A New Adventure Begins... Baja!

I am sitting at the airport in Reynosa, Mexico waiting for my plane to pick me up and take me to Baja for our orca and Mobula ray expedition. Super fired up about getting there already. Baja is a fantastic place, and this time of year, the ocean is thick with wildlife. These are exploratory trips because you never know what you will find. Like our pelagic trips in November off Baja, every day is different.

the adventure begins…

the orca pod we encountered.

On this trip, the goal is to find orcas, but we will also be stopping to check out any other wildlife we may find, including the tens of thousands of Mobula rays out there right now. So the potential for great encounters is there and could be epic when we see the large groups of these beauties.

Plus, this is also prime-time smooth hammerhead season off Baja, and they are probably here because of the mobulas as well. I flew out a day early to join up with one of the local shark operators to spend a morning looking for these guys. Pelagic sharks are always fun. They are hard work to chum in, but when they finally do arrive, they are so much fun.

smooth hammerhead

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mating mobula rays

We ran our first trip off Baja for orcas back in 2019, and thankfully it was a success. We found them on day one and had some fantastic encounters with them. We also spent some time with mating Mobula rays which were unique and beautiful to experience. So our first trip was a truly memorable experience, which got us fired up about running another one. Sadly due to the corona crisis, we had to cancel our 2020 trip.

Despite a few hiccups along the way, we are all set to run the trip this season, and now we are just a plane ride away from it all beginning!

THE CORONA CHRONICLES BEGINS…
The goal is to share as much as I can with you guys daily—Internet permitting, of course. I should have wifi at our hotel where we will be staying to share updates nightly (when possible) with you guys. I will try not to bore you with too much writing. I am just trying to find an interesting way to share our world with you all, along with the highs and lows of the travel life in this post covid world. I tried it with videos years ago, but it was challenging to record/edit and then post, especially with sketchy wifi, so I gave up the ghost.

Anyway, they are now boarding the plane, so I got to go. But super fired up about this trip - well, two trips, we are running this one for two weeks, back-to-back, and I am excited about sharing it all with you guys.

Tomorrow morning I head out to look for smooth hammerheads… so look for a report late Tomorrow night.

big orca male we encountered in 2019.

Thank you for reading and I hope to see you out in the world… somewhere… anywhere!

New Photo Gallery is Up - Birds of Color!

I created a new photo gallery for our website dedicated to the beautiful birds of South Texas. Some are migratory birds and others are year round residents. Sadly many of our wild places are disappearing and with them will go many of our migrant species that stop through here during migration season.

I truly hope we can preserve what is left of our wild places for nature and for the world to enjoy. This album is a work in progress, I still have a lot of birds to add to the album, but I really wanted to create a portfolio to showcase these amazing animals in all their feathered glory... I truly hope you enjoy.

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The World Needs Your Fingerprint!

Do you have a story to tell? I am talking about an in-your-face, heart-pounding, hair-raising, exciting adventure story, or maybe it’s about a beautiful day spent at your local hike and bike trail. Hopefully, it's about your experiences with wildlife, but it could be another outdoor activity; tubing down the river, mountain biking, or a walk through the woods, just anything adventurous in nature. If you don't have a story like that, then you need to go out and live one.

Everyone should experience an outdoor adventure that will make you nervous, and excited, and happy, all at the same time. So move out of that comfort zone and attempt something fun and new, at least once a year.

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The next thing you need to do is document it (if you're not already). You need to write it up! DO NOT allow a great adventure to die, left buried in your memories. Not when you can pass it along.

Why... you ask?

People out there need your stories; they need your adventures; Your highs, your lows. Your experiences may inspire someone to get up and go live out their own dreams, especially in these crazy-Covid times. People need to remember that the world is still an amazing place. Plus, nature and the local communities around them need eco-tourism. Without it, it isn't easy to protect the animals and wild places we love so much.

