He's Back! Six Great New Images From the Magical Fairy Tale Ending: Was it the Best 52 Minutes in 32 Years?

What’s Up?

After an amazing but exhausting South Georgia Cheesemans’ Southern Ocean expedition, denise and I dis-embarked the Ortelius in Stanley, East Falkland, on the evening of Friday, November 13, 2015. We fly to Santiago, Chile late this afternoon–Saturday– for our nearly 24-hour layover. After clearing customs in Miami, I am scheduled to arrive at the Orlando Airport at 10:48am on Monday, November 16.

I will have lots to share with you from our two great trips –the land-based Falklands workshop and the South Georgia Expedition–in the coming months. We each get to enjoy 3 full days at our respective homes before flying to Albuquerque for our two BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure IPTs on Friday, November 20. You gottta love it….

Remarkably, signs of my congestion and cough still linger after 3 ½ weeks; I started getting sick right before I flew to South America. When my congestion was it its worst, Dr. Billie Snell who with husband Brian kindly accompanied us for our week on the Falklands, started me on a 10-day course of antibiotics. The good news: I have felt fine the entire time. The better news: nobody caught whatever I have/had.

This blog post took well more than four hours to prepare. Please remember to use my B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear purchases and to visit the BIRDS AS ART On-line Store often for your accessory and educational material needs.

Bosque Update/Late Registration Discount Offer

The first Bosque IPT has been sold out for months and now has a short waiting list. As far as I know, there are still 3 openings on the second Bosque IPT. We would be glad to offer a late registration discount of $100. Please shoot me an e-mail if you are interested and then call Jim or Jen at the office at 863-692-0906 on Monday to register. Please leave a message if everyone is out of the office or call back on Tuesday. Please see the complete details on Bosque #2 below.

This image was created on Prion Island, South Georgia, with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 400mm) and the rather amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops off the grey sky: 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6. AWB. Center AF point (Manual selection/AI Servo/Shutter Button AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Wandering Albatross fledgling strengthening wings

The Situation

After a great morning landing at Salisbury Plain, the afternoon landings at Prion Island were to be in two shifts, deck 5 folks in the first wave at 1:15pm, and decks 3 & 4 folks in the second wave at 3:15 pm. The ascents would be in tightly controlled groups of 12.

At Prion, we hoped to view and possibly photograph another endangered albatross species, the Wandering Albatross. My first trip to the Southern Ocean as a photographic leader was made with the irrepressible Peter Harrison (Seabirds: An Identification Guide). We were one of the very last groups to visit Prion before the boardwalk and accompanying restrictions were put into place.

Small group visitation is now strictly time-limited and everyone is restricted to the boardwalk. With the boardwalk the hike up is way easier and the birds are afforded a greater level of protection. On some visits folks are lucky to see a single young albatross on or near its nest.

This image was created on Prion Island, South Georgia, with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 400mm) and the rather amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2 1/3rd stops off the bright grey sky: 1/2500 sec. at f/5.6. AWB. Center AF point (Manual selection/AI Servo/Shutter Button AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: Wandering Albatross adult banking in flight

My Thinking…

I was so tired after our morning on Salisbury with the King Penguins that I nearly fell asleep at lunch. In addition, it was blue sky sunny. I asked expedition leader Ted Cheeseman if it would be OK for denise and me to switch to the 2nd tier of landings. He said that it would be fine as long as I found two folks from decks 3 & 4 to switch with us. The first two folks whom I asked were more than glad to do so. I advised others in the BAA group to switch to the 2nd landing wave as well in hopes of getting some cloud cover later in the day. The later in the day the better….

The final piece to the puzzle was realizing that being in the last zodiac to shore would likely put us in the smallest group of the day. All afternoon I kept telling denise that we needed to be on the last zodiac. I had a premonition that doing so would provide a magical end to the expedition….

As a plus, our leader turned out to be my good friend, expedition staff member Joe Kaplan, a knowledgeable and expert birder. After a nap we took our time getting to the gangway and took the last zodiac to the Prion Island landing.

When we arrived the sky conditions were perfect: cloudy bright. And then up the hill we went.

This image was created on Prion Island, South Georgia, with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 148mm) and the rather amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2 stops off the grey sky: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6. AWB. Center AF point (Manual selection/AI Servo/Shutter Button AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #3: Wandering Albatross adult in flight

So How Did That Work Out?

