Regensburger Photography

Author: Derek Regensburger

  • Bear River Bird Refuge

    After many years of wanting to visit this place, I finally made it out to the Bear River Bird Refuge near Brigham City, Utah. The refuge is located in the northern regions of the Great Slat Lake. Unfortunately, the bird migration that normally fills the skies in March occurred a couple of weeks early this year so I had to settle for the holdouts. Ten thousand swans were down to three. There were still a number of White pelicans, avocets, and various waterfowl still there, however.

    Another factor in the lower number of birds is the extremely low water levels in the Great Salt Lake. It has lost about 70% of its volume due to the drought hitting the western United States. You could see where water had been in previous years and all that was left was a dry field.

    The refuge itself features a scenic drive that you have to use to see most of the birds. The drive starts about 12 miles from the town of Brigham City, Utah. There are canals that line the road on either side. There are some birds in the canals but many more are in the marsh and the lake behind the canals. Inevitably, just when I found a large collection of birds, they would be in a portion of the refuge that would be behind a road closed sign. The refuge road gets you rather limited access to most of the birds here. I still saw a number of birds closeup, however.

    Even if there aren’t a lot of birds to see, the refuge is quite pretty. It is ringed by the Wasatch Front mountain range so the backdrop at either sunset or sunrise is pretty spectacular. So if you’re ever in the area, check out the refuge in early spring.

  • Pinckney National Wildlife Refuge

    Pinckney National Wildlife Refuge

    A trip to Hilton Head island in South Carolina would not be complete without a trip to Pinckney Wildlife Refuge. It boasts a heron rookery full of Great Egrets, Blue Herons, and other wildlife. Ibis Pond is the setting of the rookery which is a pretty pond situated in a clearing. Afternoon is a good time to see the pond but morning would be good as well as the pond is situated in an east/west direction. Other ponds in the area include Osprey Pond and Nini Chapin. To get to Nini Chapin requires a 4 mile round trip walk from the parking lot. Leave yourself about 2-2.5 hours to see the ponds. More adventurous hikers or bicyclists can venture to Shell Point or Bull Point. All trails lead from the main parking lot which is just off Highway 278, the main road into Hilton Head.

  • Charleston, South Carolina

    Charleston, South Carolina

    I had the chance to visit Charleston, South Carolina over spring break. Spring is a great time to visit Charleston. The azaleas and camellias were still blooming and I enjoyed walking around the city on a pleasant sunny day.

    Magnolia Plantation

    The Magnolia Plantation is one of the centerpieces of Charleston, SC. The plantation house has extensive grounds and gardens that can be toured. As part of the tour, the Plantation also provides a slave history tour of the four remaining slave cabins on the property (11 were originally present). Built in 1850, the cabins housed slaves for the final fifteen years of legalized slavery and were lived in up until 1990. The tour provided some insight into the lives of slaves and the dangers of growing rice, the main cash crop of South Carolina in the 1700 and 1800s. The grounds themselves feature beautiful gardens including 1,000 varieties of camellias.

    French Quarter

    Later in the afternoon, we walked around the French Quarter. One of the coolest things about Charleston is that much of the colonial housing and architecture has been preserved. There are any number of churches, homes, and parks to stroll through in the old part of the city. Not to mention many fine restaurants to eat in when you’re done. St Michael’s and St John the Baptist were two of the churches I went inside. St John the Baptist was recently painted in 2019 and looks brand new inside. I especially liked Waterfront Park with the pineapple fountain and splash fountains. I capped off my evening with a stroll through battery park and ogled the mansions backstopping the park.

    Sullivan’s Island

    I took the Ravenal Bridge across the bay to Sullivan’s Island the next morning. I photographed the sunrise on Sullivan’s Island along the beach. The area also has Fort Moultrie to explore, one of the forts defending the city during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Many of the cannons are still present. It is a photogenic spot to be sure.

    Nathaniel Russell House

    The Nathaniel Russell House is one of the historic homes that have been preserved and that are open to the public in Charleston. The furnishings have been restored in the home to make it look as though it would have in 1808. The house has a beautiful interior and its centerpiece is the circular staircase that adorns the entryway.

