Final Presentation

All photos were taken with a Canon Rebel XT 350D. Lens' used were a Canon EF-S 18-55 mm and a Canon EF 75-300 mm.

Focal Length: 55 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 8

Tv: 1/125 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 300 mm

ISO: 250

Av: 10

Tv: 1/500 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 18 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 22

Tv: 1/60 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 135 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 13

Tv: 1/320 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 75 mm

ISO: 100

Av: 8

Tv: 1/400 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 300 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 14

Tv: 1/320 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 18 mm

ISO: 100

Av: 9

Tv: 1/100 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 75 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 4

Tv: 1/60 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 45 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 8

Tv: 1/160 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 150 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 14

Tv: 1/400 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 75 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 10

Tv: 1/320 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 75 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 18

Tv: 1/250 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 300 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 18

Tv: 1/400 sec

No Flash 

Focal Length: 130 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 10

Tv: 1/250 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 75 mm

ISO: 250

Av: 11

Tv: 1/500 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 80 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 4

Tv: 1/400 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 55 mm

ISO: 200

Av: 5.6

Tv: 1/500 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 110 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 10

Tv: 1/250 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 75 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 10

Tv: 1/320 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 160 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 13

Tv: 1/320 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 130 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 4.5

Tv: 1/160 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 300 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 22

Tv: 1/250 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 55 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 10

Tv: 1/125 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 80 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 7.1

Tv: 1/320 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 33 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 14

Tv: 1/25 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 18 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 5

Tv: 1/125 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 75 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 14

Tv: 1/320 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 75 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 18

Tv: 1/250 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 190 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 6.3

Tv: 1/2000 sec

No Flash

Focal Length: 55 mm

ISO: 400

Av: 6.3

Tv: 1/125 sec

 No Flash

Impacts of Photography

Take only pictures, leave only...fear? The effects of photography on the West Indian anole Anolis cristatellus

The objective of the study was to investigate the affects of camera-related stimuli on wildlife. The stimuli investigated were audio (shutter noise) and visual (flash).  They focused on female crested anoles (Anolis cristatellus) in St. John, United States Virgin Islands. Anoles are an ideal study subject because they are able to perceive both visual and audio stimuli. The response of the female crested anoles helped to determine the affects on immediate display behavior.

The materials used included and external shoe-mount camera flash and recordings of shutter noises of five different DSLR camera models (Canon 5D Mark 2, Canon 50D, Canon 7D, Nikon D90, Nikon D5000). Three behavior categories were analyzed: look, display (pushups and tail wags), and locomotion (walk and hop). The responsiveness of anoles to different stimuli was calculated by looking at the difference in amount and rate of behaviors from the baseline. The baseline was determined by observing the behaviors of the anoles in the absence of visual and audio stimuli.

The second component of the study was the response to natural sounds (calls of birds). This was added to the study to find out if there is a correlation between camera audio stimuli and predator calls. They recorded the responses of anoles to five different exemplars of bananaquit songs (Coereba flaveola), a non-threatening stimulus, five different exemplars of kestrels’ calls (Falco sparverius), a predator, and silence (a control).

Anoles decreased their display rate following stimuli that included shutter noises, but did not change their behavior in response to flash or silence treatments. Overall, cam- era-related stimuli did not significantly change baseline rates of display. Anoles decreased display rates following kestrel calls. Overall, natural sounds did not significantly change baseline rates of display.

            Display behaviors serve as communication between individuals and are used by females to claim territories, assert positions in social hierarchies, respond to males’ courtship displays, or show fear or anxiety. Thus, decreasing display rates could potentially interfere with mating and social structure within anole communities. The response to both shutter sounds and predator calls indicates that anoles perceived these stimuli as threatening, and are exhibiting anti-predator behavior in response to shutter sounds. This demonstrates that photography may be detrimental to wildlife, and we should consider whether restrictions on camera noises should be implemented to reduce animal disturbance.

Africa Trip Tips

1. The single most important gear on an african safari is support for your camera equipment. In Tanzania the best is a beanbag (Kinesis Safari Sack beanbags). Bring the bags empty then fill them up with local rice or beans.
2. Have duplicates of equipment in case of failure or damage.
3. A little waterproof Olympus is great to have around the Victoria Falls for water-based activities.
4. Use an international power strip with universal sockets. They take nearly any kind of plug. A North American power strip's fuse will blow because it is designed for no more than 125V power.
5. The most common adapter types in Africa are the two-pin European socket, the three-pin British socket, and the three-pin South African socket.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Safe Passage for Pronghorns

In the days of Lewis and Clark, millions of pronghorn populated the West. Today, the population hovers around 700,000, with more than 50 percent found in Wyoming. Conservation biologist and engineers came together to find a solution to prevent further decline of pronghorn numbers during long distance migration. They identified sections of highway where pronghorns most often cross during their annual trek between the Upper Green River Basin and Grand Teton National Park through GPS collaring of 400 individuals. Then they constructed wildlife overpasses containing features like sagebrush that mimic features of the pronghorn’s natural migration trail. The bridges’ sides are lined with bushes so that the visually oriented animals do not fall off the edge or get distracted by traffic rushing below. They lined the side of the highway with an eight-foot-high woven wire fence to funnel the animals into two newly constructed safe passage points. The researchers are collecting their first year of data from the newly opened overpasses, and they have already documented successful pronghorn crossings. 

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/17/safe-passage-for-pronghorns/?ref=wildlifeconservationsociety

Thomas D. Mangelsen

I am drawn toward Thomas Mangelsen's photography of landscapes, flowers and trees. I am currently taking range ecology. When scanning though Tom's photos I can identify plants that have transformed from a scientific name to a work of art. 

Foxtail and Yarrow

Saxifrage and Snow Goose Feather

Aspens at Grand Teton National Park

Moon over Tetons

Joel Sartore

Joel Sartore Galleries

Joel Sartore has traveled all over the world to photograph. He has contributed many photos to magazines, newspapers and journals. This may sound like thousands of photographers condensed bio, but Sartore differs. His photography documents endangered species and heavily impacted environments. His goal is to show a world worth saving. With this objective Joel Sartore fits the perfect model for conservation photography.

Captive Northern Spotted Owl in a clearcut near Merlin, Oregon

A mountain goat stretches to reach a mineral lick in the Walton area of Glacier National Park

A gentoo penguin (IUCN: Near Threatened) colony on Danco Island, Antartica 

"Flying fish" (minnows) over the Powder River in Wyoming, an ecosystem threatened by coal bed methane development

In King's Canyon National Park, California, chytrid fungus has swept through with a vengeance. Shown are some of the last southern mountain yellow-legged frogs as they lay dead from the fungus. 

Her spawning complete, a female sockeye salmon spends her final hours out of the current too swift for her to stay upright.

Black-Footed Ferret (IUCN Red List Threatened Species)

Partly Biodegradable Fishing Pots

Partly Biodegradable Fishing Pots - Conservation Magazine

I came upon this article on conservation magazines website. I found the idea of a partly biodegradable fishing pot compelling. During the summers since I was ten I have gone to Oregon to visit family. When I am there we always go crabbing. There is an issue with these fishing pots that I became aware of when crabbing. When fishing pots are lost they can trap other species not intended for their use, which results in their death. They have now created a biodegradable oval panel for the pots to prevent the demise of unwanted species.