Bird Photography with Melissa Groo

The Apolinar´s Wren lives in my country and is Critically Endangered. I have had the opportunity to take censuses of this important species. When I took this photographic, I was a little upset, because I couldn't get it into focus. But, I was able to reflect with her the following: if we do not generate actions to conserve Apolinar's Cucarachero, it could disappear

DISAPPOINTING PICTURE?? From my balcony in St. Thomas I was taking pictures of  pelicans fishing. These two pelicans decided to rest on a narrow sandy patch. It was one of the pictures that escaped my attention from being deleted. When I looked closely, on the sandy patch are pieces of  orange ropes and bluish fishing nets-human waste materials discarded  probably by fisherman somewhere in the ocean and deposited near shore by recent hurricane, I was told. Massive quantities of plastic and subsequent microplastics are floating in oceans across the world and slowly entering food chain of marine and avian life with disastrous consequences! It is already entering into bodies of human beings  with grave tidings for coming generations unless we act urgently on it.    Melissa Groo"s tutorial reminded me to look at this uninteresting photo differently.

CONFLICT BETWEEN DIFFERENT BIRD SPECIES As I was walking along a trail I heard buzzing  of a Red wing black bird repeatedly swooping towards a Great Blue Heron. Quickly took a shot. It turned out to be interesting situation. Red wing black bird are very territorial and daring and was harassing the Blue Heron.The Heron was quite fizzled by it; was in high alert , the bristles of feather stood up all over its body. Back light gave a dramatic effect to feathers. The surrounding grass blades matched the feathers to heighten the effect .                   

Backlighting and the resulting halo effect was a phenomenal discovery, such as the beak profile and individual hairs, now curious if more effective in B&W, which opens new creative doors to explore.  

When I noticed this Oak Titmouse, I was disappointed that it was totally backlit, and there wasn't really a way for me to get to the other side of him. So I took photos with the bird backlit, and was pleasantly surprised -- this unusual lighting actually emphasized the Titmouse's unique silhouette, with its lovely crest!

A couple weeks ago I went out to go birding. When I arrived, I was greeted by a red-shouldered hawk. Though I was super excited, I stayed in my car and set up to take pictures, watching what the hawk was waiting for. This was the closest I had been to a hawk and could not wait to capture its beauty. But it was sitting right in the middle of the field, and I guessed it was looking for its next meal. So, I watched and observed its behavior. Eventually it landed in the field, and I guessed it may have found food. While I was still observing, more people had pulled up and he got scared off. I was very disappointed. But then like 15 minutes later I was walking along a path near the field and saw the same hawk. Eager, I snapped more photos of it. I stayed hidden so, he would not spook and just admired its beauty. Eventually, I continued walking so I can observe other birds. Also, with the picture of the hawk in flight, I was not prepared for him to start flying, so my shutter speed was lower than what I would set it for birds in flight. But looking at it after, I like that the wings are blurry, it gives the picture depth, like he is actively moving towards me through the picture. And I had also went out during the afternoon on a sunny day. Usually I try to go during golden hour because this is when I find the most birds and get the best lighting. But I think I was able to adjust and compensate for the patches of very bright sunlight on the hawk. The shadows playing on the hawk where placed perfectly, giving more depth to the hawk.

I tried to get shots of the vulture as it watched a large school of fish. However, i had no idea it was watching the fish when i took the picture. I tried multiple shots of the vulture from different angles and found that this was the best one due to the sun. Finding out that the vulture was looking at fish i thought was really cool. It was clear it was waiting for some fish to die. This brought me a better understanding of nature and a better appreciation for vultures and other scavengers.

Oops, forgot to include these 2 images...there's always 1 gosling who seems to be on the look-out, and catching a nap in the sunshine. I've learned patience, keeping a respectful distance & that light is so important. I've tried shooting on more dreary days but the results are dreary too. I want to get the catch-light in the eyes whenever I can, and see the light bouncing and highlighting fine feathers.

By observing common birds in our region, I've come to appreciate their beauty even more. This seagull in flight reminded me of the book, 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull'. I love how the light emphasizes the feathers.

Exploring, warding off predators & sleeping

 'zen' time, preening & swimming with others for safety.

