by Osprey Photo Workshops & Tours | Aug 31, 2024 | Newfoundland, Photo Tour, Photo Tours, Scenic Photography, Uncategorized
Newfoundland is one of my favorite places to visit because it is great for photography of wildlife, scenic coastlines, and quaint harbors. Years ago I visited Newfoundland with a friend and the next year conducted a small tour there that included Labrador. In 2023 another friend and I visited the Canadian island again. What I experienced on that trip convinced me to offer tours there again. In June & July 2024, I created and conducted two tours concentrating on the Avalon and. Bonavist Penninsulas. Below you can find the locations visited including St John’s, Quidi Vidi, Witless Bay, Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve, St. Brides, Bonavista, and the town of Trinity. Images in this blog include photos from these locations.
During the week between the two 2024 tours, I visited areas I had not seen before–Change Island and Fogo Island, both north of the Bonavista Peninsula. In this blog, I included a few images from these islands. Also included are 3 icebergs photos taken in 2023 near Main Brook. Typically each year icebergs originate in Greenland and drift south in May & early June reaching Trinity Bay. But in 2023, the bergs never reached locations farther south than St. Anthony’s.
St. John’s Harbor
Fort Amherst guarding St. John’s Harbor & the Narrows
View from Signal Hill
Battery Hill, St. John’s
Quidi Vidi Harbor
Cape Spear lighthouse from cliff
Cape Spear fog rising.
Cape Spear Fence & Older Lighthouse
Petty Harbor
Petty Harbor
Jelly Bean House in St. John’s
Photographer & Jelly Bean Houses in St. John’s
Gannet Rock at St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve
St Mary’s Cliffs
Trinity – Lupine along road
St. Brides Sunset
St. John the Baptist Church in Trinity
Dungeon Provincial Park, Collapsed Arches
Dungeon Provincial Park
Bonavista Lighthouse
Bonavista Lighthouse photographed from the water.
Change & Fogo Island Ferry in the pouring rain
Main Tickle on Change Island
Shacks on Change Island with reflections
Change Island Harbor
Boat & Shed, Change Island
Iceberg near Main Brook (from 2023 trip)
Iceberg near Main Brook (2023 trip)
Iceberg Near Main Brook, (2023 trip)
by Osprey Photo Workshops & Tours | Aug 9, 2021 | Bird behavior, Bird photography, Chicoteague, Digital Photography, Nature Photography, Photo Tours, Photo Workshops, Rookery, Spring Photography, Spring Photography, Spring Photography, Wetlands, Wildlife Photography
May/June 2021- Heron Rookery Photo Project
From 24 April until 18 June 2021 I was on the road. One of my projects involved documenting the activity in a heron colony populated by a variety of wading birds–Great and Snowy Egrets, Black-Crowned Night Herons, Tri-color & Little Blue Herons, and a few Glossy Ibis. The rookery was in a large marsh on a ridge where low shrubs grow such as Bayberry and Wax Myrtle. Nests were low and among tangled branches that help protect the nests, eggs, and offspring from predators. It was a perfect locations with little chance of flooding and rich waters nearby with abundant food to provide for the growing youngsters.
Photographing colonial birds in a rookery setting requires a very careful approach as to not negatively effect breeding success.
Herring Gulls
Surrounding the heron colony in the tall stands of salt-meadow hay Herring Gulls nested. They chose a perfect location since they could swoop over the rookery harassing the herons and attempting to grab eggs and hatchlings. On several occasions, I saw a gull dive down and hit exposed heron. There was evidence that high water flooded the lower part of the marsh and destroyed some of the nests.
Precautions
I took great care to minimize any disturbance of the nesting birds to avoid interfering with nesting behavior, possibly causing displacement of eggs or the herons abandoning nests. I keep. my visits infrequent, limited in time, and when temperatures were moderate. Since my intent was to document natural behavior and interactions between individuals, I would have been foolish and unethical to disturb the birds.
My route through the marsh was difficult since I had to avoid soft mud, holes, and tidal guts. I benefited from past experience reading the marsh and noting what grasses and substrate would support me.
