The Bobolinks are here!

Few birds are as exuberant as a male Bobolink in May as it anticipates the arrival of the females.  Its song is a bubbling cascade that is picked up by competing males.  If unfamiliar, it is best to just search for it on the internet.  It's lovely.  The singing is temporary.  Once the pairs begin nesting, the bubbling chorus is replaced by whines and chips.

Bobolinks are a grassland bird that find minor stalks or bushes to perch on for their singing.

The yellow cap on the head and the white on black back of the body earn it the name "Tuxedo Bird".

They are an inquisitive bird that balances the singing with searching for catapillars.  (Saw it but wasn't fast enough to capture on camera.) On the plus side, they are not shy around people.  Was often within twenty feet, standing still naturally.

The bird can perch on very thin grass stalks suggesting how little they actually weigh.

The biggest challenge is being quick enough to actually capture a sharp image of one in flight.  

This was a 1/2000 second shutter on burst mode with eye tracking autofocus. Expect one good image in a hundred whenever I add some anticipation of flight. 

Another trait that I find interesting is their ability to find makeshift perches, sometimes bridging between two stalks.

Bobolinks also display a fluttering flight similar to how various raptors hover when looking for prey.  Seems this is more part of display for these birds.

My most loved behavior is still the full throated song offered with shaking throat feathers from a perch on what ever is available.

This is all so temporary.  In about two months, the grassland will have large flock of adults and juveniles coursing over the meadow before quickly departing southward.

Happy to share where to find these with my neighbors.

Paul Schmitt

Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center- West Yellowstone

I have long wished to see the snow-covered landscape of Yellowstone National Park.  In late January 2020, I began this long-anticipated trip a day early to avoid any weather related delays.  My  trip was led by John Gerlach, a long time resident of West Yellowstone (and an accomplished photo instructor).

Flying over the plains of Montana approaching the Bozeman airport, I was concerned by what I saw beneath me.  The only snow visible from 35,000 feet was hidden in the lee of small ridges.   Would Yellowstone be barren of snow?  I over-nighted in Bozeman and boarded the Karsch Stage's bus at 4:30 am for West Yellowstone.  As the bus approached the Big Sky ski resort for an inter-mediate stop, my fears were gone - maybe not deep snow, but enough to suggest that at the higher elevations, there would be deep snow.  Nothing to worry about; and, the forecast was for mild temperatures between 12 and 30 degrees.  Perfect.

Arriving in West Yellowstone at 08:00 am, the streets were snow-covered.  A hearty breakfast at Three Bear Hotel told me that John Gerlach had picked a great place for our group's lodging and food.

The Gerlach program did not begin until after dinner, but I had plans to fill the day. It was a short two block walk over to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone.  My goal was to get some practice in action photography. I scouted in the morning, and returned after lunch with camera.

The center has multiple groups of grizzly and wolf.  For both species, they have large outdoor runs that are kept meticulously clean.  The outdoor run is prepared with treats and natural scents before a group of 2 or 3 animals is allowed out.  They enter stimulated to explore the area, and the local ravens are actively interacting with them, too, as they look for food scraps. 

Let's look at the grizzly first.  The keepers hide treats under some logs in the enclosure.

One of my first lessons was how difficult it is to see a bear's eyes.   There are nearly no whites to see, and they are very dark.   Another challenge is separating the bear's shape from the gang of ravens.  Patience.

Another lesson is using a wide open lens aperture to keep the background indistinct. The bear enclosure had limited angles where the fencing is unseen. It was still very useful practice.

The wolf enclosure was also fruitful, with the wolf's fleetness offering challenging but rewarding photography. The eyes are easily seen, and capture your attention.  This wolf was prone to bursts of running, that often were free of any elements of the fencing.

Most of the wolves were towards a blackish color, and this one particularly attracted me.

On my first day at the center, it often snowed.  In the bursts of snow, it became impossible to lock focus on the eyes of a running wolf.  The camera always locked on a large snow flake closer to the camera.  On the last day of the Gerlach program, we returned to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, giving me another opportunity with moments free of snow.

