Bashakill Wetlands: Spiders and Great Egrets

Canon EOS 6D Mark II & Sigma 150 - 600mm f/5- f/6.3, 1.4x teleconverter, ISO 100, f/9 @ 1/400s Manual exposure

Last weekend I spent several days at the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area. Saturday was mostly an uneventful evening. I was there for about five hours and had nothing to show for it. I spent a lot of my time walking the trails and sitting waiting for something to come along. I was even there to watch the sunset. But it still was not a great day.

Canon EOS 6D Mark II & Tamron 90 mm Macro Lens, ISO 640, f/8 @ 1/400s Manual exposure

Several times when I thought I was going to get a chance at some wildlife action, people would always walk by. On the long trail, I thought I was alone, and I was trying to photograph some dragonflies and small birds when all of a sudden, a man on a bike with a dog came upon me. After they passed, I did not see anything more. So I walked back to my car and moved to a place where I thought I would be alone and would be able to watch the sunset on the marsh. I had been sitting in one place for about an hour alone. I was watching plenty of wood ducks fly by, but nothing came close enough. Then out of the blue, another group with a dog came upon me. They were startled because I was sitting still and they didn't see me until they were on top of me. It just was so frustrating that people kept finding me because after they start talking and making noise, nothing is going to come bye. So, I decided to pack it in for the night with the sun completely down.

Canon EOS 6D Mark II & Tamron 90 mm Macro Lens, ISO 160, f/8 @ 1/400s Manual exposure

The next morning my brother joined me, and we went back to the Bashakill. We arrived quite early, and there were a lot fewer people there. We started at the boat launch, and I was hoping that I would be able to photograph some migratory birds. Once I got out of the car, I realized that I was targeting the wrong animal. So I changed lenses to my Tamron 90mm Macro lens. In the bushes, there were a ton of spider webs with the morning dew in them. So I started taking pictures of them. Then I found one web with a spider in it. I am not sure what species it is, but it was a beautiful red color. I don't think I have ever photographed spider webs with dew in them, but I enjoyed a couple of the photographs that I managed.

After a while, we decided to move. My brother took me to a trail that was probably much less traveled. The grass was much higher, and there was not much of a path. Branches were impeding the tiny trail, and we had to duck and dodge to get through. But at the end of the trail, it comes to a section of the long path. To my amazement, when we stepped out on the long path trail, there were three Great Egrets in the marsh in front of us. I decided that they were a bit too far away after taking some initial photographs, so I put on my Sigma 1.4x teleconverter with my Sigma 150-600mm lens.

Canon EOS 6D Mark II & Sigma 150 - 600mm f/5- f/6.3, 1.4x teleconverter, ISO 125, f/9 @ 1/400s Manual exposure

Then we moved up the trail a bit and proceeded into one of the stands at the Bashakill. So, I was about 15 feet up in the air, which is not ideal, but it was better than being behind the dense brush. I decided to use exposure compensation of -1 to help not blow out the white bodies of the Great Egrets. It was the first time that I had ever done this. It worked out great. I managed to take probably a hundred or so photographs. I always seem to take more than needed to make sure they are coming out. It was approaching midday by the time we came upon the egrets, and they were not doing too much. It was thrilling to see them, because I don't see them often in my area, and I have never been able to pull off a photograph of them. In the past, I would always overexpose them. I was thrilled that I had finally captured some pictures of them.

Canon EOS 6D Mark II & Sigma 150 - 600mm f/5- f/6.3, 1.4x teleconverter, ISO 100, f/9 @ 1/400s Manual exposure

Overall the trips to the Bashakill were a success, but it took a lot of effort. I guess patience finally paid off, and maybe a little bit of luck. I look forward to the next adventure. I hope everyone enjoys the photographs. Until next time.