Thank You Winter, Welcome Back Spring

I spotted my first Osprey(Pandion haliaetus) today.  I did not observe the majestic fish hawk  in a marsh bordering the Chesapeake Bay nor amongst the miles of beaches on Assateague Island.  It flew overhead in downtown Annapolis, MD amongst the greenery of St. Patrick's Day celebrators (or an Irish themed Halloween for the college students lining the streets) clothed in shamrocks and hands filled with pints of Guinness.  

But I digress.  The point of this observation is that Spring has arrived.  I am excited for the season of regrowth and birth to return to the watershed, the opportunities it brings, and the joy it brings to the residents that make their home here.  Even though this winter has been particularly wonderful and I am thankful to have experienced it.

Ice Sheets along a frozen Chesapeake Bay

*Gasp*  Goes the reader tired of the cold weather.

Most would be shocked, or rather aghast, to learn that I actually enjoy winter, especially considering the many weeks of single digit temperatures the watershed experienced these past few months.   Sure, you have to be extra precautious, especially in wilderness, and while I have become adept to outdoor survival skills, I also find myself having more situational awareness with my photography.  This stems from the omnipotent silence of winter, which also happens to be my favorite superlative of the season.  I can hear the deer that struggles to find food, I can hear the wind howl through the bare forest, and I can hear how clearly my mind thinks as I lay upon the cold snow.  Besides, storytelling does not pause because it is cold outside and, with that idea ever present in my mind, I have learned to embrace the season.   

But this winter has been especially cold.  The Chesapeake Bay has not been this frozen since the winter of 1979.  All six of the coastal bays froze over as well, a rarity to eyewitness.  Observing how the regions wildlife reacted to the weather was incredible.  I watched a Great Blue Heron carefully walk on a frozen river, searching for breaks in the ice to hunt from.  I observed a flock of tundra swans land on a frozen Magothy river in midst of a winter storm that continued to increase in strength that gave them no choice but to land.  I saw the wild horses of Assateague Island walk through snow covered loblolly pine forest; a scene that looked more like their counterparts in the Rocky Mountains would experience as opposed to life on a barrier island. 

The most memorable moment I had though was being able to view the frozen Chesapeake from the air.  My wonderful wife and I knew this was not something we could experience every winter and thought how cool (no pun intended) it would be to document.

The Watershed on the edge of urbanization

Our pilot, the appropriately named Captian Kool, gave us an incredible flight over the bay and the thousands of ice sheets that had recently blanketed it.  Now I have swam in the beloved Chesapeake throughout my life and I have driven across its 4.3 mile length bridge more times than I can count but I have never been able to fully appreciate how vast the Chesapeake Bay is until this moment.  Flying over the rural and flat eastern shore of Maryland, across the bay to the city of Baltimore and through the hilly Piedmont border was simply awe inspiring.  Seeing the rivers that flow from these areas into their common linkage, the Chesapeake Bay, allowed me to view this treasure in a whole new way.  However as the sun set and the pink of twilight was cast amongst the ice my mind whisked me into the images of coffee table books about the arctic.  It was that beautiful. 

Captain Kool being an excellent pilot and paying attention while I make awful jokes from behind the cockpit

While some images are meant to inspire I also want the viewer to think as well.  These images provide the viewer an important and uncommon perspective of the watershed.  I hope this perspective makes you think about how we fit within the landscape and our use of the watershed. City congestion, smoke stacks, and even light pollution can be seen in some of these aerial photographs.  While not a call to arms, I hope the aerial perspective makes you realize your impact on the watershed and what you can do to lessen it.  I hope it also makes you want to responsibly enjoy it as well.  Even if you decide to wait until Spring to do it.

One of the most populated areas in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Baltimore, MD, at night

So what are you waiting for?

In closing, I must thank Captain Kool for these images.  He truly lives up to his name and is a great pilot and a great man.

Until next time, be well.

A Coda to the Summer of 2014

The Baltimore Orioles have just clinched the American League East. 

A Wild Horse- Assateague Island

Damn, it felt good to write that.  One more time…….

The Baltimore Orioles have just clinched the AL East.   

Not since 1997 have my beloved Orioles won their division.  Baseball in October is going to be something of a joyful bedlam throughout the streets of Baltimore, a national pastime catharsis for the Camden Yards brethren.  Especially now that the air has gone crisp, the humidity has retreated, and appropriate hints of orange are beginning to outline the deciduous hardwoods of the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays. 

The autumnal equinox is upon us.  Fall is coming. 

I must have time for pause and contemplation.  Where did the past three months go?

