Paid Photo Blinds: An Introduction

Not all bird blinds sites are equal. And while I have enormous loads of fun at San Angelo State Park and South Llano River State Park's Wildlife Viewing Areas / Bird Blinds, there is nothing that can replace photo blinds designed for photographers by photographers.

In West and South Texas, a number of ranches have opened up their doors to serious photography. Almost always the blind has been set up by a professional nature photographer, often used while that pro was shooting for a competition. The blind areas are fed daily and usually have some form of water to help attract birds that are not looking to hit the seed or suet.

While you can't buy happiness, you can't have access to these blinds without ponying up some cash. I have seen anywhere from $75-$275 for a single day, though the upper end of the spectrum usually is because you have to pay for a guide to get you where you need to go--multiple photographers will lower the per shooter price a bit.

So is it worth the price? From my limited experience I would say an unquestionable yes. The reasons for this:

1. Earlier start time vs. State Park blinds. Ranch owners seem to be more flexible than the State is about getting photographers in when they can do their best work. Yes, admittedly if you're camping in the parks you can get in at the best light. But for what I do this adds an extra layer of planning.


2. Blinds are set up for photographers. This is where I think I'm going to get in trouble with my hardcore birdwatching friends. With the exception of San Angelo S.P., the state parks that I've been to have wildlife viewing areas that cater to birdwatchers. This is, in itself, okay. Birdwatchers outnumber photographers by a large factor. The driving forces behind setting up these blinds have been birdwatchers. Photographing in these blinds can be a compromise at best. The blinds at the ranches are set up for photographers. Better angles. Better light. Bette use of time.


3. More photographers at a time. San Angelo is the best of the blinds I've been to, and they can accomodate three inside the blind and maybe a couple more outside. Maybe. The norm is one. In the popular places (South Llano River S.P. as an example, a couple of the blinds can only get 1 photographer. Usually there are more people interested than that. With the ranch blinds you know that you're going to have a place to shoot.


4. Local knowledge. While I think I'm doing a pretty good job providing some knowledge of these blinds, I am far from being an expert. On the ranches the owners know what's common and what's not. They know where the Wild Turkeys have been coming down and when because they are there every day. You can't beat local knowledge.

In short, I'm a big fan of paid photo blinds. For the serious or want to be serious photographer it is well worth the price of admission. I have a review of a recent trip to the Petersen Ranch coming shortly.

Can't wait for the review? Then check out the Hill Country Nature Photography Alliance or Lens & Land for some other ranches that have blinds available to photographers.

Full disclosure: I have no financial interest in any ranch in Texas (or anywhere else for that matter).

Image: American Goldfinch (Male), The Petersen Ranch, (c) 2008 Jim Miller

May 23rd Report - San Angelo S.P.

Starting with a bit of a follow-up from last time. After I left my Golden Fronted Woodpecker friend showed up at the blind, though in my opinion the good light had all ready departed for the day. He, too, may be reading the blog as he was the first bird in the blind when I got there this morning.

One of the things that I really like about the blind at SASP is the fact that birders who come in also record what they've seen (or what they think they've seen). Granted that the completeness/accuracy of the list is up to the skill/experience of the birder who makes the notes, but in itself it shows a sense of community and camaraderie amongst the birders in the area to help pass along what they've seen to maybe help spur novice birders to look in the book and get additional insight.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program... A somewhat disappointing day in the blind in terms of quantity of birds. Species spread was pretty good, along with a "lister" for me (the Roadrunner), but the numbers were way down from my last visit. This was especially disappointing given the fact that it was on a day off, though admittedly I did not have the full amount of time that I would normally have due to family, fraternal organization, and photo business obligations (more about the photo business stuff in another post later in the summer).

