· Pipeline Heron Rookery 2008 This is a ProShow Gold show, photographed in downtown Richmond, VA near the Pipeline Rapids on the James River. A Great Blue Heron Rookery consisting of about 30 nests has been developing over the last few years on an island visible from a walkway over a pipeline that runs under an overhead railway. The photographs were obtained in April 2008, while the nests were under heavy construction. Scenes of the herons carrying large sticks, and handing them to the females are shown. A mating sequence is also shown, as well as action scenes of Great Blues fishing. The program is not narrated, but includes a soundtrack and bird sounds, and takes about 8 minutes.
wildlifebirdsPipeline rookeryJames RiverGreat Blue Heronflight
South Africa Birding Trip 2006 PowerPoint program with text, narrated by Al Warfield with Linda’s help. About 45 minutes. This trip was taken in August 2006, winter in the southern hemisphere. It was a 12-day birding trip with Birding Ecotours of Capetown, and started in Durban. Places visited were Lesotho (a separate country high on a cold and windy 10,000 ft plateau, wholly contained within South Africa), Knysna on the Indian Ocean near Cape Town, and several locations in the interior and coastal areas of KwaZulu Natal Province. Over 200 birds were photographed on this tour. Highlights were the courtship dance of the African Crowned Crane shown in several consecutive frames, the hard to find Pink-spotted Twinspot, and several mammals such as the Greater Kudu and Common Warthog. Here the idea of using photos in a sequence similar to a video was experimented with, and developed further in later programs.
Backyard Birds in Winter 2008 This is a great program for beginning birders, and folks who like backyard birding. The photos were shot in February 2008, and include great sequences of Eastern Bluebirds, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatches, several species of woodpeckers, juncos, and other Mid-Atlantic backyard birds. This is also a Photodex ProShow Gold slideshow with birdcalls and other sounds. It takes about 10 minutes, and can be combined with other shows such as the Pipeline Heron Rookery show (total combined length about 20 minutes), or with any of the other shows, depending the primary interest of the group.
Reddish Egret Fishing at Topsail Inlet 2008 This is a series of images taken in August 2008, of a single young Reddish Egret fishing in a shallow tide pool at New Topsail Inlet, Topsail Beach, NC . There were currents in the pool that were full of minnows that jumped out of the water while the egret danced and moved it's wings around. The sequence was photographed using a using a Canon 1D Mark II digital camera with 600 mm lens and 2x extender to bring the action close in, and quickly advanced to produce an almost video-like effect. This 2-minute show works well to fill out a program composed of other short shows.
BeachbirdswildlifeTopsail IslandReddish EgretNorth Carolinafishing
Texas Birding Trip 2007 This was a February driving trip that started in Anahuac NWR near Houston on the Gulf Coast, to Corpus Christi and Aransas NWR, to South Padre Island and Luna Atascosa NWR, to Brownsville and Sable Palm Audubon Sanctuary. From there we visited several birding sites in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, one of the best birding areas in the continental USA. Although it was early in the migration, several warblers, such as Tennessee, Nashville, and Orange-crowned, as well as Summer Tanagers and the noisy Plain Chachalacas and Green Jays were seen and photographed. The trip continued along the Rio Grande to Salanino near Del Rio, where Brown Jays and several species of orioles including Audubon’s and Altamira were photographed, and then we crossed the Pecos River into West Texas, and to Big Bend National Park. There we saw and photographed Phainopepla, Black-throated Sparrows, MacGillivray’s Warblers, and Mexican Jays among many others. Finally we visited Davis Mountain State Park and McDonald Observatory. During this trip we developed a technique for recording birds on a perch and inserting the photos into a program that provides an almost video-like experience, but better than a video, since each frame is done in high resolution. The result is a study of bird behavior seldom noticed by casual observers. The program is Photodex ProShow Gold, very versatile software, which allows the insertion of birdcalls where appropriate, as well as a music soundtrack. This program, once started, runs for about 15 minutes, and requires no narration except at the beginning where the route is described.
wildlifebirdsGoldenfronted WoodpeckerTexasMissionRioGrande Valley
Bosque del Apache Sandhill Cranes 2007 Based on a trip to Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico in November 2007, this ProShow Gold show is really a study of Sandhill Cranes, especially the migratory subspecies, and describes in photos and depictions the various behaviors of these birds. But it is presented as one day in the life of Sandhill Cranes at Bosque del Apache NWR in November. Great images of the cranes are shown in their roosting habitat, taking off and flying over a mountain range, landing in fields to feed, and returning to their roost grounds. During these activities the behaviors are named and compared with diagrams superimposed. Some time is provided for brief narration, and there are bird sounds and a soundtrack. The program runtime is about 13 minutes.
wildlifebirdscranesSandhill CranesBosque del Apache NWRNew Mexicocranes in flight
Highland County Spring 2007 Our most popular program, this is a Photodex ProShow Gold presentation that shows our late spring experiences in Highland County, primarily at Bramble Hill Farm near Blue Grass, but also at the Blue Grass Cemetery and at Bear Mountain Resort. It starts early in the morning with foggy scenes, and progresses to birds near the house such as American Goldfinches and Golden-winged Warblers singing in the trees, Eastern Phoebes feeding young, and singing. Eastern Towhees, Indigo Buntings, Chestnut-sided Warblers and Field Sparrows. Studies of singing Eastern Meadowlarks, Bobolinks, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Savannah Sparrows are displayed. The show continues with the sun setting over a mountain, and then there is a surprise ending, which you will just have to see. The show is not narrated but contains a soundtrack with pleasant guitar music and bird calls, and takes approximately 13 minutes. The photography was done over about 2 weeks in May 2007, but is shown as one day in Highland County.
wildlifebirdsHighland CountyBlue GrassVirginiafarmhousesunset
New Mexico Birds and Scenes 2007 This ProShow Gold show is also based on our New Mexico trip in November 2007, but includes photos of the geese, ducks, woodpeckers, and all the other birds and scenes we experienced in New Mexico, other than Sandhill Cranes. Great shots of Snow Geese, Ross’s Geese, Wood Ducks, American Wigeons, White-crowned Sparrows, Aplomado Falcon, and Red-naped and Williamson’s Sapsuckers, are shown. Places visited included Bosque del Apache NWR, the Wigeon Pond at New Mexico Tech in Socorro, the Very Large Array Radio Telescope facility near Magdalena where Great Horned Larks were photographed, the Rio Grande Nature Center in Albuquerque, and Sandia Crest-where we photographed two out of the three species of Rosy-finches that frequent that location. Scenes of the landscape are included as well as detailed studies of some of the birds’ behavior. This show should take about 15 minutes or less, and will require little or no narration. It is normally combined with the Sandhill Cranes show for a more complete presentation on the birds of New Mexico, resulting in a total time of about 30 minutes.The addition of the 22 minute show on Northern NM and Southern CO would total a 52 minute presentation.
Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado Birds and Scenes 2009 Another ProShow Gold show, this one is based on our trip in May 2009. In addition to birds, the architecture and impressive scenery of each area we visited are presented. The program starts in Santa Fe, NM, and then progresses to Bandelier National Monument and Taos, as well as some areas in between. In Colorado we visited Amoroso NWR, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Phantom Canőn Road, Manitou Springs, Colorado Springs, Garden of the Gods, the US Air Force Academy, and Pueblo. Finally, the return trip included Raton, NM and Capulin National Monument. This show completes the New Mexico birding story and also covers the beautiful and interesting southern Colorado mountain region.
wildlifebirdsSpotted TowheeColoradoColorado SpringsGarden of the Godssinging