I just returned from South Texas... What a trip! So we found it pretty hot down on the Mexican border!

We didn't have tons of birds, but I managed a few fun captures. Looking forward to heading back!

Mockingbirds are very territorial, as several pairs were "in the heat of battle" , so awesome to watch but difficult to capture in this hazy humid weather.

Mockingbirds in Battle
Raymond Barlow USA - Wildlife and Nature

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/2500s f/6.3 at 400.0mm iso1600

3 trips south to see this nest in the last 2 weeks, good fun, awesome opportunity.

Daisy and Maria tagged along for this one, unfortunately the clouds were just a little too heavy. This one took some processing, much more then I am used to, but in the end, I am happy with the shot.

This branch is about 25 yards away from the nest, and getting a clear view though all the twigs is difficult at best. Soon the leaves will be in full form, and the fun will be over!

Eagles On Watch
Raymond Barlow USA - Wildlife and Nature
ray@raymondbarlow.com

Nikon D850 ,Swarovski Spotting Scope - 95mm Optic
1/320s f9.4 iso3200

Long before sunrise, these 2 eagles decided it was time to play! too low on the iso, and the shutter speed, as it was still quite dark, so I am happy to have something!

Edited with DxO software.

We might go back for a couple days on the weekend.

Bald Eagles
Raymond Barlow USA - Wildlife and Nature

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/320s f/5.0 at 400.0mm iso1600

Long before sunrise, these 2 eagles decided it was time to play! too low on the iso, and the shutter speed, as it was still quite dark, so I am happy to have something!

Edited with DxO software.

We might go back for a couple days on the weekend.

Bald Eagles
Raymond Barlow USA - Wildlife and Nature

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/320s f/5.0 at 400.0mm iso1600

Feeding time is over, so we need a break!

Bald Eagle Lift off
Raymond Barlow USA - Wildlife and Nature

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/640s f/7.1 at 400.0mm iso800

Bringing my daughter Maria to this location was a special deal. Just over 13 years ago Maria was 2.5 months old, I took her and her mom to the Mississippi to see the bald eagles. Her first bird!

Maria is so much like me, she loves long drives, with my music! She loves nature, and Photography. We get along awesomely, and now I can't wait to go back here in a couple days.

In this image, you will see 4 subjects, 3 birds, and their meal, as the fish does not look happy!

Among the best opportunities I have had in my life!

Bald Eagles Nest
Raymond Barlow USA - Wildlife and Nature

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Swarovski Spotting Scope - 95mm Optic
1/500s iso1600 f8.4

Female adult Eagle feeding her chicks.

Taken in very low light with the Swarovski scope from about 80 yards.
D850 in full frame FX Mode and a very heavy crop.


Bald Eagles Nest
Raymond Barlow USA - Wildlife and Nature

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Swarovski Spotting Scope - 95mm Optic
1/500s iso1600 f8.4

A long trip south to a valley with a nest.

The young eaglets are an excellent size to photograph with adult parents tending to their needs. An amazing and spectacular scene to watch, observe, and photograph.

Using the 200-400 mm on a full frame D850 body, a very nice combination to work with. The pixel depth of the D850 really helps with the reach.

I would say with the extensive crop on this image, the equivalent lens reach would be about 800 mm. Decent quality, still able to print very large if needed.

What a brilliant opportunity, thanks a good friend for the help in locating this nest.

We go back here on Tuesday April 13, 2019

Bald Eagles Nest
Raymond Barlow USA - Wildlife and Nature

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/1000s f/4.0 at 400.0mm iso1000

Heron with some sort of water snake?

We were shooting a red-bellied woodpecker who was doing some nest work, so I did keep an eye on this heron, as it was only maybe 30 yards away. Hot sunny pm, and maybe a little heat wave happening, so for me, it is not crystal clear., but it will do.

More from the set another day.

Florida rocks!

Great Blue Heron with a Snake
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/5000s f/5.6 at 300.0mm iso400

Right place, right time, right settings, and here we go!

