Traveling Bird Photographer Top Tip
If you are headed to a bird photography hotspot there is of course, lots to do online before your trip. Internet searches that include e-Bird can be quite helpful. But the first thing that I do on Day One in a new area, is to say hello to everyone I run into with a long lens. The trick is to find a competent photographer who knows the area well. We met lots of nice folks and many of them shared tips on local hotspots. But on our afternoon return visit to Leona Bell, I struck gold. I ran into Angie Montgomery (Hi Red!) of Angie and Jeff Photography, a professional photographer who lives only a few miles from my Corpus Christi AirBnB. Aside from us, she was the only Sony shooter in sight, hand-holding the 600mm f/4. She kindly shared a ton of info and maps with us, not only on the Corpus/Part Aransas area, but other locations on our itinerary as well. That while finishing up a trip with clients. Thanks, Angie! Hey, writing the above had me thinking about Angel From Montgomery, the duet below by John Prine and Bonnie Raitt.
Angel From Montgomery
From AI Overview
John Prine wrote “Angel from Montgomery,” releasing it on his self-titled 1971 debut album. While Prine wrote and performed the original, the song gained widespread recognition through Bonnie Raitt’s famous 1974 cover version. It is considered a classic of American songwriting, often covered and acclaimed for its lyrical depth.
What’s Up?
My flight from Orlando to Houston, TX on Friday was smooth and blessedly uneventful and arrived 20 minutes early. After picking up a rental SUV, we drove to our AirBnB in Corpus Christi after stopping along the way at Goose Island State Park with hopes of photographing some migrant songbirds. After donating $10.00, we made our way to the two songbird setup locations. If I stayed there for the entire months of April and May it is doubtful that I could have made single good image of a migrant songbird there. The rest of the park held some promise but it was cloudy very bright with a steady 25mph wind from the east. We got nuthin’.
On Saturday morning we got a somewhat late start (due to the previous very long travel day) and headed to Leona Turnbull Nature Center in Port Aransas again with hopes of photographing some migrant songbirds. Again, we did not see any. There were, however, lots of birds there including a variety of shorebirds including American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Long-billed Dowitcher (all molting into breeding plumage), Dunlin, Least Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, and Killdeer. And I made a decent flight shot of a Stilt Sandpiper. There were lots of bathing and flapping spoonbills and White Ibises along with Common Gallinules and many dozens of Laughing Gulls and a handful of terns. In addition there were some Great and Sony Egrets and a white-morph Reddish Egret.
As is usually the case, photographing from an elevated boardwalk is less than ideal unless you are doing flight and action. We tried.
My best images from the morning may very well be head shots of a male Great-tailed Grackle showing the light yellow eye that distinguishes them from most of the (brown-eyed) Boat-tailed Grackles that populate marshes and gas stations throughout Florida. Some Florida boat-taileds along with most Atlantic race birds have yellow eyes as well.
We returned to Leona Bell on Saturday afternoon and were surprised to find and photograph several migrant warblers including yellow-throated, prothonotary, and cerulean along with a Common Yellowthroat and several small flycatchers. At one point a nightjar flew in to land on a bare branch about two feet from my head. As I turned and exclaimed, it flew off. 🙁
Today is Sunday 19 April 2026 and I am not sure what we will be doing this morning as it is cloudy dark and very windy. That after numerous thunderstorms throughout the night. Whatever you opt to do I hope that you too choose to have fun and enjoy life. Please remember that happiness is a choice — Byron Katie, The Work.Com
If an item — a Delkin flash card or reader, a Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro, or a Wimberley lens plate or low foot — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match or beat any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedford by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BirdPhotographer’s.Net, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.
B&H Simplified
To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible. Using my affiliate links is greatly appreciated. And, with B&H, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. You cannot get your free guides if you make a phone order. Once you have an item in your cart, you must complete the order within two hours. Huge thanks!
B&H
Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. But when I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.
Bedfords Simplified
Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Using either my affiliate links is greatly appreciated and will often earn you free guides or discounts. To receive a free guide or free entry into a Sony Set-up and Info Notes e-Mail group, you need to shoot me your receipt via e-mail. The B&H receipts need to include the order number.
Bedfords Amazing BAA Discount Policy
Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can always use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase when your product ships. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, or prior purchases.
You can visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.
|
|
This is the Photo Mechanic screen capture for the first of the 2-frame sequence that I used to create today’s featured image. Photo Mechanic screen capture #1: Turkey Vulture landing at sunset
|
In What Way is #1 Better Than #2?
In the image above, the vultures tail is clear of the perch. In #2, the tail merges with the perch. This takes away from the image by disrupting the pattern of the entire bird.
|
|
This is the Photo Mechanic screen capture for the second of the 2-frame sequence that I used to create today’s featured image. Image #1: Photo Mechanic screen capture #2:Turkey Vulture landing at sunset
|
In What Way is #2 Better Than #1?
