Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in a Nutshell

Your Call?

Which of today’s vastly different featured images do you like best? Why?

What’s Up?

I left Boise City, OK at 4:30am, drove through the Texas Panhandle, and arrived at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge to scout at 11:00am on a bright sunny day. I had lunch at 2:00pm in the very funky Medicine Park, OK.
There was beautiful scenery with prairie, low mountains, and lots of lakes along with bison and lots of great birds. As has been the case on my four-day road trip, bird photography was difficult to impossible, with the emphasis on impossible.

Today is Wednesday 26 October 2022. I am headed to Dallas Love Field for my 1:50 nonstop flight to Orlando. I should be back to ILE at about 8:00pm. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about two hours to prepare including the time spent on the image optimizations and makes two hundred-fourteen days in a row with a new one.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

Brand-New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords BAA Discount Policy

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, or to any prior purchases.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex Air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The waitlists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard-to-get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a 1, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Important Note

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Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

iPhone Pano Image #1: Rock wall

Scott Mountain Rock Wall

I drove to the top of Scott Mountain after lunch to enjoy the views. They were mostly spectacular, but for the wind turbine farms to the east.On the way up, I marveled at the beauty of the lichens and the patterns on the rock walls. I imagined stopping on the way down and photographing the colorful shaded walls that were in the shade with the 70-200 f/2.8 lens. A second idea popped into my head: do an iPhone pano while standing close to the wall. I found a pull-off on the shaded side of the road, spent about twenty minutes at work with the short telephoto zoom lens, and made some nice images. and then tried the pano

This image was created on October 2022 at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Oklahoma. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 840mm) with The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera ISO 640. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel: RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect: 1/1000 sec. at f/9 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 4:46:18pm on a sunny afternoon. Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Animal Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly. Image #2: Prairie Dog — standing at burrow entrance image

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

Worn by time and nature, the Wichita Mountains loom large above the prairie in southwest Oklahoma—a lasting refuge for wildlife. Situated just outside the Lawton/Ft. Sill area, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge preserves approximately 60,000 acres of mixed grass prairie, ancient granite mountains, and fresh water lakes and streams for the benefit of wildlife and the American people. Best known for its roaming herds of bison, longhorn, and Rocky Mountain elk, Wichita Mountains also offers quality opportunities for wildlife dependent recreation including fishing, bird watching, wildlife photography, hiking, camping, and kayaking.

Getting Luck with the Prairie Dogs!

Stopping at the Visitor Center, I was told that all of the Prairie Dogs, several thousand of them, had disappeared after a recent cold snap. I was happy to spot a few dozen near their burrows aside the main road. I pulled off, exited the driver’s side door, scooted around the front of my car on my butt, and sat patiently. I was rewarded when several of the cute little mammals cooperated.

With lots of light, the 200–600 with the 1.4X TC was the obvious choice. The foot-pod technique allowed me to get pleasingly low. How would this image been slightly improved had I gotten six inches higher by switching to the toe-pod technique?

I was pleased to learn that Animal Eye/Face Detection with the a1 worked perfectly. It was the first time I had used it.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.