I have recently been watching a few Sora delicately picking off small invertebrates from cattail stalks along the edge of the freshwater impoundment at my regular birding site, John Heinz NWR in Philadelphia. Sora, along with American Coot, Common Gallinule and Virginia Rail to name but a few, belong the rail family. While coots…

Day 1 / Oct 2 – Playa Chalchihuecan; Cardel; Chichicaxtle; Rio Escondido   Gorgeous weather and a steady show of raptors highlighted our first day in Veracruz, on our annual River of Raptors tour in Mexico. We started early with delicious breakfast buffet and coffee, then headed towards the rising sun at Playa Chalcihueacan.  …

  Most people recognize the long iridescent plumes and stunning fanned tail of a peacock, though few may know the species name, Indian Peafowl. The aptly-designated national bird is a common sight on our India trips, and always a crowd-pleaser. This large, stately bird is a terrestrial feeder, inhabiting deciduous forests. It’s a pleasure to…

  During my first visit to Central America, in 1993, I was introduced to the Blue-crowned Motmot (Momotus momota). WOW! What an fascinating bird… it’s long, racquet-like tail twitching from side to side like a clock, the bright, iridescent blue crown (hence the name), the serrated edge of the upper bill, the black mask and…

  The following morning we spent some time photographing the waterfalls that tumbled into the bay. It was low tide, so we had lots of rocks in the foreground to work with, offering some fun compositions. Sadly it began to rain, so we pulled up our tripods and headed back to the boat to begin…

  A pair of Red-throated Loons called as they drifted in the calm waters, while several Bald Eagles fished for herring. The perfect place to enjoy dinner and rest for the night. We looked forward to our morning photo session ashore! Morning came and with it a heavy mist that sat low over the shoreline.…

Silhouettes use shape and contrast to create a timeless, dramatic and often emotional image. Lacking detail, a photo is taken to its simplest structure, however, to create the best silhouettes a bit of technical know-how mixed with the artistic eye is needed. As with many photo techniques there are multiple ways to get the desired…

  My wife and I arrived in Alaska a few days before our tour group so we could enjoy some time exploring Petersburg and Wrangell. We would be celebrating our fourth anniversary on this trip and this was where we were married… on the bow of the yacht in front of LeConte Glacier! The last…

  If you asked 20 different people to define ‘diversity’ you would probably receive 20 different answers. No matter if we discuss diversity of habitats, of species, of culture, or of race, diversity is a good thing! Ecuador and Peru offer incredible diversity of habitat—from the high volcanic mountains of the Andes, to the Pacific…

On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act that established, through congressional legislation, a new agency with a mandate “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wild life therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means…

  Known by local guides as ‘the bird island’, Genovesa offers nesting Red-footed Boobies, Great and Magnificent Frigatebirds, four species of finches, Yellow Warblers and so much more! The morning trail we took was fairly easy, except for one short section of lava rock. However, beyond that section the trail rises away from the nesting…

  On arrival day in the Galapagos there we still have a few hours to enjoy our first landing on the islands. This trip, Mosquera Island (between Baltra and North Seymore) offered a great opportunity to get the cameras out and get to work on learning how to best photograph on the beaches and lava…