Let's start with the laundry list:

Species List

Black Chinned Hummingbird (Female)
Black Tufted Titmouse
Bullock's Oriole
Cactus Wren
Cowbirds (Bronze and Brown-headed)
Curve Billed Thrasher
Doves (White Winged and Mourning)
Golden Fronted Woodpecker (Male only)
House Finch (M/F)
Northern Cardinal (M/F)
Northern Mockingbird
Painted Bunting (Male only)
Red-Winged Blackbird (Mostly male, a couple of juvenile)
Roadrunner
Sparrows (House only)

Outside of the blind I saw a number of Scissortail Flycatchers, Northern Bobwhites, and one Turkey Vulture that was taking care of the remains of a squirrel that appeared to have gotten a bad case of P235/70 R16 disease.

It was considerably warmer this morning at 8am than it has been of late. If the thermometer in the blind is to be believed, in the shade of the structure it was 75ºF (23.9ºC for my metric friends) when I arrived at around 8AM and it climbed well over 80ºF when I left a couple of hours later.

Butterfly activity continues to speed up, and I had my first picturesque Variegated Fritillary sighting of the season along with a couple of Queen butterflies, one of which is a keeper that will likely be printed by the end of the weekend.

I didn't have time to walk the trails after my time in the blind, but I'm hoping to have a chance to get back this weekend to spend some time on the trails to see how the rest of the bird and butterfly activity is progressing.

Images:
Mourning Dove, San Angelo S.P., (c) 2008 Jim Miller
Variegated Fritillary, San Angelo S.P., (c) 2008 Jim Miller

May 18th Report - San Angelo S.P.

Interesting morning of shooting. Can't say there was a lot of new species this morning, but good light and relatively cool temperatures made for a very good shooting situation.

Species List
Black Chinned Hummingbird (Female)
Black Tufted Titmouse
Bullock's Oriole
Cowbirds (Bronze and Brown-headed)
Doves (White Winged and Mourning)
House Finch (M/F)
Northern Bobwhite (Mating Pair)
Northern Cardinal (M/F)
Northern Mockingbird
Painted Bunting
Pyrrhuloxia (Mating Pair)
Red-Winged Blackbird (Mostly male, a couple of juvenile)
Sparrows (House & Rufus-Crowned)
Turkey Vulture

Light was pretty tough. No clouds to speak of in the sky so the light was pretty harsh.

Notable sightings included the return of the Bronzed Cowbird and the first female Painted Bunting I've seen in the park. The Bullock's Oriole seen this morning had a far deeper orange than the juvenile/first year male from last week and had his black cap firmly planted on his head.

A couple of species missing this week to include the Curve-billed Thrasher, Wild Turkey, and Golden-fronted Woodpecker. So far I've seen fewer hummingbirds than I did last year, but admittedly the 2 feeders that were attached to the blind last year are not there anymore. Anecdotally there seem to be fewer Red-Winged Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbirds this year.

The notable this morning was the volume of bird calls. The Northern Bobwhites, timid quiet creatures that barely get any more than a short squawk from were loud as can be. Must be "that" season. Brown-headed Cowbirds were also more vocal than normal.

Butterflies are starting to come in with large numbers, to include my first sightings of the summer of the Pipevine Swallowtail and the Variegated Fritillary species. I desperately need to start walking some trails to see what else is in the park, but I've not had the time to devote to it.

Had a couple of photographers in the blind with me this morning as well.

Image: Black Chinned Hummingbird sloppily feeding, San Angelo S.P., (c) 2008 Jim Miller

Initial Description - South Llano River S.P. Blind #2

I had the good fortune to visit South Llano River State park on April 17th and followed-up with a 2nd visit on May 8th. As was the case the first time, park staff & volunteers were very friendly.

This is the 2nd of 4 entries on this park to go with the 4 blinds that are in the park. I made it to blind #4 on this last visit and that one will be just a little different from the rest. More to come.

Location: South Llano River State Park is located about 5 miles south of the city of Junction off of US Route 377. It is approximately 120 miles west of San Antonio or 295 miles southwest of Dallas. Inside the park, Blind #2 is located just off of the main entrance road before you get to the park headquarters. The trail leading to the blind is marked with a sign and a suitably large paved parking area within a short walk of the blind. However, if you are coming into the park for the first time that day you must first pay the entrance fee at the park headquarters.

