The smell of rotting fish tends to grab your attention… so does fresh bear poop. I also notice, in some places, the thick vegetation along the stream I’m exploring in Western Alaska lies flat where a bear had been sitting. The spruce forest closes in behind me as I round several bends and my senses are on alert. I’m looking for a place to photograph sockeye salmon on the final leg of their life cycle.
The sockeye began here as fry hiding among the wood debris, careful to avoid the trout. As fingerlings, they left the confines of this small stream venturing, on impulse, into the lake and then downriver to Bristol Bay. In the salt water they made their living, growing several fold in the rich marine environment. Many would fall victim to hungry predators along the way. But these salmon made it back carrying the stuff to spawn a new generation and ready to leave nutrients from their decaying bodies in their natal stream. Microscopic organisms on up to large coastal grizzlies benefit from this rich food source cycling inland from the sea.
The salmon scatter as I slide into the cold, clear water. Soon they will be back, driven by their need to continue up stream. While I wait, I think about how bears wait for the salmon to return too in this place where people seldom visit. Their ability to survive a long cold winter may very well depend on their success catching these fish.
For a moment, I wonder what a bear might think if he peaks over the bank and sees me laying motionless in the water in my black wetsuit. Will I look like a smaller bear fishing in his spot? Then I glance downstream and a beautiful red sockeye is just a couple feet from my head and my thoughts are filled with a sense of wonder and admiration.
I’ve come a long way to be here with these salmon. As I contemplate their amazing journey to the ocean and back to this tiny stream of their birth, my trek seems like nothing at all.
msw
Little birds seldom stay in one place for long. They’re energetic, they flit, forage, hop, hover, and yes, they fly.
It’s a challenge to get a small bird, say a hummingbird or a chickadee, to stay in front of the camera long enough to focus and click. A telephoto lens helps to give a detailed look at the little guys, but this tunnel vision further compounds the problem of finding the bird in your frame. To succeed we need to know where the bird will be and have equipment poised for that fleeting moment when our subject takes the stage.
Sometimes a bird’s behavior will provide the opportunity to predict a good place to train your lens. In the spring males of some species will seek the highest perch in their territory to announce their presence to potential mates. A nest or food source will provide opportunities to observe a bird in a known location too. Birds often land on a favorite perch before proceeding to their nest or a feeder and this is a good place to catch them in a stately pose or even with a meal for their young. At home feeders you can provide a perfect perch for the birds and make sure you have the perfect angle and background for your pictures. Since you know where she’ll be going next maybe you can even catch that little speedster on the wing.
Planning is key to catching hyper little birds in camera, and when I’m out watching them I look for opportunities to get a step ahead of their next move.
msw
A female bushtit leaves her nest.
click here to download photo
A great thing about bird watching is you can do it just about anywhere you go.
It’s their diverse survival strategies and highly mobile nature that make birds so successful at exploiting almost every habitat niche this world has to offer. Understanding these traits and a few specifics about the avian species in your area will help you succeed in making the ultimate bird watching habitat in your own yard.
Simply adding a feeder will likely produce some activity, but you may soon notice that some birds only eat the seeds spilled on the ground around the feeding station. Different birds employ different feeding strategies. While some flit around the canopy of trees looking for their next meal others are down in the under brush trying to find a snack. By varying the height and locations of your feeders you’ll provide for a more diverse group of avian visitors to your garden.
Birds need security from predators too, so consider placing high feeders near vegetation that can provide cover in the event of an aerial attack and put ground feeders far enough away from cover that might conceal a cat.
A water feature of some kind will complete your bird buffet. A shallow tray, custom bird bath or pond in your landscape will all do the trick. Even in moist environments, birds love to have a pool for drinking and bathing. Keeping their feathers clean and healthy is essential to their survival.
The many birds frequenting my yard provide endless opportunities for enjoying my bird watching hobby while I work around the house. And the songs the birds bring to my garden give an extra special quality that only nature can provide.