Dressed in camouflage, I approached the colony slowly and indirectly. I photographed from a low position, sitting or kneeling on the soggy, water-saturated ground. Once in place, I minimized my movement. It was usually distant noise that would cause the birds to flush from their nests -- the rumble of trucks, planes, boats, and construction projects.. Luckily, the birds quickly returned to their nests and young.
Equipment
Lenses primarily used included my 200-500 mm and 80-400 mm Nikon lenses.with my D500 and D850 Nikon cameras attached. The telephotos were necessary to keep my distance from my subjects and yet isolate them. Zoom lenses provided for flexibility. As the birds moved and interacted, I could adjust my focal length to capture the range of motion. Most shots were taken using a tripod with a sturdy ball head or gimbal mount. I used waterproof sleeves over the base of the tripod legs to protect the joints from damaging grit and corrosive brackish water.
Changes from May into June
During May, many herons displayed breeding plumage and bright colors around the eyes and bill. A few still were engaged in mating, courting and nest building, with some birds carrying sticks. In mid-June, courtship feathers were less obvious and the facial colors had faded a bit. There were eggs in some nests and young birds in others.
Capturing action
One of my goals was to capture arial fighting and aggressive behavior as birds landed in the bushes and jockeyed for position to access their nests. I carefully observed the colony concentrating on areas where there was more activity and less tolerant birds. Aggressive actions included nipping, stabbing, feather pulling, hackle raising, or just landing on the back of an opponent.
I had the best luck capturing the arial fights when using my 80 – 400 mm lens and shorter focal lengths since it was nearly impossible to predict exactly where and when the action would occur.
Focus Difficulties
If the birds were flying with sky in the background, I focused using a small group of focus sensors. When multiple subjects were involved, I selected an f-stop that offered a bit more depth of field than usual such as an F11 or 16. But to freeze action with high shutter speeds, I had to use higher ISOs than I typically prefer (often 1000 or 1250). When the birds were perched on branches or were landing, I often used a single focus point over the bird's eye.
With auto focus, I had problems with the sensor locking on branches and leaves, not the bird. Sometimes manual focus was required. Because the nest were located deep within shrubs, I struggled to get clear shots of the birds landing and interacting without branches, grass, shadows or the wings blocking their faces.
Final Thoughts
Most folks find marsh foreboding with muck, unpleasant smells, and pesky flies and mosquitoes. For me, they are marvelous places filled life and new things to discover. When involved with projects like this one where I am deep within a marsh, I find solace and a connection with nature.
Marshes are critical ecosystems that need our protection, not destruction They are highly productive and a haven for wildlife. They trap sediments and remove nutrients and toxins from the water that can clog our waterways, poison wildlife, and deplete life-giving oxygen.
by Osprey Photo Workshops & Tours | Aug 8, 2021 | Autumn photography, Chincoteague NWR, Nature, Nature Photography, Photo Tours, Photo Workshops, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
Trip Report, Chincoteague NWR, November 2020
Nature Photography
Chincoteague NWR is located on the southern Virginia end of the barrier island of Assateague. In the fall, the refuge attracts large numbers of snow geese along with ducks, swans, herons, ospreys, shorebirds and other migrants. It is also the home to wild horses, deer, raccoon, fox squirrels, and other animals. Used to being protected, the wildlife is unusually tolerant of humans and presents visitors with great photo opportunities. It is one of my favorite places to photograph wildlife in both the fall and spring. I have been conducting photo workshops there for many years. Numbers of species and the variety has shifted over the years. The refuge is located along the Atlantic Flyway. Once over 40,000 snow geese stopped at the refuge doing fall migration Now they stop farther north but still several thousands visit the refuge today along with shorebirds, swans, and other waterfowl.
Chincoteague NWR website:
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/chincoteague/
Trip report – Fall 2020
First Stop – Sunrise
For sunrise I typically stop along Beach Road at the first large pool on the right after passing the visitors center– Black Duck Pool. There are convenient pull offs for cars on both sides of the road. At sunrise, I often see deer crossing the water.
