"If you have seen One Yellowlegs"

I am old enough to recall the 1970’s when environmental concerns were starting to be an issue in US politics. Ronald Regan spoke dismissively about the redwood forests and was quoted or perhaps misquoted as saying “If you have seen one redwood you have seen them all”. Environmentalists at the time latched onto the strange insensitivity of the remark while the logging lobby had found an ally at the time it seemed. My reading of some analysis of this comment by Regan revealed that he was reluctant to acknowledge the grandeur of the trees and is quoted as saying “I saw them; there is nothing beautiful about them, just that they are a little higher than the others.”

I bring up this old bit of history because I still think about this rather absurd event when I see beauty in nature at any scale. I believe there is an attitude that “if you have seen one GULL, one WHALE, one GREAT BARRIER REEF, one …..you get the idea, you have seen them all.” As a wildlife photographer I never tire of trying to capture the unique beauty and essence of the creature in my viewfinder, even though I may have photographed that species many times before. Each one represents an amazing irreplaceable part of our world and I revel in the splendour of that experience time and time again. I think I will be captivated by observing and photographing nature for the rest of my days.

I offer up four photographs of some Yellowlegs shorebirds that I had the good fortune and honour of observing this past week. Each photo is quite different but yeah, they are all the SAME species. With all the turmoil and loss that we have experienced in the last year and a half of COVID I think that this is an appropriate time to consider that every day we should take nothing for granted. Not our health, our freedom, our fellow man and I think most importantly our environment and the living inhabitants we share our planet with. I hope you enjoy the photos of “just some birds”.

Go In Peace

I wasn’t really sure how to title this blog entry. In fact I thought a lot about just what it was I was trying to say.

It began for me though with an experience I had today. With excitement and anticipation I drove along a cold wintery road hoping to see some wildlife. The morning light was sublime and my vehicle thermometer was dropping as I got out of town. I could feel the relaxation and peace come over me as I looked out over the snow, trees and warm orange colors of the horizon at sunrise. As I drove along the curves and hills in the foothills I recounted in my mind the places along the way I had been blessed with sightings of wildlife in the past. However, the spell ended abruptly when I noticed some ravens in the trees and in the ditch along the road. They were on a carcass of a dead animal, it was a carnivore of some sort, I could see the paws from my position on the roadway. I decided to walk down to the carcass to see what animal had died, it was a coyote. The coyote had died very recently and it was apparent it had been shot. The snow had been packed down and there was urine marking on the site where the coyote had died just 40 steps from the road. At this time of year the coyotes are starting to mate so they are more visible than usual.

I am quite certain I had seen this coyote before in this same location. The coyote would be out hunting in the ditch when I would drive by. This coyote was quite wary, he would duck into the woods whenever I got within a quarter mile and I thought, “smart coyote”! I had hoped he would survive, he was wary of humans. I honoured this coyote because he seemed to be just trying to survive, he was all about survival. Looking for food, minding his own business…admirable I thought. Unfortunately, this coyote I had began to know just a little bit was sacrificed.

I was saddened by my encounter and rather confused. Why did this coyote have to die? I know that I and many photographers and nature lovers appreciate the gift of seeing coyotes and other wildlife in nature. We are grateful for their presence and we try and fully recognize their true worth.

I decide to share the gruesome photo of the coyote that was shot near the road, his body left for the ravens. In stark contrast I am also posting a photo of a pair of coyotes I photographed in February of 2019. It was -40 degrees and the pair were hunkered down on the leeward side of a small hill waiting out the storm. I believe there is a stark difference here in how humans view the world around them and the wildlife that is trying to remain a part of it. To the individual who made the decision to kill this coyote I would hope that you reflect on why it was necessary. Try and love all things, there is another way. Go In Peace My Friend.

Introspection

The day to day routines of life have been upset with the world in the grips of this Covid 19 Pandemic. Concerns about where to travel to capture photos of wildlife and landscapes this spring are superseded by where to safely get food and how to get a bit of exercise. As it turns out the best thing most of us can do is …nothing. Just stay home, adhere to the rules of hand washing and sterile technique in our daily rituals. Luckily we have the ability to stay in touch with family and friends with electronic media and I am grateful for that. But there is still a lot more unexpected down time with not a lot to do, at least for me. This is a bit unsettling however and it takes some adjustment to come to terms with this new normal, this new found time to reflect on things. I’m trying to make the best of it, hopefully we will get through this disaster and life can go on, with all of society and as individuals a bit smarter and stronger. Here is a photo from last winter I think captures the mood of introspection.