Watching the Canada Geese goslings in their daily activities gave me a more in-depth view of their practices, and infused me with appreciation, wonder & joy! This species is often maligned because their numbers have exploded and their droppings in the park are a 'nuisance', but that is due to the feeding practices of well-meaning humans. We need to let them forage for themselves!

The three day war. I observed this Red-bellied woodpecker and Downy woodpecker claim ownership of a dead tree branch cavity, which they had both worked on at different times of the day. The dead tree was in our back yard, so I was able to witness and photograph the squabble in different light situations. The Downy woodpecker would attack the Red-bellied with continual angry vocalizations and incessant swooping at him. Neither bird won because three days later, the cavity had been so overworked by the two of them, that the walls were too thin and the branch crashed to the ground.

I did learn that if I wanted to get close and capture a good image, I had to let them get use to me, since every time I tried to get close, they would immediately walk away slowly away from me. I knew they would get comfortable at some point since they stopped moving away and started feeding right away. In this image they are still watching me but it was a few minutes after, that they relaxed and started feeding. I had done this game of cat a mouse more than 4 times at this point. I had to settle for a landscape picture instead of a close up. My only zoom lens is a 300 mm with a teleconverter of 1.4 because it is very easy to carry on my trips.

I usually don't take photos of captive birds because it makes me so sad and angry, but I took this photo of a parrot a little while back. It might be a red-browed parrot, native to eastern Brazil, which is threatened by habitat loss and smuggling via the exotic animal trade. It's captor had three, and was using them as an "alarm" for when people came to the parking lot (so he could collect parking money). I couldn't tell if their behaviour was aggressive or just really stressed but they made a lot of noise and flapped their wings as people neared. Here you can see a destroyed wing. This bird will never fly again. On that note, my husband's sister just bought two clipped birds and their family is really excited. I've explained to him why pet birds upset me so much and he agrees, but he says it's part of a bigger cultural change that is slowly happening in Brazil.

Experimentation has opened my visual resources to see what else might be a part of a photograph. All too many times I've focused on a single item and missed what could have been a great shot. This often happens when I am not fully paying attention to the subject bird and then not prepared for its flight. Occurring way too many times and I must train myself to learn about different approaches to the shot and experiment with ways to better capture the image. Another area to which I must pay more attention is learning the different species and their respective behavior. Melding into what I mentioned earlier. The attached image shows a juvenile White Ibis. This is included as it took me a bit of effort to discover the species. The guides I have often miss things like the changing colors of feathers as the bird matures. Finally, making use of the Merlin ID system the answer was found. And I must say that given the slight ripple of the water exemplified this bird's habitat while offering a subtle background and thus this image was selected.

And now (of course these 3 posts are in reverse order), the pileated woodpecker digs this way, then that way, until he is finally satisfied that he's worked that hole for all it's worth. And that's my story.

But the pileated woodpecker isn't satisfied with the pickings on the first log. With what an anthropomorphizing person might call a glare of annoyance, he hops to another. On the buggy warpath, he attacks with a vengeance, pecking straight on, then digging around the edge of his previous hole.

I was standing near a pond where there was an ancient pile of long logs. Suddenly I hear a pileated woodpecker, and a bright red cap - just the cap - peaks up from behind a log. Then he jumps on a log and surveys his domain. He digs in. (Now, with only 3 photos per reply, it's going to take 3 replies to tell the story.)

Northern Mockingbird perched on a bush; visible is its preferred scrubby habitat with UCI and the San Gabriel Mountains in the background