In the image above, the pose of the bird is more dynamic than in #1 in part because we have a better look at the primaries of the far wing.
|
|
The two originals used to create this image were created on 12 April 2026 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 506mm) and the The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined by Zebras with Exposure Compensation (EC) on the thumb wheel. Multi Metering +0.7 stops. AUTO ISO set ISO 2000: 1/2500 second at f/6.3 (wide open) in Shutter Priority mode. AWB at 7:49:32pm moments after the sun disappeared below the western horizon. Wide/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. Image #1: Turkey Vulture landing at sunset
|
The Proposed Solution
Using a Quick Mask, it would seem to be an easy fix: grab the tail and the distal end of the perch from #1 and use the Move Tool to position it on #2. 1 and 2 are of course, consecutive frames created in the same second — 7:49:32pm.
The Problem
If you enlarge the two screen captures, the big problem is that the tail in the first image is set against a narrow streak of lighert sky.
The Image Optimization and the Problem Solved
First I leveled the image, juiced up the color, set the white and black points, and made the numerous additional adjustments all as detailed in the Digital Basics II PDF, the Digital Basics III Video Series, and the in the Digital Basics IV Video Series.
The only ACR mask that I used was one to lighten the water. Then, I painted the Quick Mask as above, brought it onto image #2, added a Regular Layer Mask, and — working very large, painted away the small areas of light sky as needed. I worked very slowly and very carefully and am extremely proud of the final result.
To receive a screen capture video of the complete image optimization, please send a Payapl for $5.20 to e-mail and be sure to include the words “Sunset Vulture Landing Image Optimnization Video” in the PayPal e-mail. Or, call Jim on Monday at 863-692-0906 to order the video for $5.00. If there is some interest, I will be offering selected image optimizations as above.
Artistry and Creativity in Image Optimization
The fact is that I enjoy working on my images and on the images of others as much as I do being in the field with the birds and creating the photographs. Now, please do not get me wring: junk in equals junk out (JIJO) and that will never change. However, there is virtually unlimited potential in nearly all sharp digital images that is waiting to be unlocked by those with an artistic eye and a reasonable level of Photoshop skills. Thus, I am able to turn a near-delete into something worthy of oohs and ahs. Then there is the matter of taking a properly exposed to the right, washed out, flat raw file and bringing it to life using the sliders in Adobe Camera Raw in both Photoshop and Lightroom.
While I excel at cleaning up distracting stuff in an image using a variety of tools and techniques, I almost always manage to preserve the natural history of the photo while creating an artistically pleasing version of the original. And when I don’t, if I move a bird around in the frame or add something to an image, for example, I let folks and editors know. The tools and techniques that I use include the Patch Tool, the amazing Remove Tool,Tool, Content Aware Fill, Content Aware Crop (to expand canvas), the Clone Stamp Tool (rarely), Quick Masks, Regular Layer Masks, Inverse (Black or Hide-all) Masks, and Divide and Conquer.
One of the great advantages of coming on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour is that I optimize several of each students’ best images and create a screen capture video for each image optimization. Everyone goes home with all the videos. You can see what is possible by watching the almost 28-minute YouTube video above. You will see some wonderful images and some skillful post processing as well. With lots of tips along the way, of course. As always, the proof is in the pudding!
Note: the video cover image is courtesy of and copyright 2026: Robert Eastman
|
The BIRDS AS ART Digital Basics Collection: $199.00. |
The BIRDS AS ART Digital Basics Collection
The best news is that learning to use these tools and techniques to improve your images is made fairly simple for those who purchase, use and study the Digital Basics offerings from BIRDS AS ART. One of the great skills that I have been blessed with is writing coherent how-to instructions that can be followed easily by a third grader. Learn to unlock the potential in your images by purchasing the Digital Basics Collection here. The collection includes the Digital Basics II PDF, and all the videos in the Digital Basics III and the Digital Basics IV Video Series.
The original Digital Basics file was created in the mid-aughts when I saw countless numbers of folks creating sharp, nicely designed, well exposed images and then ruining them in Photoshop. I sold enough copies at $20.00 a pop to pay for my $68,000 lap pool. As my workflow changed and improved, various versions of Digital Basics were created to help folks learn to improve their images at the computer during post processing. Save an incredible $86.00 by purchasing the Digital Basics Collection here. Folks who own one or two of the three afore-mentioned products are invited to contact me via e-maill for personalized discount information.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
Glad your travels were safe and you found some migrants. A cold front blew in last night so the north winds should provide an opportunity for migrant photography for at least the next couple of days. I have heard the birds are traveling at night and coming into Sabine Woods, upper Texas coast, in mid-afternoon/evening. I will be there this afternoon. Good luck on your trip and safe travels.