I had a treat one morning at sunrise when a large flock of White Ibis circled overhead with many landing in front of me. They were joined by herons and a few ducks. When photographing the birds against colored sky and water, I had to be careful that their silhouettes did not merge with the silhouettes of other birds or the surrounding grasses.
Several mornings were foggy and allowed me to create images different from many I have taken here before at this location. The two photos below were taken on one of those mornings. I like the layers revealed by the lifting fog and sense of calm these images invoke. In terms of exposure if using aperture priority, I had to increase my exposure compensation by at least +2. Remember that the light meter assumes it is pointed at something mid-tone and will darken the exposure to make it so, thereby underexposing the image.
First Stop – Sunrise
For sunrise I typically stop along Beach Road at the first large pool on the right after passing the visitors center– Black Duck Pool. There are convenient pull offs for cars on both sides of the road. At sunrise, I often see deer crossing the water.
I had a treat one morning at sunrise when a large flock of White Ibis circled overhead with many landing in front of me. They were joined by herons and a few ducks. When photographing the birds against colored sky and water, I had to be careful that their silhouettes did not merge with the silhouettes of other birds or the surrounding grasses.
Several mornings were foggy and allowed me to create images different from many I have taken here before at this location. The two photos below were taken on one of those mornings. I like the layers revealed by the lifting fog and sense of calm these images invoke.
In terms of exposure if using aperture priority, I had to increase my exposure compensation by at least +2. Remember that the light meter assumes it is pointed at something mid-tone and will darken the exposure to make it so, thereby underexposing the image.
Black Duck Pool
After shooting sunrise, I will check out the scene across the road for horses and herons in the early morning light. If there is nothing of interest, I typically drive towards the beach checking out the borrow ditches on the side of the road for herons, ducks and other visitor that are in good light and in a suitable non-distractive background.
Note: In the summer it is difficult to photograph wildlife other than in the early morning and late in the pm since there is a lot of traffic on Beach Road as folks head to the public beach for the day.
On the morning that I saw the flock of ibis at sunrise, I found a large number of individuals engaging in a feeding frenzy at the junction between the borrow ditch on the left and Swan Cove. They were joined by a few herons. This is the first time that I have witnessed such a high number of ibis together. When they finished feeding in one area, they moved up the borrow ditch congregating at various points along the way. My car worked beautifully as a mobile blind. I could move the car and follow the birds as they traveled upstream. I shot from the car as to not disturb the birds and used a bean bag on the window sill to securely support my lens and camera.
Occasionally in the same area I have encountered a fox or raccoon, so I am always checking the edges of the road for cooperative subjects.
Swan Cove
One of my favorite spots to photograph is Swan Cove. It typically attracts are large number of birds including shorebirds that often feed in the shallows near the road at low tide. On this trip I encountered a group of Yellowlegs and Dowitchers feeding close to the shore. Again I used my car as a mobile blind, shooting from the window with my 600 mm lens mounted on my home-made beanbag. On a day there was little wind and I was able to capture images of the birds with their reflection in the water. I always look for small ducks and grebes in this pool. On this trip I was able to photograph several tolerant Pied-Billed Grebes, Buffleheads and Ruddy Ducks close to shore, sleeping, preening and diving for food.
Black Duck Pond
Often later in the morning I check out the marsh and fields across from Black Duck Pond. I typically look for horses in the marsh and around small stands of trees. Around 9 a.m. on more than one morning, I got a number of photos as the horses crossed the marsh and fed on the grasses. Sometimes blackbirds would land on their backs, I am guessing, eating insects.
In this same area I found a cooperative female Belted Kingfisher sitting on a post. I spent a delightful hour with her as she flewdown to catch fish, landed on the post again, shook off water, preened. and stretched its wings. I got a number of great images shooting from my car with my 600 mm F4 lens combined with a 1.4 teleconverter
Also in the same marsh where there were pools of water and a channel, I was able to photograph herons feeding, groups of Buffleheads swimming the channel as well as Double-crested Cormorants swimming, diving or sitting on dead snags drying their wings. This past year the water level in the marsh was perfect for shooting across marsh at sunset.
