Workshop Results, Gooseberry and Allens Pond

Morning Sky and Clouds at Gooseberry

Sunday, January 12 I held the workshop on photographing Gooseberry and Allens Pond. I had one participant, Chris Lang, who has been photographing for some time now and was given this workshop as an extra Christmas present from his wife. Although Chris has been photographing a while and understands all the fundamentals I was still able to teach him some things including rear button focusing, which when he tried it out like that and is going to practice.

Chris Lang

Chris Lang photographing

This blog will show you some of what we photographed and what people that did not come missed out on.

We started out at 6 AM, to await the dawn. Prior to Chris coming, I was doing some photography of the stars and clouds. At one point a truck was coming up the causeway to Gooseberry, just as I was photographing in that direction. When I got home and looked at the picture, what to my surprise on the sign was a snowy owl.

Nautical twilight with car lights

Same picture as above, with the snowy owl pinpointed

We photographed the clouds and sky as it came toward sunrise, we did not get any brilliant reds or yellows but the sky was great with different shades of blue and different shapes of clouds.

Sunrise

Sunrise

Sun starting to break through the clouds

Waves smashing into the causeway at Gooseberry

The waves were smashing onto the causeway and spraying up over the top. While we were photographing the action from the east beach side the waves came up and even surrounded our shoes. Thank God they were waterproof. We continued photographing the difference scenics near the parking lot and then we walked up to the towers and then turned onto the beach following it up all away to the tip and taken photographs of many different subjects as we continued.

Way smashing into the rocks on the west side of the island

Just before we turned around and started coming down the west side, there was some silhouettes of the rocks with the clouds in the distance.

Cloud with silhouettes of the rocks at the tip of Gooseberry

Besides, broken lobster traps, and since the tide seemed to be going out there were different seaweeds anchored to rocks which allowed some interesting subjects. Designs in the sands from where the water was running back into the sea also led to some interesting pictures.

Seaweed anchored to rock

Lobster trap

Starfish

Seaweed anchored to rock

Further down there was many different peeps feeding and today while we stayed low they almost came up and run under our legs.

Purple sandpiper

Sanderling chasing a Dublin, trying to get the slipper shell away from it

Dunlin

Sanderling

Because of the great waves people were surfing.

Surfing

After we left Gooseberry, we travel to Horseneck Beach to see if we could find the snowy owl. Still no luck, so we left and went to the field station at Allens Pond. On driving into the parking lot we were greeted by some snow buntings, who were not extremely skittish and allowed a number of great shots.

Snow bunting flying from one sign to another

Snow Bunting

Snow Buntings Welcome You to Allens Pond

We first travel down to the beach loop, where in the waves, gulls were fighting for food.

Gulls in the surf looking for and fighting for food

After the beach loop we walk partway down the Quansett Trail, with some milkweed pods were an interesting subject showing what they look like in the winter.

Old milkweed pods

Eastern Meadow Lark

Walking back to the field station in the big meadow, a good-sized bird was flying up and down in it and then settle down in the grass. Slowly approaching it, I was able to get a picture of a meadow lark.













Leave in the field station we travel to the Stone Barn, where we ate lunch and discuss what we had seen so far. After lunch we walked a little bit around the property of the Stone Barn, said hello to the horses and saw more meadowlarks flying around.

Friendly horse with Chris

Fernandez House and the Stone Barn

We finished the day at the Allens Neck portion of the sanctuary, where we started walking down the woodland trail, but could not get to the Boardwalk because of extreme flooding due to the rains the day before.

In the spring, I will hold another workshop going over the same route and hopefully in February I will hold him macro workshop at Gooseberry. The date and time will be announced as soon as I checked the tide table. The macro workshop will not be held if it is raining or heavily snowing. Keep tuned.