This spring has been special because blue jays built a nest in a tall pine tree that was easily viewed from my kitchen window - and with binoculars, I was able to see the babies as well as the mother! So, I decided to photograph them for this homework assignment of a story in photos. I actually took eight photos for the story, but I'm submitting my favorite three. While photographing, I could see the importance of showing the habitat, rather than cropping closely around the birds. This was important with the first photo of the mother jay alone in her nest and then the second photo of the babies in the nest - safely surrounded by the pine tree. Then, I was very worried that the babies had fledged too early. I saw the empty nest and just one solitary baby bird up against a tree waiting. Later, I saw that the baby was hopping around the back yard and hopped onto a wheelbarrow, trying to fly. I'm including this photo, which is interesting because I had to take it looking into the light and the shape of the baby and pine boughs are silhouetted. I was able to use telephoto and keep a distance. Then, the baby hopped over and flew slightly up the stairs of the neighbor's house. He/she seemed afraid and didn't move for a long time, so I went out looking for the mother. I saw her up above in a tree and took a photo which shows nice backlighting again with the bird and foliage silhouetted against the sky. The last photo is of the mother and the baby on the stairs. The baby seems to be asking to be fed. I took the photo so the baby and the mother seem small compared to the fencing on the stairs. I unfortunately had to leave and when I returned, I searched for the baby and there was no sign. So, I can only HOPE that there was a happy ending to this and the baby was indeed able to fly! So this became a bittersweet story - caused me to realize how safe & snug the babies are at first in the nest and to feel with a pang just how big & scary the world may seem to a baby bird. But I was also somewhat reassured because I witnessed great dedication from the mother jay on the nest and she was right there for the baby jay who was out of the nest so young to explore the world......

This morning, June 1, 2021,  I went out to one of my usual spots; Sand Creek in northeast Denver.  I had it in mind to try to practice capturing birds in flight using the tips that Melissa shares in a following lesson.  I was blessed with more than a dozen snowy egret sightings.  I've never had luck capturing a decent flight photo of these graceful birds, but I thought I would give it a try again today.  In particular I kept in mind Melissa's suggestion to have the sun and wind behind me, and try to capture the bird as it was coming towards me.  That's not easy!  I didn't quite do that in this photo but I am happy to have been able to get an image of the egret's wings going downward.  The photo certainly isn't as clear as I would like it to be.  I have work to do on my settings.  At first I was disappointed with the shadow that shows up on the egret's right wing, but then I thought that it was unusual and unique.  So it's a keeper for me!

April 21 we visted Pickerington Ponds Metro Park and were happy to see a Cooper's Hawk.  It was far away with many branches and in deep shadow, so the few photos my husband got were unremarkable.  Later, he approached a tree with a well lit Song Sparrow he thought perhaps might show a better side.  When the sparrow suddenly flew, the hawk appeared on the branch just above, a few meters away, "ready for her close up."

I took this photo from shore and noticed the reflection along with ripples of the water of the Canadian Geese with other species in the background I

I took this picture of a immature Gold Finch in the late summer; my story is that it was jumping around in a local Arboretum planting catching insects. I noticed how abundance the color surrounding the bird and brought it out in a sharp view making it a pretty bird even if it was in it's drab color. 

This is a Southern Redbill Hornbill that was being mobbed by an African Paradise Flycatcher as it was raiding the flycatchers nests in the Kruger National Park, South Africa

Here is another story of a Red-wattled Lapwing mobbing an Oriental Honey-buzzard. I regret the missed photos where both would be clearly focused

Here is a story that I documented in Nov 2019 - Three young of Wire-tailed Swallow begging for food and parent feeding them one by one. That time I did not have a good lens (Tamron 70-300) so photos are grainy and less sharp

The flight patterns and particularly the landings of Sandhill Cranes were particularly interesting. I kept thinking about being on an airplane and experiencing the landing gear going down, then the flaps going up to slow progress before setting down. While not an environmental story, the sequence of these three shots tell a science story that to me explains a little about aerodynamics. I would like to combine them into one image to tell the story. Yes, they need post production but I haven't had that lesson. And I still need a longer lens or closer access.

I wanted to focus on an environmental issue. After researching the issues in the state of Michigan, I drove a few hours through the Thumb area of the state to see what I would see. For the most part, I did not see many birds, other than a hawk that seized a roadkill as I sped by with no time to grab my camera. I then came upon a wind farm north of Vassar. What surprised me was the absence of birds. Was the absence due to the wind turbines, or the near freezing temperatures? Research indicate that there is an issue with the environmental impact of the wind farms. As I drove down the dirt road, I saw this bird hovering in one spot over the edge of the field. It was too far to manage a description of its species. I took this picture to draw a relationship between the life of birds and energy technology and the move away from fossil fuels. Since my mirrorless Lumix camera is broken (Panasonic says it no longer has parts for the G6, and the camera is not even 10 years old!). At the moment, I rely on my iPhone and a Kodak EasyShare that is extremely limited.

