The ethics of photography are, in my humble opinion, the same as the ethics of life, and all revolve around respect. It was drilled into me by numerous well respected photographers that no photograph is worth sacrificing the welfare of the subject. Perhaps you have heard this as well but recently it seems that people seeking the money shot do …
Patience is the key
One thing that is a necessity in wildlife and birding photography is patience. It can be frustrating at times when you hear or see birds that you want to photograph in the distance and they don’t come in to your feeders or watering stations. Such is the case with this Northern Flicker. I have seen his tell tale what rump …
Hungry Woodpecker
Always entertaining, woodpeckers love to dominate feeders and this guy was no different. He chased away the goldfinches to get to the seeds. Kind of fun watching him throw away the ones he did not like.
Great Little Parents
Each year in the fall, we make it a point on our property to clean the nesting boxes so birds can have not only a place to roost in the colder months if needed, but with the hopes that in the spring, we will have new residents building nests. Where I live, here in the Midwest, we have a very …
Center for Birds of Prey
Sometimes, looking at potential sites to visit online does not do a place justice. One such place is the Center for Birds of Prey in Awendaw South Carolina. While visiting family, my wife suggested that we make a stop at the center knowing my passion for birds, especially raptors. As I always do, I began the research of the center …
Look who moved in
We have a number of nesting boxes around our property. Each box is different to attract different cavity nesters. Each spring is exciting to see who will attempt to nest and hold on to the site as these are usually coveted by a number of species. This year we have House Wren who has claimed two boxes in an attempt …
Amazing adaptations
It never ceases to amaze me that critters, birds and mammals alike, adapt so well to their environments and the changing season. From the biggest to the smallest these changes can be nothing short of amazing. Here is a simple example. This American Goldfinch is brilliant yellow in the summer months. As the seasons change, the yellow become more muted …
New nesting boxes
Currently, I have about 5 nesting boxes around my lot. I live in an urban area / sub-division with plenty of foot traffic. My bird sanctuary, as I like to call it, is in our backyard. I have an enclosed backyard with a fence and this is where my backyard bird studio resides. It works well and I currently have …
Waiting for the light
Trying to make the common seem uncommon is something that is not always easy with visual story telling. One way that I have found to do this is to always fall back on the light. Take this European Starling as an example. Once is a while when putting out new food in my feeders, flocks of these birds will descend …
Never gets old
Currently I have seen over 31 different species of birds frequent my backyard. I have pictures of all of them, some better than others and that it was keeps me going. How do I capture the shots that I have in my mind and turn them into the types of photographs I want to share. Having pictures of these birds …