As summer ends its earthly rotation for another year and this essay, being my first since May, serving as both preface and epilogue to a season that began with a pivotal life event and featured adventures in wilderness on the American West and among the wilds of the Chesapeake.  I married my wonderful wife in June amongst the lodgepole pines and sublime peaks of Grand Teton National Park.  My wife and I adore the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem and what better way to celebrate our union with our families than in the presence of the great bear and the wolf.  From there we spent a few weeks within the Crown of the Continent region, the Canadian Rockies, and the deserts of the American Southwest (another favorite of ours).  I plan to write on these topics within the next few months but for now I must share:  these places are amazing.

Prior to my wedding and upon my return I have been spending the majority of my time on the Coastal Bays Watershed and in the Blue Ridge mountains of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.  The effects of coyote predation on whitetail fawns, the impact of off road vehicles on preservation areas, and the difference in behavior between wild horses acclimated to human presence versus those that are not are all topics I have been working on documenting.    

More often than not I could be found wandering and wading on the Coastal Bays.  The horses of Assateague have held a special place in my heart since childhood and observing their behavior is always a gift.  It has been a summer filled with rival stallions fighting, a new foal born, and all the other behaviors that come with wild, sea-faring, horses.

A Wild Horse herd galloping along the sand dunes of Assateague Island.

Additionally I documented and studied one of the most ancient biological rituals that annually occur in this region:  the spawning of the Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus Polyphemus).  Thousands upon thousands of horseshoe crabs come together along the mostly wave resistant shores of Coastal Bays.  Males usually appear first, sometimes already attached to a larger female, and will attempt to fertilize as many eggs as possible upon release from their gender counterparts.  The coalescing of the crabs upon the shore offers us an almost identical view of their behavior dating back to the Triassic period, as they have remained unchanged through many epochs.  The eggs then create a smorgasbord of delight for a host of migrating shorebirds and gulls.  The excess eggs transform the beach from sandy yellow to a sickly green.  Sexy, huh? 

A Horseshoe Crab arrives on a beach along Assateague Island National Seashore

“Ewww, there’s guts coming out of that thing,” a young girl with an astute eye exclaims to her mother. 

“Those are just eggs, sweetie,” she replies as she attaches a tag to the shell of a crab as part of an ongoing monitoring project.  Atlantic Horseshoe crabs are considered a near threatened species, and numbers have declined due to development and over-harvesting (they serve as bait for eel fisherman and certain species of fish).  The study of the species has led to advancements in vision science, and enzymes and proteins from their blood have resulted in numerous medical studies.  Monitoring the species along the Atlantic is imperative to not just the species, but for its contributions to medicine as well.  This ancient resident of the watersheds may not be pretty, but they are extremely invaluable. 

It’s been such a wonderful, fast paced few months.  I still have much to write about.  For now though, thank you summer of 2014.  Onward to Fall on the Chesapeake. 

Let’s hope I can begin my next blog about the Orioles and the World Series.

Go O’s!!!!

Musings on the Delmarva Fox Squirrel

I like to write; that much is obvious.  However as I prepare to marry the most wonderful woman I have ever known my mind has not focused much on nature writing, nor photography and conservation.  Actually the same may be said for eating, sleeping, breathing, and any thing else required to function normally.  After my wedding, I plan to be a excellent husband.  I swear.    

This past week I reunited with my two good friends and fellow photographers, Tom and Muck, at Mile Marker 0 on the Chesapeake & Ohio Bike Trail in Washington DC.  They had just completed the entire trail in a matter of days and it was a blast to spend some time with them.  These two awesome dudes live in the rugged Alleghenies of North Central Pennsylvania so seeing them was a real treat.  As we talked about what we had been up to I mentioned how I spent a few hours with an endangered Delmarva Fox Squirrel a few days prior.

The hamster in my mind finally began to turn that wheel.  Of course I should write about the Delmarva Fox Squirrel.  That large, gorgeous, but still endangered, fox squirrel is the poster child for the conservation of fauna of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.  Though most people can not discern between the Delmarva Fox Squirrel and its ubiquitous backyard loving cousin.  

"Hendricks, I hate squirrels.  They're everywhere and they destroy my bird feeders!"

Sorry about that.  You should invest in a squirrel resistant bird feeder, and the squirrel you're seeing at a prolific rate is the Eastern Grey Squirrel.  The Delmarva Fox Squirrel is a large, almost three feet in length, silver coated squirrel that may only be found on the Delmarva peninsula.  Labeled as an endangered species in 1967, the squirrel, whose historic range once extended from southeast Pennsylvania and New Jersey into the entire Delmarva region, had been hit hard by habitat destruction, agriculture, and development.  By the time it received its endangered label it only resided in 10% of its former range (all in Maryland).  