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Maybe you're thinking to yourself, "I wish I could, but I'm not a writer." I say the second you pick up that pencil and scribble out your first lines; YOU ARE A WRITER! It does not matter if your first writing attempt is good or bad, "you are a writer." With practice, you could one day be a great one. So break out that notepad or your laptop and start writing. Just write from your heart, and you can't go wrong. And if you would like someone to read it, send it to me. I'd love to experience your story.

Remember, the world is full of people who have stories to tell. The problem is, most people don't have anything interesting to write about… you do or you will.

Thank you for reading and I will see you out in the world - somewhere… anywhere.

New Crocodile Video up on Youtube.

I edited a video from our 2020 Crocodile Diving Expedition. I wanted to create something a little different and share a more poetic look at these ancient creatures. Crocodiles are so misunderstood, yes you need to respect them, because they can be dangerous. However if you follow the rules they can be very safe to dive with. Hope you enjoy this video…

My Ride or Die!

Hey guys, this blog is a bit more personal than my other blogs, but I wanted to share a piece of my soul here. 

I was going through old hard drives, looking at images. I am making plans for a future trip. It is so much fun visiting those long lost memories, I can’t help but smile. What an incredible ride this has been, with so many magical moments that I have experienced through the years - It has been one hell of a journey.

During my search, one thing stopped me in my tracks. I was looking through images, and there was one person who has been there with me - and for me, through it all… my beautiful wife Maritza. 

This amazing lady has been my ride or die for going on 27 years, and I have to say it has NOT been easy at all. I honestly do not know how she has done it for so long… I admit that I am a horrible person to be married to. I have an addictive personality and can be extremely obsessive about whatever I am passionate about; from my bull riding days to my wildlife obsession. I am so driven that I am challenging to deal with. What’s worse than me having a passion or hobby is when I didn’t have anything moving me forward, those were horrible days for my family and me, especially my beautiful wife. 

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SO this blog is a public apology for the massive headaches I have given her through the years (and an advance for the future headaches as well, lol). I truly am sorry for my wild heart - AND a huge THANK YOU to this super human that I share my life with. Thank you for putting up with me. Thank you for helping me build this amazing world we have created together. Thank you for joining me on countless adventures. Thank you for all the great memories we have shared together. Thank you for the amazing souls we have raised up, and thank you for loving me through it all. It has been an amazing bumpy ride.

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I am excited for the future and all the ups and downs that life throws at us. Love you with fire!

I hit the Middle... 50!

Well, it is official; I am 50 years old. Yesterday was my birthday, and I hit the middle of life. What a blurry wild ride it has been so far. When I look back at my life, it has been an amazing adventure and a lot of fun. I have stumbled and have fallen (a lot!), through the years, and there are so many things I wish I could do-over. But sadly, I cannot. I hear so many people say, I have no regrets and that they wouldn’t change a thing, but I would. I would probably not be the same person if I did, but I would still do so many things differently and much better. But I am here, unable to change a thing about who I was or what I have done in my previous 50 years on earth, so I live with it, I keep charging forward, fixing what I can, having fun and seeing as much of the world as possible along the way!

I will say this; I am not going to waste any of my next 50. I will become the person I aspire to be, and make right my wrongs and live a much richer life. I am super excited about the future of my life and my companies life - especially this crazy wildlife world we have created here at SDM, from the projects we get to work on to the people we share these amazing adventures with. I am on fire about it all, and no words can truly express how I feel inside with all the unknowns that are headed our way.

Anyway, I kicked off my birthday the proper way - with a 5 am wake-up and an hour and a half drive down to South Padre Island, Texas, to snap some pictures of the spring bird migration. We had some weather blow in over the past week, creating a fallout for birds, which is an excellent time for birding.

I grabbed the Wikipedia definition of bird fallout to explain it for my non-birding buddies out there.

