South Carolina and North Carolina Road Trip

Fulfilling a bucket list item of a trip to the Outer Banks,  I found a workshop led by a local Outer Banks photographer. He specializes in landscapes and wildlife so I thought it would be a great one. And as it turned out it was awesome. We did nighttime, sunset and starscape photography. Throw in a once in a lifetime solar eclipse and it was priceless. Before the workshop I made stops on the drive up. My first stop was Georgetown, South Carolina. This small town has a historic waterfront area with shops, restaurants and shrimp boats. It is also close to Pawleys Island that is very scenic but not very tourist friendly. There were tons of old wooden docks that went out into the sawgrass but no place to park close by. There was also a pier but once again no access unless you are staying a particular  resort.

The second leg of the trip took me to New Bern, North Carolina. This was another historic waterfront town including the famous Tryon Palace. Unfortunatley a rain storm came in so I spent a bit of time sitting at the waterfront in the car. Thinking I would go back early morning before heading to the Outer Banks never materialized since we had heavy fog that morning.

Before arriving at Nags Head, I made a stop at Roanoke Island to look around and check out the Manteo Lighthouse. I planned to go back later for a sunrise. The workshop actually started Sunday evening. We met at the hotel and loaded up gear for our first stop to shoot sunset at Bodie Lighthouse. The nice thing about this lighthouse is that the grounds are open all the time. Once it was dark enough we worked on shooting the milkyway. It was very challenging working in the dark and getting the right settings. My lens was not fast enough to limit the amount of grain I got with an iso of 3200 to 6400. After the workshop I went back and tried shooting with a 1.8 35mm lens. Although my range of view was limited, it was more successful for me. I also went early to get focused before it got dark. Before I attempt another milkyway, I will get a better lens by renting one or purchasing one.

This was taken after the workshop with the 35mm 1.8  lens.

The second day of the workshop had a bonus of a Solar Eclipse. It was about 90% on the Outer Banks but totally awesome. We headed down to the end of Hatteras National Seashore looking for birds but none to be found.

Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island

After dinner we went to Frisco Pier for sunset and then starscapes. This pier has been partially destroyed by storms but makes it much more interesting. This pier was a little easier to shoot since there was some light on it from nearby beach houses. The next stop was a small beach boardwalk in a very dark location. With the help of a little light painting the boardwalk was more visible. On the way back to the hotel we made one more stop at Bodie Lighthouse. By this time the bugs were more than fierce and tiredness was setting in. I knew that when I kept shooting wih the lens cap on. Actually that is easy to do when it is pitch black.

I stayed two more days after the workshop to see more of the Outer Banks hotspots. The next morning with not enough sleep I went down to Nags Head Pier for a so so sunrise.

Nags Head Pier

After a stop at Duck Donughts for some of the local favorites and some coffee, I drove to the Currituk Lighthouse the Whalebone club, and Duck. On the way back I stopped at the Wright Brothers National Monument so see where aviation got its start. For sunset I returned to Bodie Lighthouse. After the light was fading I had my place for the milkyway chosen and my focus was set and taped down I waited for it to get dark. The milkyway started to show up about an hour after sunset. I had to wait for all the tourists to leave. The wind was strong but that made the bugs tolerable. One other photographer showed up on the tower so I wasn't all alone with the critters. More photographers showed up later who were light painting the lighthouse with no regard for other people who were there. Many of the long exposures were ruined by their actions. But I did manage to get a couple of shots where the sky was clear and the light pollution was minimal.

Manteo Lighthouse

Colorful Beach Houses

The following morning I went over to Roanoke Island hoping for a decent sunrise. The sun rises to the side of the lighthouse and wasn't very impressive. You take what you get. After some more Duck Donughts I went back out to Bodie Lighthouse. This time there were too many tourists so I left. In the late afternoon I went to Jockeys Ridge State Park which is the largest and highest sand dune on the east coast. It is quite a hike but worth it because the view is amazing.

