Nickerson Beach Nassau County Park, Long Island, New York

Black Skimmer in Flight

I just returned from a weekend workshop at Nickerson Beach Park, located on Long Island.  First, I want to thank Denise Ippolito for running a great event and all her help and teaching.  We arrived at the beach between 5:35 AM to 5:45 AM and were out photographing before the sun rose and continued photographing until we lost the great light and then went to brunch at a great bagel place and had a lecture.  The first day, we returned back to the beach at 4 PM, and photographed until sunset.  Because we arrived in the afternoon before 6 PM, we had to pay an entrance fee to the beach.  It was worth it.

Nickerson Beach is a 120-acre Park that borders the Atlantic Ocean.    Depending on the month, there is a large variety of nesting birds, including Black Skimmers, American Oystercatchers, Piping Plovers, Least and Common Terns and a variety of gulls.

American Oystercatcher

Nickerson Beach has been part of the Nassau County Park systems since 1967 and the beach is approximately a half mile-long.  There are restrooms, and a food concession area.  If you like photographing birds, this is a great area to visit.

Further blogs will detail the interactions that I had with the different species of birds.

Yellowstone National Park, an overview

I have just returned from a week long trip to Yellowstone National Park and had a wonderful time.  I was with a photographic group led by Bob Salyers .  The group was very compatible and we had a great time.  We stayed in Gardiner Montana and from there every day went into the park and toured the entire park.  We did see all the major large animals that occur in the park, however, the grizzly bear and wolves were extremely far away and the only dots on the photograph.  If you blow up the photographs of the bear and wolves, you can identify them.
It is very hard to pick out what was the best part of the trip.  Creature wise, it is a tossup between a bull elk and its harem and male bison's fighting.
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In subsequent blogs, I will post landscape and images of other wildlife that we encountered.
Again I want to thank Bob Salyers www.bobsalyers.com  for his intimate knowledge of Yellowstone and driving us around the park so that we could capture the sights of Yellowstone.

Upcoming Workshops

For those of my followers who live in the southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island area.  I will be conducting 2 photography workshops for the Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary in February.

Full Moon

The first workshop is Photographing the Full Moon, on February 8 between 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM.  It will consist of a short lecture, then we will go out and photograph the moon, come back to the field station, download our pictures and enjoy hot chocolate along with seeing our results.
Participants need to bring their own single lens reflex camera with both normal and telephoto lenses and a remote or cable release, extra battery and sturdy tripod. Dress for outdoor weather, bring a flashlight and if possible, we recommend bringing hand warmers. we may travel either to the Stone Barn or to Gooseberry Island to get the best location for pictures.  Dress appropriately for cold weather.

Night Sky with Meteor

The next workshop is Capture the Night Sky & Stars - with your Camera, on Saturday, February 25, between 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM.  You will learn how to photograph the nights sky and capture your favorite constellations.  You will also learn about light painting.   The program will consist as above, a short lecture, then out to the field for our photography and return to the field station to download and view our results.
For this workshop, besides a single lens reflex camera, a remote or cable release, extra battery, and sturdy tripod a wide angle lens in the 17 mm range is recommended.
To register for either one of these programs, you can go online to http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Allens_Pond/catalog.php and look up the programs are you can call the field station at 508-636-2437.
Directions to the sanctuary:
Directions:
From Interstate 195, in Westport, take Exit 10 (Rt 88 South). Follow Route 88 to its end, passing Horseneck Beach on the way. Turn left at the ocean-side stop sign onto East Beach Road and follow the road east along the shoreline. As it makes an obvious, 90 degree bend to the left, turning north and away from shoreline, look for Sanctuary signs at the corner and right. This BEACH LOOP entrance is marked with Massachusetts Audubon Society logo signs. There is only limited parking on the town road (along Horseneck Road going north).
I hope to see you there.

Light Painting

Moon

Constellations

Constellations named and Venus

Thoughts about Silver Salmon Creek Lodge and Greg Downing’s Photo Workshop

Today's blog will not show any bear pictures, but will give my thoughts about the trip.
First this is an outstanding trip, and I wish to thank Greg Downing for having organized it and led it. This is the third trip I have taken with Greg and they are all have been excellent. Greg has set up this workshop for next year and the information is available at http://www.naturescapes.net/docs/index.php/workshopdetail?ws_code=alaska_bears_2012. In fact if you sign up by November 1 you can get a $200 discount on the trip.
Our Group and new friends.

The location is on the Cook Inlet at Lake Clark National Park and you stay at Silver Salmon Creek Lodge

Fish mounts

Wood stove to help dry cloths and keep you warm

Communal Living Area



Bear Statue



Preparing Meals



Guide Rich and me

. The Lodge supplies everything that you need, excellent food with three squares a day, hip boots so you don't not get wet when you are walking through the water, which at times depending on the tide which can be up above your knees. The guides are outstanding also, they understand the bears and no what to do to keep you safe. You are transported to the areas we you will photograph by ATV and you are in a cart behind it with your equipment. Expect long days and they are well worth it.

This is the location where you can get up close and personal with the Coastal Brown Bears, without large numbers of people around and be safe.

Part of the trip is a boat ride out to see the tufted puffins and this of course is weather and sea determined.

The Lodge also has Salmon fishing available. If you want a trip of a lifetime consider Silver Salmon Creek Lodge and Greg Downing NatureScapes photo tours.

Alaska-Lake Clark National Park continued

After yesterday's windy and stormy day, Saturday arrived with a nice sunrise here at Silver Salmon Creek Lodge. I went out again and captured the sunrise and other photographers photographing it.
I also created a panoramic of the sunrise.
After breakfast, we traveled to Johnson River to see if we could find any bears there. No there were not any bears which was very unusual, however, found a nice Bald Eagle and some scenics to photograph.


Rest



"I caught a fish"



"Nothing like fresh salmon"



looking for more fish but would not drop the one it had

Bear Fight

We came back to the mouth of the Silver Salmon Creek where we again photographed the bears in various activities.
Here is a group of photographers photographing the bears.
I have taken a picture of a gull which while I was out doing the photography thought it was a Herring gull. On processing the picture, the gull turned out to have a completely black bill and no black on the tail feathers or the wings. After looking at my bird guides I believe this was a glaucous-winged gull, which I caught with his mouth wide open.

Sow with yearling cub

We finished up the day further inland on the Creek and obtain photographs of a bear in the grass and a different Sow Bear and its yearling cub.
Tomorrow, we will be flying out to return to Anchorage and our flights home, but if the weather is nice, will get up early and photograph the sunrise.