Mississippi Kite
Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis), near Highway 287 and Midlothian Parkway, Midlothian, Texas, May 18, 2008, 9:37 a.m., photographed by Stephen Pollard
Published: December 26, 2008
 Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis), by Stephen Pollard
The kites come in like clockwork around early May, Stephen tells us, and stay until late August. "I can easily see 15 to 20 of them at one time, riding the thermals and catching insects."
The birds nest in the oak, sycamore, and pecan trees standing right in the residents' front yards but often go unnoticed by them. "It's funny," says Stephen. "Many people with whom I talk say they are amazed by all the wildlife so close to them. They just didn't realize what was around them. I guess that is one of my goals: to show people what wildlife is around them and how they can appreciate it just like me." |
Equipment used
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM zoom telephoto lens
Settings: ISO 200, 1/400 at f10, aperture priority exposure, spot metering
Light: Natural, no flash
Format: RAW, converted to JPEG
Adjustments: Curves adjustment, shadow and highlight adjustment, saturation and sharpening using Adobe Bridge CS3 and Photoshop CS3 on a home-built personal computer
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Photo by Chemagne Pollard photo
CALL HIM TEACHER: In Irving, Texas, Stephen Pollard is the assistant principal at Lee Britain Elementary School. In our photography forum, he is El Maestro - but not because he regards himself as the Master or because he thinks he is especially good at photography. "It simply refers to my position," he says. "I work in a low-income school that has a large population of Spanish speakers. The kids and the parents all call me Maestro, which is the formal way of addressing a teacher in Spanish-speaking countries." |