Robin, a blog reader, sent me this after reading "Hooded Bliss," "Wonderful photos and commentary. You taught me new things about the hoodies. Thanks so much for sharing!" I always like it when readers tell me they learned something from the blog. I also like it when they provide me with good ideas for titles! … Continue reading Photos and Commentary
Category: Photography
Hooded Bliss
This piece is dated, but not by much. What's recounted here took place on 4/1. From time to time we have subject birds, and the subject bird this time is the Hooded Merganser or "Hoodie." It's North America's smallest merganser and the only one that breeds and winters here. It's a species that's described as … Continue reading Hooded Bliss
A Few Sights and Sounds
What follows are a few late winter/early spring Mid-Atlantic region sights and sounds. I'd like to begin with some Red-shouldered Hawk photos, but first, here's one of a Great Blue Heron grabbing a bluegill for breakfast. I took it on the same morning I took the Red-shouldered photos. The Red-shouldered Hawk Let's go to those … Continue reading A Few Sights and Sounds
God Bless the Child
Before we talk about kids, I'd like to return to the theme of the last blog: the unsung, underappreciated female bird. Several readers wrote me and told me they wished I had included more birds and bird photos in the piece. They made a good point. So, here are a few more birds and bird … Continue reading God Bless the Child
The Unsung Female
The last blog didn't go over too well. Such is life. I imagined some saying, "What does 'Water Sources and Winter Light' even mean"? If the title had been catchier or if I had worded it something like, "How to Take Advantage of Water Sources and Winter Light," the blog might have attracted more interest. … Continue reading The Unsung Female
Water Sources and Winter Light
Several readers asked me about the thrush photo in "More Photo-Worthy Moments." It was nothing special, but I chose it because it perfectly complemented the quote just above it. If you're interested, I took the photo in the woods. It was quiet, the bird was close, and it was easy to "feel that connection." The … Continue reading Water Sources and Winter Light
More Photo-Worthy Moments
You know it's winter when you see a bird sighting report of 4 Greater White-fronted Geese spending time in a corn stubble field and a dark morph Rough-legged Hawk soaring nearby or one of a Golden Eagle drifting by overhead accompanied by a couple of Common Ravens. These may have been Pennsylvania and Massachusetts reports … Continue reading More Photo-Worthy Moments
A Few Photo-Worthy Moments
Many readers enjoyed the American Black Duck photo in the last blog, "Be There," and several asked me about the EXIF or image file data. Here's the photo once again. And here's the data: Canon EOS R5 EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4x III lens 700mm f/8 1/2000s 1600 ISO. Here, also, are some of … Continue reading A Few Photo-Worthy Moments
Be There
I mentioned "f/8 and be there" at the end of "A Special Moment." A reader who'd never heard of it before sent me this: "I should put that on a T-shirt and wear it on every outing. Great advice!" I think it is great advice. F/8 has to do with photo gear and technique. Being … Continue reading Be There
A Special Moment
Let's start with a few words, then our story about a special moment. I know I harp on fieldcraft. The word figures into the title of several of my blogs, and I've used the word or touched on some of the skills involved many times. For example, I recently quoted Melissa Groo, who said that … Continue reading A Special Moment
Elizabeth River Bird Blog 