The Murderess/Graphic Blood and Guts Warning. Mystery solved....

Stuff

On Thursday morning the IPT group learned first hand that clouds were indeed way better than sun when photographing at a rookery…. While we concentrated on finding backlit and shaded subjects the vast majority of the 30 or so photographers were working 90 degrees to the bright sun…. Not good. The sun was somewhat of a blessing for me as we split at 10am due to the harsh light and I was on the road to Lake Wales and ILE by 10:30am. After a few errands I arrived home at 3:15 and enjoyed a well-deserved nap, one of the greatest human naps in the history of the planet.

This blog post, the 120th in a row, took about an hour to prepare. It is scheduled to be published automatically at 4am on Friday morning. I will be home with lots to do until I leave for the two Palouse IPTs on 27 May. That begins what will be six months of insane and wonderful travel. In other words, par for the course.

Used Photography Gear

Featured Listings

You can see the complete list of used gear here.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens

Multiple IPT veteran Carl Zanoni is offering a used Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in like new condition for the record low price of $1649.00. The sale includes front lens cover and rear lens cap, the ET-82 lens hood,the LZ 1324 Lens Bag, the tripod mount ring (collar), the original box, and insured shipping via UPS Ground to US addresses. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Carl by e-mail or by phone at 860 306 9651 (eastern time).

I have owned and used the 70-200 II since its release. It is an incredibly versatile lens. I use it (alone or with either the 1.4X III or the 2X III TCs) for both birds and for wildlife. It is a valuable tool at the gator rookeries. In addition, I use it for flower fields, flocks of birds in flight (especially geese at Bosque and skimmers at Nickerson Beach), for tree and scenic photography, and for pan blurs both hand held and on a tripod. And for tons more. As I said, “versatile.” Priced so low, this one should sell immediately.

Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L USM Macro Lens

Multiple IPT veteran Carl Zanoni is also offering a used Canon EF 180mm f/3.5 USM macro lens in like new condition for $1175. The sale includes the E-72 II 72mm (front) lens cap, the (rear) lens dust cap E, the ET-78 II lens hood, Tripod Mount Ring B (tripod collar), the LZ1324 lens case, the original box, and insured shipping via UPS Ground to US addresses. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Carl by e-mail or by phone at 860 306 9651 (eastern time).

I have owned and used the 180 macro for more than 10 years. It is the primo telephoto macro lens. It is sharp with and without a 1.4X TC. It offers a narrow field of view that goes a long way to eliminating back distracting background element. It is great for flowers and all sorts of bugs, butterflies, and dragonflies as well as for frogs and toads.

Canon EF 24-70 f2.8L II USM Lens

Dave Bourgaize is offering a used Canon EF 24-70 f2.8L II USM lens in excellent condition for $1499.00. The sale includes front lens cover and rear lens cap, EW-88C lens hood, original Canon bag, and insured shipping via UPS Ground to US addresses. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made. Please contact Dave by e-mail or by phone at (310) 748-9547 (pacific time zone).

I own and use the 24-70II. It is much sharper edge to edge than the lighter, more versatile Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens. I consider the 24-70II a must for serious landscape photographers. As it sells new for $1899 Dave’s price is lower than any I have seen for this lens in excellent condition. It should sell immediately.

This image was created on Wednesday of the recently concluded IPT with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the Canon EOS-1D X . ISO 400: 1/250 sec. at f/9 confirmed by histogram check. Center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF just behind the bird’s head was active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Great Egret/large chick after repeated beatings by adult

The Mystery

On Wednesday morning we noticed a large Great Egret chick in a nest battling with an adult. More accurately the adult was trying to kill the nearly fledged chick by stabbing it repeatedly with it powerful bill. The youngster was trying to defend itself by stabbing back but was no match at all for the powerful parent bird. Several of us tried to photograph the beating but with the youngster well obscured by vegetation we were not successful; I wound up deleting every image.

After photographing a drop dead gorgeous breeding plumage Snowy Egret in full breeding plumage for about an hour we returned to the scene of the crime to learn that the adult had beaten the large chick nearly to death and that the chick had been evicted from the nest. It was tangled rather hopelessly in the branches of a small tree, its head bloodied. At this point I created a series of images to depict the bird’s plight.

Referring to the adult, most folks used the term “murderess.”

Several asked me, “Why does stuff like that happen with a parent bird trying to kill its own chick?” I replied, “That happens only rarely. It is very possible that the large chick had been orphaned and climbed into a nest other than its own in an effort to get fed.” In fact, I had seen that exact behavior at a nest in Everglades National Park when an orphaned young Anhinga climbed into a nest with the three chicks that belonged there. The other chicks were fine with the intruder but the mother bird, to say the least, was not. It struck the interloper repeatedly with its saber-like bill and drove it into the water where it was instantly grabbed by a gator.

The next morning the mystery was unraveled when two tiny white heads peeked over the rim of the nest. The large chick had indeed been orphaned. The murderess had simply been protecting its newly hatched chicks…. Folks started referring to her as “protector.”

The large chick, perched in the same tree, was looking a lot better on Thursday morning but without getting fed it is pretty much doomed to become gator food at some point.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Many of them are downright cheap. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. With us you will have two full time pros there for you every minute we are in the field. Together they have more than 28 seasons of experience at the refuge. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time every day, do join us.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 3-FULL DAY IPT: NOV 22-24, 2015. $1149. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet and introductory slide program after dinner on your own at 7:00pm on SAT NOV 21.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 3 morning and 3 afternoon photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/21, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $449 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time, do join us.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 4-DAY IPT: (three full and two 1/2 DAYS) NOV 28-DEC 2, 2015. $1499. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet at 3pm on SAT NOV 28 followed by an afternoon photo session at the crane pools and the introductory slide program after dinner on your own.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 4 afternoon (11/28through 12/1), 4 morning (11/29 to 12/2) photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/28, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

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