“Bird fallout or migration fallout results from severe weather preventing migratory birds from reaching their destination. This can occur while birds are traveling south or returning to their breeding grounds. Due to the distance traveled, birds will not have enough energy to continue flight when encountering high winds. This exhaustion results in many birds resting in one area. This may be very stressful on the birds and on the surrounding ecology. Bird fallout is not particularly common, as it stems from the chance event of severe winds found in inclement weather. Due to the rare occurrence of a migratory fallout, as well as the abundance of birds resting in a single location, it is a sought-after event for Birders.”

So I decided to visit SPI, which is one of the refuges birds use during a fallout. There are a couple of migratory visitors that I have wanted better images of, and after looking at the FB birding page for our area, I knew they were around. The painted bunting and the indigo bunting are two extremely beautiful songbirds that visit our area in the springtime, and I did not have great images of them, so I decided to stop in and see if I could finally capture a few that I could get excited about.

 Due to the fallout, there was plenty of both species hanging around, and I captured my fill of these species. The indigo bunting was still a bit of a challenge to get close to it. But I now have better images of the bird. Of course, they are not perfect… yet! So I will go back for more opportunities to get that dream shot I am after. I am sharing a few of the images I captured with you guys and once I return to SPI next week I will share some more.

What I am really after is creating a Birds of Color portfolio and a photo gallery for our website. We have so many beautiful colorful songbirds here in South Texas, and Spring is when they are all looking their best, with that amazing breeding plumage. So I am working towards snapping as many of them as possible. I already have a few, but always looking to improve it.

Until then, thanks for reading, my friends.

A Dream Comes True!

It has been a while since I have blogged… Sorry, I have been quiet. I have been on a film shoot this week. I can't say much about this project, other than I am in Texas, and it is my first blue-chip film, which I am over the moon about. Through the years, the TV projects I have been involved in have all been host-driven or reality-based wildlife films. This one is my first full-on David Attenborough style show. Where wildlife is doing what wildlife does with a narrator. This is a big deal for me since I have been working towards this for a long time.

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Female nilgai jumping across the road.

So here I am, with 5 AM wake-ups and long full days out in nature seeking out wildlife. I can share a few of the images I have captured of some of the animals I have seen out here, which have nothing to do with the project or what we are doing. These are all Texas natives, except for the nilgai, which is an invasive species. I keep my camera around, snapping images during the down time and when I can of any animals that pop out of the bush and surprise us during the day.

Finally, getting to work on one of these shows is everything I dreamed and expected it to be; it is hard work trying to capture animal behavior - with a camera that is properly framed and focused, with the record button on. Capturing behavior is really hard, so my hats off to all the wildlife filmmakers for the magic they have brought to the world throughout the years. For that I say thank you for the art and inspiration.

Javalina. These little guys where not afraid of me,

The weather has been a big issue this week, my beloved Texas sun can be draining, and the wind has been harsh, and all of us despise the deer ticks we sometimes pick up from the tall grass… except for Christian, he doesn't seem to care. Lol. This is all part of the wildlife filmmaker's journey, and I am on fire and super happy that I am finally getting to be a part of it. I love it all, especially being around animals all day - truly a dream come true.

(Below Images; Getting a shot of a Texas tortoise. To try and capture a perfect image, you need to get low. )

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White-tailed deer.

Don’t get me wrong, I am crazy obsessed about the trips for SDM that I lead, but this is a different kind of wildlife experience because I am never anywhere long enough to get to know the wildlife, except Tiger Beach. When we visit a place, we are there for maybe 5 or 6 days, and then we are off to the following location. All we get to do is taste an area, it is never long enough to get to know an animal, or its behaviors and habits. Working on a film like this, I am learning intimate details about animals and their behaviors. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!

Female White-tailed deer.

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Male nilgai.

Anyway, I wanted to update you guys on what I am up to. If you have tried to contact me during this time, I apologize if I have been slow to respond. The shoot is almost over, and I will get back to emails and upcoming expeditions for SDM shortly. For now, I am going to enjoy every second I have out here, learning as much as I can from the animals and the amazing crew that I have the privilege to work with on this project. When I get the green light I will share more about this show and what we are up to. I also promise to get back to blogging and sharing with you guys, much sooner than later.

until the next one… thank you guys for reading.