Setup: This blind was set up very much like the first. There are two benches which are bolted to the floor in front of large plate glass windows. On the right hand side (side closest to the entrance) there is a handicapped access spot in front of an window that can be opened. This is the primary spot to take pictures from. Unlike Blind #1, this one had a small chair placed at the window. However, for my style of photography it was awkward to sit in. Also, Blind #2 also has a wooden fence just outside of the blind with openings of various sizes that will easily allow you to poke your lens through, increasing the photographic possibilities.

Perches/Attractants: There are very few natural looking perches close to this blind's opening. There is a log in front of the water feature, but I found it to be too far away to provide the intimacy with the subjects that I would have liked. There are a couple of perchable trees and one semi-perch with better background than the one log, but this is one thing that could be improved on this blind. Again, the caveat is that these blinds were primarily setup for birders and not for photographers so I'm not complaining, just offering constructive advice to entice other photographers to come in.

AM/PM: This is probably better as an afternoon blind. As logistics would have it, I again was there in the morning and got some workable shots. It may have even been more workable as the morning went on, but I only spent about an hour at this blind because I was in search of the elusive blind #4. But late afternoon would probably be better.

Species: In my hour in this blind on my 2nd visit I saw the following species: Northern Cardinal (M/F), Painted Bunting (M/F), Wild Turkey (M/F), Black-Tufted Titmouse, Pine Siskin, House Finch, House Sparrow, Black-Throated Sparrow, White-Winged Dove, Inca Dove, and Lark Sparrow. In a previous visit to the blind I also saw a couple of White Tailed Deer. Again, a full species list for the park and surrounding area can be found here.

Lens Requirements: I had very good luck with a 300mm f4 IS mounted on my Canon 30D. A longer lens would have been helpful, especially given how far back the perches were from the blind.

Other Photo Ops: As noted, the Walter Buck Wildlife Management Area adjoins the park. In all reality, it dwarfs the park in terms of overall size. Miles of hiking trails are available in the WMA. Three additional blinds are located in the park as well as a number of hiking trails near the South Llano River and Buck lake. Outside of the park there are additional wildlife viewing possibilities are listed on the Great Texas Trails - Llano Loop page from TWPD.

Image: Black-throated Sparrow, South Llano River S.P., (c) 2008 Jim Miller

May 11th Report - San Angelo S.P.

Interesting morning in the blind. I arrived about 30 minutes later than I like to, but got to "work" at around 8:45.

Black Tufted Titmouse
Black-chinned Hummingbirds
Brown-headed Cowbirds
Curved Bill Thrasher
Doves (White-Winged and Mourning)
House Finch
Northern Cardinal (Male/Female)
Northern Bobwhite Quail (Male)
Northern Mockingbird
Oriole (either Bullock's or Altamira -- ID Pending)
Painted Bunting (Male)
Red-winged Blackbird (almost exclusively male)
Sparrows (Rufus-Crowned and House)
Turkey Vulture
Wild Turkey (Hen)

This was my first opportunity to shoot with my gear dressed up in their new LensCoat gear. Initial impressions are very good. Many of the species appeared much more willing to perch on the three perching stations in front of the water. This resulted in nearly full-frame images of Mourning and White Winged Doves, Northern Cardinal (Male), and Red-Winged Blackbirds at 300mm.

It helped that the light was good, also. I was able to get some very good shots of Brown-Headed Cowbirds without the typical glare that I'm used to from having too much/wrong light.

This morning was my 2nd male Painted Bunting sighting in as many trips to the blind. He actually came in twice this morning. First was so quick that he was gone almost before I realized he was there--he left a Technicolor blur on a single frame. Second visit lasted almost a minute while he checked out the situation and grabbed a drink from the water feature. I have not seen a female to go with this male. My hope is that she is incubating some eggs somewhere so the population will increase.