An Endangered Delmarva Fox Squirrel

I remember fondly the first time I encountered a Delmarva Fox Squirrel at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Maryland.  My girlfriend at the time (since upgraded to financee and very soon to be wife) saw a big fluffy silver tail and said "I think I see a Fox Squirrel."  It was raining steadily and I was focused on watching a Great Blue Heron stand stoically in a marsh when I instantly moved my gaze towards her and in the corner of my eye I saw a silver furry thing, that looked the size of a house cat, run along the forest ground.  It turned around and gave us a humorous look of surprise, complete with wide black eyes and open mouth, then took off.  Unlike their counterparts who spend the majority of their time in trees, the Delmarva is mostly a ground dwelling species who only ascends trees to find food and nest.

These shy squirrels, which I find to be more wary of humans than the grey, inhabit the remaining wild mature hardwood-loblolly pine forests of Delmarva.  There have been eleven successful reintroduction attempts, including Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (the Virginia portion of Assateague Island) and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware.  Presently the Delmarva fox squirrel resides in 28% of its historic range, which is mostly in Maryland.  While predation is a major concern on its recovery a large portion of mortality comes from automobile collisions.  When driving through wildlife refuges, such as Blackwater, it is normal, and required, to drive at a slow rate of speed.  Additional signs informing visitors they are driving through Delmarva Fox Squirrel habitat have been made because of collisions from within the refuges.  Yet the future looks bright for this beautiful mammal, so bright that federal official are looking into possibly delisting the species from the Endangered Species.  Personally, as much as I want this to happen, I feel more established populations in Delaware are needed before any talk of delisting takes place.  Because the populations are isolated from one another, they are more susceptible to being wiped out from a catastrophic event.  Thankfully scientists are monitoring potential routes for transient squirrels and the movements of tagged specimens.  It is paramount that the squirrels may successfully travel between corridors which are located on both private and public lands.  

It was wonderful to spend time with this male Delmarva Fox Squirrel.  Initially I had encountered two squirrels earlier who quickly ran across the forest floor to avoid my presence.  I watched this squirrel from a distance and observed it climb a tree which allowed me to video it foraging and climbing for about an hour.  It climbed down the tree then went deeper into the forrest which led me to conclude that this encounter was over.  I had just recorded more footage of a Delmarva Fox Squirrel than I ever hoped to have and felt fulfilled.  However a wildlife photographer is ultimately never fulfilled and no more then five minutes down the trail I came across the same squirrel, this time five feet in front of me.  The squirrel had grown acclimated to my presence which allowed for intimate portraits, however I want my work to tell a story of a species and I had to back up so I that I could incorporate its environment into my compositions!  I take that as a compliment. 

The plight of the Delmarva Fox Squirrel is an important chapter in the natural history of the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays, and I hope you are inspired to seek the gorgeous species in the wild.  Or at the very least, appreciate that it still roams this land.  I take solace in knowing that they can still be found running away from us humans on the grounds of a loblolly pine forrest.     

This is perhaps my last blog post until I am married.  Obviously this being a very exciting time, I may not get around to writing a blog post in June.  My finacee is the best and shares my love of the wild and all creatures big and small.  In fact our mutual love of animals is how we met.  We will be camping in wilderness for a few weeks and I plan to share a visible diary over the period of a few posts.  Thank you for reading and I look forward to sharing the adventure with you as I enter this exciting chapter in my life.  Thank you friend.

On Inspiration and Motivation

The Potomac River is the second largest source of freshwater that flows into the Chesapeake Bay.

I recently was invited, and privileged, to join a not-so-secret society of published writers and/or photographers to discuss projects, technique, and, among other things, the ominous ruin of art.

Ruin of art?  This coming after the announcement that the world’s largest stock image provider, Getty Images, is making a majority of its collection free to be embedded on a variety of internet and social media platforms. 

"It is impossible for you to make a living these days, my young friend," a nice, however, pessimistic writer opined. "Too many are taking it up."

Forgive my coarseness, but please, spare me the melodrama. Sure we have cameras that have taken on the appearance of cigarette lighters and oil paintings that are created with filters in software packages from Adobe and Corel, but I fail to see the ruin of art. The constant theme in life and art is change. Technology, methods, the amount of people involved; you get the idea.  All this fear does is to block the freedom of expression that creative pursuits allow. Call me crazy, but I’d rather pursue what gives meaning to my life than worry about the devaluation of the photographic process because iPhone users give away their images so they can exclaim, "Mom, I was published!" 

