American Bitterns - Gulf coast of Texas - November 2019

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Thus far, I have seen two American Bitterns on this trip to the Gulf coast of Texas. The first one was close to the boardwalk at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center in Port Aransas.

Camera, lens, and settings for the photos at this location. E-M1X camera with 300mm f/4 lens. 1/400 sec at f/5.6, ISO 2000, 1/640 sec at f/5.6, ISO 3200, 1/320 sec at f/5.6, ISO 2000, 1/320 sec at f/5.6, ISO 3200, and 1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 3200.

The second spotting was on Frenchtown Road near the ferry landing on Bolivar peninsula.

Camera, lens, and settings for the photos at this location. Olympus E-M1X camera with 300mm f/4 lens + 1.4x teleconverter. 1/2000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400; 1/2000 sec at f/6.3, ISO 500; and 1/2000 sec at f/6.3, ISO 400

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David Sparks

I retired in 2005 after 40 years of research and teaching at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (24 years), the University of Pennsylvania (8 years) and the Baylor College of Medicine (8 years). Photography is my retirement hobby.

Nature photography, especially bird photography, combines a number of things that I really enjoy: bird-watching, being outdoors, photography, travel, messing about with computers, and learning new skills and concepts.  I now spend much of my time engaged in these activities.

David Sibley in the preface to The Sibley Guide to Birds wrote "Birds are beautiful, in spectacular as well as subtle ways; their colors, shapes, actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature."  My goal is to acquire images that capture the beauty and uniqueness of selected species as well as images that highlight the engaging behaviors the birds exhibit.