On the pending ID of the oriole, this is where I will admit that I am a much more experienced photographer than I am a birder. I knew that something was up because I heard a call I'd never heard before. I saw a flash of yellow and was able to spot the bird in the trees. Unfortunately, I had neither enough lens nor an unobstructed view to get a great picture. Bullock's Oriole would make more sense as far as range goes--Altamira's are generally closer to the Rio Grande and points south. But the images I have look much closer to a Altamira--there's no black cap on the bird's head. I've passed the images to a far more experienced birder and I should have an answer soon. [May 12th Update: The bird in question has been identified as a juvenile Bullock's Oriole which likely would explain the lack of black cap and the lighter shade of orange.]

I saw another species in the blind I'd never seen before, but I'm also waiting on an ID on that one. This one I don't have much of a run on as to what it was, but I have much better pictures. More to follow in the next blind report. [May 12th Update: The bird I couldn't identify in this instance was a Bronzed Cowbird. The image in the blog is it's cousin the Brown-headed Cowbird. I'll share the Bronzed Cowbird in a future post.]

Image: Brown-headed Cowbird, San Angelo S.P., (c) 2008 Jim Miller

A late introduction...

Ok... most people start their blog with a post like this, but I was more interested in getting some information you could use out there rather than talk about myself. But now that I've more or less caught up to where I want to be...

I am an advanced amateur photographer. I don't profess to be a professional & I certainly don't have professional gear. Over the last 3 1/2 years I've exposed about 17,000 images. Most of those images have been nature or landscape related.

I maintain 2 other sites. The first is picturesfromiceland.com, which chronicles my extended visits to the Land of Fire & Ice. I blame Iceland for my addiction to photography. Amazingly enough it was Iceland's churches and waterfalls that initially fed the addiction. It wasn't until much later that I caught bird fever when I was introduced to puffins. Mmmmm....puffins....

The second is jmillerphoto.com, which houses my meager but growing sales outlet for my images. Many of my Iceland images are contained there, plus a few more from my current travels through the American Southwest.

For what it is worth, I have had images published in a few places to include a pair of books (Tin Tabernacles and Patterned Ground), a calendar project for the former NAS Keflavik, and several other publications and advertising.

I proudly shoot Canon Prosumer level cameras and lenses. My current body is a Canon 30D and when I'm shooting birds or dragonflies I will almost always have my Canon EF 300mm f4 IS L lens attached. My back-up body is a Canon 10D which usually has the Canon EF 70-300mm IS lens attached to it. In the blinds it makes a good tandem.

Ok... that's really enough about me.


Image: Painted Bunting (male), South Llano River S.P., (c) 2008 Jim Miller

Initial Description - South Llano River S.P. Blind #1

I had the good fortune to visit South Llano River State park on April 17th. First, I have to say that the folks at the park were super friendly and nice. The rangers and volunteers at the Park HQ were obviously very proud of their park and when I inquired about bird blinds the quickly whipped out a copy of the map, highlighted it, and answered my rookie questions about the park. Well done!

There are 4 bird blinds in the park. I am going to break them up into 4 blog entries. I am using the numbering pattern as if coming off of US Route 377 to Park Road 73, driving towards the Park HQ and looping around the camping area. A map to the park can be found on Texas Parks & Wildlife's website. Bird blinds are represented by the binoculars icon.

Location: South Llano River State Park is located about 5 miles south of the city of Junction off of US Route 377. It is approximately 120 miles west of San Antonio or 295 miles southwest of Dallas. Inside the park, Blind #1 is located on the main entrance road and is marked with signs and has a suitably large parking area within a short walk of the blind. However, if you are coming into the park for the first time that day you must first pay the entrance fee at the park headquarters.

Setup: The three blinds that I've been to are all basically set up the same. There are two benches which are bolted to the floor in front of large plate glass windows. On the right hand side (side closest to the entrance) there is a handicapped access spot in front of an window that can be opened. This is the primary spot to take pictures from. The downside here is that there is no chair to sit in. I strongly recommend bringing your own stool-style chair. I carry a $5 folding stool from Academy that does an awesome job.