I spend at least a half hour watching a cactus wren build a nest which I had read is football shaped and opening at its side. At one point the bird went in and not for awhile did it come out, but I wanted to show this bird's home. Here was the photo. I learned to take the time to see the whole picture of a bird's work and now understand better how little we know when we look at any nest.

I submitted these because of the reflections on the water.  In the female mallard photo, it is hard to tell what branches are above the water and what is reflected.   That made it interesting to me.  I also liked the look of the wavy reflected lines from branches in the photo of the male mallard.  The hooded mergansers were the ducks on the pond I was most interested in this day, so I included the photo of them, even though they were more distant.  These photos were better than a lot of photos I have taken this fall of ducks on ponds, where the distance and lighting at different times of day have resulted in less than satisfactory images.  I am working on it. :)

This was a nice intimate moment between two Mourning Doves. The wire fence obscures the clear shot, and perhaps, lends the sense of privacy.

I enjoy trying to find birds doing unusual things, unlike the everyday. Again, I was lucky to be in the right spot at the right time, mangrove swamp in Mexico, when this heron leapt out from the tops of the trees. Nikon D7200 with 70-300 mm lens

I was out early one morning at around seven walking around the lake, as usual, there was a little group of bufflehead ducks that I managed to get pretty good pictures of in the light, they used to hang out in the middle of the lake where it was hard to get pictures of them with a 300 mm lens, but now they come closer to shore, especially the females.

I tried and tried again to get a pan blur out on a lake, but never could. finally, when i was about to go home, I spot a flock of geese landing on the water! I guess it is not exactly a pan blur, but is still what I wanted!

We have Indian Peafowl in our local regional park, and I’ve been observing them throughout their seasons, from mating time when their feathers and displays are flashy and magnificent, to afterward when they molt and aren’t at all attractive.  One of my favorite shots happened during a mating display, and it happened quite by accident.  I was taking photos of a male with his feathers on full display.  He was just standing there, so my shutter was at 1/640.  But suddenly he began vigorously swishing his feathers from back to front, front to back, side to side in this elaborate dance.  I’d never seen anything like it.  I didn’t have time to alter my settings, so I just shot trying to keep my focus on his face while he moved. Sort of a pan blur, I guess!  I really like how this photo turned out as you can see the energy of the movement but the face is still focused.

A crab-plover in the same area just before the sunset.. tried to play with the depth of field and kept the bird in a  silhouette  because I felt the golden light reflected around it will emphasis the importance of the bird..

I went to a small island to photograph terns.. Got good photos.. but on my way back and just when I reached the shore of the mainland I noticed this Heron fishing.. decided to give it a try and lay down in the middle of the water.. started photographing.. and waited for around 13 minutes till the heron got his fish!

Cormorant drying wings after coming up from a fishing dive.

I was watching this black crowned night heron for awhile and was so surprised when he came up with his lunch!

Herons seem to be popular recently.  This morning I was photographing this Heron in Connecticut while it was standing on a small bridge over the dam for a fishing pond. I took several photos trying to get a reflection of the heron in the still water.  I was also playing with the settings to learn the results.  I was looking down to set the aperture to full open for my lens (F5.6, Shutter 1/1000, ISO 800) when the bird flew across the pond.  I had nothing to lose so I took the shot, to my surprise it came out with a nice symmetrical reflection in the water. The settings of the prior photo of the heron on the bridge were F9.0, Shutter 1/400, ISO 800.

The final chapter in the story of the Heron is how it moves into the tall grass of the pond to camouflage itself as it continues it's fishing expedition. What I like about these pictures is that, when I go out searching for the heron I always make it a point to stop in these areas of tall grass. If you are careful and very quiet you can see them as they are hidden in the tall grass and they are quiet, themselves, and so concentrating on their goal, that you can actually camouflage yourself and spend a long time observing the Heron's actions. The area of Presque State Park and this pond is a high pedestrian area, so although the Heron is aware of and use to people being around as he fishes, and although initially out in the open, the heron eventually migrates to these tall grass areas for some privacy and then the heron is able to relax and work on the task at hand - fishing for dinner. I did not stay long enough to see him make his catch because when he went into the grass, I knew he needed his privacy and it was more important for him to get his dinner than for me to get a photo.I didn't want him to fly away because I was a distraction to him, or making him nervous. The Great Blue Heron is a fascinating bird to watch!

