Date/Time
Saturday, August 13th, 2022 | 6:30am - 9:00am
Where We Will Meet
Southeast Regional Library - South Parking Lot
Where The Walk Will End
Southeast Regional Library - South Parking Lot
About This Walk
The early bird avoids heat stroke when it comes to Arizona in August. We plan to walk around the beautiful Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert, Arizona bright and early to capture the wide variety of birds, bugs, wildlife, flowers, foliage, clouds and any other subjects and opportunities that nature will provide. Patience is key so we will make brief stops in specific areas of interest depending on critter activity. There are restroom facilities along the trail. Recommended lenses would be a wide-angle zoom such as a 24-70mm and the longest telephoto zoom or prime you have. While 300mm would be sufficient, the best results come from 400mm to 600mm, if you have one. There should be opportunities to capture wildlife nearby and at a distance. Since it will be about an hour after sunrise the light should be beautiful as will the reflections on the water. Monopods or tripods are helpful, but only necessary based on your preference.
I also recommend comfortable shoes, having mosquito repellent handy, a hat, hand towel and plenty of water as it will be quite warm and depending on the weather could be bright and sunny so wear sunscreen. Nature is fickle so be ready for direct sun, clouds, light rain, lots of critters or very few critters. Regardless of the conditions we’ll have some fun. We will gather afterwards for breakfast at a nearby restaurant for those interested. Find me on Instagram at @oliverimagesaz to see several images from this area.
Weather should be good, while it may rain tonight, the forecast claims we will not have rain in the morning. It will be warm and humid. Also the ponds are lower than usual and the shore/lake birds were farther out this morning, so definitely bring the longest prime or zoom lens you have for tomorrow. We will meet in the parking lot south side of the library building. Don’t forget to hydrate. See you there.
Tim Oliver Saturday morning is coming up quickly. Currently there is a possibility of clouds with rain in the forecast but as usual it is very vague and there isn’t a specific timeline yet for that morning. Hopefully it will just be partly cloudy so we can get some of that great morning light. I’ll post a weather update here on Friday. Also, if you want to contact me directly for any reason my email is tim.oliver@oliverimages.com. The Southeast Regional Library is next to the preserve on the southeast corner of Guadalupe and Greenfield roads. There is a parking lot on the south side of the library building and that is where we will meet as there is a trail entrance at that location and a lot of available parking since most folks park in the north lots.
Tim Oliver Tomorrow is the big day. The weather forecast is good for the morning, partly cloudy around 80 degrees. However, it is quite humid and will get hot quickly, so I highly recommend bringing some water and a small towel for the perspiration. While they do have a few of the ponds dry, there are plenty of critters. There will be a lot of rabbits, quail, ducks, dragonflies, hummingbirds, and egrets. I scouted this morning and came across black-crowned night heron, blue heron, black phoebe, cormorant, and an osprey sighting. Obviously the photo opportunities will be determined by the critters and where they happen to be at any specific time. Luck and patience are always key elements to wildlife photography. Looking forward to meeting everyone.
Gary Collins Thanks for all the updates. I’m looking forward to getting out there whatever the weather may bring. Thanks again for leading this walk Tim. -Gary Collins
Roxanne Schorbach Had a great time walking. Not able to find the contest button - looked under the map after logging in. Roxanne - Ralph
Tim Oliver Folks, if you still want to submit a photo for the contest there is still time. just log into the photowalk page and submit using the contest link. Thanks.
Tim Oliver Hello, and thank you for registering to walk with me for the 2022 Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk. At this time the weather is expected to be partly cloudy with a low of 80 degrees and a high of 96 degrees. That is mild for August, and we’ll be closer to the 80 degree mark that early in the morning. Bring water. Hopefully the predicted forecast won’t change too much by the 13th. Some of the ponds are dry this time of year but I was at the preserve recently and there was plenty of wildlife and photo opportunities even with the higher temperatures. We will follow a specific path, stopping for short shoots. However I will provide areas of interest if you want to venture off. I will also provide a current update on the preserve wildlife activities the evening before the walk to confirm critter activity. Thank you and I look forward to meeting you.