I chose the Black-crowned Night Heron, as I have seen all summer by a local canal. Although this species is described as more dormant during the day, I was surprised at how close I could (carefully) approach without creating a disturbance. A solitary tree growing horizontally on the canal bank provided wonderful eye-level contact and some opportunity for detailed portraiture-like shots in full daylight.

I recently took a trip with a local Audubon group to a sod farm on the coastal plain of South Carolina. Numerous shore birds stop there on the migration south and this location affords some good looks.  I prepared by studying the behavior and field marks of the birds that could be present.  Just after we arrived we found 3 Long-billed Dowitchers in a puddle.  These medium-sized sandpipers feed by poking their long bills into the mud in a repeated, sewing machine-like fashion.  The early light and reflections set off the rich brown color of the birds.

I went to the local pond in search of mallard ducks or any duck species.   Instead I captured this photo of a mute swan (cygnus olor) landing in the water with a wake behind him.   Mute swans have heavy bodies and short legs.  They are non-native in the US and can displace native species.  They feed in underwater vegetation and have voracious appetites, eating up to 8 lbs of vegetation a day.   They mate for life and can be very aggressive, displaying raised wings to ward off predators.

I decided to try and photograph a Virgina Rail.  I walk daily in an estuarial wetland past large stands of cat-tails, and I have heard their distinctive call several times.  A while ago I  came across a photographer I knew who was doing the thing you aren't supposed to do- playing a recording of a Rail to draw it out.  I found out in my reading they are not only shy, but very territorial, and he succeeded in drawing a bird out just for a second to get his shot. I've had an eventful week since deciding  on a Virigina Rail.  I have been photographing a Great Horned Owl and her fledgeling several times this month.  This owl returns here every year and in June or July will show up with her latest brood.  This year she has only one, and the both have very graciously posed for me.  I think she is very used to excited photographers shooting her every year and is very blasé about it.  Maybe it's part of her training of the young owls to take them out and show them the humans.  At any rate, when I came close to her usual tree, I heard the repeated  alarm calls of a Rail.  There were cat-tails below the alder the owl was sitting on.  I waited a very long time and never saw it, and no doubt because I was there in addition to the owl, he decided silence was best.   While continuing on my way, searching the cat-tails for Rails, I head a call similar to a Rail and  spotted a bright yellow beak, a black mask and a gray head on something  on a muddy bank.  It was very foggy, and not ideal for shooting- I had no idea what it was I took a photo of.    It was a Sora!  I didn't even know what a Sora was.  So cool!  At least it is in the Rail family. Today I went out and heard a Rail call again near to where the Sora was.  I once again searched the cat-tails for the Rail, and at first saw nothing.  Then a Green Heron flew down right in front of me!!  Cool again!  I got some great shots. I guess the take away is, even if you don't find what you are looking for, it's worth looking anyway.  You never know what may show up.

Since I moved here four years ago, I reached some conditions to really enjoy birdwatching and try to improve my photography skills, I know it is a long road to ride. First, I joined to the Ornithologist Association (as an amateur), I began studied about the species according to the different regions in the country, and I began making a personal list of species near my house. As a result of my little research I planted trees and flowers for birds, butterflies and insects. We made a fountain too. Now they are closer and closer, I can recognize some sounds and characteristics. Fortunately where I live is a convergence area of different regions . I took this course because I need developing skills in photography as you said in the introduction. Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge. I live in Costa Rica, in a district of Alajuela´s Province the name is Atenas (it is known as the best climate in the world!). Let me know if you come some day

I totally agree, it is essential to investigate the biology, ecology and natural history of birds, so we will have a step forward to improve our photographs. I share this photo that I took today (June 02/2022), as part of the follow-up I do to this species in the Bogotá Savanna, Colombia. Best regards!