In continuing my story, I forgot to mention that Presque Isle State Park is on the shores of Lake Erie, in Erie, Pennsylvania. In the next set of photos, I played with the light as the Heron continued exploring the shoreline. It was late in the afternoon and at first the Heron was facing into the sun, so the images shows that sun on the heron, then as the Heron mades it's turns in the water the Heron moved away from facing the sun and I moved with him. There is a gradual shifting of the sun and and my position and the Heron's position in relation to the sun, and in the final shot the Heron was in between the sun and my self and you can see the highlights of the sun from that position.

One of my favorite birds is the Great Blue Heron and I follow these Herons when they come into our area, from Spring to late Fall. Sometimes during a mild winter, we see them throughout the year. In this discussion I will be explaining the actions of a Great Blue Heron as he studied the shoreline of a pond on Presque Isle State Park. This Heron's story is of his fishing of this dinner as he explored the pond and the shallow areas of the water. The first set of pictures shows his movement as he walks around the pond shoreline. What I noticed in the Heron's movements was his intent and the determined direction of his hunt. In the photos you will see that the Heron and the water around him, point out his direction. The motion of the Heron and the water are very much connected. Initially the Heron is in a pool of water that surrounds it's legs, then as it moves the water creates an arrow showing the intended direction of the heron's moments. The Heron is very methodical in it's movements and the water supports and illustrates that methodical movement!

I had the opportunity to spend time in Kearney, Nebraska on the Platte river where hundreds of thousands Sandhill Cranes rest during their annual migration to observe and photograph this amazing event. I tried to capture the movement of these beautiful birds in flight by using a blurred motion pan.

During a photography day shoot  at Lake Pueblo State Park, I was thrilled to see a Great Blue Heron near a fishing lake.  After a few shots, I realized he was in serious trouble!  Broke my heart to see fishing line and a metal weight  entangled in his beak!!!  I immediately phoned the state park office of his dire situation.While I was waiting for the Colorado Parks & Wildlife officers to arrive, I watched as he kept walking close to the lake's shoreline, wanting to eat but couldn't open his beak wide enough to catch his food.  The whole time I observed him, he hopelessly  walked back and forth to the tall grasses, then back to the shoreline. I took some photos of him until  three officers  rounded the walking path forty minutes later.  One was carrying  a blanket.  Of course as soon as they walked towards him, he flew off!  I showed them my pictures, and they told me they'd keep tracking him, until they found him.   I couldn't get him off my mind, so I returned two days later.   My friend Les, who  takes walks every morning with a 33 gallon trash sack, collects garbage lazy, thoughtless slobs leave EVERYWHERE, endangering wildlife & people!   Les saw the GB Heron two days later, immediately got into his truck to the Wildlife office a few minutes away to report his sighting.    This time the rangers had a fishing net they'd  borrowed from the Pueblo State Fish Hatchery, and were able to free the GB Heron!   Les says he sees him, & he looks healthy now too! I love stories with a happy ending!

Colorado breeding season for Scaled Quail begins in February.  I observed unmated males  perching on top of the highest point they could find, like my mailbox post, readily seen, calling out to attract a mate in a hoarse, single note.  He also does this to defend his territory.  As of today, July 22, there is still one bachelor who mournfully belts out his call a few times a day, especially at sunrise and sunset. In this photo I took last week,  a torrential rain storm had just washed the atmosphere clean; ( a fire had been burning west of me for three days, polluting the atmosphere) .  So I grabbed my camera to take advantage of beautiful, clear light, finally!  Luckily the sun peaked out from the clouds for a few minutes, as I snapped this portrait of Mr. Lonely, perched on my patio swing. The background is weedy green scrubs and yellow tumbleweeds but this composition is an enigma; the sad bachelor with a happy background.  I could have posted a shot where his head is hanging, eyes downcast;  I SAW & FELT his mournful sigh in this moment.  But I decided to share this one, showing an important element to wildlife photography, pinpointing my focus on the eye/ eyes as the focal point.  Another reason I am showing a happy background is because it is attracting to viewers.  So the viewer feels happy hopefully at first glance, but then reads the story and feels sad.  (Mother Nature shown brightly from the west, an hour before sunset, in this series, so the opportunity for a  gloomy shot didn't happen.)

