El Potrero Nature Photography Ranch

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Riviera, TX
El Potrero Nature Photography Ranch

El Potrero Nature Photography Ranch is 130+ acres of South Texas Mixed Brush/Grassland approximately eight miles south of Kingsville, Tx.

There are fiver prepared photosites providing excellent opportunities to photograph native wildlife up close.

05/20/2026

Yesterday 5/18/2026 My friend Scott Conard and a friend of his spent the whole day at the Ranch. We arrived at the wetland blind 45 minutes before sunrise and settled in to see what would show up as the world woke up. It was pretty windy but that really had no effect on us. The primary visitors to the wetland are Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, of which we frequently have twenty or more this time of year. This being breeding/nesting season, the ducks tend to be pretty fractious, providing lots of entertainment jealously seems to be the order of the day. We stayed at the wetland for around two and half hours and then moved to the Raptor/Scavenger Buffet for the rest of the morning. The seasonal flow of hormones has about the same effect on the Caracaras and Vultures as it does on the ducks, so plenty of kerfuffles at that site also. We broke for lunch at the headquarters a little after one and didn't get back into the field until around 3:00. Our choice for the afternoon was the afternoon small waterhole/drip, which turned out to be a great choice. Quite a bit of action an a hot afternoon. Lots of thirsty birds and a few other critters. I am posting one image of every species I photographed (except where I am posting both male and female). These images are in the order in which I captured them. All captured using a Canon EF 600mm F:4 IS L series lens mounted on a Canon 7D MkII body.

As you can see, this is a great time to visit the ranch. We still have plenty of spaces available. You can make reservations by contacting me at 361-522-6427 or [email protected]. I don't answer my phone if I am driving, but if you will a leave a message I'll get back to you pretty soon.

Hugh Lieck

05/14/2026

Scott Conard and I spent several hours in the afternoon wetland blind at the Ranch. Our initial approach approach scared off a dozen or so Fulvous Whistling Ducks which, we were really hoping would return. They didn't. We were, however visited by a really nice Snowy Egret that hung around hunting for quite a long time, a pair of Mottled Ducks, a female Blue-winged Teal, well over a dozen Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, and one Green Heron. Not a bad afternoon. The Snowy Egret is a beautiful but very difficult subject, especially under sunny conditions. I find that snow white plumage so hard to expose correctly. Even when the exposure is pretty close, I find it a challenge to improve on it in post. Mottled ducks, on the other hand, will nearly always give you an almost perfect exposure with a nice even tone curve. Below I have a shot of the extremely rare and exotic two headed mottled duck. A real prize!!🙃

These images captured using my Canon EF 600mm F:4 IS L series lens, with and without the 1.4X tele extender mounted on my Canon 7D MkII.

Now is a great time to book some time in the blinds. Plenty of available dates. Lots of action and better diversity than we had just a few weeks ago. We have gotten enough rain to green everything up. We would love to host you and a few friends.

You can book by calling or texting me at 361-522-6427.

05/10/2026

At El Potrero Nature Photography Ranch we use bird feeders that are on timers to attract subjects at the times of day that have the best light (early morning and late afternoon). These timers need to be adjusted several times to accommodate changing seasons. Today I was carrying out that chore. While I was sitting quietly at the wetland feeder adjusting the clock, a beautiful Roseate Spoonbill suddenly landed on one of the snags, close enough for decent photos. Unfortunately, the camera was just out of reach. I carefully got down on my hands and knees in order to not look like a human and was able to get to the camera without spooking the bird. The spoonbill and I spent around 30 minutes in a standoff. I really wanted it to hop down and begin feeding. It wasn't sure that it could trust me (it absolutely could have). It finally looked like it was jumping down but instead faked me out and flew off. This is at least the fourth time I've seen it at the wetland in the last week or so, but I just haven't had time to sit in the blind to try to get it. When I first arrived at the wetland today I spooked a flock of eight Fulvous Whistling ducks and a very nice Little Blue Heron. Two more species that have been hanging around, but haven't given me a good opportunity to get photos. I'm hoping to have a bit more time next week to just sit in the blinds. The four main ingredients in capturing images that one can be proud of are preparation, time in the field, time in the field, and time in the field.

As you can see, this Is a great time to book a day (or more) in the blinds. Plenty of dates available. Contact me @ 361-522-6427 or [email protected].

Hugh Lieck

05/05/2026

Yesterday (5/4/2026) I spent another great day guiding clients at El Potrero Nature Photography Ranch https://elpotreroranch.wpcomstaging.com. If the clients don't object, I often shoot with them although my primary responsibility is to get the sites ready and help spot subjects and be ready to alert clients of behaviors to watch for. Because of those parts of the job, I don't always get photos of everything that my clients photograph. Such was the case Monday. The clients captured images of several species I missed, but I still managed to sneak in some fun images. The species I am posting don't represent all that were photographed. I know some the folks got Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, all got at least two species of Hummingbirds, and Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, none of which I had the chance to capture. Here is a list of what I can remember presenting for photos: Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Green Jay, Crested Caracara, Black and Turkey Vultures, Buff-bellied, Ruby-throated, and possibly Black-chinned Hummingbirds, male and female Summer Tanager, male and female Painted Bunting, Black-crested Titmouse, Great Kiskadee Flycatcher, Mourning Dove, Bronzed Cowbird, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, and maybe the Bullock's Oriole. There may have been others I just don't remember. I'm sure that my clients will let me know.