Looking forward to seeing the chicks, at least one hatched today.
In about 2 weeks, the activity should be awesome to see, and photograph.
Cool. as this location is about 90 yards away from a great coffee and iced tea location!

Join me?

Incoming Osprey with Breakfast
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/1000s f/6.3 at 240.0mm iso1600

The male Osprey (left) brings home dinner for the female, and relieves her from her nest tending . Seconds later she will pick up the fish and venture off to her favourite feeding perch, about 120 yards away.

Osprey Family Dinner
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/800s f/6.3 at 400.0mm iso1600

Incoming! to about 12 yards, this bird does a balancing act only about 7 feet off the ground right in front of us! No Bait!

Great grey owl Landing
Quebec, Canada

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D810 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/2000s f/5.6 at 300.0mm iso1250

These adults are on egg/s, taking turns eating a nice sized fish first thing in the morning. Amazing, how the have a very specific eating perch, away from the nest, so they do not make a mess in the home of the new chick!

Superb opportunity!

Osprey with Breakfast
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/1000s f/6.3 at 240.0mm iso1600

We were very lucky to have the sun at our back!

A juvenile bald eagle was eating its breakfast here on the shore of the pond, when this adult popped in for the steal! We had time to get out of our vehicle, and blast a few images as it flew away!

Thank goodness for luck!

Bald Eagle with Stolen Breakfast
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/2000s f/4.0 at 400.0mm iso1250

So many hours of waiting ... concentrating, and hoping for a chance to catch such a shot, it takes so much commitment!

I cant wait to back!!

Love Florida!

Osprey Dive
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/2500s f/8.0 at 400.0mm iso1250

Flying Monarch!

A wonderful stroke of luck to catch this beauty in focus. 3 hours of hard concentration, and a result I am happy with. getting the butterfly and the flower in focus, with a nice background was worth all the effort!

Heading back south in a month or so!

Join me! ??

Monarch Butterfly in Flight
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/5000s f/4.5 at 400.0mm iso640

The Hunt!

Almost as much fun as watching a cheetah hunt in Africa, this tri-colored had a lock on this catfish from the lily pads. A few seconds to prepare to lift off, and success! With a burst of images, i was able to capture the whole scene.

The 'flip" was a bonus!! I didn't even see this until this morning, a week after the image was taken. A nice surprise!


Tri-colored heron with catfish
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/2500s f/8.0 at 400.0mm iso1250

Great Horned Owl nest, East Florida.
Packing soon, as we head home late tomorrow pm, we had lots of fun here this week., Love Florida!

Hoping for a return trip in late April.
Swarovski Optic + D850.

Osprey Connection

Finally home from the Florida shoot and wow! even in some chilly weather we always have awesome opportunities!

Here is a posing female keeping her eggs warm on the nest, Image taken from about 16 yards. We were so lucky to see this pair mating about 6 weeks ago, so here is the result!

D850 + Swarovski spotting scope. Hope to see the chick/s in April! Here, I was using the D850 in 1.5 crop mode, so a full frame equivalent of over 1400 mm.

Nikon D850 ,Swarovski Spotting Scope - 95mm Optic
1/320s f8.4 iso1250

I am planning and preparing a return to India in June, with anther 8 days plus of viewing and photographing these superb Tigers, so I have been reviewing folders of images from previous trips, trying to find a 'missed" image.

This is Tigress Noor, she has been busy raising several cubs for years now, doing it very successfully. Adding to the population of wild tigers in India is the key to this animal’s survival. With the government reducing the number of poaching incidents, there seems to be some new hope.

What caught my eye about this shot was the intense stare she gave me while having a cool down in this pond, and a drink.

Tigress Noor - Meeting if the Minds!
India

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D800 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/320s f/4.0 at 400.0mm iso800

Totally manual lens with this scope, fixed aperture, so some interesting challenges to when creating images. On a full frame camera, I am shooting at about 1,000 mm, so fine tuning the focus is so important!

To catch a kingfisher in flight from about 90 yards is more then enough challenge!