There were other attractions in the discovery center.  The Great Horned Owl pair were attractive, but the enclosure always ruined the photo with fencing.  There was an indoor space with River Otters and a fish pool.  I'd  wondered if the fish were to feed the otters. No, I was told; that would have made for some wild viewing.

As it was, I did get a short clip of a lone River Otter while using my mobile phone.  I'd hope to see the otters on the Yellowstone River later in the week.  Had to settle for seeing their tracks in the snow.

One last goal on my trip was getting a good image of one of the Ravens.  It's hard to get the dark eyes and tones of their feathers.  On the last day, back at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center,  I closed my visit out with checking off the Raven from my photo list.

I will soon provide coverage on my five days in the winter wonderland of Yellowstone Park.  You will see that the park has a different personality in winter. Snow and ice create a new landscape.  A vastly smaller number of visitors present cleaner landscapes.  The bison are plentiful and present many interesting portraits.  The winter light is less harsh than summer.  I loved it and only want to experience it again.

Paul Schmitt

Death Valley has its Downs and Ups

Before this trip, I only met one person who did not say something like "Why would you go there?" I understand the name and its having recorded 134 °F on a particular July day in 1913.  Hey, that was a long time ago! Anyway, I went in late February for temps between 33 to 60 °F. Stick with me, and you may be convinced to put it on your travel list.


Arriving by air in Las Vegas, I ran a gauntlet of slot machines right at the disembarking gates.  Actually, I think they are there to grab the last dollars from departing visitors. My time in Vegas was only as long as it took to claim my rental SUV, and begin the two hour drive to Furnace Creek. It was an easy road with only one town of any size along its length. I even saw light ephemeral snow as I cleared Mountain Springs Pass.  I was looking forward to a three-day program offered by Canon, featuring the professional photographer, Erin Babnik. She was inspirational.


Furnace Creek is an oasis near the Badwater Basin. It has a park visitor center, campgrounds, lodging in both the upscale Furnace Creek Inn and the adequate Furnace Creek Ranch, and a sparse general store. The visitor center was well- staffed and offered excellent guidance in selecting an itinerary suitable for one's interest and abilities.

Death Valley is a large national park with few of the services we take for granted.  Topmost among those is a gasoline pump.  Prepare yourself for sticker shock. It was $4.24/gallon at Furnace Creek, compared to $2.63/gal at Beatty outside the park.  Ouch!  The concessionaire has you with no alternatives.

The iconic view for a first time visit is Zabriskie Point just outside Furnace Creek on the road to Vegas.  Be there well before sunrise to catch the soft, warm light on Manly Beacon seen in the right foreground. The best morning has some broken clouds to the east to prolong the good light.

You will not be alone either at the paved overlook, nor on the lower viewpoint seen below.  There is another option requiring an earlier start.  The trail to Golden Canyon from Zabriskie Point offers some lower view points that place Manly Beacon higher, relative to the distant blue sky.  (That is on my list should I be fortunate to return another year.)

The beautiful textures and colors are one notable aspect of Death Valley to me.  Looking ninety degrees away from Manly Beacon, the park offers some rich features.  As I explored one area, the ravines suggested a sweet confection that blended dark, milk and white chocolates.

Off a little more to the left it suggested some other sort of a dessert.  Perhaps I suffered from too little breakfast at 5:00 am that day?

On the first afternoon, I went to Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes which is about ten miles north of Furnace Creek.  Getting to the east side of the sand dunes calls for a mile hike, beginning on crusty alkali flats and ending on shifting mounds of sand. It is an arduous hike, seeming to require one and a half miles of effort to return to the highway.  The view of the dunes was worth the effort..

An hour before sunset, the nearby dunes already captured beautiful shadows that defined the wind swept features.  I believe I could return here over many years and always find something inspiring.

As the sun dropped behind the distant Panamint Mountains, the highest dunes took on a form reminding me of some silky cloth.

As you can surmise, most of the great images are offered early and late in the day.  The next morning began at the Badwater Basin which is the lowest point in North America.  It is 282 feet below sea level.  The basin stretches for miles before rising to Telescope Peak some twenty miles distant.