Perches/Attractants: There are a number of perches fairly close to the window and fairly close to food sources. A large water feature is towards the back of the setup. Chicken-wire feed stations are scattered throughout--not photographically pleasing but it gets the birds in to hopefully perch where you can use them.

AM/PM: This is an afternoon blind, but in overcast light it is very workable.

Species: Based on just one visit I don't know that I can make a definite species list. There was a wide variety of sparrows and finches the morning I was there, as well as cardinals, towhees, and a couple of hummingbirds. A full species list for the park and surrounding area can be found here.

Lens Requirements: I had very good luck with a 300mm f4 IS mounted on my Canon 30D. I saw both a 400mm and 500mm used the morning I was there.

Other Photo Ops: As noted, the Walter Buck Wildlife Management Area adjoins the park. In all reality, it dwarfs the park in terms of overall size. Miles of hiking trails are available in the WMA. Three additional blinds are located in the park as well as a number of hiking trails near the South Llano River and Buck lake. Outside of the park there are additional wildlife viewing possibilities are listed on the Great Texas Trails - Llano Loop page from TWPD.

Image: Northern Cardinal (Male), South Llano River S.P., (c) 2008 Jim Miller

New Feature: Texas Photo Blind Map

I have added a link to my Photo Blinds Google map. It appears that they have added some new features so I am slowly but surely adding solid hypertext links within each of the locations. On locations that I have visited, I will note the last time that I was there. If I have made a blog entry describing the area, I will note that as well.

If you know of photo blinds that I have not added (on public land or on a pay-for-use on private land), please let me know and I will consider adding it.

Image: Northern Cardinal (Female) and unidentified bird, South Llano River S.P., (c) 2008 Jim Miller

Photographer Manners

I promise I try not to get onto soap boxes too often, but recently something occurred on a visit to a State Park that really irritated me and I really need to share.

At South Llano River State Park (review pending), I was sitting in Blind #1 (my numbering) and I heard the birders talking about some guy who was "camping" in one of the other bird blinds. This sounded strange, but I didn't think much of it.

When I finally made my way to Blind #2 I saw what they were talking about. A photographer had set up a tent-style photographic blind inside the perimeter of the bird blind. This was causing reduced sight lines for the birders and the making the fence openings unusable.

Fortunately about 15 minutes after I got there a park ranger came by and scooted the "resident" out of the blind. By my best estimation, out came a pro-level Canon body with a 500mm lens attached. Meanwhile, as he removed his equipment, he managed to also damage a plant that was being protected by a chicken-wire style cage, adding to the level of disdain from both the ranger and the birders who were trying to enjoy the birds.

My point is this. As photographers we are theoretically on a level-playing field with the birders. We have no special rights. Toting around 4 digits worth of equipment does not mean we can impact the experience for others. Yes, we always want to get closer but we need to build a positive reputation with our more-established birder friends if we can hope to have our needs thought of as additional blinds get put up.

In short, play nice.

Image: Northern Cardinal (Female), San Angelo S.P., (c) 2008 Jim Miller

May 3rd Report - San Angelo State Park

Time: 8am to 11am
Weather: Sunny but windy. Temperature from 51-59º F
Species: Good variety.

Doves (White-Winged and Mourning)
Sparrows (White-Crowned, Rufus-Crowned, and House)
Northern Cardinal (Male/Female)
Bobwhite Quail (Male/Female)
Wild Turkey (Hen)
Black Tufted Titmouse
Red-winged Blackbird (Primarily Male)
Brown-headed Cowbirds (way too many)
House Finch
Black-chinned Hummingbirds
Cactus Wren
Painted Bunting (!!)

I'd never seen a Painted Bunting in the park but had been told they were there. Not a "lister" for me (added that in a stop to South Llano River State Park a few weeks ago), but happy to see the bird in the park. [Update 5MAY: I got an identifiable image, but not one that I'm happy with. Next time...]

Outside of the blind I saw the following: Northern Mockingbird, Golden-Fronted Woodpecker (Female), and another bird which I'm working to identify.