Little Toms Cove
I frequently check out this area near the water control devices that allow water to pass under the road to Swan Cove. Often when you have an obstruction in waterway, macroinvertebrates and other organisms accumulate around the opening often attracting fish and birds. This year I encountered a bird that I had not photographed before, a Surf Scoter, a sea duck typically seen flying over the ocean. This past November there was a Horned Grebe hanging out in the same location. When the tide is out, I often see rails or oystercatchers feeding on the exposed mud flats.
Sea Ducks
In the winter some photographers go to Barnegat Light and State Park in New Jersey, The photographers brave the cold to photograph sea ducks from the jetty at the inlet — a favorite is the Harlequin Duck. I have not visited the site in the winter but have seen great results. However, conditions can be dangerous with icy rocks and a rough surf with waves that might swamp you and your equipment.
Atlantic Shore
I always check out the beach for a colorful sunrise or shorebirds feeding along the water’s edge. The best time to photography is when the tide is low and when more of the beach is exposed. When photographing shorebirds, in the morning at Chincoteague it is difficult to avoid shadows covering much of the bird without moving out into the surf. However with post processing in Lightroom and Camera Raw, you can lighten the shadows with a selection brush. I always concentrate on birds that are moving towards me, not retreating. In the afternoon, it is easier to capture these images since the bird often is lit by the soft warm light at the end of the day.
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Bayside
On the bayside of Little Toms Cove opposite the beach, I often find an assortment of shorebirds, herons and an occasional fox. On this visit, there were Great Egrets flying back and forth feeding near posts marking private clam beds. I also photographed aa Black-bellied Plover and a Dunlin in winter plumage feeding amongst the oddly colored organism called Sea Pork. It is a colony of tunicate organisms which are plankton feeders. Though an oral siphon, they draw seawater through their bodies and pass it through a sieve-like structure that traps food particles and oxygen, eventually to exit through the atrial siphon. One sunset when the tide was out, I captured the remarkable colors and patterns as the setting sun lite the mud flats.
Wildlife Loop
On fall afternoons, I often checked out the wildlife drive around Snow Goose Pool (only open to cars after 3 pm). This time not long after I entered the drive, I saw a flock of ducks explode in flight from the marsh. It took me a minute to realize that a bald eagle had swooped over the group. It missed catching a duck and flew back to the pine tree where it often perched near its nest. Unfortunately, I was distracted by the ducks, I missed the shot of the eagle. On other trips I have seen a pair of eagles siting on the edge of the marsh in the same area. Northern Harrier (Marsh Hawks) also hunt in the area.
Shoveler Pool
Farther around the Wildlife Loop is Shoveler Pool which typically attracts ducks, geese, and swans. I was not disappointed this year for small groups of Pintail Duck, Green-wing Teal and Black Ducks took off and landed in the pool. Each day there were a number of Tundra Swans resting and feeding in the same area. Some individuals were quite aggressive, chasing geese and other swans. Before attacking, they often became very vocal, extending their necks low to the water and picking up speed. This fall the water level was low with weeds poking through the water’s surface, often leaving me with a somewhat distracting background behind the birds.
In the background of this pool was a stand of dead pines. These are Loblolly Pines which were killed by an infestation of Southern Bark Beetles that attack old or diseased trees. In several places in the refuge you will see similar stands of dead trunks. Refuge personnel replaces these dead pine trees with hardwoods such as red maple, water oak, and sassafras, creating a more varied habitat for wildlife. During your visit you may see young trees wrapped in plastic for protection.
