Clearlake Part 3: Old Coots and Other Things

This is the final installment of my trip to Clearlake in Northern California last Thursday. I just love photographing from my kayak. It's a great way to get some exercise and a wonderful way to see the lake and get very close to wildlife. I did get to see a family of river otters but they just swam on by me never offering a good photographic opportunity. Dark heads in the water don't make for a very photogenic subject. An old sunken boat lying half buried in the mud gave me pause. You really wondered what stories it could tell if it could talk. I did get to see quite a few American Coots, Killdeer and some Greater Yellowlegs. The fall colors around the lake were magnificent. All in all I had a most beautiful paddle on the lake. God's creation is just awesome. chris All images created with an EOS Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 IS lens from a Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5 Kayak using a custom made camera support and a Bogen 3055 ballhead. The scenic images were created with a Canon 10-22 wide angle lens.

Clearlake Part 2 Great Egrets

One of the things I love about photographing from a kayak is how close you can get to the Great Egrets. You can sometimes get a ringside seat and watch them hunt for fish. It takes a slow approach and keeping movements to a minimum but it can really work. Here is a series of a great egret catching and eating a minnow. There were quite a few egrets to choose from. Here is a sampling of a few tat are resting, feeding, hunting, eating and flying. God's love and blessings to all, chris All images created with an EOS Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 IS lens from a Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5 Kayak using a custom made camera support and a Bogen 3055 ballhead.

Clearlake Part 1

This last Thursday I went over to Clearlake to do some kayak photography and meet some friends for lunch that were camping at Clearlake State Park. Photographing there is always a treat because there is an abundance of bird life. Having a great lunch with friends was an added bonus.(Thanks guys) I got there just a little past sunrise to catch some of the best light. Right after leaving the boat ramp I paddled across Kelsey Creek and photographed a Great Egret. The weather was beautiful with a mix of clouds and sun. Ducks and vultures were flying overhead. The lake was extremely low due to the drought. It is down about ten feet or so. As such many of the birds that are normally hidden way back in the tules are along the edges. I spotted several Virginia Rails and I was able to photograph one of them for some time. It is rare to catch one fully out in the open. My best find was watching a Great Blue Heron catch and eat a Hitch fish. I have it below from start to finish. I'll post some more from Clearlake on Monday. I have a shorter sequence of a great Egret eating a minnow.Such a wonderful place to appreciate God's creation. chris All images created with an EOS Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 IS lens from a Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5 Kayak using a custom made camera support and a Bogen 3055 ballhead. The scenic images were created with a Canon 10-22 wide angle lens.

Trip Report: Part Three of Three Clearlake State Park

I really love Clearlake State Park in Northern California. It is a superb spot for photography as it has a wide variety of subjects to photograph. I try to make it over that way at least once a month from where I live to do photography and sometimes fishing from my Ultimate 14.5 Kayak. On Tuesday I went over with my friend Joe and he fished while I photographed. The one thing that amazed and annoyed me was the amount of American Coots. There were hundreds of them. It made it extremely difficult to photograph anything without one of them being in the image. Which is OK if you are trying to photograph coots! When God hands you coots. You photograph coots. I had a great time taking action images of them as they would run across the water ahead of me when I ventured too close to them.

Along with the coots there were the ever present American White Pelicans hanging around near the entrance to both Cole and Kelsey Creeks. They are truly magnifent to watch in flight. I created one image of them resting on a gravel bar with the fall colors behind them. It is one of my favorite images from the trip. Besides the pelicans there were shorebirds, ground squirrels and host of other subjects during the day to catch my eye to photograph. It was a wonderful day. The weather was perfect for a good paddle and some photography.

God bless,

chris