Initial Description - San Angelo State Park Blind

A bit of housekeeping here. With each new blind location I will give a basic description of the blind location, whether the blind photographically is a morning or afternoon blind, how the blind(s) are set up, and any other pertinent information.

For San Angelo State Park, the blind is officially known as a wildlife viewing area and would be noted as such on the map if Texas Parks & Wildlife would update SASP's map. The blind has been up for a couple of years but their map has not been updated. Sadly, the same could be said for the various nature trails that are available in the park, but Friends of SASP has some maps on their website and rangers may have better copies in their gate houses.

Location: The park is in the city of San Angelo, Texas. Because SASP is divided between North and South Shores by O.C. Fisher Lake, you must enter the South Shore gate to get to the bird blind. The South Gate is off of Rd 2288, about two miles from where it intersects with US 67. Enter through the south gate and you will see a sign pointing you to Wildlife Viewing. Park in the paved parking immediately past the sign and to the right, then walk down a short dirt road to the blind. The blind is at the end of the dirt road.

Setup: The bird blind is a small shack with movable benches. Unlike the blinds at Pedernales State Park or South Llano River State Park (reviews coming), there are windows that can be opened that run the entire face of the blind as well as two small windows on the sides of the blind. Up to three photographers can comfortably work the blind at a time. Outside the blind there is fencing with openings for cameras as overflow or to increase stealth. They are not set up well for the perches that have been set up.

Perches/Attractants: Three perches have been set up in the front part of the blind. Trees are behind the perches, and a water source is in the middle of the setup. The blind is serviced regularly with seed.

AM/PM: This is a morning blind. Best light is from light overcast conditions, but blind is still very workable with bright sun.

Species: A wide variety of seed feeders come to this blind. Most common spring/summer birds include: Northern Cardinals, White-Crowned Sparrows, Black Tufted Titmice, White Winged and Mourning Doves, Golden-Fronted Woodpeckers, House Finches, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Brown-Headed Cowbirds, and Black-Chinned Hummingbirds. Pictures of what others have shot are on the walls of the blind. Because flowers are also in the area to attract hummingbirds, a small number of butterflies come into the photographing area as well with Pipevine Swallowtails being the most spectacular. I have had rabbits and deer come into the blind to feed as well.

Lens Requirements: I have shot very successfully off of both my Canon EF 70-300mm IS lens and my EF 300mm L f4 lens. I have seen as big as 500mm with a 2x teleconverter. Definitely overkill I think, but it does lengthen the possibilities.

Other Photo Ops: There are many additional photo ops within the park as well as in the local community of San Angelo. The road that you take to get to the photo blind is intersected by just one of the many trails in the park, the so-called Strawberry Trail. My experience has been that this trail is outstanding for butterflies and flowers as the spring starts to turn to summer. My favorite photo area in San Angelo is the Int'l Water Lily Collection off of Pecos. Outstanding flower, dragonfly, damselfly, and butterfly opportunities abound here.

Image: House Finch (Male), San Angelo S.P., (c) 2008 Jim Miller

Welcome!!!

Welcome to the initial entry on Texas Photo Blinds. The purpose of this blog will be to discuss places where photographers can either use an existing blind or setup a portable blind and start shooting.

My home blind is the "Wildlife Viewing Area" at San Angelo State Park, maintained by the Friends of San Angelo State Park. In this spot you can expect me to give regular updates on the species that I find and some example pictures. This blind is my home blind because it is about 10 minutes from my front door. For especially this blind, but for others as appropriate, I will highlight other photo opportunities both in the immediately vicinity of the blind, but also in/around the local area.

I will also cover other blinds as I get to them, both public blinds (usually in state and national parks) as well as on ranches where landowners have set up blinds for a nominal fee. One review is in the hopper and others will come along as I can afford to pay for them.

I have created a Google Map of the blinds that I'm aware of in Texas and I will make that available as soon as I can figure out how to link it and secure it.

Thoughts, suggestions, etc? Let me know!

Again welcome and I hope you find this to be a useful resource.

-jim