Sunday morning I set out to photograph in Bayou le Batre, Alabama. You might remember this place from Forrest Gump. Bubba’s hometown and the start of the famous  Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. I see the shrimp boats from B.l.Batre every morning from my back porch, so I went in search of the likes of the St. John Joseph and the Blue Thunder. Interestingly, many of the boats are run by Vietnamese fisherman. This is a bit ironic considering that in Forrest Gump, he found in the Vietnam war. Back to birding and photography. I tried to make the background important in all of these pictures and tell a bit of a story as well of this little fishing village. The first pic to me shows the laughing gulls standing at attention, first thing in the morning for the pledge of allegiance. I also tried to make it 3-dimensional with the gull on the post in the front. Much to my surprise, at the very end of the road, on the last inlet to the gulf, I found this old Casino Ship - the Argosy 5. Looks like its for sale if anyone is interested. I believe it is 5 million and change. I practiced with my lighting to F8/1000 shutter speed to get the gull in focus and the ship blurry. Lastly, I found the house that was supposed to be the home of Forrest’s mother for the movie. Turns out they filmed in one of the Carolina’s instead. For this picture, the barn swallows were moving so fast, I couldn’t get them and the house in the same shot. So, I focused on the shrub in the foreground and took a pic everytime I saw a swallow go by. This was the winner as I managed to get two in the same shot and they were in positions where in positions where they were clearly (if a bit out of focus) in view. On my way to B.l.Batre, I got the craziest shots of black vultures feeding. If you are a bit squeamish, don’t look. I attached the pictures as a reply to Isabelle’s previous post. Take a look at the crazy vulture tug of war.

I like to take photos of birds eating, feeding their young, preening, moving, I like when there is some kind of action because the story is telling itself through the photos. But sometimes a particular expressing in the bird's eyes is also telling a lot. In the three shots below their is one red-shouldered hawk who has found a squirrel and is eating it. In the second one he is spreading its wings to cover its prey from another red-shouldered hawk who is screaming at him and wants to steal the food from him. He is perched just above him. (that's the third photo).

For storytelling, I like to photograph birds feeding. This is a Swallow-tailed gull feeding its chick with regurgitated squid. It was taken in the Galapagos at 420mm focal length. The Galapagos have strict rules in approaching birds, and restrict movement near bird nesting sites, as well as timing and number of visitors. This is good, as it allows us a window to the lives of the birds, as a reward for protecting their habitat and nesting grounds.

I visited these Sandhill cranes at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge about an hour away from me. I took all these photos from my car so as to not disturb them. The first photo was a bit of a disappointment to me as it wasn't as focused as I hoped. However, it shows their habitat and them calling out to others. Their call is distinctive and it was what always alerts me to when I am nearby them. The second I also was a bit disappointed by because of only catching the rump of one of the cranes. Then I thought, what the heck, it shows how close these two are. Finally, the last one was when I isolated the bird and made sure my focus was on the eye with the aperture wide open. It still shows the grasses surrounding it which makes it a bit messy, but it does convey the habitat of grasses and wetlands that are common to the Sandhill cranes.

Tell a story:  I have a male black-chinned hummer which fiercely protects "his" feeder. I knew the second an intruder was in the area by his wide-flying arcs and deep dives.

This one also show the hills but a close up on the bird. It needs more room to fly into. :-)

Habitat: This photo of an Albatros in Hawaii, show the pretty, lush hills near  their nesting site. It is a protected area with a huge fence around it.

I've just spent far too long browsing my 'bloopers'! This last lesson from Melissa has really expanded my thinking on the storytelling aspect of bird photography. I was already aware of that aspect but even more so now. I was out walking along the Queenscliff (south coast of Victoria Australia) pier that houses an old dilapidated boat shed at the end of it. On several occasions I've noticed a few galahs hanging around here later in the day. I watched one displaying some unusual behaviour — alighting on the side of the building and continuously poking its head into a hole, then looking around. Then it became apparent what was going on! Hope the photos tell the story.