I did things a bit backwards, and read up about white-fronted terns after observing colonies at a couple of different estuaries in January and March. The colonies consisted of 50-100 birds that were simply hanging out on the sand near the water, with birds flying in and out now and then. At this time of year (Southern Hemisphere late summer, heading into autumn) the terns had already bred but the fledgings were still with their parents. In January I saw parents feeding young - flying in with small fish in their beaks and handing them over to begging young. The hand-off was always very quick and I never managed to photograph it! In March however, I still saw young birds begging but now their parents seemed to be ignoring them. I'm trying to learn how to photograph birds in flight at present, and the terns were a good opportunity to practice this and I felt I had some success. I noticed that they often seemed to extend their wings straight up before taking off, and then took off vertically - not something I've seen before I think. This gave a bit of advance warning that one was about to take off. And in March, I found it helpful to watch the begging young. In time the adult they were begging at would often take off and fly away. Whether this was to get away from the begging chick or fetch it some food, I'm not sure! But it was a good way to guess which bird in the colony might take flight next. The young bird would often fly after the adult too, giving me two opportunities to photograph one in flight. In March I also observed several young terns from another species with the colony. I wasn't able to identify them at the time, but sought advice on identifying them later and was told they were black-fronted terns. They generally seemed to be on the edge of the colony of white-fronted terns rather than in the middle of it, and occasionally seemed to get chased off by the larger white-fronted terns. And now tonight in my reading about them I've learnt that the "white-fronted" refers not to the breast, but to the white band between the black cap and the bill! I hadn't noticed the band before, but it's very clearly visible in my photos, and will help with identification in future. This next picture shows an adult extending its wings straight up in preparation for taking off. A young bird is visible begging to the right.

I researched two flycatchers that are fairly common in my area: Cassin's Kingbird and Black Phoebe. I've observed both species before, but my research brought some things to my attention that I was only passively aware of before. In particular, I read that Cassin's Kingbirds prefer to hunt from an elevated perch, while Black Phoebes perch within 7 feet of the ground. This lines up exactly with what I've seen, with Cassin's Kingbirds often perched on the highest wires or at the top of trees, while Black Phoebes hunt front the lower wires or branches, or even yard signs. This makes the Black Phoebe easier to photograph since it's more likely to be at eye level. Their flycatching hunting style also means there are good opportunities for action shots. It's clear when they're hunting as they visually search for their prey -- then sally out to catch it in flight!

I have been observing crows and their habits of local daily migrations. New Years Eve this year was clear and sunny after a few weeks of snow, rain, and cloudy days, so I took advantage of this at at sunset when crows move back from the outer areas of the Portland, OR area to downtown along the Willamette River where there are many tall, deciduous trees close together for them to roost. What surprised me was finding hundreds if not several thousand crows boisterously gathering on a heavily treed neighborhood street while on my way downtown. I thought, huh, maybe they have moved their roosting spot. I hung out with them for about 20 minutes. The influx continued and then within about 5 minutes most of them had flown off. It seems that the pattern of movement includes various pit stops where they collect themselves in ever greater numbers before moving to the final roosting spot downtown. As I got closer to the downtown spot, I travelled through another gathering area closer in. Nothing compared to the hundreds of thousands of birds that poured into the trees downtown while I was there. The sound, the movement, the swarms of flapping wings moving across big expanses of sky was wondrous, awesome.

I watched this Double-crested Cormorant fly into the Harlem Meer every morning over the summer. For this photo I got as low as possible on the ground. I watched for almost an hour as it swam and dove for its me. What I found most interesting was it’s timing. It would arrive every morning at 620am and take off around 730a.  It was a wonderful way to spend my summer

My husband and I are avid hunters and fishers.  I never go camping or fishing without my camera or my Sibley book.  I was totally caught off guard with this Dipper.  I was walking the dog around the campground without my camera (left at the trailer) and I saw this guy and ran back to get my camera praying the whole time he would be there.  