Folly Beach Pier

Magnolia Gardens Live Oaks

Old Sheldon Church Ruins

John's Island Shrimp Boats

I stayed in Charleston for two nights on my way home. I shot the sunrise at Folly Beach Pier and then stopped for some pics of the shrimp boats. Magnolia Plantation and Gardens was next on the list. Having been there in the springtime when the azaleas were in bloom, it was not quite as spectacular. I was fortunate to see a barred owl near one of the ponds. The swamp garden was interesting but the birds were scarce. Wrong time of year for it, I guess. Before heading back to the hotel I stopped at the infamous Angel Tree. It is quite impressive but difficult to get a great photo between the contrasty light and the multitude of tourists. I gave up on going to Botany Bay and Boone Hall. I will save those spots for another trip. Charleston is actually not that long of a trip so maybe in the spring I will return.

Swallow-tailed kites

Black Skimmer Nesting Colony

Reddington Beach

Reddington Beach

Time for Breakfast

The juvenile skimmers learning how to cool off.

A chick venturing out.

Fun Day at the beach shooting the Black Skimmers and juveniles. It was challenging to get the flight shots and the skimming action.

More Swallow-tail Kites in flight

The highlight of a morning trip to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive were the Swallow-tailed kites. There were upwards of two dozen of them soaring and hunting near the sod farm. Shooting above your head can be challenging so I was just concentrating on the shape of the birds. I wanted to have the wings out stretched and the forked tail feathers visible. The fact that I caught some of them eating their meal of bugs was a bonus. The image with the visible insect was pure luck. We found a few least bitterns, green herons, juvenile black crowned night herons and some other common species.

The not so usual suspects....

We had a great day at Joe Overstreet Landing in search of some summer birds. On the way out we stopped to photograph a handful of Swallow Tail Kites perched on a tree by the road. This was a fantastic surprise to find these beautiful birds that migrate to Brazil in the summer months.With a little work, we were able to find a Bobwhite who posed nicely on the fence post. Eastern Meadowlarks were abundant but not many of them were willing to pose for any length of time.

Preening in the Sunlight

Looking for some love

At Overstreet Landing we spotted one Snail Kite eating an apple snail. There was only one pass by while looking for the snail.

Cattle Ranching on Overstreet Ranch

A Walk in the Woods - Lake Lotus

Sometimes the places close to home get overlooked and we just think about going another time. That place is Lake Lotus Park. I pass it every time I drive out to Lake Apopka and plan to go there sometime. The park is only open four days a week so you have to plan your time. Weekends involve parking offsite and taking a shuttle to the park. Since I was in the area for a dental appointment, I brought my camera along and visited the park afterwards. There is a boardwalk that borders the lake so that is where I started. Not expected too much wildlife, I was surprised to see two green herons right away. As I continued, I heard some tapping. Up above were two pileated woodpeckers. They were not exactly out in the open but I took some shots anyways. Continuing along the boardwalk that was extremely slippery with all the rain, I could hear some hawks but never got a good look. Returning back I found the woodpeckers again and followed as they moved through the forest. On the last section walking toward the parking area I heard two barred owls. One stayed put as he/she had a mouse for breakfast. The other owl flew to several different perches allowing some photos along the way. All in all it was a great day at the park.

Terns at the Beach

This was my first experience photographing nesting terns on the beach. I brought a chair and picked a spot outside of the roped off area. While I was not moving and sitting the terns were not bothered by me but if I stood up, they started flying straight at me. Not wanting to upset them, I just stayed put in my chair. A pair of black skimmers that were nesting were also rather upset if anyone got close and being dive bombed by those larger birds was a little unsettling. The roped off distance was still a little too close for their comfort.

I found it very challenging to shoot both the tiny birds and when they were in flight. They seem to fly very erraticlly as they search for their youngsters to provide a fish treat. It seems that they know which kid is theirs and will not give the fish to another.

I need to work on focusing and maybe not rely on a single focus point. Next trip to the beach I will do some experimenting with the different focus modes.