Birds seen out the window while writing this post: dark-eyed juncos (30), varied thrush, song sparrow, black-capped chickadee, spotted towhee, mourning dove, steller’s jay.
msw
varied thrush
“F/11 and be there!” That’s an old photography expression to describe a subject so interesting or dramatic that merely recording the scene is enough to capture the interest of your audience. Nature offers intrinsic beauty and making nice pictures is often as simple as showing up when the light is good.
But nature can be fickle too; and, where wildlife is concered, downright unpredictable. On a recent trip to Mexico, I encountered a large school of jacks. While marveling at this “wall of fish” I soon noticed that I wasn’t the only one who was looking. A large barracuda was patroling the periphery of the school below me and seemed to be surveying the small fish like a hungry boy at a buffet. I quickly found the shutter release on my underwater housing and attempted to dive a few feet below the surface to line up a shot that would include both predator and prey. With a flick of its tail the barracuda disappeared into the murky blue ocean.
The next day I swam out to the channel and located the school of jacks. Sure enough, the barracuda was also in the vicinity. The wind had created choppy conditions that further hampered the under water visibility so I spent my time testing the comfort zone of the barracuda. For three more days, sometimes twice daily, I took my swim out to the jacks hoping to find the barracuda too and improved conditions for photography. Each time I was able to earn more trust and close the distance that the barracuda would allow.
One the fourth day the water was clear, the school of jacks were waiting and the barracuda seemed to regard me as some odd but harmless fish. When all of the elements (predator, prey, water quality and light) lined up I was ready. The result was worth the extra effort.
msw
It had been a quiet morning on British Columbia’s Blackfish Sound. I hadn’t seen a killer whale in two days, still the meter on my hired boat was running. Sometimes that’s the way it goes with nature photography.
I decided to cut my losses and head to port hoping for better luck in the evening. My guide gunned the motor and as we began to pick up speed I noticed torpedo-like objects zeroing on us off the starboard bow. In seconds, the Pacific White-sided Dolphins closed the gap making a 90 degree turn at the last instant to join with our wake.
One dolphin turned on it’s side and looked me in the eye, and I instinctively reached for my camera and let the shutter fly. The great joy dolphins project when they are engaged in play lifts the spirits. I excitedly changes lenses and loaded film (this was a long time ago) looking for the tight shot, then a wide scene setter. I felt giddy. The day was salvaged.
After the dolphins left us my guide asked a genuine question… does the camera interfere with your enjoyment of the experience? This was unexpected, and I believe I fumbled an answer that didn’t do justice to my passions. In fact, I had never considered there was any other way to experience wildlife. With camera in hand, I’ve always been looking for that which makes me say, wow! If i can record it, share it and make someone else say, WOW, then that’s like hearing an echo up the canyon. The echo becomes a part of the experience.
Photography is a driving force in my existence. I go places to see things that I believe will make great pictures and through this exercise my experiences mount in ways I would have never imagined. I love wildlife and observing the rhythms of nature. There is a yearning to interact, to be a part, in a way that is not invasive. Photography is a means to show others what moves my spirit. And, on a very personal level, a good photo stimulates a multitude of fond memories.
msw
In our digital age, anyone can become a publishing photographer by posting snapshots on the Internet. So what’s the difference between a photographer and someone who simply notices, “Wow, this phone takes pictures, too?”
The answer may lie in your degree of obsession and ability to edit. Do you take four pictures at a birthday party — or 40? If you lean to the trigger-happy side, driven by the promise of the next moment, yearning for peak action or a special blend of light and subject, you’re like many people who make a living from photography.
It’s a visual addiction, really, a quest to be there when everything lines up and a scene speaks for itself. Like other addictions, it’s hard to break. You can never quite get enough. The trick is learning to quickly discard those images that are simply refuse along the path to your masterpiece. Professional models don’t show their warts and good photographers shouldn’t either.
That, in fact, describes my own approach to photography. When I set my sights on a subject, I begin to imagine what it will take to create a definitive photo. I try to balance the larger view with the nuance that so often escapes the casual observer. Then I scrutinize my results mercilessly and often return to the subject, when possible, to act on what I’ve learned. On a good day, luck, serendipity and a little bit of that magic called life comes into play. The reward is a sliver of something so very tasty that I’m always hungry for more.
msw
