programs will begin at 9 am sharp. There will be tons of great door prizes. I hope that you will be able to join me for what will be an incredibly educational and fun-filled weekend. (If anyone would like to help us set up or to simply hang out, be there at 7:00am.)

seminars.htm.

In August, fall shorebird migration is well underway at the nearby Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Photography at the East Pond there can be excellent, especially for those who do not mind crawling in the mud and muck. Folks joining us from out of town should strongly consider bringing their gear and doing some photography at J-BAY, one of my favorite places on the planet, and one of my three soul-places. I would advise staying on after the seminar (rather than coming in early) as the juvenile shorebirds, which can be extraordinarily tame, begin arriving in mid-August.

Setting Sun w pelican, San Diego, CA

Canon 500mm f/4 L IS with stacked 1.4X & 2X II TCs and the EOS-1Ds Mark II. ISO 250.

Evaluative Metering -1 2/3 stops: 1/3200 sec. at f/16 in Av Mode.

We were on the wrong side a very large pier that jutted out into the Pacific Ocean lamenting our fate as a possible spectacular sunset that seemed to have fizzled behind a big fog bank. Then I noticed that there was a big hole in the fog bank that was getting brighter by the second. “Hey, let’s go! We need to run to the other side of the pier; that sun is gonna come smashing through the fog in about two minute,” I shouted to the group. In low light it is necessary to focus manually when using stacked TCs. (In bright light, this combination will often autofocus accurately when used with an f/4 lens and a Canon professional digital camera body. )

IPT UPDATES

Anhinga Trail In-The-Field Workshop: Friday, February 23, 2007. $275. (Morning and afternoon photo sessions.) $275 per person (Limit 12: openings: 6) Co-leader: Robert O’Toole. Join me for a rare east coast workshop at Everglades National Park. There will be tons of tame subjects and lots of great in-the-field instruction

Anhinga Trail In-The-Field Workshop: Saturday, February 24, 2007. $275. (Morning and afternoon photo sessions.) $275 per person (Sold out; wait list only). Co-leaders Alfred Forns & Robert Amoruso. Join me for a rare east coast workshop at Everglades National Park. There will be tons of tame subjects and lots of great in-the-field instruction.

Shark Valley/Anhinga Trail In-The-Field Workshop: Sunday February 25, 2007. $275. (Sold out; wait list only) (Morning—Shark Valley, and afternoon—Anhinga Trail photo sessions.) $275 per person (Limit 12) Co-leaders Alfred Forns & Robert Amoruso. Join me for a rare east coast workshop at Everglades National Park. There will be tons of tame subjects and lots of great in-the-field instruction.

Fort DeSoto IPT: APR 13-15, 2007. Slide program on the evening of Thursday, APR 12. 3-DAY: $999 Limit 14: (Sold out; wait list only) Co-leaders: Robert O’Toole, Alfred Forns, Robert Amoruso, and Todd Gustafson. Courtship and breeding behaviors of Laughing Gull and Royal and Sandwich Terns. Herons, egrets (including both dark and light phase Reddish Egret), shorebirds (including Long-billed Curlew), gulls, terns, and skimmers among others.

NEW! Fort DeSoto IPT: APR 17-19, 2007. Slide program on the evening of Monday, APR 16. 3-DAY: $999 (Limit 14; openings: 11). Co-leaders: TBD. Courtship and breeding behaviors of Laughing Gull and Royal and Sandwich Terns. Herons, egrets (including both dark and light phase Reddish Egret), shorebirds (including Long-billed Curlew), gulls, terns, and skimmers among others.

NEW! St Augustine Alligator Farm MAY 17-20, 2007. 3 1/2 DAY IPT: $1099 (Limit: 12; openings: 6) Introductory Slide Program from 2-4pm on the afternoon of Thursday, May 17. This IPT includes 7 photography sessions and four slide programs, with at least two devoted totally to Photoshop. AMAZING HERON AND EGRET ROOKERY. NESTING GREAT, SNOWY & CATTLE EGRETS AND TRICOLORED HERONS WITH CHICKS.

Silver Salmon Creek: August 8-14, 2007. Coastal Brown Bears catching salmon, Horned Puffins, macro, scenics, and fishing (optional): $4999. (Limit 12: openings: 1; we need either a single female or a male, the latter most likely in a cabin) Three leaders, two TBA (plus me <smile>).

Bosque #1: "The Fall Color IPT" NOV 13-15, 2007. Slide Program on the evening of NOV 12. 3-DAY: $999. (Limit 14; openings: 12). Co-leader: Robert O'Toole. This IPT should feature a better chance for a day or two of the rare south winds that drastically improve flight photography and will definitely feature the brightest fall-color cottonwoods.

Bosque #2: "The Pre-Thanksgiving IPT" NOV 18-20, 2007. Slide Program on the evening of NOV 17. 3-DAY: $999. (Limit 14; openings: 12). Co-leader: Robert O'Toole & Alfred Forns. This IPT will feature increasing numbers of geese and cranes with lots of great opportunities. In 2007, I will again be hosting a Thanksgiving Day luncheon at Las Lunas Mansion, a fine restaurant in an historic building. You will need to reserve a spot and pay in advance. Details TBA; strictly limited to 50 folks.

Bosque #3: "The Post-Thanksgiving IPT" NOV 24-26, 2007. Slide Program on the evening of NOV 23. 3-DAY: $999. (Limit 14: 3 slots open) Assistant leaders: Robert O'Toole, Robert Amoruso, and Alfred Forns. This IPT is scheduled on dates that I consider peak for Bosque. (There may be a Full Moon Add-on NOV 23; details TBA. If you register for this one, hold off on buying your plane ticket if you might be interested in the add-on.) In 2007, I will again be hosting a Thanksgiving Day luncheon at Las Lunas Mansion, a fine restaurant in an historic building. You will need to reserve a spot and pay in advance. Details TBA; strictly limited to 50 folks.

SW FLA Post X-mas IPT: DEC 27-29, 2007. Slide program on the evening Wednesday, DEC 26, 2006. 3-DAY: $1029. (Limit 12) Co-leaders: Alfred Forns, & Robert Amoruso. Sanibel Island, Venice Rookery, Cape Coral, and possibly Little Estero Lagoon (depending on the tides). Herons, egrets, gulls, terns, skimmers, shorebirds, both pelicans, Osprey, Burrowing Owl, and lots more. Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork possible.

Western Gull, adult in flight, San Diego, CA

Canon 100-400mm IS L zoom lens (handheld at 100mm) with stacked the EOS-1Ds Mark II. ISO 200.

Evaluative Metering at zero: 1/1250 sec. at f/5.6 in Av Mode.

The 100-400 was extremely valuable in San Diego. We attracted many gulls with tossed bread; this one was so close that I needed to zoom back to 100mm just to squeeze this bird into the frame.

Best and love and great picture-making to all,

artie

Note: Arthur Morris has been a Canon contract photographer since 1994 and continues in that role today. Hunt's Photo of Boston, MA is a BAA sponsor as it Delkin Devices. Back issues of all BAA Bulletins can be found in the Bulletin Archives which may be accessed from the home page at www.birdsasart.com