Vacation in Cape Cod

Since I was going up to Massachusetts to visit with my Dad and brothers, I planned a few extra days for some photography on the Cape. I used an e-book from Cape Cod photographer, Betty Wiley as my guide for locations. I stayed in two different locations in order to see as much as possible and have more choices for sunset and sunrises. However, cloudy conditions prevailed along with some rain. Late in the afternoons were a little sunnier and early morning was not the best. I covered a lot of territory and liked the upper cape the best.

Day One:
My journey started in Woods Hole and Falmouth since it was near my first nights stay in Bourne. First stop was for lunch at a seafood restaurant, The Lobster Trap. I walked around Woods Hole for awhile then headed over to Nobska Light in Falmouth.

Nobska Lighthouse

After checking into the hotel, I drove over to Sandwich to find the Sandwich boardwalk. With cloudy conditions I knew sunset wouldn't be an option so I walked out to the beach to get some long exposures of the water and rocks.

Sandwich Boardwalk

Day Two:
Getting an early start I headed back to the Sandwich boardwalk but clouds made sunrise impossible. I met a local woman who wanted me to take her picture. The local Cape Codders are friendly people. Historic route 6A winds along the northern side of the cape.I stopped in Barnstable at Nirvana Coffee and then onto Paines Creek. Even though there were no boats moored out in the creek, I did see a couple of kayakers. Next stop was Grey's Beach in Yarmouth Port, where there is a wooden boardwalk and marsh. This spot is best at high tide but I had to take what nature provided on that day. The sky started to clear as I walked back to the car.

Grey's Beach, Yarmouth Port

Chatham was the next stop in the late morning. The Chatham Coast Guard Station has an impressive building that attracts the tourists. Close by is the Monomoy Wildlife Refuge. The hiking trails border the beach but were unhikable due to high tides. There was a bird feeder close by that brought in all sorts of species including some that I haven't seen in Florida. I went out to a place close to where I was staying for sunset called Rock Harbor. I met a man on the beach who recommended Fort Hill for sunrise. That seemed to be a good option since it was only two miles from the hotel.

Day Three

Sunrise from Fort Hill, Eastham

Most of the lighthouses on the Cape have been relocated due to beach erosion. The coast erodes two to three feet per year.

Nauset Light, Eastham

Highland Light

The original lighthouse was built in 1797 which was the first lighthouse on Cape Cod. It was rebuilt in 1853 but had to be replaced entirely four years later after the land beneath it crumbled into the ocean.

The challenge of shooting out the car window.

There are several reasons for shooting out of the car window. One is that the location is a long distance and you can't walk it. Another is if the weather is iffy and it may rain or is very hot or a little chilly. Getting a flight shot from the car window is more than difficult but with good timing may be possible. I generally don't try too many flight shots from the car. When I find a good subject or location it is best to pull over and get out of the car. On this day I pulled up to a spot to pull over and noticed the Least Bittern. I got out very slowly and inched closer and closer to him. Usually the Least Bitterns are hidden and when you get close enough for a shot they fly off. This time he stayed put as I sat on the ground and fired off multiple shots. I was fortunate to catch the beak open with a tiny fish. My best shot so far of this elusive heron.

I discovered ticks inside the Porta-Potty! Fortunately none on me. I will be more careful about sitting on the ground from now on. But it would be worth a tick bite to get a great shot, I think.

Doing the Tai Chi walk.

Florida Birding and Photography Festival - 2017

The annual Florida Birding and Photo Festival is held each year in St. Augustine, Florida. The actual headquarters for the festival is in Ponte Vedra Beach at the GTM Research Reserve. I chose to take several of the indoor classes with a variety of photographers. I also participated in a hike one day and a ecotour by boat on another day. The hike was at the GTM preserve but was not led by a birder so we were on our own to find birds. Along the shore by the parking lot a few small shore birds were hanging out so they added to the bird count.

Every class was excellent and taught by experienced photographers.The first class was Fast Glass for Night Photography taught by Roman Kurywczak. We learned how to expose for star photography. That is not an easy subject to shoot in Florida but hope to try it some day out west. The second class that day was taught by Joe Brady on Enhancing Landscapes with Lightroom. Another great class.

My second day at the festival started on my own with sunrise at Marineland Beach. Since my boat trip started nearby it made sense to get there early. Sunrise was not spectacular due to the lack of clouds but was still fun. The boat trip was put on by Ripple Effects Eco Tours. We had five participants plus our guide. Dolphins were abundant but birds were scarce. We did see a variety of shore birds on some sand bars near the end of the tour. We saw red knots, black bellied plovers, sanderlings, whimbrels, short billed dowitcher, ruddy turnstones, grey kingbird, great egrets, great blue egret, osprey, brown pelicans and royal terns. It was a challenge to shoot from a moving boat that was constantly rotating around the subjects. My large straw hat blew off as the boat started up to return to the marina. Looks like a trip to the beach to get another one.

The last day was a six hour class on Wildlife Photography taught by Chas Glatzner. It was another excellent class about shooting in manual mode, adjusting exposure and shutter speeds. He had some great anecdotes about his travels and photographing wildlife and birds. He included information on lenses, when to shoot on tripods, when to shoot handheld and gear choices. Well worth the three hour drive over and back in the same day.