Belted Kingfisher - Swarovski Scope
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D800 ,Swarovski Spotting Scope - 95mm Optic
1/2500s f8.4 iso800

Osprey Female waits patiently for her mate to visit the nest with a fish.

About 3 hours of watching a mating pair of Osprey feeding, protecting their nest, and mating was quite the amazing experience during our last adventure south to Florida.

We had some time with this female, as her mate was busy on a nearby telephone pole chowing down on some fresh fish. (about 80 yards away)

We could hear her calling, as I am sure she was quite hungry! Interesting, that when he brought over the meal, she instantly left the nest to eat on a nearby pine tree, about 150 yards away.

I am thinking she didn't want the mess in the nest.

Amazing Nature. This is a special part of our world that we all need to protect.
Osprey portrait with my Swarovski Scope
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D800 ,Swarovski Spotting Scope - 95mm Optic
1/800s f8.4 iso2000

I spent some time having fun with the Swarovski Scope attached to my D850 during my most recent trip to Florida. Worked out well!

Especially with this cute model in superb light!

Burrowing Owl - Swarovski Scope
Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D800 ,Swarovski Spotting Scope - 95mm Optic
1/640s f8.4 iso1250

Love Florida Nature!

We are getting to know these birds that hang out in the wetlands of Florida, realizing their comfort zone/s. If we stay back 50-60 yards, there is a good chance this species will not flush.

Many of these birds perch near the roadways that divide the marsh areas, so we have little choice but to flush them when we drive by - otherwise, if we sit and wait, someone will want to run over us!

Awesome birds, beautiful, and very probably ... incredibly sick of us humans getting into their space!

Red-shouldered hawk Hunting
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/250s f/4.5 at 400.0mm iso160

This male and female osprey parked themselves side by side in a pine tree about 150 yards away. she had just finished eating her dinner as you can see by the look of her beak. She flew into the nest, then, within a minute, she was accompanied by her mate!

Here, in the landing shot he keeps his talons up and lands on his "elbows!" To lessen the risk of injury to his mate.

Of course, they proceed to celebrate Valentines day a little early, too much fun to photograph these amazing birds!

Looking forward to returning in March.

Male Osprey landing on his Mate
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/1250s f/4.0 at 400.0mm iso2000

Everyone's gotta Eat!

Too bad for the snake, as the ibis kept pinching its head over and over, trying to kill it as fast as possible. Interesting to watch for a few minutes, unfortunately we were "beeped' at several times, so we had to flush the bird, as it left its meal behind. Too bad so many people have no patience.

White ibis and a snake
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/2500s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso640

About 4 Terns were fishing in one corner of a pond, so I set up the camera and Jobu support gear to fire a few images.. (about 800!). I love watching the skill of these amazing and energetic birds diving for tiny minnows.

A spectacular scene.

Thanks for looking!

Forster"s tern with Lunch
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/4000s f/4.0 at 400.0mm iso1600

About 3 pm, things were getting slow... light was a bit harsh, so we were talking about moving over to the Osprey nest (earlier post).. and wow, look who popped up! 4 river otters! They all actually swam right over to us, within 30 feet! Great fun, exciting, as these coming images are my first ever of this species. f13 was a bit much, wishing I was at f6.3 for these shots, looking back is always easy!

We head back south in early March.

More soon!

River Otters at Play
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/500s f/13.0 at 400.0mm iso800

Still, even in Florida where there are a lot of people in this park location, the kingfishers are very skittish! This one stood still for about 5 minutes, giving me time to set up, and get my iso as low as possible. Knowing I was going to do a heavy crop, the top priority is a low iso, at least 200 or lower.

At eye level with a very natural and typical environment, I had fun clicking about 20 images of this female (I think!). She was nice enough to pose for me with a twinkle in her eye!

I am heading back soon!

Belted Kingfisher looking for lunch!
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/1600s f/4.5 at 400.0mm iso160

This beauty stood still like this for at least 20 minutes!
Lots of time to set up the Swarvoski Scope, and get a good focus lock., then create the correct exposure with enough shutter speed, and a low enough iso to end up with a very printable image. Awesome fun, challenging, but with a nice result.