Besides, maybe I am a hopeless optimist, but I think it is great that more people are taking up photography. If more people pursue creative outlets I think it really does make the world, to quote every single elementary school teacher I had, "a better place." Does the young punk rocker who picks up a guitar diminish Jimi Hendrix? When a student writes a story does it lessen the impact of Ernest Hemingway? Of course it doesn't, and it may lead to the next great novel.  I am fine with that (especially as a Hemingway super-fan). 

I am inspired by the writings of John Muir and George Schaller, who eloquently shared their wild experiences and zeal for conservation in numerous publications.  Their words touched the conscience of many and led to, among other accolades, the establishment of Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Club (Muir), and over twenty parks and nature preserves around the world for wildlife conservation (Schaller).  Am I the only writer to be inspired by their life’s work?  If not, should I quit writing on similar topics because “too many are taking it up?” 

Spoiler alert:  not a chance. 

Both Muir and Schaller had to work hard to protect wild lands and have their message heard.  Anything worthy of pursuit requires effort on our part.  To be intimidated by the mere suggestion of mass human pursuit in personal endeavors is disadvantageous.  There are over 7 billion of us on this big blue marble and it would serve us well to accept that others share similar avocations.  Let my inspiration beget your inspiration.  

I express myself through wilderness exploration and photography. I want to share my passion for the wild with my friends, family, and readers. The wild lands I wish to see preserved or better preserved and the wildlife protected is conveyed through my words and images. I am inspired by heroes who made positive changes in their respective fields, not by those who buy $12,000 lenses and $7,000 camera bodies and claim, dubiously, to be "professionals" on social media. If that were the only requirement for professional photography then Visa and American Express are the world’s largest photography associations.  I am, however, inspired by anyone who wants to get out and experience wild lands, protect wild lands, photograph or paint wild lands, and doing all that with a positive attitude.  There is room for everyone; it just depends on the angle you fix your vision on. 

Assateague Island Foal born December 2013.  The Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Bay Watersheds link the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean.

Ultimately none of this matters. Currently, I am working on an extensive project documenting the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and the neighboring Coastal Watershed because it is important and personal.  This is an area I love, am emotionally attached to, and have actively participated in for most of my life.  It is a land many depend on, from economic benefit to spiritual renewal.  Over 17 million people live in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and most do not understand its complex biodiversity or the conservation threats it continues to experience.  Whether from agriculture runoff, salinity changes, or unregulated fracking, the watershed, even with current restoration efforts underway, hangs from a precarious thread.  It is a daunting task but it is something I have, and want, to accomplish. 

While I understand the market is less conducive to professional photography and nature writing than in years past I am no less excited to share the thumbprints of my experiences with you.  Without others we can not foster a love of land and sea.  But is the market less conducive to this?  Or do we have to be more creative in our approach to sharing experiences and information.  The answer is an undoubting “yes” and is applicable to a number of different fields.  Regardless of what you choose to accomplish in life it probably will require persistence, creativity, and a touch of confidence.  Getty Images accepted that they had to fundamentally change their business model in order to remain relevant in the digital age.  The majority of photographers I know only make a portion of their income from the sale of stock images and they too had to change their business model to remain relevant.  Much like the species a wildlife photographer studies, we must be willing to adapt; which is no reason to think it is impossible to succeed.  

And, in case you were concerned, I do not think art is ruined.  Thank you.

Of Snowys, Seals, and Good People

Last summer I wrote a piece entitled “Sharing the Adventure” in which I described a mountain trek with a friend.  I received quite a bit of positive feedback from readers who were kind enough to send me their thoughts.  The common theme harmonized from the responses was that these readers enjoyed the story of two friends enjoying the wilderness together.  One person wrote to me that they found my shared experience “positive and uplifting.” Thank you, dear reader, I really appreciate that.

My last blog post “Adventures with the Majestic Snowy,” also received more responses than I originally anticipated.  This only further corroborates that these owls enchant many people, from the wildlife enthusiast to the casual observer.  I found the responses to both articles similar in nature.  In one instance, people expressed their passion for sharing the poignant moments that nature bestows, and in the other, people expressed that passion for an animal that is commonly shared by a diverse set of observers.  While I am always inspired by nature, it is just as important to share that experience with your fellow man. 