INTROSPECTION

Review of the Wimberley MonoGimbal Head (MH-100)

I was recently provided a copy of the Wimberley MonoGimbal Head (MH-100) to try out and provide feedback to the good people at Wimberley. I have no affiliation with Wimberley other than the fact that I purchased their Wimberley Head II and some of their quick release plates in the past and have found these products to perform very well. A bit of background I wanted to share though is that shortly after purchasing my full sized WHII I lost a knob from the head somehow. I made a call to the service department at Wimberley to order a new one. I was blown away by the courtesy of the staff during that single call and by the great aftercare I received, they sent me a new knob free of charge and I received it within a couple of days - that’s service.

But, this is a review of Wimberley’s new Monopod head. I originally purchased a Gitzo GM 5541 monopod with a RRS MH-01 Monopod Head with a view to use it as a lighter alternative to a tripod and gimbal with my 600 Nikon and/or 200-400 Nikon lenses. I believe it was on my first outing with the setup using the Nikkor 600 G VR lens and a D4 that I had the head flop and leave a nasty cut on my index finger and a gouge in the top of the monopod where the lens made contact. I was shocked at the amount of force that struck the monopod when this heavy rig decided to move! I gained a new respect for the inherent risks of using this setup and I never used the 600 on a monopod again. I have continued to use my 200-400VR lens with a DSLR on occasion, mostly when photographing elk and to a lesser degree for bird photography when I want to hike a distance. I haven’t found a strap or sling device yet that I felt would benefit me for carrying this combination, but I keep thinking about it and investigating alternatives. Here is a photo of the gouge in the top of my monopod when I flopped my 12 pound 600 mm lens.

Arrow shows point of impact from lens plate contacting the monopod which occurred PREVIOUSLY when using a regular type of TILTING Monopod Head (NOT the Wimberley Head being tested in this review!!!!)

The newly released Wimberley MonoGimbal Head as shown in the photo below allows for attachment of the lens foot of collared lenses to attach to the side of the monopod. This initially seemed to me that it would be awkward due to the asymmetry of the affair, but in practice it provides a natural resting place for ones hand while the other hand rests on the lens/camera while shooting. I immediately felt comfortable with this arrangement. I did a 3 hour hike with my 200-400VR lens and Nikon D500 on a snowy trail on the Christmas Bird Count 2019 as a testing ground for the rig. I was impressed with the stability gained over hand holding. The Bighorn Trail I hiked outside Hinton, Alberta winds through heavily forested woods so light was limited. Secondly, the monopod with the head to the side rested nicely over my shoulder and allowed the lens to be supported quite comfortably, something I thought impossible!

The particular lens I have here, the 200-400VR is a quality professional lens, with a 6.2 lb weight to match. It produces some very nice sharp images and is quite versatile over all. The Wimberley Monopod Gimbal will allow me to make better use of the lens I believe. Most of the big names in photography have released a host of next generation lenses and cameras into the market place. I have been eyeing the Nikon 500 5.6 lens as perhaps my next acquisition for example, this head would be a perfect companion product I believe. I suspect that the new lightweight modern Sony and Canon 600 mm lenses that come in at a compact and balanced 3 kg/6lb weight could also be used with the monopod/Wimberley Gimbal head as well, how cool would that be (The latest version of the Nikon 600 is looking a bit chubby these days at 3.8 kg).

One minor issue that I did encounter on the first full day using the Gimbal involved my camera lens collar. After a few hours in the cold I noticed that the collar was becoming quite “sticky” and difficult to rotate the lens from landscape to portrait positions. I suspect that my old lens just needs to have some new lubricants installed by Nikon, rather than this being a negative of the Wimberley Monopod Head per se. However, since the weight of the lens and body is 90 degrees from the axis of the support it does require a functioning and well made lens collar. I know that this same concern regarding the stresses on the lens collar has been raised by some regarding the use of the Wimberley Sidekick as well. I haven’t use that piece of kit, so I can’t comment.

My initial experience with the Wimberley MonoGimbal Head (MH-100) is very positive. It was easy to set up, it looks great in my opinion and most importantly it works well and may have just solved a problem I had with hiking distances with a heavy telephoto lens while doing wildlife photography.

Winter Time

The long nights and short days of winter are upon us and it’s easy to despair over those more fortunate who have purchased their tickets already to southern latitudes to enjoy sun and surf. In reality though, I greatly enjoy dressing up in layers and putting on my winter boots to venture out into the white wonderland with my camera. Wildlife, both mammals and birds have either migrated away or are in hibernation so getting photos of them is challenging. However, the landscape is simplified and stark in its beauty at this time of year and partly compensates for the scarcity of animals to photograph. The frigid temps sometimes makes my toes and fingers hurt when playing with the buttons on my camera as I set up for winter photos. Northern people learn to cope and adapt to the rigours of a harsh climate I think and its a source of conversation and pride to complain about “how cold it is”.

I felt that I was overdue to post a few winter landscape photos that reflect the beauty of the season, enjoy.

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