On rare occasions, heavy rains flood the basin and, as it slowly dries, the salty water forms into plates. This photo is special to me.  Canon loaned me a $2000 tilt-shift architectural lens that had the ability to capture a focused image from 3 feet to infinity. I can only dream of owning such a lens.

Other parts of the Badwater Basin have interesting features that come from flash floods. As the wall of water exits a canyon, the entrained debris quickly settles out, beginning with the largest boulders and ending far out on the plain, where it forms a mud playa. Like the image above, it slowly dries into fascinating mud tiles. In the afternoon, we explored the many shapes offered. 

Much of our third day was devoted to post-processing images, but that evening we visited what appeared to be somewhat in between salt and mud playa.

With the Canon program concluded, I chose to stay in Death Valley another day and a half.  A retired park ranger offered some advice for my first free day that begin at 5:00 am driving to Beatty, Nevada.  It was 51°F in Furnace Creek (elevation -190 ft.) and 33°F at Beatty (elevation 3300 ft.).  Beatty offered several benefits at 6:00 am - gas for $2.63/gallon, hot coffee and a sandwich shop for my midday break.  The ranger insisted I begin with a full tank. Smart.

My first stop was the abandoned mining town of Rhyolite (1904-16). I explored it close to sunrise. It was actually a rather large town, and had an electric power station and a railroad spur. But the gold played out quickly.


What is left are remnants of a boom town.  A caboose and water tank remain near the fenced railroad station.

A one-room house sits alone framing the distant mine office building.

Only a few walls of the mine office have survived.

An overstuffed chair remains some hundred years after the mine closed.

I reluctantly left Rhyolite with the knowledge that my plan to drive the length of Titus Canyon Road would take 3-1/2 hours plus any time to stop for photographs.  Ranger Bob have planned out a full day for me, as you will see.

The first twelve miles were over sagebrush flats on a rough road holding my Jeep Compass to about 10 mph. It steadily gained elevation up to Red Pass at around 5700 ft.  By the way, the road is one way, as in single track and very unfriendly to long vehicles.

Then it got interesting.  I had on my list photos of mines and geology. I found my first mine opening just before the boom town of Leadville.  It's not exactly exciting, but finding one that was accessible, and not barricaded, was satisfying for me.

Leadville was the product of the Roaring 20's and did not survive very long. 

A few mines are seen high up on the mountain slopes, and otherwise a few buildings remain. Someone probably lived in this ramshackle hut.


Further down the road was the remains of a car, maybe a Model A Ford?

Farther along was one of rare year-round springs in what are called the Grapevine Mountains.  A few birds were there, and reportedly mountain sheep come for water every three days.  It must have a long human history as revealed by petroglyphs on a huge rock wall.

From Red Pass, the road generally lost elevation save a climb over a minor  pass into Leadville.  Leaving the ghost town, the road entered a canyon, often becoming quite narrow.

 Along these canyon walls, I found patterns which suggest hard rock intruded into softer layers to create interesting patterns. It suggested to me a sperm whale with its mouth open. 

I also liked this pattern.

I soon exited the canyon and had one more destination,  Ubehebe Crater.  About 2000 years ago, rising magma reached ground water and a massive explosion resulted, leaving an 800 feet deep crater. You can hike to the bottom on a rather steep trail of fine pebbles.

At this point in a long day, I passed on the experience offered.

Once back in Furnace Creek, I explored the remnants of the borax mining industry including the famous Twenty Mule Team wagons and the other relics displayed. (Sorry, they are all out of mules now.)  It appears that the dry climate - 9% in February - contributes to relics of the past not decaying.

The wheelwright's skills are remarkable as seen in the little museum at Furnace Creek.

Water barrel on borax wagon

Brakes on borax wagon

On my final morning, I took the time to slowly explore Twenty Mule Team Canyon just past Zabriskie Point. As I found earlier, the geology of Death Valley creates beautifully varied colors and patterns.  There must been some sulfate deposits up on the top where the turquoise color is seen.

This was my last image of the trip.  Surely these images explain the attraction of Death Valley. Just don't go in the summer.

Hope you enjoy the story.

Paul Schmitt