If all goes well in May, I will return to Chincoteague NWR to photograph, hopefully to capture new and different images.
by Osprey Photo Workshops & Tours | Apr 7, 2017 | Badlands, Badlands National Park, Landscape Photography, Nature Photography, Photo Tours, Photo Workshops, Scenic Photography, South Dakota, Wildlife Photography
South Dakota Badlands
Badlands National Park
Article on Outdoor Photographer website by Irene Hinke-Sacilotto
Site of June Photo Workshop with Sandy Zelasko & Irene Hinke-Sacilotto
Hikers at Sunset
Badlands National Park is a terrific destination for landscape and wildlife photographers. It is the location of my June 2017 photo workshop, co-lead by Sandy Zelasko. The park is a convenient hour drive east from Rapid City on Interstate 90. North of the Pinnacles Entrance lies the town of Wall where you can find accommodations and other amenities. Near Cedar Pass, at the eastern end of the park, there are campgrounds, cabins, and a few other places to overnight.
Banded sandstone formations
Badlands National Park Geology
Once the site of an ancient sea, the South Dakota Badlands have been transformed over thousands of years by wind and rain into the land you see today. Layers of sediment and ash eroded away leaving behind a rugged landscape with red and tan banded buttes, jagged escarpments with narrow gorges, and brightly colored yellow mounds. In the north unit of the park, there is a thirty-mile scenic loop road that meanders past unique geological formations. Along the way, there are convenient vehicle pull-offs, overlooks, and trails to explore.
Bighorn Sheep Ram.
Wildlife
At first glance, the land seems sterile, dry and wind-swept. Yet close examination reveals a variety of creatures including 39 mammal species. Bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, mule and white-tailed deer, bison, prairie dogs, coyotes, badger, jack-rabbits, cottontails, thirteen-lined ground squirrels, chipmunks, and fox squirrels make this park their home. If lucky, you might even spot the rare black-footed ferret, a species reintroduced into the area. Birds include hawks, eagles, magpies, meadowlarks, northern flickers, sharp-tailed grouse, turkey, and pheasant, just to name a few. Wildlife can be easily spotted from the road and are not as timid as elsewhere, due protection by the park service. Search picnic areas and campgrounds for photo opportunities including local free-loaders, such as magpies, squirrels and other foraging animals looking for food scraps and handouts.
Badlands Loop Road
Photo Opportunities
From the town of Wall, it is only a short drive to Pinnacles Overlook, a favorite of visitors for sunrise and sunset photography. Watch as the light slowly creeps across the landscape, illuminating and darkening sandstone formations in the distance. As you head east from Pinnacles Overlook towards Dillion Pass, the loop road travels through some of the most dramatic landscapes revealing yellow mounds in the foreground and jagged peaks behind. At Dillon Pass, you can take the Conata Road south through Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, a tiny remnant of the prairie that once covered huge expanses of land in North America and Mexico. If you climb east on Badlands Loop Road, you will reach Rainbow and other overlooks for great opportunities to photograph the “wall” that separates the lower and upper prairies. At every turn along the road, the topography changes, offering even more photo ops. Storm clouds can add drama to your photos filling up an empty sky and casting shadows across the landscape resulting in alternating patterns of light and dark.
Moving Shadows
Black-tailed prairie
dog
Black-tailed prairie dog towns can be found throughout the park and their occupants are among my favorite subjects to photograph. During our recent scouting trip, we determined one of the best colonies for photography was along Quinn Rd, a dirt road running north off of the loop road where traffic was sparse and there was little disturbance. Here the prairie dogs were more tolerant and allowed us to photograph them at eye level from outside of our vehicle. It was nearly impossible to predict which animal was going to pop out of its burrow and “bark” an alarm call. For the best chance of capturing one barking, carefully observe the colony looking for individuals that seemed more vigilant and concentrate your attention on them. Since the alarm call suggests the presence of danger, be on the lookout for coyote or other predators nearby.
There are a number of trails that you can explore throughout the park for unique photo opportunities. They vary from easy to strenuous in difficulty. Always carry plenty of water. Take time to stop in at the Ben Reifel Visitors Center to learn more about the park, check weather forecasts and ask rangers for up-to-date information on recent wildlife sightings.