Lots of activity at the ranch and we have plenty of open dates between now and the middle of July. give me call or shoot me a text!! 361-522-6427

05/04/2026

I spent all day yesterday (05/02/2026) in the field with four clients at El Potrero Nature Photography Ranch. We spent a couple of hours in the blind at the Raptor/Buffet where we all captured some great images of interactions between the various species which typically visit the site. Lots of actions including a couple of adult Crested Caracaras having a bit of a Kerfuffle with another adult who must have made some kind of crack about the male's choice of female. The Black Vultures were also feeling pretty bellicose and I caught these images of two of them engaging in their version of Sumo wrestling. I also captured images of a behavior I have only witnessed two or three times, a Black Vulture appearing to preen a Crested Caracara. I thought I was probably the first to witness this odd behavior and had publishable image in scientific journals the first time I saw it, but it is apparently a "known" behavior. We also were visited by at least three Coyotes. This is the pretties male that came.

These images were all created using a Canon EF 300mm F:2.5 IS L series lens mounted on a Canon 7D MkII.

We have plenty of dates available between now and the end of July. It's a great time to be in a blind. If you want to book a day in the blinds, you can contact me at 361-522-6427 or [email protected]. Come get close and avoid the crowds at the public areas.

04/26/2026

Yesterday (4/24/26) Scott Conard and I spent a couple of hours in the afternoon small waterhole blind at El Potrero Nature Photography Ranch. It was a very nice late afternoon with broken clouds, providing great soft light. We had several cool visitors come in. Two South Texas specialties, the Green Jay and the White-tipped Dove are a couple of the stars at the ranch. All these images were captured through a Canon EF 600mm F:4 IS L series lens mounted on a Canon 7D MkII.

We still have plenty of dates this spring and early summer and this is a great time to book some time in the blinds.
361-522-6427

04/21/2026

We have finally had enough rain for the ranch to begin greening up. I had three clients Friday and Saturday. We spent time at the wetland, at the Raptor/Scavenger Buffet, and at the (2) little waterholes. Everyone captured some great images. Here are a few that I shot on Friday. Two of these species are not exactly what they appear. The Black-bellied Whistling is more closely related to Swans and Geese than to other ducks. The genus of the whistling ducks is Dendrocygna (Dendro, from the Greek for tree or wood, and Cygna, Greek for swan) so Tree Swan. The Caracara, most often observed feeding on carrion, is actually a falcon and perfectly capable of hunting, but very opportunistic.

These images were all captured with a Canon EF 300mm F:2.8 IS L series lens mounted on a Canon 7D Mk II.

03/17/2026

I spent a wonderful day in the field with a new friend from Canada. Perfect day to introduce a Canadian to South Texas' gentle weather. We started our day with nearly gale force winds, and by mid afternoon, the winds had slackened and the temp had hit 100 degrees. All that aside, I think we both captured some great images. As usual we started with the Raptor Buffet and were rewarded with plenty of opportunities to photograph adult and juvenile Crested Caracaras, three different young Harris' Hawks, and both Black and Turkey Vultures. After our lunch break, we spent some time around the headquarters where my friend captured images of Green Jays, Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, male and female Cardinals, a Bewick's Wren, and several other of our local favorites. By around 3:30 we moved to our afternoon small water feature. We had a couple of Javelinas, more Green Jays, and a flock of Rio Grande Turkeys show up. The real highlight though was the five to six foot Blue Indigo snake that slowly slid through the blind from back to front. No photos, but my guest got some video on his phone. It was a very nice specimen, beautiful glossy black, big and healthy looking. It is encounters like that that really make time in the field worth it.

These images were all captured at El Potrero Nature Photography Ranch, about 15 minutes south of Kingsville, Tx. I was using a Canon 600mm F:4 IS L series lens mounted on a Canon 7D MkII.

Now is a great time to book some time in our blinds. Just contact me at 361-522-6427 or [email protected]

03/14/2026

Thursday (3/13/26) I awoke to a significantly blustery and much cooler day. Chris Travis and I headed out to El Potrero Nature Photography Ranch to set up a Raptor Buffet and grab some images of our local raptors and scavengers. There wasn't cloud in the sky so the light was very specular causing some exposure problems but the only likely subject to really be affected was the Crested Caracara whose neck feathers can get blown out fairly easily (good thing we have programs like Light Room). Once we got set up and in the blind, it didn't take too long before we had plenty of subjects. We had four Harris' Hawks hanging around and a nice mixture of young and mature Crested Caracaras along with a good number of Black and Turkey Vultures.

Today's images all captured through a Canon EF 600mm F:4 IS L series lens mounted on a Canon 7D MkII camera.

Now is a great time to book a day or more on the ranch. Plenty of dates still available and migration is just around the corner. We still have access to plenty of nilgai scraps for the raptor buffet also. Give me a call, or shoot me a text at 361-522-6427, or email me at [email protected]. Multi day and group prices available.

02/26/2026

We are entering prime raptor buffet season at El Potrero Nature Photography Ranch. The images I am posting today are very typical of what visits the buffet. Almost always enough birds to provide excellent opportunities to capture images of both inter and intra species interactions. The two adult Crested Caracaras with the young one jumping into the air were in the process of remonstrating with what I presume was one of their offspring when the young one managed to get loose and fly away. Don't know what the kid did to invoke the reprimand but kids do, sometimes, need a sharp rebuke.

These images were all captured at El Potrero Nature photography ranch using a Canon 7D MkII and either a Canon EF 600mm F:4 Is L series lens or a Canon EF 300mm F:2.8 IS L series lens.

Shoot me an email at [email protected] or text or call me at 361-522-6427 to book time in the blind at El Potrero Nature Photography Ranch.

Address

Riviera, TX
78379

Website

https://elpotreroranch.wpcomstaging.com/

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