With the continuing presence of Snowy Owls (Bubo scandiacus) all over the region it is becoming common to read reports of people acting unethically.  Whether overzealous and/or ignorant, wildlife communities are constantly showing people flushing birds by venturing too close or photographers doing the same thing to get a flight shot.  The outrage at these unfortunate instances is warranted but I want to focus on the majority of people; good people who act ethically and share the adventure. 

This past weekend as I continued my journey of documenting the lands of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, and its neighboring coastal watershed, I gave myself the goal of locating more Snowy Owls for images and video and, hopefully, a seal.  As I began my morning hike I soon noticed four people facing a dune that appeared to have a white bubble on top.  A quick look through the binoculars confirmed my suspicion of a Snowy Owl.  This irruption is so wild; I had only been on the dunes for about 10 minutes and already located one owl.  Sometimes the wildlife makes it easy for you.

I spent the early morning photographing and chatting with two nice guys, Clay and Vince, and a nice woman, Sue, and another friend she had brought along.  Everyone was gregarious and congenial and having a great time.  Not long afterwards another woman joined us along with a father, Nate, and his young son.  Nate informed us that this was the first Snowy Owl for himself and his son, which made the morning all the more enjoyable. 

Eventually everyone went their separate ways and I continued to work on shooting video of the Owl and swap stories with Nate.  Eventually an overzealous individual appeared, and began to belly crawl upon the dune, flushing the owl.  After I had such a great morning with so many wonderful people it took one person to stop the enjoyment for everyone.  Following this Nate, his son, and I said good-bye and I attempted to relocate the owl.  Before I was able to take out the binoculars I saw the nice woman (whose name I regrettably can not remember, but will update this if I ever meet her again) from earlier and her boyfriend and updated them on what happened with the owl.  I saw that after she had photographed the owl, she and her boyfriend spent the rest of the morning picking up trash along the beach.  Good people.   

In the midst of our conversation a truck pulled up beside us and I heard a “Mark we found a seal a few miles down the beach.”

It was Clay and Vince and they had driven along the off shore vehicle zone looking for more wildlife.  Earlier, when I had first met them, I told them I was also hoping to see a seal this weekend.  When I used to work in marine mammal training and marine rescue I loved working with rescued seals.  Since I have left those fields I have not seen a wild seal, let alone one that was healthy.  Clay and Vince came back to find me and let me know this information.  They then gave me a ride to where they found the seal, which was a healthy juvenile harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus). Photographing the many species that can be found along the coastal watershed allows me to paint a broader picture of biodiversity. Thanks to the altruism of Clay and Vince, I was able to document a pinniped.  They went out of their way to locate me and share the seal.  They did not have to do that but they did and I am forever grateful.  Really great dudes.

Everyone I met that morning was a good, nice person, and we all came together because we all happened to be searching for Snowy Owls. 

Mom viewing a Snowy Owl on Assateague Island

The next day I wanted to continue looking for Owls, specifically for video work, and my mother joined me on the adventure.  The pressure was on though, as this would be the third time I would convince my mother to go searching for Snowy Owls as the previous two times we came up short.  I also feel a tad guilty when you ask someone, who is not accustomed to waking up at unconventional times, to be on location before sunrise.  The pressure for success is augmented when you add the unfavorable winter wind on a beach.  I wanted to film the owls, of course, but I really wanted Mom to see one.


Fate was in our favor and we located a male Snowy within 10 minutes into our winter beach hike.  Success!  The excitement that came over my mom was the same I experienced when I located my first Snowy.  The intoxicating allure of these owls definitely caught my mom within a few seconds.  We were able to get great still images and video until a Red Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensi) flew overhead and the owl took off.  Using our trusty binoculars we were able to relocate the owl and were ecstatic to find that there was another on the neighboring dune!  We spent the rest of the morning photographing and videoing the two males and met a very nice couple afterwards and shared stories about Snowy Owls and other wildlife. 

Video of a Snowy Owl on Assateague Island

In closing I would encourage you to think about all the good people out there sharing this big blue marble.  It is easy to become dreary when we are constantly bombarded by negative news and depressing current events.  However the reality is that most people are generally decent.  As we learn more of the implications of this irruption it is going to be good people coming together to create meaningful change that can benefit Snowy Owls and all the other creatures that inhabit the Arctic, our planet’s air conditioning system.

As always feel free to contact me here.

By the way I recently was humbled to have received an honorable mention in the Art Wolfe and Shutterlove sponsored contest “The Compelling Image.”  To receive that type of recognition from a major influence of mine is incredible.  You can view the gallery of winners here.  My image can be seen in Chapter 2 entitled “The Art of Photographing Nature.”

Be well everyone.