DECEMBER 2011
Check out this Audubon Magazine slide show and pay special attention to image nine.

I snapped that sideways Indigo Bunting while consulting last spring for an Oklahoma client interested in offering professional set-ups for wildlife photographers.

Here's the link: Audubon Slideshow

Enjoy!

NOVEMBER 2011
South Texas is not only a haven for birds. It's also home to some of the largest white-tailed deer bucks in existence.

I have spent the fall chasing trophy whitetails with my camera. I had the honor to photograph on several ranches, including the Temple Ranch (winner of the 2011 Leopold Conservation Award for Texas). It's great fun and a challenge to capture good images of "El Muy Grande".

If you are interested in trying to get your own images of these bruisers next fall, shoot me an email at: jparker@jeffparkerimages.com

OCTOBER 2011
I spent a good chunk of my year gathering images for the Coastal Bend Wildlife Photography Contest. 8-10 days per month (some months more) from February to the Fourth of July were spent in the field trying to capture those elusive, contest winning photos.

Although a lot of work, it went really fast as it didn't feel like work being in the south Texas Brush Country. Even the night spent driving in freezing rain, hoping for some south Texas snow, was well worth the effort to find everything coated in ice the next morning.

The contest is labeled as a wildlife photography contest, but it's really an all around nature photography contest. There are categories for insects, flowers, landscapes and even a creative digital category.

The contest also helps foster habitat conservation. Some landowners are surprised at the diversity of life their photographer unveils with the lens.

Finally, perhaps the most important part is the 4th grade science curriculum created from the winning images. In our increasingly urban society, many children are not even aware that these amazing creatures are found right in our own state.

Check out the winning images at: wildlifephototcontest

MARCH 2011
While the weather was a challenge for some on Friday (causing one workshop participant to be unable to attend), Saturday dawned clear and cold. Three photographers accompanied me to Los Lazos Ranch for a morning of bird photography.

We started at the passerine blind with about a half inch of ice on the waterhole. Nevertheless, it was an active spot with pyrrhuloxia, cardinal, Audubon's oriole, green jay and red-winged blackbirds in attendance. After an hour we headed to the raptor blind. Flushing a couple dozen crested caracaras and a Harris' hawk in the process. Unfortunately they were very reluctant to return. Eventually everyone got some caracara images, but the Harris' hawk did not return.

I will be teaching a photography for birders workshop at the Laredo Birding Festival.

There will be a presentation Friday evening followed by a morning of shooting in the field on Saturday. We will be photographing at Los Lazos Ranch, winner of the 2010 Images for Conservation Pro-Tour of Nature Photography.

For more info and to register go to: www.laredobirdingfestival.com

This image was selected as a NANPA showcase winner. It will be in the "Expressions" booklet at the Summit.

I photographed this Forbes' Silkmoth at Tacubaya Ranch in Brooks county Texas on Sunday. According to the North American Butterfly Association this moth has only been recorded in Cameron and Hidalgo counties (in the US). That makes this a new record!

The Images for Conservation Fund 2010 Pro-Tour results are in. I had 4 images that made the top 110. Unfortunately that put me just out of the top 10. It is a privilege to compete with the caliber of photographers that are in the Pro-Tour.

Whew! It was a whirlwind 30 days, but the ICF Pro-Tour (www.imagesforconservation.org) is done. Now begins the wait until July 10th to see how we did. This contest did not feature any properties that were set up for photography. We were all starting from scratch. It will be cool to see what images the others captured.

I'm excited to announce that I will be competing in the 2010 Images for Conservation Fund Pro Tour of Nature Photography. The contest will take place over the entire month of April. An international roster of photographers will be competing to see who takes home the prize-money.

See more at www.imagesforconservation.org