With the crew this week. Christian Von Preysing (TV Journalist and adventurer), and Tom Fitz (6 time Emmy winning Wildlife filmmaker.). It’s been an honor working with you guys.

My First Bird Images Published in a Book!

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Returning from my evening run last night, I got a pleasant surprise. A package was waiting for me. As soon as I picked it up, I knew what it was.  I had been anticipating its arrival for a while now, and finally, it was here - A book called “Birds of Instagram, edited by David Sibley, and Chris Gatcum, published by Abrams Books, which I was honored to be a part of. David Sibley is the author and illustrator of The Sibley Guide to Birds, which is considered one of the most comprehensive North American ornithological field identification guides. And yes, I am a bird nerd, so it's pretty damn cool to be in a book he is part of. His guide book is one of the very first that I purchased when I first got into birding. 

These are the first bird images I have had published in a book, which is fun for me, especially since I am so passionate about birds. I remember having a conversation with a fellow photographer and ocean guy. He teasingly yet half-serious told me that I needed to stop posting bird images as it was not good for business. More importantly, it was not a good look for me since I was coming from the trenches of the shark world. I laughed it off and told him I'm in too deep. I do enjoy birding and bird photography. He just said I need to stop, and we ended the conversation. 

One of the images published in the new book.

Of course, that conversation always sat in the back of my mind, quietly nagging at me, as he is a very respected wildlife guy. But I was pretty much set on my passions, and despite being the Shark Guy, I didn't care. I genuinely enjoy it and decided to continue capturing images of birds, and posting them on our social media pages. I even have a page on IG dedicated to just my bird photography.

Fast forward to last night and leafing through the new book, I wore a huge smile on my face as I looked at my images printed on those pages. It really makes me proud of this accomplishment on my wildlife journey, and even prouder to officially call myself a published Bird Nerd. 

Thank you for reading!

We Added a Basking Shark Expedition!

We just added a basking shark expedition to our trip itinerary for the 2022 season. This is a trip I have wanted to do for years, and we finally decided to set it up. Basking sharks are the second-largest fish in our oceans and one of the most mysterious. Sadly, this species was decimated by fishermen who wanted their livers for oil and because they were considered a nuisance shark.

Commercial fishers paid money to have these sharks killed on the East coast because the basking shark kept damaging their boats and nets. Basking sharks are filter feeders, so they swim on or near the surface, ram feeding for plankton. The sharks would often get caught in gill nets or hit the fishing boats causing financial damage. So they would kill every shark they would find. They nearly wiped out the entire East Coast population of these sharks in the process.

Thankfully these sharks finally won some protection, and since then, their numbers have been on the rise. They are still nowhere close to recovering, but they are on their way. Only a few places left where you can see them, and the Isle of Coll off Scotland is one of them.

Images courtesy of Chris Knight

I am very excited about going there and finally getting in the water with them. I am also enthusiastic about the other activities we will be doing once we are there. There are sea otters there, grey seals, and a healthy puffin colony that nests in the area. I have wanted to see puffins for a long time, so pumped that we will have a chance at them as well. We will try diving with them as well. They are a diving species, so trying to capture underwater images of these birds along with guillemots underwater will be a lot of fun. So if you are interested in joining us for our first Scottish wildlife adventure, visit our expedition page for more information.

The Perfect Moment: Photographing a Toco Toucan in Brazil

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Some images stay with you long after you’ve taken them. Not just because of the shot itself, but because of the feeling of the moment—the rush, the excitement, the fear of missing it. That’s exactly how I felt when I photographed a Toco Toucan during one of our Anaconda diving expeditions in Bonito, Brazil.