Bighorn sheep along Sage Creek Rim Road
Don’t skip Sage Creek Rim Road, a well-maintained dirt road heading southwest and accessed just after the Pinnacles Entrance to the park. Beautiful vistas abound as you glance left (south) near the roads entrance. Rust-colored mounds with deeply furrowed patterns dominate the foreground. In the setting sun, they almost glow red with the reflected warm light. Check out the areas with prairie grasses and browse for bison, antelope and bighorn sheep. At dawn, you may be able to silhouette one of these animals on a ridge against the rising sun. Roberts Prairie Dog Town is a popular stop to see prairie dogs. Often an abundance of visitors fright them back into their burrows making this location not ideal for photography. I suggest looking farther down the road for better opportunities. On the fringes of the colonies, look for coyote and badger which sometimes hunt as a pair.
Stalking Coyote
Also check out woody draws where there is enough moisture to support shrubs, trees, and other plants. These sheltered areas are often havens for fox, deer, rabbits, squirrels and other wildlife. In autumn, these groves of trees add a splash of color to the dry landscape with leaves of yellow and gold. Be careful when stepping off trails. Burrows and prairie rattlesnakes might be concealed beneath the grass. Wear sturdy boots to negotiate uneven terrain and protection against cactus spines.
Fall color
Approaching & Photographing Wildlife
Make note of where you commonly see animals and check these locations on subsequent trips past the area. Photographing wildlife often relies on the animal accepting your presence as non-threatening. That means patience is important. Stalking tips: Move slowly, emulate their behavior, stop periodically, take an indirect route to close the distance, assume a low profile, and avoid direct eye contact. Minimize loud noises, perfumes, or anything not typically found in their environment. Camouflage clothing can help you merge with the surroundings and avoid curious human on-lookers from approaching you.
Pronghorn at rest
When photographing, make sure you do not disturb the animal’s behavior. If it reacts, stop and wait before resuming your approach. Curiosity may even bring them closer to you. Never block an animal’s means of escape or stand in their path. Just because they are in a national park, wildlife is unpredictable and can be dangerous particularly if traveling with young. Obey park regulations. Don’t feed wildlife.
Bison Scratching
Suggested equipment:
- DLSR camera with good response in low light at high ISOs
- Lenses from wide angle to telephoto. (My 200 – 500 mm Nikon zoom lens was handy when I needed to react quickly to wildlife subjects.)
- A matching tele-converter
- A macro lens if you enjoy close-up photography
- Large bean bag to support your camera when photographing from a vehicle
- Sturdy tripod mounted with a ball or gimbal head.
Yellow Mounds Near Dillon Pass
Check out the upcoming Photo Workshop 4-9 June, 2017 with Irene Hinke-Sacilotto & Sandy Zelasko. www.ospreyphoto.com
Meadow Lark Singing
Eroded Landscape
by Osprey Photo Workshops & Tours | Mar 4, 2017 | Digital Photography, Nature Photography, Photo classes, Photo instruction, Photo Tour, Photo Tours, Photo Workshops, South Dakota, Travel, Wildlife Photography
Badlands National Park Spring Escape
June 4 – 9, 2017
With trip leaders – Sandy Zelasko & Irene Hinke-Sacilotto
SOUTH DAKOTA – Photography Tour
sponsored by
in conjunction with
“Eat more flowers”
INTRODUCTION
During this South Dakota photo tour, we will explore Badlands National Park and locations in the vicinity. On most days, we will be in the field at dawn to take advantage of the early morning light. Likewise, we will end each day’s activities at sunset. When the sun is low in the sky, the light accentuates the relief and texture of the land. Colors are warm and the contrast soft, so details are not hidden by the dark shadows present at noon-time. At dusk and dawn, animals are more active and easily located. We will reserve mid-days for rest, reflection, image transfer, and travel between locations. There will be a variety of photo opportunities, including both scenery and wildlife.
Badlands Formations
BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH DAKOTA
Once the site of an ancient sea, the South Dakota Badlands have been transformed over thousands of years into the land you see today. Layers of sediment and ash were eroded away leaving behind multi-colored rocks and boulders balanced on pedestals of stone. Eroded canyons and isolated buttes stand as testament to the power of the wind and rain. At first glance, the land seems sterile, yet close examination reveals a variety of creatures. Agile bighorn scale steep canyon walls. Pronghorn and buffalo graze on the succulent prairie grasses while hawks circle overhead. A loop road travels through the northern portion of the park providing easy access to unusual geologic formations and favorite wildlife haunts.