Roseate Spoonbill - Swarovski Scope
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Swarovski Spotting Scope - 95mm Optic
1/400s f/8.4 iso640

Burrowing Owl - Swarovski Scope
Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Swarovski Spotting Scope - 95mm Optic
1/800s f/8.4 iso400

Foresters Tern Fishing
Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/2000s f/7.1 at 400.0mm iso1600

Foresters Tern Fishing
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/5000s f/4.0 at 400.0mm iso1000

The last 20 minutes of light, on the last day of our recent trip to Florida, and the magical luck happens again. These 2 Osprey had a fish that they were sharing on a pine tree about 100 yards away, We waited for an hour at least .. so the female comes back to the nest, the male follows, and here we have real nature and amazement!

Love Nature, Florida was awesome.

Osprey Mating
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/1250s f/4.0 at 340.0mm iso2000

Snowy on Ice
Ontario, Canada

We were out with the snowys, myself and mt 2 ladies, when my camera decided it had had enough! It would not focus, and the raw files were a mess beginning with the white balance. This is the only shot I could recover from the days shoot.

O well, hope to get back up there soon!


ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/640s f/5.0 at 400.0mm iso400

Snowy Owl on the Pond
Ontario, Canada

Barely time to get the window down in the truck, and this bird was gone.

I was very luck to have it on my side of the truck, as my guests missed the chance., still feeling guilty about that! Unfortunately, these birds have been chased around so much by folks with camera, and cell phone, they are weary, and timid.

Also, we hope for more snow! - next time.

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/1250s f/7.1 at 400.0mm iso400

Beautiful Real Nature in Florida!

Great Blue Hero in Rainstorm
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/400s f/4.0 at 200.0mm iso800

Snow Owl at Sunrise
Ontario, Canada

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/1000s f/4.0 at 400.0mm iso1600

The opportunity is one thing, taking advantage is another.

Boat-tailed Grackle
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/400s f/4.0 at 400.0mm iso1600

Real, and wild Snowy Owl! - Never baited

Snowy Owl on a Brush Pile
Ontario, Canada

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/640s f/7.1 at 400.0mm iso500

Great Blue Heron with a Greater Siren for Lunch
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/1250s f/4.0 at 400.0mm iso1600

Many thousands of birds in the Orlando area, after 7 trips in the last 2 years, I think I know my way around, and with the help of local buddy and photographer Jack Rogers, we can navigate straight to some good shooting. sometimes it is a driving path, sometimes it is a walking path, but pretty easy to find great opportunity's.

Just less then 3,000 images in 3 days taken last week., good fun. Not bad for December!!

Great egret and a Catfish Lunch!
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/500s f/6.3 at 400.0mm iso2000

Look who popped up about 10 feet from my lens in Florida!

Pied-billed grebe
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/1600s f/7.1 at 400.0mm iso800

Hanging out in the warm sun, listening to nothing but sounds of nature. This heron flies into my camera, and jumps around looking to fill its belly with minnows. Almost non-stop action, and a shutter getting its exercise!

Love Florida.

Tricolored Heron in Flight
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/5000s f/4.0 at 400.0mm iso800

Heading south once again, Harry and I will tour the grassy swamps and have our fill of the superb Florida Birds once again., back on Saturday, so take good care!

Cattle Egret in Florida
Raymond Barlow USA - Wildlife and Nature

http://www.raymondstigerprints.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/3200s f/5.6 at 200.0mm iso640

Home from Florida, we had a good trip., 3 days of shooting and around 2700 images, and lots of good sightings. Thanks to Harry Hersh!

Belted Kingfisher in the Rain (shooting from inside the truck!)

Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/200s f/4.0 at 400.0mm iso400

Juvenile red shouldered hawk
Orlando, Florida

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/800s f/4.0 at 400.0mm

Peregrine Falcon in Florida
Orlando, Florida

This Peregrine has found a great home! Surrounded by 10's of thousands of bird in a huge swamp... life is good!

ray@raymondbarlow.com
Nikon D850 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/320s f/6.3 at 400.0mm iso1000