Author: Ben Messick

Big Birds

~ Ben Messick

As we get ready to leave this area next week, we wanted to look for Whooping Cranes one more time. These magnificent birds spend the winter in the area every year and are not usually too hard to find. They were on the verge of extinction (less than 25 birds), but due to conservation efforts, there are now over 800. They are five feet tall and are a beautiful shimmery white. Also pictured are two sandhill cranes watching the big guys take off.

This photograph taken yesterday near "The Big Tree" in Lamar, Texas. (Nikon Z5, 1/400 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 400mm)

Sunset over Corpus Christi

~ Ben Messick

Because of Rockport’s location on the Gulf, it seems to be more suited for pictures at sunrise rather than sunset. I figured there might be a better chance to see a sunset over Corpus Christi Bay. I used the Photo Pills app to find the perfect spot to catch the sun going down over downtown Corpus. We arrived there to find an island blocking the view… So, enjoy this picture of the sun setting slightly to the left of downtown Corpus. 😁

This photograph taken last weekend from Ingleside on the Bay, Texas. (Nikon Z5, 1/8000 sec at f/4.8, ISO 100, 180mm)

Wall Art made from this photograph is available for purchase on benmessickphotography.com.

Thistles at Sunrise

~ Ben Messick

Rockport’s forecast today is sunny and 75º. I think that everyday in my life should be shorts and sandals weather. But… as I scroll through my social media feed, I am reminded of the beauty winter brings to nature in its own way. So as today’s post, I am sharing one of my favorites from last winter. Enjoy the weather wherever you find yourself. #tbt

This photograph was in last January in Eagle Marsh nature preserve, Fort Wayne, Indiana. (Nikon Z5, 1/160 sec at f/2.8, ISO 400, 85mm prime)

Wall Art made from this photograph is available for purchase on benmessickphotography.com.

Reflecting Willets

~ Ben Messick

Willets are another common bird we see in the mudflats around Rockport. They slowly walk around poking and probing for something to eat. The morning of this photo was memorable because of the lack of wind. Being on the coast, it’s windy most days here, but so far it hasn’t been as bad as Oklahoma (windiest place on earth?).

This photograph was taken earlier this month at North Cove Harbor Wetlands Sanctuary, Rockport, Texas. (Nikon Z5, 1/320 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 400mm, cropped)

Preening Heron at Sunset

~ Ben Messick

Rockport is small fishing town where wildlife and the arts thrive. The town has been named one of the “Top Ten Coastal Art Colony” by Coastal Living Magazine. While we have been here, the Rockport Center for the Arts opened in a magnificent new building downtown. The number of working artists, studios and shops selling local art is overwhelming. I took this in the public sculpture garden surrounded by a dozen other amazing pieces. The sculpture, Preening Heron, 2017, is by Kent Ullberg and stands slightly over five feet tall.

This photograph was taken last week by the Harbor in Rockport, Texas. (Nikon Z5, 1/100 sec at f/4.0, ISO 250, 85mm)

Monday Blues

~ Ben Messick

I set my alarm for 6 a.m. in hopes of getting myself out of bed and catching the sunrise. I tried to look outside to see the weather and couldn’t because of the condensation. Not a good sign. Got dressed and went to the car. Completely overcast. Another bad sign. I figured I would go to the harbor (10 min) anyway since I am up. Worse case scenario I just have coffee.

Well, I didn’t see a sunrise, but I did get this. It was worth the trip. I hope you have a great week!

This photograph was taken this morning at the Fulton Harbor, Texas. (Nikon Z5, 1.0 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100, 24mm)

Wall Art made from this photograph is available for purchase on benmessickphotography.com.

Coming in Hot

~ Ben Messick

Great egrets seem to be everywhere down here. You see them flying around, wading in the fresh water ponds, wading in the salt water flats, by the road in the ditch and sometimes in the trees. In mating season which will soon begin, the egrets grow extra fancy feathers (aigrettes) and their face turns green. Unfortunately, we are leaving the area next week and will miss this show.

This photograph was taken earlier this month at the Tule Creek Nature Preserve in Rockport, Texas. (Nikon Z5, 1/3200 sec at f/7.1, ISO 100, 400mm, cropped)

Wall Art made from this photograph is available for purchase on benmessickphotography.com.

It’s a Party

~ Ben Messick

When we came to the Rockport area, we had no idea that we were entering one of the best bird-watching areas in the United States. Many different species live here year-around (great blue herons), migrate through here (hummingbirds) or make it their winter home (whooping cranes). In the area where I took this this picture, e-bird reports that 100 different species of birds have been sighted IN THE LAST 7 DAYS! There may have been more long telephoto lenses here at the park than at the Super Bowl. Pictured here are short-billed dowitchers, a couple common gallinules, an American coot and blue-winged teals. Maybe. So hard to tell.

This photograph was taken last Saturday morning at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center in Port Aransas, Texas. (Nikon Z5, 1/640 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 400mm, cropped)

Costa Rican Sunset

~ Ben Messick

For throwback Thursday, let’s go back to the beginning. I purchased my first digital camera nearly 23 years ago. It was the 4.0 Megapixel(!) Olympus E-10. It featured a fixed 4x zoom lens. Instead of interchangeable lenses, it sold 0.8x and 3x converters that attached to the front of the lens. The idea was that if you never exposed the sensor, it would never get dusty. I guess that worked, but the autofocus was terrible. I had so many blurry pictures. In retrospect, I should have pretended it was a manual-focus camera.

This photograph was taken on December 1, 2001 in Jaco Beach, Costa Rica. Exactly five years before my son was born. (Olympus E-10, 1/100 sec at f/3.6, 14mm)

Reflecting Rail

~ Ben Messick

We have only seen one of these birds so far and couldn’t identify it. After we got home, Wendy used the Merlin App (highly recommended!) to take a picture with her phone of my picture on the computer screen and the app identified it as the Clapper Rail. This rail is common in saltwater marshes and mangrove swamps from the east coast all the way around to Texas. They have special glands that allow them to drink salt water.

This photograph was taken last week about an hour after sunrise in the North Cove Harbor Wetlands Sanctuary, Rockport, Texas. (Nikon Z5, 1/640 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 400mm, Cropped)

Wall Art made from this photograph is available for purchase on benmessickphotography.com.