Like I mentioned in the previous blog, I was going to attempt to get some shots of coyotes today. And attempt I did, however results were sub-par. I was given access to some property in Langley from a buddy of mine and had a lot of confidence about the area. As soon as I arrived I did a quick walk around the property to see what I was dealing with. A creek ran through the right side of the property and through the back as well so that was a good sign. The creek area was also pretty thick with trees so this spot had some real potential.
I brought my camouflage, blind, predator call, and long distance lure just to maximize my chances of seeing one of these animals. The long distance lure was placed, my blind was set up, I was fully camouflaged and just as I was about to sit down, I saw it. An animal coming from the left side of the property. I believe it was a Bichon Frise and it belonged to the neighbour. That pretty well ended my attempt at coyote photography for the day.
I couldn't just give up like that though. I had driven all the way to Langley from North Vancouver so I decided to make the most of it. I've heard coyotes had been spotted at a park close to where I already was so I decided to head there. Once again I put on my camouflage, grabbed all my gear and headed down a trail. The trail went through a forest and opened up into this field that looked really good. Just as I started to set up, 3 people walked by. Another place that wouldn't work.
If you're wondering why I gave up so quickly at these spots, it's because I need to call in the coyotes. This involves using a predator call which is made to sound like a rabbit in distress. This call is very loud and it needs to be if it's going to attract coyotes, however with it's high volume, it also attracts overly curious people and pets. Once people and dogs start showing up to my location, my location is blown.
The more I take photos, the more I realize that things don't always go as planned and you just have to move on and try to make the most of the day. I could look at this whole coyote thing as a negative, but I'm turning it into a positive because now I know where NOT to go to look for coyotes in the future. Speaking of which, if any of you reading this know somebody who has some land in the lower mainland of BC that has coyotes on it, please email me at brandon@brandonbroderick.com and there may be a print or 2 in it for you.
Now to talk about how I made the most of the day. Since I was already in the Langley area, Ladner wasn't too far and it's always a great place to at least get a few shots of some waterfowl. Even there I didn't have much luck with photos, but I still managed a few. Here they are...
This photo isn't anything special, I just thought it illustrated the struggle between webbed feet and ice.
1/1500 @ f/5.6, ISO 400, 400mm
A Mallard making an icy landing.
1/1500 @ f/5.6, ISO 400, 400mm
Since I mainly try for flight shots, this is my favorite photo of the day. Enjoy.
1/1500 @ f/5.6, ISO 500, 400mm
2(bw)(msn).jpg)
Wow Brandon, Coyotes can be very tricky at times, we use to have a huge pack living nearby when I lived in the Niagara Region....we saw them most of the time right at dusk...but the odd time at dawn. But in the dark they would be crying all night, all around us....they would even come in and eat any leftovers of dog food our beagle left in his dishes.....they are up here in the Huntsville area...but very reclusive....I saw Wolf tracks out East of our little village here in Novar....Oh I'd give my eye tooth to get some decent shots of Wolves out in the wild.....
ReplyDeleteThis is true, isn't it? Serendipity often leads me to photos I never expected!
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