On the Water

I absolutely love photographing from my kayak. On Wednesday I ventured over to Clearlake and met up with Joe Benoit who was going fishing for bass. We launched out of a marina on the south east side of the lake in Buckingham. Early on it was to windy to be on the main lake and do any effective photography. There were also a lot of bass boats out kicking up wakes which doesn't make for very good photography. I sought out a little slough just outside the marina and hit the jackpot. Here was a calm spot that held some birds, turtles and even a River Otter. At one point the otter grabbed a big fish and came out in the open with it for about five seconds. I wasn't in a position to photograph it but it was a wonderful sight to see. The otter dragged the fish up into some heavy brush where I could catch glimpses of its mouth chomping on the fish with little crunching and slurping sounds coming out from where it was hidden. It must have been delicious! I have never observed so many warblers in one place before. They were all over picking insects out of the trees. I also got to see and photograph a Green Heron playing with a bit of Tule. It would drop it over and over in the water and grab it time and again. Honing its fishing skills. There were plenty of Cormorants close to the harbor entrance and it was a good idea not to paddle under the trees with what was coming down. Smelly stuff! It was simply a gorgeous day to be on the water. May you have a blessed weekend, chris All images created with a Canon 7D and a Tamron 150-600mm lens.AV mode, ISO 400, exposures varied. The camera was supported with a custom camera bracket and a Bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead. The kayak used was a Native Watercraft Ulimate 14.5, #TeamCanon