Jeff Clow Loc: Iowa and Texas

Have you ever had a morning that you considered staying in because the weather forecast was so bad? Today on South Padre Island the prediction was high winds and totally overcast.

But I knew my boardwalk buddies would be out so I reluctantly drove to the SPI Birding Center around 8:00 am. And guess what?

I had the single most productive bird photography day in North America I have ever had in the space of two hours. Here’s a partial recap:

Two Osprey flybys with fish in their talons. A great blue heron flyby with a speared large fish. A different GBH with a huge mullet fish right off the boardwalk. Roseate Spoonbills flying in and then stretching their wings several times. The brown pelican you see here swallowing another large mullet fish right off the boardwalk. A green heron with a fish in its beak. And then the final prize was a harrier hawk flyby as I walked back to my car.

Any one of those things would rate a great bird photography day in my viewpoint. But to have all of them together was like hitting the nature photography jackpot.

I re-learned a valuable lesson. Bad weather doesn’t necessarily mean bad photo opportunities. And sometimes dragging yourself out of your warm bed pays off when you least expect it... — at South Padre Island Birding Nature & Alligator Sanctuary.

CindyHouk Loc: Nw MT

Great day for you!! So glad you didn't listen to the weather report....we never listen to the weather...just get up and go since you never know what the weather will be in various places around these parts....you just have to dress in layers from swimsuit to snowmobile suit and shed as needed!!!

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Jeff, Welcome aboard. It is too easy to use the weather as an excuse. In 1972 I took a workshop with Ansel Adams in Yosemite. The thing I always remembered is him saying"You never know when the light is going to be right.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Lets see the Osprey with fish, the Great Blue with speared fish. Where are the photo's.

Don, the 2nd son Loc: Crowded Florida

starlifter Loc: Towson, MD

All too true.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

For us, yes we can ignore the forecast - because a small shift in the wind can change everything - but looking out the window is very important. I went out in a snow storm after people here {after several hurricanes} said we avoid bad weather ...... and found very little. It turns out that man and beast all bunker down until it passes and here the light during bad weather is a uniform gloom.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

What I always noticed is that the birds and other critters don't get the weather forecasts.....they gotta eat, so they are out in it anyway!!!! Glad you had a fun and productive day!!

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Here in New England the weather report is pure guesswork. Running a farm you can't depend on the forecast. I did have the radar on my phone, but even that was iffy sometimes. Hoping for rain, seeing a big green blob heading my way was great, until at the last minute it split in two and went around me.

awenderoff

thanks for the inspiration

saxman71 Loc: Wenatchee

Post a couple of these shots you describe in the photo gallery (be sure to check "store original" so they can be downloaded). They sound interesting and I'm sure many of us would take a look and leave you our thoughts.

cucharared Loc: Texas, Colorado

I see ZERO photos. Where are they hidden?

ron

fotobyferg

Pictures...or it didn’t happen.😉

Jeff Clow Loc: Iowa and Texas

Thanks for the warm welcome. Great quote.

Nice to meet you via the magic of online photo forums.

Jeff Clow Loc: Iowa and Texas

Just learning the ins and outs of this site. Will post some photos here as soon as the “add attachment” button works. It wasn’t working on my device earlier.