There is a small observation deck below the main viewing platform. You usually get to stand there doing nothing for 30 minutes as you wait for the group ahead of you to pass you on the way down. We were not there a full minute when denise and I spotted the head of a fledgling albatross atop the ridge line. Then, the bird stood up and began flapping, testing and strengthening its wings. With both the wind and the light behind us, we were all hoping that we would witness the young bird’s first flight. It flapped and flapped and flapped, then rested for a minute and flapped and flapped and flapped. I created about 300 images of the young flapping Wandering Albatross. Image #1 was my favorite of the 44 that I kept.

Though the bird never took flight we were off to an amazing start. We learned later that though others saw this particular bird it is never flapped once as it stayed low in the grasses.

This image was created on Prion Island, South Georgia, with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 371mm) and the rather amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2 stops off the grey sky: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6. AWB. Center AF point (Manual selection/AI Servo/Shutter Button AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #4: Wandering Albatross adult/tight flight

Could It Be?

On the way up the hill, I asked Joe Kaplan, “Has anyone seen a flying adult today?” He said, “No. The adults spend much of their time at sea fishing usually returning to feed the young only every week or two. The last time we saw an adult fly in was in 2009.” Fat chance I thought….

“Boy, that next to last group is sure taking a long time up there,” someone mentioned. Right after that, Dave Shoch, the other premier birding staff member, radioed Joe that there was an adult wanderer flying in from over the ocean. Joe alerted everyone in the group just before a stunning adult male Wanderer flew circles right above us for five minutes until it landed at its nest just below us. I was so excited that my rig was shaking in my hands–images 2, 3, & 4. When the bird finally landed at the nest I turned my attention back to the flapping chick on the ridge. Denise in the meantime created a remarkable image of the large chick in the nest begging food from the returning adult.

The bright orange marking on the back of the head shows that this bird is a very old male.

This image was created on Prion Island, South Georgia, with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 241mm) and the rather amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop as framed: 1/1000 sec. at f/8. AWB. Center AF point/Surround/AI Servo Rear Focus as framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. best when hand holding). Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #5: Wandering Albatross flapping fledgling looking back

The Grand Finale

The young bird got fed and the bird on the ridge quit flapping just as we were summoned to the main observation platform 50 meters above us. As we arrived we noted that there was a fledgling albatross about 2 meters from the boardwalk somewhat hidden in the deep tussock grass. Immediately the bird stood up, posed for head portraits, and began flapping in place. Then it walked about a bit, posed for more head portraits, and flapped and flapped and flapped (images #5 & 6). As our time was up, it sat back down in the grass.

What better way to put the finishing touches on an incredible 3-week journey than with a magical fairy tale ending?

Technique Question

What did I need to remember to do on the lens after the flight session was over?

This image was created on Prion Island, South Georgia, with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 330mm) and the rather amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop as framed: 1/1000 sec. at f/8. AWB. Center AF point/Surround/AI Servo Rear Focus as framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. best when hand holding). Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #6: Wandering Albatross fledgling tight head portrait/ flapping

Still More Canon 100-400mm IS II/7D II Versatility…

Do consider that all of the images in today’s blog post were created with the 100-400II/7D II combination. All hand held. As the trip progressed I began relying on this rig for nearly all of my Southern Ocean photography because of its light weight and amazing versatility. And of course, the tame birds and mammals.

Your Favorite Image?

Please let us know which of today’s six featured images is your favorite and why you made your choice.

The Bosque Site Guide

If you can’t make or afford one of the two Bosque IPTs, be sure to get yourself a copy of our Bosque Site Guide. All BAA Site Guides are designed so that with a bit of study you can show up at a great place and know exactly where to be at what time on what wind and in what lighting conditions. And on what wind. With a Site Guide on your laptop you will feel like a 22-year veteran on your first visit. Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. If you plan on visiting Bosque it would be foolish to make the trip without having this guide in hand. Why spend money on gear and travel and then spend days stumbling around in the wrong spot? If you have visited previously, and are still unsure of where you should be at this time of day with that wind, this guide will prove invaluable to you as well. Even folks visiting Bosque for the tenth time will learn a ton as I share my secrets and hold nothing back….

Bosque has been one of artie’s three soul places since he created two BBC-honored images there on his first visit in 1994.

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.

Sold Out with a waiting list.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. The first has been sold out for a while. There is some room on the second. See below for details.

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 is a wondrous place.

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.

Just 3 spots left.

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 after July 29.

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