The wildlife here has a special place in my heart. Everything about it is vibrant, wild, and unforgettable. As a kid, I grew up with Fruit Loops sitting on our kitchen table, staring at the box with Toucan Sam on the front. I remember the first time I saw a real toucan at a zoo—it felt like seeing a celebrity. Fast forward to this moment in Brazil, and I had the chance to photograph one in the wild, on its terms.

A Surprise Encounter

Purplish jay

It was early morning, and I was sitting by a bird feeder at our host hotel, waiting for our van to take us to the river to begin our search for anacondas. The light was soft, cutting through the morning mist, creating a perfect natural glow.

I started shooting a motmot as it zipped around, grabbing fruit. The light wasn’t great yet, and my settings were still dialed in for low light. The images came out terrible, so I moved on. Next, a purplish jay swooped in, grabbing some fruit. I snapped a few images and quickly checked my settings. With the light improving, I dropped my ISO, adjusted my shutter speed, and prepared for the next opportunity.

Then, I looked up and froze.

1/800, f/7.1, ISO 3200

Less than ten feet away from me, sitting on the feeder, was a Toco Toucan.

For a moment, I thought I was dreaming. My brain couldn’t process it. I blinked twice, as if my mind was playing tricks on me. Then I remembered—I was holding a camera.

The colors on this bird were unreal. The massive beak, the deep blacks and whites of its plumage, the piercing blue eye ring—it was one of the most beautiful birds I had ever seen. My hands were shaking, and I had to steady myself.

I was star-struck.

I lifted my camera and started firing shots, holding my breath, praying my focus was locked in. The whole time I was thinking, Please be in focus, please be in focus!

The toucan sat on the feeder, eating fruit, seemingly unfazed by my presence. With birds, you never know how long they will stay. It could be seconds, it could be minutes. I kept adjusting my settings between shots, making sure I had the sharpest images possible while keeping my ISO low enough to preserve detail.

1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 2000

I had to push my ISO between 1250 and 3200, which introduced quite a bit of noise in the images. But with the toucan moving so quickly and the morning light still relatively dim, I needed those settings to maintain proper exposure. My shutter speeds ranged between 1/800 and 1/1600, balancing between freezing movement and letting in enough light. The high ISO wasn’t ideal, but I knew I could correct the noise in post-processing.

1/800, f/6.3, ISO 1250

Thankfully, the toucan gave me three to four full minutes, an eternity in bird photography. I shot as much as I could, capturing different angles, expressions, and interactions with the fruit.

When it finally flew off, I sat there for a moment, still processing what had just happened. Then, I ran to tell the rest of our group, still buzzing with excitement. They were already making fun of me for being a birder. But this was different. This was a Toco Toucan, one of the most iconic birds in the world, and I felt compelled to share the moment.

Sadly, the toucan never returned, but I didn’t need it to. I had a few shots, but more importantly, I had a memory etched in my mind forever.

1/1000, f/5, ISO 1600

Lessons in Photography from This Encounter

1. Be Ready at All Times – I almost missed this shot because I was looking down at my camera. Wildlife photography is all about anticipation, and the best moments happen in an instant.

2. Constantly Adjust Your Settings – The light had improved, so I lowered my ISO before the toucan arrived. If I hadn’t made that adjustment, I might have had noisy or improperly exposed shots.

3. High ISO is a Trade-Off – Shooting between 1250 and 3200 ISO introduced noise, but it was necessary to maintain the fast shutter speeds needed to freeze movement. Noise reduction in post-processing helped recover the details.

4. Stay Calm – The excitement of seeing an animal like this can make you rush, shake, or forget settings. Take a deep breath, steady your hands, and trust your instincts.

5. Take More Shots Than You Think You Need – Birds move fast, and small changes in focus can make or break an image. I shot as many frames as possible to ensure I got at least a few perfectly sharp images.

This was more than just another wildlife encounter. It was a reminder of why I love wildlife photography—the rush of an unexpected moment, the challenge of getting the shot, and the lasting memory of an experience that goes beyond the image itself.

Thank you for reading!

1/800, f/7.1, ISO 1600