Riparian Institute 5.13.10

It seems like ages since I went out on a shoot! Today I decided to go somewhere new and a little farther away. About 60 miles from Buckeye is the Gilbert Riparian Preserve - maintained by the Riparian Institute (see their web page here), so at 5am this morning I was on the road for the 1 hour drive to this designated Arizona Important Bird Area. What a great experience!! The site comprises of an angling lake and 7 recharge ponds (which are specifically for wildlife) with some good walking paths linking them. I got to the ponds at 6.15 am (after taking a couple of wrong turns - bloody SatNav!!!) and was surprised to see quite a number of cars already in the parking lot. Walking into the preserve I could see the tell-tale signs of photographers already in place - lots of big lenses dotted around the banks of the water. Immediately on arrival I practically stepped on a Canada Goose... and the rest of the morning was just as fruitful. I was very careful not to disturb the other photographers who had set up before me, so I was happy to walk the trails and explore - noting the positions I will set up at on my next visit. I am sure that my next trip will yield some amazing results, but here is a selection from today:

Canada Goose (click to enlarge).





















Mallard Ducks (click to enlarge).

Black-necked Stilt (click to enlarge).





















Great Egret (click to enlarge).





















Great Blue Heron (click to enlarge).