The Crested Caracara is what made me pull over for this shot. After that I noticed the mockingbird that was relentlessly harassing the caracara. Mockingbirds are know for their fierce protection of their territory and nesting area, often taking on much larger birds, animals and even humans. In the end the mockingbird won and the caracara flew away. These were taken during harsh Texas afternoon sun so I did work with shadows and highlights to soften up some.

I had one of those moments that Melissa mentioned in her video - I shot this young common kestrel flying away from me rather than towards me and was a little disappointed. The funny thing is he was on his way to inspect a red squirrel on the ground (unfortunately I didn't get a good photo of that!). But when I was looking through the photos it jumped out at me as being intriguing. The bird is flying into the darkness (which looks almost like a cave) with its bright yellow legs dangling below it.

Two photos, both of which capture habitat rather than just the bird, and one of which has unusual lighting. The first, a Killdeer at South Cape May Meadows, leaves the bird in a smaller area of the picture (but still using rule of thirds) to show more of the wetlands habitat. The second, a backlit juvenile Bald Eagle, was actually just a quick iPhone snapshot to show the location (near Belle Haven Marina on the Potomac River), but the symmetry of the trees and the silhouette of the Eagle made for an interesting picture.

For the last 4 evenings I have gone to a location where I can sit and observe the birds fly in, forage, and engage in interesting behavior.  Between 7 and 8 pm I have found at least 5 Snowy Egrets, 2 Black-necked Stilts, 2 Black-crowned Night Herons, and on the first evening 5 Black Skimmers skimming.  Also a couple of Black Phoebes that fly in and perch on a close snag.  Grackles abound, also a Mallard with chicks, and Red-winged Blackbirds.  This is a marshy area that I drive to and then walk about 500 yards to a viewing platform. This is a well-known birding location in Santa Barbara -   Andree Clark Bird Refuge. I'm using a Canon 7D Mark 2 with a very old 100-300 lens ( from film days) with a 1.4 adapter.  I've just completed the lesson on "telling a story", so I shoot a lot - (RAW) in burst mode (AI Servo).  This is the first time I've tried shooting in Manual mode, setting my aperture to F8 (the widest available to me).  The light is coming from behind me and the side as the sun is setting.  Since I am not usually able to adjust my settings rapidly enough I get many photos (of the white egrets) that are very overexposed, and as the light fails my shots of the Black-crowned Nights Herons that suddenly flew out of the reeds where they were hiding these shots were quite underexposed. There is one series of shots in which 2 Snowy Egrets were actively engage with one another.  This occurred suddenly and at first I though this was dominance behavior, but is has occurred to me rather that it is mating behavior, something I've never observed before. I have used the editing software provided with my Canon camera to edit the photos.  I don't have Lightroom and my Photoshop is very old.  All in all this has been a very interesting and challenging learning experience.  I have posted a large group of my selected  images on Flickr - where I have a PRO account.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/digolov/.  Scroll down until you find the Skimmer, always an exciting find for me. Would love to have feedback.  Dika Golovatchoff, Santa Barbara, CA.  July 8, 2020.

I spotted a pair of Carolina wrens gathering nesting material. They were on the top of a link fence and were building the nest, next to a light, on top of a speaker on the porch, which I thought was odd, given the amount of alternative natural sites on the property. I have since learned they are quite prone to nesting in domesticated areas. I thought the contrast of the habitat opposed to nature was interesting. I also chose to take a shot from behind one of them for a change from the norm.

I went to a nearby reservoir and bird Reserve yesterday evening to catch waterfowl and shore birds in the sunset, but ended up spending over an hour with a family of Rock Wrens. They were quite friendly and let me hang out with them until sunset.  I have several classically composed takes from the session but I pulled aside a few that I thought were interesting. The first shows the wren nestled next to a rock and has some unusual shadowing.  The second is of one wren in immediate flight off of a rock.

I have come to be extremely fond of environmental photos of birds as opposed to bird portraits and try to capture as much of the environment as possible while still keeping the bird or birds sharply defined, even if small in the frame. Two examples are the backlit Whimbrei and the Pied Avocets with their distinctive black and white patches and curved bills. I also like capturing stories as this one  in a series depicting Nazca Boobys courting and nest building.