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I took this photo at the end of July 2021.  This is an osprey "chick" (brancher, to use a falconry term) testing its wings.  He was flying into the wind but never left the nest.  You can see its sibling under its left wing.  After awhile the sibling did basically the same thing while the first bird laid down. Habitat - rivers, marshes, lakes (these birds were on a man-made marsh) Food sources (same).  Osprey catch fish going feet first into the water. This was the end of nesting season in July 2021 On this day I didn't see any distinctive behaviors.  However, back in May one of the parents circled me and then landed in a tree near me so I took the hint and left. This bird is migratory although where I took the shot, in central Michigan,  they appear to stay year-round.

A Little Eagle (Hieraatus morphnoides) feasting in my back paddock on rabbit. A powerful raptor common to my area. I live inland but only 15 kms from the coastline, both habitats of the Little Eagle. We have rabbits, a Little Eagle favorite, that are in plague proportions. Rabbits are vermin here in Australia destroy habitat of native mammals and eat my trees.... I was lucky to catch this Little Eagle feasting on one he had caught in our back paddock. We live close to a coastal sanctuary and Serendip Sanctuary - (Brolga and Bustard breeding programs)

Birders alert me that this Sword Billed hummingbird would feed from the flowers you see in white on the background so I was able to positioned my self to get a good angle to capture the image. I rely on locals for the best sightings most of the time and it usually has provided me great opportunities for some great images.

Rainbow bee-eaters (merops  ornatus) are one of the most beautiful  and elusive birds in my neighbourhood. I occasionally see them on a branch or wire, often in pairs, and always when I haven’t a camera with me. I learned that there were nesting pairs at a beach reserve near my home and I spent several hours over a few days sitting in the park. They nest in shallow burrows, sometimes in sand, but I couldn’t detect their comings and goings. By being very patient and letting them come to me I got some decent shots. Just yesterday, I was walking through the bush near a river and I saw a male bee-eater emerge from  the bank in front of me. I knew instantly that I had finally found a burrow hollowed out of the sand of the river bank. After a quick look, I moved away, not wanting to disturb the birds.

I really enjoyed this assignment.  I chose the tufted titmouse for my first field study bird because they're frequent visitors to the feeders in back of my house.  Although I see them often, I'd never really taken time to learn about their behavior.  Reading more about their feeding habits and preferred habitat helped me better predict when and where I would see them.  One fun fact I learned about titmice is that they will often take the largest seed/nut they can find to a nearby branch and either eat it or stow it to eat later.  I just missed a shot of one with a very large peanut in its mouth, and I took lots of bad, blurry pictures before I managed to get these two shots (Nikon 300mm w/ 1.4x teleconverter).

This female Baltimore Oriole was using my garden string as material to feather her nest. She was a little acrobat hanging upside down. The nest was a sock like hanging nest in a Silver Maple tree in our front yard. (We are on a very open farm with no close neighbors with woods in various locations)

Gosh it's annoying when pages time out when you submit a post :| I was going to study some fabulous bird like the roseate spoonbill, or pick a species of hummingbird. However, I realised I know little about the swallows that whizz around our apartment building all day terminating mosquitos and, I assumed, nesting in the half-finished construction site next door. It turns they're blue and white swallows which are the most common swallow here and have an enormous range of most of South America (PT: Andorinha-pequena-de-casa (small house swallow)). The are common in open grassy areas in the wild, but have adapted well to urbanisation, nesting colonially in building openings and bridges. I found a study from Minas Gerais where the researchers found only 20% of nests to be successful due to predation and unviable eggs. The authors noted that despite how abundant the species is in urbanised Brazil, little is known about their habits and the effects of urbanisation on breeding. For some reason (unexplained) breeding tends to start at the onset of the rainy season. This exercise was useful because it forced me to finally make a positive ID on a species I enjoy observing every day. They're really hard to photograph as they're so quick and acrobatic in the air but they do tend to land on a large tree nearby and on the construction site and chatter to each other when it's raining heavily. Soggy andorinhas attached.