An active prairie dog town lies along Sage Creek Rim Road. The colony’s occupants are enjoyable to watch and photograph as they groom, nibble on grasses, and romp playfully with their siblings. Now and then a shrill alarm call ripples across the colony warning of a potential intruder — perhaps a badger or coyote in search of a meal.
South of the Sage Creek area in the second unit of the park is Sheep Mountain Table. At the base of the plateau are formations with rocks balanced on limestone pedestals. A rough dirt road climbs to this high, flat plateau which is isolated from the surrounding terrain by deeply cut canyons. On top, the views are spectacular. Dirt roads extend like fingers to a variety of vantage points on the rim of the table. (access is dependent on road conditions at the time)
Wild Turkey
Bighorn Ram
by Osprey Photo Workshops & Tours | Nov 6, 2016 | Autumn photography, Fall photography, Nature Photography, North Dakota, Photo Tour, Photo Tours, Photo Workshops, South Dakota, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
NORTH AND SOUTH DAKOTA BADLANDS, Trip Report, September 2016.
While scouting locations with Sandy Zelasko and preparing for our spring workshop, we visited both the Badlands in North Dakota (Theodore Roosevelt NP) and the Badlands and Black Hills in South Dakota.
Badlands in North Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt NP.
The Badlands of THEODORE ROOSEVELT National Park (NP) in North Dakota were impressive but not as colorful as those in South Dakota. However some eroded formations were unique including spheres and other oddly shaped rocks balanced on top of ridges or embedded in canyon walls. My favorite subjects were the wild horses, which we encountered in several locations. In North Dakota, the wildlife was not as visible or easy to photograph as in South Dakota Badlands where we found bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, mule deer, prairie dogs, buffalo, turkey, grouse, and in the past, badger. From our modest but comfortable motel (Cowboy Inn) in the town of Belfield, ND, we were approximately a 20-minute drive from the southern entrance to the park and an hour from the northern segment. Both areas are worth visiting. However after comparing our experiences in both North Dakota and South Dakota, we decided that the best photo opportunities with a mix of wildlife and landscape photography was in the South Dakota Badlands where we will offer our next photo workshop in early June 2017.
Wild horse
Deer a field in North Dakota
North Dakota Badlands with slanted rock.
Buffalo at sunset.
A paved road loops through the 24,000 acre Badlands NP in South Dakota with scenic overlooks and traveling between the sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, pedestals, and spires and undisturbed mixed grass prairie that characterizes the park. The badlands were formed from alternating layers of hard and soft rocks and soil. Easily eroded materials such as clay or mud-stone is topped by more resistant materials, such as sandstone, with the harder horizontal layer protecting the soft deposits. There are a number of hiking trails to provide a closer look at the unique geology of the region. North, Door and Window trails near the North East entrance to the park meander amongst the formations, for an up-close and personal look at the rocks layers.
Yellow Mounds
Red Squirrel
It s hard to pick a favorite location for photography within the park since there were so many sites to choose from. I loved the sulfur mounds and eroded formations near Dillon Pass and Conata Basin but was equally fascinated by the alternating tan and rusty bands of color from oxidized iron near Saddle Pass Trail. Southern views from Sage Creek Rim Road also offered great opportunities for landscape photography with deep ravines and colorful mounds eroded by wind and rain. Along the
gravel road is a good place to spot wildlife in and about Roberts Prairie Dog town. Buffalo, pronghorn, and bighorn sheep graze on the grasses while coyotes stalk unsuspecting prey. It was here I photographed a badger at close range during my last visit. Actually the best place this year for prairie dog shots was along a less traveled dirt side road running north as you head east past Contata Road and Dillon Pass. With little disturbance from traffic, the prairie dogs were more cooperative and allowed us to shoot belly down on the ground. More remarkable, along the same road, a coyote slowly walked towards our car and crossed the road in front us into the grassland paying little attention to the sound of our cameras firing off a burst of shots.