  • 2022 CHSAA 4A and 5A basketball Final 4

    2022 CHSAA 4A and 5A basketball Final 4

    I am in the midst of covering the CHSAA 4A and 5A basketball Final 4 at the Denver Coliseum. I’m posting photos of the Semifinal games. In 4A boy’s action, Lewis-Palmer defeated Pueblo Central and Pueblo South ended the run of Frederick. In 5A, Thunder Ridge edged Denver East by 1 and Fossil Ridge advanced to the final by defeating Chaparral. Yesterday, the girl’s finalists were decided. In 4A action, Windsor defeated rival Mead while Mullen easily downed Green Mountain. In 5A, top seeded Valor Christian defeated Arapahoe while Grandview dominated Highlands Ranch. I can’t wait to see who takes hime the titles this evening.

  • Emerald Lake Trail

    Emerald Lake Trail

    One of my favorite places to visit in Rocky Mountain National Park in winter is the trail to Dream and Emerald Lakes. The first light hits the mountains behind the lakes at just the right angle at sunrise while it takes several minutes longer to hit the peaks in other nearby valleys. I snowshoed up the short mile-long trail this week to catch the sunrise. I was not disappointed. I got good color on the peaks and even had some clouds to make for good color in the sky. I even stopped to shoot some macros of the ice on Dream Lake. The fierce winds in this area make for some spectacular patterns in the ice.

  • Grind Session Gary Rhoades Classic 2022

    Grind Session Gary Rhoades Classic 2022

    I photographed a Grind Session high school basketball tournament tournament for the first time yesterday. The Gary Rhoades Classic was held at Aurora Central High School. It featured some high level basketball and change to see some of the top 100 high school basketball recruits in the country. Here are photographs form four of the games.

  • Snow Geese Nee Noshe Reservoir

    Colorado is not generally known for having a large populations of migrating birds. Most are scattered throughout the state as birds head north or south during their migration. However, southeastern Colorado does have a significant population of snow geese that overwinter here when their breeding grounds in Canada and the Dakotas freeze over. I headed down to Nee Noshe Reservoir near Lamar, CO to check out this spectacle. I was not disappointed. We saw thousands of snow geese on the reservoir. Unfortunately, the large flock had settled out in the middle of the lake so no birds were close to shore. Even with my Nikon 500 PF lens, I could not get closeups of any particular bird. Instead, I waited for the birds to fly up in groups and I took pictures of the masses of birds.

    The coolest moment came when a bald eagle flew over the roosting birds, spooking them to fly up en masse. I have seen this phenomenon before but usually the eagle is far overhead. This time, she flew right over the birds. It looked like she was intentionally trying to set off the birds. Regardless of the bird’s intentions, it made for a noisy spectacle. Check my photos below to spot the eagle in the midst of the white birds.

  • Colorado Oregon State Men’s Basketball 2022

    After dropping 3 straight games, the Colorado men’s basketball team needed to get back on the winning track at home Saturday. They did so in a big way, winning 86-63. The Buffs built a big lead after racing to a 13-0 start. They built on that lead, hitting 75% of their shots for the first 15 minutes of the first half. Oregon State was never in it from the get go and this one quickly turned into a laugher in the second half.

  • Broadmoor Hotel

    Broadmoor Hotel

    I had the opportunity to stay at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO recently. The hotel is a Colorado landmark and one of the most ornate you’ll find. I especially like the setting with the Front Range foothills serving as a backdrop. A small pond divides the town wings of the hotel complete with 2 swans. A pretty sunrise make the hotel’s exterior glow a pinkish orange color in the morning sun. It’s always fun to stay at a landmark hotel like the Broadmoor and it was my first stay there despite living in Colorado most of my life. The hotel is located near many iconic spots like Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, and Cheyenne Canyon and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

  • Legacy Broomfield Boy’s Basketball 2022

    Legacy Broomfield Boy’s Basketball 2022

    It’s difficult for lightning to strike twice but that’s exactly what happened for the Legacy Lightning boy’s basketball team against Broomfield tonight. Legacy clawed back from a 9 point deficit with 5:41 to go to defeat Broomfield on a last-second three. This is the second time Broomfield has lost at home in heart-breaking fashion. They dropped a close one to Centaurus earlier this year in similar fashion at the buzzer.

Plugin from the creators ofBrindes Personalizados :: More at PlulzWordpress Plugins