This is a lovely Snowy Egret who lives in the Duck Pond at my school. It's very used to humans, although people prefer to pay attention to the Mallards. I really enjoyed sitting and watching this guy. It makes an interesting splash with its bill that somehow draws tiny fish to it. It's a great bird to study the behavior of as it carries on with its Egret life right under the noses of people on campus. If you give it time and space like I did here, it doesn't mind coming close to you and giving you intimate looks into its behavior.

I have spent nearly four years under an osprey nest on the coast of Maine near Freeport. I start when they arrive often in late March and spend about 6 hours a week taking images. I record everything from the reconstruction of the nest, courting and mating, the development of the chicks and fledglings and finally their departure in late September. The timing of the eggs and birth of the chicks is difficult to know especially when I can only photograph through a dense forest canopy well below the nest which is about 60 feet above where I stand. The critical time is when the fledglings begin to try their wings which is about five weeks after they are born. They grow quickly in Maine because of the rich fishing waters and the general lack of predators. My interest has been trying to estimate their first flights, then their first successful fishing, and finally their departure. Research to date provide insight into how and when their feathers develop. Early on and through most of their time they are mottled. Although it is difficult to determine the sex of the birds, the young female fledglings begin to show the development of the "osprey necklace" near the time of their leaving. In the image below it is difficult to see that but the osprey on the left appears to be the female. The image was taken on July 22nd 2021 and by the time I took the last image of her, the feather remained mottled but the necklace was starting to take full shape. Her mother who I have followed for two years has a pronounced necklace in size and color. My last image of this bird on September 30th 2021 showed that; as well she was almost as large as the mother. Comparison of images suggests that she inherited the strong necklace. Mature females I discover begin their migration earlier than the males and the year's younger adults. Although much has been written about ospreys in the past few years, there are substantial gaps regarding the maturation of the young. Some state that the male helps the young fish or look for fish, yet I have seen immature ospreys such as the one on the left successfully bring fish back to eat. Unlike when the adults feed the young, immature ospreys search out places in trees to consume the fish. Also, I have observed that while the adults bring headless fish back to the nests, the young bring entire fish back to their roosts. In both cases, the head is eaten first. I am certainly far from being an ornithologist although I have a scientific back ground, much of what I have written comes from extensive observation of a pair of ospreys occupying a nest over four years. The male appears to be the same but there has been two females. While I consult widely, my research is my own based on field observation. I would like to be able to compare my observations with those of others but that is difficult.

Admittedly this is not greatest picture, but its on of my favorites.  This is a Northern Goshawk (NOGO) sitting on her nest.  Goshawks are, in my humble opinion, one of North America's most beautiful raptors.  They are fiercely territorial and will dive bomb any intruder that gets too close to their nest while screaming out their unique alarm call.  They are the perfect combination of beauty and power.  My summer job (for the past 31 years) is as a wildlife technician for the U.S. Forest Service.  Part of my job is to find and monitor NOGO nests.  It isn't easy to find a NOGO let alone their nest.  After researching this bird and from experience I know that I need to look in mature to over mature forests, on north or east facing slopes near running water and usually below 7,ooo ft elevation.  I have to visit each nest 2 or 3 times during the nesting season to track the progress and success of the nest.  I try not to disturb the birds when I do this, but I have been put on the ground many times by an angry adult over the years.  It's a bit unnerving for both the bird and me.  That's one of the reasons I like this photo.  It shows the bird on the cryptically constructed nest, watching me intently, waiting to see if I'll approach too close.  I've learned to respect that look.  I can get all the info I need for this visit; the nest is active with an incubating or brooding adult.  While I would love to get a closer picture, approaching closer would most likely initiate her defense behaviors, causing her a lot of stress (this nest was close to a logging road so she already had enough stress in her life).  So I left. Unfortunately, when I returned for a follow up visit I found the nest abandoned and it hasn't been used since.