Bighorn Sheep
Sheep Mountain Table in the Southern Stronghold area of the park is worth a visit if you have a car with high clearance able to climb the steep dirt road that leads to the top of the mesa. It’s a peaceful place with few visitors where you can enjoy views in all directions from the high vantage point. On the Western edge of the Badlands on the way to the mesa from Sage Creek Rim Road, Scenic is a nearly abandoned town off the main highway that offers you a glimpse in the past with unique photo opportunities. Here you can photograph your friends behind bars in a historic jail or in front of the once lively Longhorn Saloon where steer skulls line the roof of the building. If you look hard at the sign on the face of the building, you will notice a somewhat disturbing message indicating who was welcome. If you look hard, the first word “NO” is painted over.
Eroded mounds at Sunset
GIGANTIC FIELDS OF SUNFLOWERS. On the first leg of the trip, Sandy and I explored the back roads from Rapid City to Belfield, ND, where we stayed while exploring the area. From there headed south to Wall and the Badlands of South Dakota. Along route 73 south of Lemmon and elsewhere, we discovered huge fields of sunflowers, much larger than any I have seen in Maryland. Although some flowers were past their prime, we stopped to take photos of several fields in prime condition with macro, telephoto, and wide-angle lenses. Surprised at the number and size of the fields, I checked the Internet to find that this area is one of the highest producers of sunflowers in the U.S. The seeds are used in the production of sunflower oil as well as for consumption by humans and birds.
Sunflower field
Marmot
It was 13 September, not a holiday weekend, when we entered the southern gate of CUSTER STATE PARK and encountered bumper-to-bumper traffic on the loop road. There were several tour vehicles with park visitors and accompanied by guitar-playing singers. Needless to say, this was not the environment I had remembered from past visits. Instead of the “wild” burrows grazing on the hillsides and dusting in areas devoid of grass, they gathered on the road, sticking their heads into car windows and begging for food. Also there were more fences than I remember from a previous trip limiting photography in certain areas, but we were told the fences were there to protect sensitive habitat from overgrazing. As we moved further along the loop road the situation improved. We did encounter a large herd of buffalo, lots of bluebirds, a few mule deer, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn. Our favorite areas were along the gravel roads that branched off the main route. Here there was little traffic and the rolling hills were beautiful particularly on the route that led into the backcountry of Wind Cave NP. We encountered buffalo, herds of pronghorn, and the possibility of seeing elk. We found photographing in Wind Cave National Park was more productive with pronghorn on hillsides, energetic red squirrels retrieving and storing pinecones for the winter, wild turkey, and mule deer adjacent to the road.
Needles Highway in the Black Hills not far from the town of Custer includes 14 miles of sharp turns, low tunnels and impressive granite spires. It is a good spot to look for mountain goats, which are known to frequent the high country near Cathedral Spires and Needles Eye Tunnel. They have even been photographed inside the tunnel licking minerals from the rock walls. With little time remaining on our scouting trip, we drove the highway one morning in search of goats but when a heavy fog engulfed the Needles, we could hardly see the car in front of us let alone spot their white coats. The highlight of the drive was witnessing a full sized tour bus carefully position itself and pass unscathed through Needles Eye Tunnel while the extended side mirror of a pick-up truck that entered before the bus scrapped the inside of the wall.
Tour bus
We made a short side trip to Spearfish Canyon on 16 September. We were a bit early for fall color in the canyon, which I had enjoyed on a previous trip. The waterfalls were impressive particularly Roughlock Falls. Bridal Veil falls had little flow and would have been more impressive if it was surrounded by fall color or snow covered trees. Spearfish Falls is near the Southern entrance to the canyon and is photographed best in soft light in the early morning.
NOTE: You are likely to encounter the best leaf color in the South Dakota Badlands and Black Hills the last two weeks of September.
Praire Dog biting paw.
